Paris, France — It hasn't exactly been plain sailing in French culinary waters. For the first time since they began nearly a decade ago, the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards failed to place a single restaurant from France in the top 10. Whereas in previous years, there was always at least one multi-Michelin-starred establishment from Paris or elsewhere in France, this year, Le Chateaubriand in Paris was the first French restaurant to be mentioned, at No. 11—and it doesn't even have a single star in the Michelin Guide. What is going on in the French culinary establishment? Well, quite a lot and contrary to the rankings above, much of it is positive.
In Paris during the past couple of years, a new style of restaurant has emerged that is more attuned to the straightened financial circumstances in which many citizens find themselves. The establishments that have the longest lines and the most feedback are a new category loosely called the "néo-bistrot," where the price is barely more than the service charge of 15% in France's grandest restaurants.
The defining features of the néo-bistrot appear to be an innovative, cosmopolitan approach, with a refreshingly casual atmosphere and often prix-fixe menus that are priced at less than 50 per person, which passes for cheap in Paris, at least. Apart from Le Chateaubriand, where the cuisine is decidedly at the more adventurous end of Basque cuisine, most of the leading examples offer traditional French bistro fare but with an international twist.
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