This we can be sure of: when a restaurant in the western world is famous for its cooking, it is the tricolor flag that hangs above the stove, opined one French magazine, and this is by no means an isolated example of such crowing. Indeed, both linguistically and conceptually, the restaurant itself is a French creation. Why are the French recognized by themselves and others the world over as the most enlightened of eaters, as the great gourmets? Why did the passion for food—gastronomy—origi...

Seeking to penetrate the mysteries of two great wine regions—"two opposite civilizations, two distinct ways of feeling"—Jean-Robert Pitte embarks upon an evocative and fascinating exploration of the land, people, and wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. His account is a rich tapestry of terroir, history, culture, and economics from Roman to modern times. The unique qualities of the wines of each region, Pitte believes, cannot be entirely explained by the differences in their physical environmen...

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Haley Bennett, Tom Sturridge, and Sam Riley!"Narrative history that fizzes with life and feeling.” — Benjamin Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire's VinegarThe New York Times bestselling biography of the visionary young woman who built a champagne empire, became a legend, and showed the world how to live with styleVeuve Clicquot cha...

“I’d rather go to France with Ina Caro than with ?Henry Adams or Henry James.”—NewsweekIn one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro invites readers on twenty-five one-day train trips that depart from Paris and transport us back through seven hundred years of French history. Whether taking us to Orléans to evoke the visions of Joan of Arc or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descript...

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book is the essential reference book for everyone who buys wine - in shops, restaurants, or on the internet. Now in its 41st year of publication, it has no rival as the comprehensive, up-to-the-minute annual guide.Hugh Johnson provides clear succinct facts and commentary on the wines, growers and wine regions of the whole world. He reveals which vintages to buy, which to drink and which to cellar, which growers to look for and why. Hugh Johnson's Pock...

Table of Contents:1. Essentials: A-Z Index Phrasebook Units Conversion Eat Drink Sleep Driving in Europe Stay safe2. Maps**:** France Regions Geographical Provence French Riviera Languedoc-Roussillon2.1 City maps: Arles Avignon Cannes Marseille Monaco Montpellier Nice3. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: Major points of interest Climate History Get in Top 10 attractions Beaches Park...

A "wide-ranging and readable history" of Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann, and one of the greatest transformations of a major city in modern history ( The New Yorker ).Traditionally known as a dirty, congested, and dangerous city, 19th-century Paris, France was transformed in an extraordinary period from 1848 to 1870, when the government launched a huge campaign to build streets, squares, parks, churches, and public buildings...

**A New York Times Bestseller"Sciolino’s sharply observed account serves as a testament to…Paris—the city of light, of literature, of life itself." —The New Yorker**Elaine Sciolino, the former Paris Bureau Chief of the New York Times, invites us on a tour of her favorite Parisian street, offering an homage to street life and the pleasures of Parisian living. "I can never be sad on the rue des Martyrs," Sciolino explains, as she celebrates the neig...

No one can describe a wine like Karen MacNeil.Comprehensive, entertaining, authoritative, and endlessly interesting, The Wine Bible is a lively course from an expert teacher, grounding the reader deeply in the fundamentals—vine-yards and varietals, climate and terroir, the nine attributes of a wine’s greatness—while layering on tips, informative asides, anecdotes, definitions, photographs, maps, labels, and recommended bottles. Discover how to taste with f...

Today, it is difficult to imagine a living room without a sofa. When the first sofas on record were delivered in seventeenth-century France, the result was a radical reinvention of interior space. Symptomatic of a new age of casualness and comfort, the sofa ushered in an era known as the golden age of conversation; as the first piece of furniture designed for two, it was also considered an invitation to seduction. With the sofa came many other changes in interior space we now take for gran...

A fascinating exploration of the inside world of sommeliers, sharing their unique perspectives, extensive expertise, and best stories.Rajat Parr’s profound knowledge of wines, deep relationships with producers, and renowned tasting abilities have made him a legend in the business. As wine director for the Mina Group, Parr presides over the lists at some of the country’s top restaurants. In Secrets of the Sommeliers, Parr and journalist Jordan Mackay present a fascinating p...

An unforgettable portrait of France’s legendary chef, and the sophisticated, unforgiving world of French gastronomyBernard Loiseau was one of only twenty-five French chefs to hold Europe’s highest culinary award, three stars in the Michelin Red Guide, and only the second chef to be personally awarded the Legion of Honor by a head of state. Despite such triumphs, he shocked the culinary world by taking his own life in February 2003. TheGaultMillau guidebook had rece...