27/12 On the Historic Trail of a Parisian Gourmand

Alexandre-Balthazar-Laurent Grimod de la Reynière, a French aristocrat during Napoleon's reign, was the Tim Zagat of his era. A true gourmand, he financed his voracious appetite by writing a series of guidebooks to the Paris's finest culinary establishments. Two hundred years later, some of his favorites like Au Rocher de Cancale, left, are still thriving.

Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times


A painting at the Musée Carnavalet in Paris is believed to be of Grimod. Whether or not it's in his actual likeness, the portrait captures the eccentric, omnivorous spirit that made him the gustatory symbol in the Paris of his day and the grand-père of all modern food writers.
Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times

La Cordonnerie dates back to 1690 and serves cuisine de marché, fresh market food. There are fewer than 20 seats in this intimate space.
Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times


Foie gras in housemade chocolate sauce at La Cordonnerie.
Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times


Founded in 1784, Le Grand Véfour is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Paris. Napoleon and Josephine used to meet here for trysts.
Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times


Escargot at the venerable Procope, which was once frequented by revolutionary heroes like Danton and Marat.
Photo: Andrew Testa for The New York Times


If Grimod had a favorite street, the fashionable Rue Montorgueil might have been it, with its upscale vendors.
Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times



Fresh shellfish for sale on Rue Montorgueil.
Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times


Paris's finest bookstore for gastronomic history, Librairie Rémi Flachard, has a boxed, leather-bound set of all eight of Grimod's Almanachs in pristine condition.
Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times


Lapérouse is a lavishly decorated old restaurant on the Left Bank. In the 1800s, the restaurant used to maintain private rooms, left, upstairs for married gentlemen to discreetly entertain the courtesans of Paris with Champagne, delicacies and expensive gifts.
Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times


Stohrer is the oldest remaining pâtisserie in Paris, with a multicolored array of pastries and glazed fruits.
Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times


Au Rocher de Cancale is a lively lunchtime bistro. It moved from one side of the Rue Montorgueil to the other in 1846.

Related: Interactive Map
Photo: Andrew Testa for The New York Times


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