- Ruth Reichl Discovers Innovative Food and Charming Hotels at Reasonable Prices
- Surprising New Food Meccas: The 9th, 10th, 11th/12th, and 19th/20th Arrondissements
- Gourmet’s Travel Editor Finds Paris Hotels That Don’t Break the Bank
- Five-Star Chefs Share Their Preferred Stops in Paris
- Colman Andrews Visits the Best Paris Wine Bars
- Julia Langbein on Legendary Bars in Paris’s Luxury Hotels
- First Person: Monique Truong, Jay McInerney, Holly Brubach, Aleksandra Crapanzano
- Gourmet Entertains: Raquel Carena of Le Baratin; Urban Flea Market
- Editors’ Favorite Paris Flea Markets
- The Gourmet Cookbook Club’s September Selection: A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, by David Tanis
- Seasonal Kitchen: Duck Confit
- Obsessions
- The Last Touch: Tartines
In “The Last Time I Saw Paris” (pages 20-31), Gourmet’s editor in chief, Ruth Reichl, tells the story of how she discovered that you can live stunningly well in Paris for very little money. “Thanks to the new young chefs, Paris is reclaiming its title as food capital of the world,” says Reichl. She stayed in inexpensive hotels, rode the métro, attended free cultural events, and enjoyed great meals that did not cost a fortune. Best of all, Reichl found that innovative cooking from the new guard of Paris chefs has once again made this a must-visit city for those who love food. Addresses are on page 160.
In “The New Left Bank” (pages 66-77), Alexander Lobrano, Gourmet’s Paris-based correspondent and the author of Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City’s 102 Best Restaurants, heads deep into the double-digit arrondissements, finds that the food scene has moved across the Seine, and gives us a glimpse of the new food meccas, the quartiers that the French themselves consider the Paris of the 21st century. Address Books are on pages 68, 73, 76, and 77.
For “A Parisian Room of One’s Own” (page 78), Gourmet’s travel editor, William Sertl, checked in to and out of hotels across Paris to find places that offer everything except a hefty bill: Hôtel Particulier de Montmartre; Hôtel de l’Abbaye; Hôtel du Commerce; Familia; Hôtel des Saints-Pères; and Murano Urban Resort; plus apartment-rental companies HomesAway and Chez Vous. “More Chic—and Affordable—Addresses” (page 82) lists six other hotels that won’t break the bank.
In “Chefs and the City” (page 36), we asked food luminaries Eric Ripert, Joël Robuchon, James Peterson, Laurent Gras, and Laurent Tourondel to divulge their preferred addresses in Paris. They tell us where they eat, shop, and stay.
Drinks: In “Foreign Vin-Vasion” (page 44), Gourmet contributing editor Colman Andrews investigates the wine bar phenomenon firsthand at Willi’s Wine Bar and Il Vino d’ Enrico Bernardo and finds that some of the best wine bars in Paris aren’t even run by the French. “More of Our Favorite Wine Bars” (page 48) recommends Au Sauvignon; Le Baron Rouge; La Cloche Des Halles; L’Écluse; L’Enfant Rouge; Juveniles; Le Mesturet; and Le Rubis. In “We’ll Always Have Cocktails” (page 52), Julia Langbein splurges at the legendary bars of some of Paris’s most luxurious hotels: Hôtel Le Bristol; Hôtel De Crillon; Hôtel Le Meurice; Hôtel Plaza Athénée; Hôtel Raphael; and Hôtel Ritz.
In First Person, four writers describe why they love Paris: “Benedictions” (page 116), by Aleksandra Crapanzano, a screenwriter who lives in Brooklyn and recently adapted the international best seller Reading Lolita in Tehran, is a story about one young woman and her dog setting out to satisfy a uniquely Parisian hunger. “In Pursuit of Happiness” (page 130), by Holly Brubach, former style editor of The New York Times, recalls the once lovelorn author’s move to Paris, where she found a city that not only restored her to her senses but also taught her how to savor the texture of everyday life. In “My Cherry Amour” (page 138), Monique Truong, author of The Book of Salt, remembers discovering Paris in her teens. In “Seductress on the Seine” (page 150), Jay McInerney, author of Bright Lights, Big City and The Good Life, explores how, in Paris, people fall in love with the food, with the wine, and even with the people they’ll someday marry.
