John Talbott's Paris

Privacy Policy

John Talbott’s Paris has strict privacy rules.

We do not collect data on anyone or anything, in fact we wouldn’t know how to do it.

We do not publish the names of John Talbott’s dining companions, only vague and sometimes amusing descriptions of their roles/occupations/importance/self-importance, etc.

We do indicate when he eats with his cherished wife of 57 years, whose pen name is Colette.

We do give credit to photographers whose photos we post when say, we have forgotten our nifty Panasonic camera or iPhone.

We do record the decibel level in almost every restaurant we review but do not name the miscreants except to note when they are loud Yankees.

We do post the cost of each meal, always a lunch, and indicate, almost always with a photo, each wine imbibed.

Signed John Andrew Talbott MD

May 25 2018

An open letter to my readers about chefs' suicides; stress and mental illness.

Dear Readers,

I rarely break my format of reviewing restaurants and summarizing media reviews but the two articles in the New York Times and New Yorker this week have prompted me to seek to bring some science to this issue.

We do not know why Chef Benoît Violier killed himself this week but we do know that Bernard Loiseau killed himself 10 years ago while depressed and with a gun his wife had given him.

It sells publications to romanticize suicides among famous people, attributing them to pressure or losing a star or some other external reason.  The truth is that most suicides are the result of mental illnesses, most frequently depression, and it is disappointing that two of the US's major media, the New York Times and New Yorker, have fallen into the trap of 1). making premature conclusions, pre-autopsy and 2). romanticizing suicide rather than appreciating its usual cause(s).

John A. Talbott MD

Past President American Psychiatric Association 1984-1985

Blogger John Talbott's Paris 2008-present

Hot off the press: Paris By Mouth opens Discussion Forum and celebrates 1st birthday today.

Well, Meg Zimbeck has already posted this elsewhere but all my readers may not know that Paris by Mouth is a year old today and we've opened a Discussion Forum. It's a lotta work and she & Barbra deserve a great deal of credit; visit if you haven't here.

Spring 2 or 3 or 4, whatever, it's impressive.

Spring, yes, Spring, Daniel Rose's Spring, the restaurant not the book, play or musical, two years in the making, will indeed open soon.  As Alec Lobrano's wonderful article updated us 2 weeks ago, the decor is stunning, the space more adequate than before and the kitchen awesome (and I use this word, not in my 14 year old grand-daughter's parlance, but in my own 1950's one).

"Cool eh?" said he. I said, "how much is that?" (meaning inches, feet, meters of eqpt)  He - "I see a lot of Euros."

The tables and chairs are cool, all set for a "soft" opening this upcoming week.  You wanna be the first; get in line, or make sure you're on the email list - don't call.

Colette, who's been going thru this space with me every three months, said "get a photo of that."  "What" said I?  "That."  Pop quiz: Q: The above is a post-Modern organ, furnace exhaust or frou-frou decoration?  A: None of the above.  It's the intake system.

Hot News: Paris By Mouth Lauches: Fab. Website if I do say so myself.

The following Press Release about Paris By Mouth will certainly be of interest to my loyal readers:

PRESS RELEASE
June 11, 2010

Paris by Mouth, a collaborative website from eleven of the most respected food writers working today, launches with more than 1000 pages about eating and drinking in Paris.

Paris by Mouth (http://parisbymouth.com) is a different kind of guide. We take the food writing that is scattered all over the web, filter out the junk, and present it in a way that helps you follow the trends and find a place to eat tonight. We provide practical information for hundreds of restaurants, publicize exciting food events and wine tastings, and publish photos that (we hope) will get you as excited about eating in this city as we are.

Who We Are

Along with Editor Meg Zimbeck and Assistant Editor Barbra Austin, Paris by Mouth counts an impressive crew of Paris-based bloggers, journalists and cookbook authors among our Contributing Editors: Alexander Lobrano (Hungry for Paris), Clotilde Dusoulier (Chocolate & Zucchini), Christophe Wakim (Chrisoscope), Dorie Greenspan (acclaimed pastry authority), John Talbott (John Talbott’s Paris), Julian Tort (Julot: Ze Blog), Phyllis Flick (Paris Notebook), Sophie Brissaud (Chez Ptipois) and Wendy Lyn (The Paris Kitchen). Collectively, our editors have:

·         Penned thousands of articles for food and travel publications, including: Bon Appétit, Saveur, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Olive, Parade, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and The New York Times.

·         Written 29 books about food and wine and translated 3 more. These books have earned five James Beard awards, one IACP Cookbook of the Year award, and one Rothschild award for Meilleur livre sur le vin.

·         Published blogs that collectively draw more than 800,000 monthly page views and count more than 100,000 subscribers on Google Reader. Two have been ranked among the World’s 50 Best Food Blogs.

·         Tweeted to a combined audience of more than 25,000 Twitter followers.

·         Contributed more than 13,000 comments in influential food discussion forums like Chowhound & eGullet.

What You’ll Find on Paris by Mouth

·         Five Great Our Contributing Editors have put their well-fed heads together to choose Five Great places where you can satisfy cravings that range from steak-frites to molecular cuisine. A new list of five favorite addresses will be published every week.

·         Our Guide to Paris Because our selections have been made by editors who live in Paris and write regularly about food, the pages in Our Paris Guide present the most up-to-date ideas about where eat, plus practical information about opening hours, atmosphere, price, and how hard it is to book a table. Our collection of “trusted reviews” for each address allow you to see how a restaurant is regarded by the eaters we esteem.

·         Daily Porn Glistening food photography – a new image published every day – to complement the millions of words on our site.

·         Blogger Buzz We digest the latest food news, reviews and gossip about food and wine in Paris and republish excerpts (with author permission) on our site. We filter out the junk and post only trust-worthy information.

·         Eating & Tweeting We use our @ParisbyMouth Twitter feed to share news about restaurant openings and local food & wine events. We also pass along the delicious ideas shared by local food-minded Paris tweeters.

 

Contact:           Meg Zimbeck, [email protected]

                        Tel: +33 (0)6 22 68 66 82 (from the U.S. dial 011-33/6 22 68 66 82)

Spring Boutique in the 1st: Fine food, expensive sure, but fun.

The Spring Boutique, 52, rue de l’Arbre Sec in the 1st, (ergo around the corner from the new Spring on the rue Bailleul) 01.58.62.44.30 is open Tuesday-Saturday 10:30 AM – 9 PM and has the same sign as in olden times.

Daniel Rose and Marie-Aude Mery and Josh Adler hold forth selling high end sausages, fruit, coffee, wine and well, everything one might need for a late light dinner after a long day’s work (which is when they get really busy).

I cannot attest to all the products but their grey pleurotes in olive oil (10.75 € from Camille des Lys in Autoire) served on a bed of very thick (#14) spaghetti and an organic apple ensured that I’ll be back. 

Oh and he has a new card replacing the fruit-laden bicycle basket:

 
(permission granted to post)

Food Guides 2010 - 1- The Gault-Millau

Food Guides 2010 -1- The Gault-Millau

Yesterday the Gault-Millau went on sale and on its cover promises 2000 tables less than 30 € (and there are probably are that many but there’s no index or symbol for them).

Chef of the Year is/was William Ledeuil of Ze Kitchen Galerie and Kitchen Galerie Bis.

There were also six greats of tomorrow named; in Paris it was Adeline Grattard of Yam'Tcha ; also 22 young talents (under 32 years): none in Paris.

Of the 5 chef toques (no more numbers remember) in Paris were/are: Yannick Alleno (Le Meurice), Pascal Barbot (l'Astrance), Alain Ducasse & his chef Christophe Moret (Plaza Athénée), Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Passard (l'Arpège) and Guy Savoy.

News: Gault-Millau abandons its ratings according to the JDD.

Wow.  After 40 years, during whose early years, many of us depended on the then new guide to guide us, they're giving up.  But after trying those goofy symbols a decade ago, they've now invented a 5 toque rating for their top 12 places in France.

Chefs of the Year are William Ledeuil, Arnaud Lallement and Edouard Loubet; also Monday will be revealed the 6 great chefs of tmrw and 22 young talents (under 34 years old).

The guide goes on sale Thursday.

News: Most restos have lowered their prices

Le Figaro yesterday had a small blub saying that indeed 75% of restos had lowered their prices since the TVA went down to 5.5%  Some 8.7% preferred to hire more staff, finance training or modernize their places.

So despite the fact that I don't see much change, except on the signage of the large chain restaurants, it's happening.

Culinary News: Jeanne Jugan, new Sainte and ex-aide-cuisiniere.

Here's some gastronomic news.

JDD Sunday had an article by Soazig Quemener on the canonization of Jeanne Jugan, founder of the Little Sisters of the Poor, that described her as a former aide-cuisiniere.  Who woulda known?