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World Hotels - Zagatsurvey 2004/05 Paris Restaurants (Zagatsurvey : Paris Restaurants)
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List Price: $13.95
Our Price: $4.90
Your Save: $ 9.05 ( 65% )
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Zagat Survey
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 647
EAN: 9781570066054
ISBN: 1570066051
Label: Zagat Survey
Manufacturer: Zagat Survey
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 252
Publication Date: 2004-04
Publisher: Zagat Survey
Studio: Zagat Survey
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Editorial Reviews:
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ISBN: 1570067082 TITLE: 2005/06 Paris Restaurants (English) AUTHOR: Zagat Survey DESCRIPTION: Covering over 950 restaurants.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Tres Mal. Better off with a TIME OUT food guide.
Comment: I'm going to Paris. As a kosher vegetarian eating will be a bit difficult. So I thought a Zagat's guide would come in really handy. Right before packing it I decided to do a flip-through (I have the English edition btw). In short, tomorrow I will be running to return it (and do an exchange for a TIME OUT Paris Food Guide) to the bookstore before catching my flight...
SUMMARY
The guide has the following sections of importance:
Top Ratings:
(broken up as:) FOOD (Cuisines, Features, Arrondissements), DECOR (Outdoors, Romance, Rooms, Views), SERVICE and BEST BUYS.
Then the RESTAURANT DIRECTORY
Then, INDEXES by Cuisines and Locations.
Next, there is a list of special features (about 70 pages) that include; Child-Friendly, Jacket required, Romantic Places, Singles Scene, Celebrity Chefs, Teen Appeal, Trendy, Tasting Menu, etc.
And last, a wine chart.
The whole review is 268 pages (from foreleaf to index).
PROS:
It's by ZAGAT. It's known, it's considered pretty good. Organization is great and listings are clear. It's also updated, so generally the restaurants included will usually be open (with addresses/phone numbers included).
CONS:
Apparently, if you are not a "steak and potatoes" kind of eater - why bother with this "steak and potatoes" guide? There is a cuisines section, however lets take a quick look at the two cuisines i'mi interested in: Kosher and Vegetarian (since i am also kosher i will only go to restaurants that are strictly vegetarian, i'm not interested, neither are most vegetarians with restaurants that will provide a plate of vegetables or the like. Or, having the off chance that their salad is spread peppered with anchovies, or their vegetable soup made with chicken stock. When we see vegetarian restaurant's that refers to VEGETARIAN RESTAURANTS). Apparently Zagat is unclear on this concept. Under Vegetarian, ZAGAT lists Maceo Restaurant, a meat restaurant that happens to have a side menu for veggies. It IS NOT a veggie restaurant. The second listing, could be veggie, hard to tell, since the website it refers you to is completely wrong (it refers you to a design firm). As for the kosher restaurants, it lists ONLY two. Meanwhile, a "Kosher in France" website lists 147 Kosher restaurants in Paris (just for the record, there are about 20 strictly veggie restaurants in Paris as well).
So back to the bookstore I go. I reserved this book at Borders through the Amazon site and just bought it at the store without looking. I did however leaf through a Time Out Paris Food guide, that while a little more pricey ($2-5 depending on where you go) definitely lists more cuisines than this. I got more information from a perfunctory google search than i have in the ten minutes i've spent with this ZAGAT's guide.
Customer Rating:
Summary: It wouldn't hurt to learn a little French!
Comment: I have found that the French edition is ahead of the translated edition, thus giving you a more up to date review. The guidebook is reliable, which is what one wants in a guide to restaurants and it certainly helps to be as close to current as possible. A dictionary and a phrasebook are helpful but not necessary, really. The numerical ratings are accurate. I find thqat this book sends you to places which local people like -- generally a good idea.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Beware!!
Comment: Note that Amazon is selling the FRENCH edition. Not too useful if you, like myself, speak only fluent English. I misktakenly ordered it, returned it and Amazon wanted to let me pay the return postage.
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