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 insistence on tradition - exorbitantly expensive ingredients, plush table settings and rich sauces - is too much of a financial burden on chefs and, most importantly, is out of touch with modern taste.
"Michelin consecrates the places where the rich and powerful dine on expense accounts. It's cut off from normal life and real gastronomy."
If Michelin is outdated, what guide should we use instead? For Paris, M Simon, who believes a convivial atmosphere is as important as good cuisine, suggests the Lebey Guide. It carries all the restaurants Simon currently tips (see right) for their mix of new dishes and bistro classics. And not one of them has the honour - or the curse - of a Michelin star. 
FIRST POSTED FEBRUARY 23, 2006
New York: eating 'on the wing'
Best of St Petersburg
Toronto: avoiding Conrad Black
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Six of the best from Le Figaro’s Francois Simon. Lebey’s comment on Le Baratin - “Une clientele jeune et fidele, joliment alternative” - could apply to the others too. All serve dinner for between 40 and 60 euros per head, including a simple wine; cheaper at lunchtime.
Le Comptoir de L’Odeon, Paris 6. Chef Yves Camdeborde is “le top man” among the
young chefs of Paris. Bistro style at lunchtime, smart in the evening.
Tel. +33 1 44 27 07 97
Le Baratin, Paris 20. Way out east in increasingly hip Belleville. Combine with a visit to the Pere-Lachaise cemetery. Tel. +33 1 43 49 39 70
Le Villaret, Paris 11. One of the
best new wave of restaurants
opening up in the area just
north and east of Bastille. tel. +33 1 43 57 89 76
Le Bistrot Paul Bert, Paris 11.
Perfect for steak frites (just don’t ask for it to be cooked any more than saignant). Tel. +33 1 43 72 76 77
Le Temps au Temps, Paris 11. Pocket-handkerchief-sized dining room, adventurous menu, smiley staff, also in the
rue Paul Bert. Tel. +33 1 43 79 63 40
La Cerisaie, Paris 14. Tiny alternative to the nearby famous La Coupole.
“Un vrai coup de coeur,” according to Lebey. Tel. +33 1 43 20 98 98
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