Since its veritable invention of the restaurant with the opening of Beauvilliers in 1784, Paris has harbored a love affair with fine cuisine. This book celebrates the spots that keep the City of Light at the crossroads of culinary tradition and innovation. Pierre Rival indulges the reader with a discerning selection of splendid historic restaurants, notorious brasseries, revolutionary bistros, and stylish contemporary kitchens,and describes each one in delectable detail. In addition to their reputation for exemplary cuisine, these restaurants offer the best in French design, from belle epoque interiors to chic clean lines from the hippest contemporary designers. This volume offers both a practical reference for the Parisian tourist and an exquisite visual feast for the armchair traveler. A complete black book of notable addresses provides the reader with the contact information for the featured restaurants, and for a host of other exceptional eateries in this celebrated epicenter of gastronomy.