French Revolution in Food Ratings

It looks like a typical Zagat’s red-covered restaurant guide, but quelle difference! This one lets the people rate Paris restaurants.

“A scandal,” sniffed the French Culinary Writers’ Assn., saying the first-ever “Zagat Survey: 1998-99 Paris Restaurants,” issued in French and English last month, is “the very negation of a guidebook--it’s done by polls.” Paris Match disagreed, calling it “the ultimate in good taste.”

For all the fuss, however, the 1,710 diners (96% of them French) surveyed by Zagat’s made some traditional choices. The venerable Taillevent was the most popular restaurant; four of the top five have the three-star seal of approval from Michelin, the haute cuisine bible.

For information and orders ($11.95 plus $1.95 shipping), call (800) 333-3421.