Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris

I haven't found many recipes that I want to make, but enjoy reading the book for inspiration.

Years ago, I read a book called The Food Lover's Guide to Paris. In fact, I still have it because it includes 20 recipes and it's coverage of the restaurants, wine bars, cafes, bistros, cheese and bread markets created such nostalgia in me for that city that I could not part with it. However, the last edition was written in the 1990s, and no new edition ever came out. I think the author moved to Italy.

So now we have a light, bright newcomer who covers much of the same territory. The format is somewhat similar also. The author is obviously a cook, and the write-ups of shops and markets are minutely described. A great book for those who have some time to stay in Paris rather than rush in and out in a few days. There are also some recipes in the book, and plenty more on the blog that apparently led to the creation of this book.

Of course, The Food Lover's Guide had a 37-page glossary of French food terminology which is a great help if you are not sure what "riz de veau" is. I once got langouste and langoustine mixed up, much to the horror of my date, who was picking up the tab. Ha, ha, it turned out I had ordered the lobster.

While Clothilde's edible adventures are definitely on the light side, she does have a brisk, young, hip (or whatever the millenial generation's term for hip is)style and an obvious knowledge of her material. Book publishing nowadays is all about having platform, and since Clothilde has a popular blog that attracts thousands of fans,Crafting the Travel Guidebook: How to Write, Publish & Sell Your Travel Book it is only fitting that she inherit the mantle of the original author of the Food Lover's Guide to Paris. Bon appetit!

Like the other reviewer, I wish I'd had Clotilde's new book for my Paris trip last April. I saw several restaurant listings near the apartment I was staying at, and near the French language school I attended. The shop descriptions are also very helpful. Though in some ways such shops can be found all over the city, it is really helpful to know what the specialties may be, and what to ask for. After reading her blog for years, it is delightful to have her favorites all in one place, and in a beautifully designed book just the right size for traveling.

Clotilde's first book was a joy -- even after I had sworn off cookbooks forever -- and this one is even better. Merci, Clotilde!

Just returned from our first trip to Paris and ate at about 7-8 of the recommended restaurants/shops in this book. EVERY recommendation was perfect; I don't think I've ever had a travel guidebook that seemed so spot on! The shops Ms Dusoulier mentions are charming and stocked with impeccable products. The restaurants were all fantastic and exactly as described. Half way through the trip we ditched our other guidebook and relied exclusively on this one for food! I especially liked the listings for bakeries, cheese shops, etc. You don't usually find so many of them in guidebooks. The extra info she peppers throughout the text was also much appreciated (dining customs in France, descriptions of important dishes, etc). One of the nicest features is that the book lists the nearest Metro stop AND cross streets for all businesses. This is so much more helpful than just an address, which can be impossible to find on an unfamiliar map. The index was great too, listing places by name but also neighborhood. That was very helpful when planning where to eat, since we could just look up the neighborhood we were in at the moment and see what was nearby. Plus, it is a fun read! I read the whole thing before leaving for Paris and really enjoyed it, though I suppose I may not have enjoyed it as much if I were not visiting the city.

The only thing that would have made this book slightly more useful would have been some maps. Even if the maps weren't quite detailed enough to show everything, they would have meant we didn't always have to pull out a giant city map too. Still, that's a very small complaint and one that didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of the book.

I highly recommend this book for anyone traveling to Paris or just looking to learn more about the Paris food scene.

The restaurant suggestions are not especially interesting, if you've been to Paris before. However, the shopping venues are excellent.