It rather surprised me to read what I had written about Italy in that you had to seek out good places to dine whereas in France they "come to meet you at every step". This was written in 2002 and even then it wasn't quite true and especially in the major tourist areas and of course in Italy we were almost always in the major tourist areas so France and Italy probably aren't that much different in that respect.
So, I was quite interested to read this article on Paris chefs seeking out the cheaper areas and creating memorable food. This is perhaps the way to go these days in Paris as we certainly have had some rather dismal meals there in recent years.
The Europe Issue - Six Prix-Fixe Restaurants in Paris - Review - NYTimes.com
