What's Cooking in France -- Once you arrive in Paris, you'll find that the word "French," although used frequently, isn't very helpful in describing cuisine. "French" covers such a broad scope that it doesn't prepare you for the offerings of the specialty chefs. Even the Parisians themselves might ask, "What type of French cooking?"

Sometimes a chef will include regional specialties, classic dishes, and even modern cuisine all on one menu. In that case, such a restaurant is truly "French." Other chefs prefer a more narrow focus and feature the cooking of one region or one style -- classic or modern. Still others prefer to strike a middle ground between classic and modern; they're called "creative."

Regional cuisine showcases the diversity of the provinces of France, from Alsace on the German border to the Basque country at the frontier of Spain. The climate has a lot to do with this diversified offering -- olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes from Provence in the south to oysters and saltwater fish from Brittany. Every region is known for special dishes -- Burgundy for its escargots plucked off the grape vines; Périgord for its truffles and foie gras; Normandy for its soft, rich cheeses, Calvados, and cream sauces; and Alsace for its sauerkraut and wines. Today, one or more restaurants in Paris represent almost every region of France. You can go on a complete culinary tour of the country without leaving the city.

Few chefs today use the expression "nouvelle cuisine," now called "modern." This cooking style, which burst upon us in the early 1970s, is now old hat (or should we say old toque?). It was a rebellion against the fats, butter, and sauces of haute cuisine, and used reductions of foodstuff to create flavor along with vegetable purées and lighter ingredients. Portions were reduced. Diners were shocked to see a piece of boeuf (beef) the size of an egg on their plate under a slice of fresh kiwi. Created in the name of innovation, many of these dishes were successful, while others, such as asparagus ice cream, were dismal failures.

From nouvelle cuisine grew cuisine improvisée, which is creative cookery based on the freshest ingredients available. Chefs make their selections at the morning market and then rush back to their kitchen to create spontaneously, often while dictating the menu of the day to an assistant who rushes it into print.

But fans of the great chef Escoffier can rest assured. Modern hasn't replaced classic cuisine, and France is still awash in béchamel and ablaze with cognac. Haute gastronomie is alive and thriving at restaurants not only in Paris but throughout France. This richly extravagant fare is often lethal in price as it makes use of expensive ingredients, including fatted ducks, lobster, truffles, and plenty of butter and cream, plus sauces that consume endless time in their preparation. Breaking from Escoffier, many chefs today have forged ahead with a "new classic cuisine," where they have taken classic dishes and branded them with their own distinctive style and flavor, often reducing the calories.

Paris's Range of Restaurants -- Paris boasts a surplus of restaurants and cafes. Ultraexpensive temples of gastronomy include Alain Ducasse, L'Astor, Taillevent, Pierre Gagnaire, Lasserre, Jacques Cagna, Le Grand Véfour, and La Tour d'Argent. Savvy diners confine their trips to luxe places for special occasions. An array of other choices awaits, including simpler restaurants dispensing cuisines from every province of France and from former colonies like Morocco and Algeria.

Paris has hundreds of restaurants serving exotic international fare, reflecting the changing complexion of Paris itself and the city's increasing appreciation for food from other cultures. Your most memorable meal in Paris may turn out to be Vietnamese or West African.

You'll also find hundreds of bistros, brasseries, and cafes. In modern times their designations and roles have become almost meaningless. Traditionally, a bistro was a small restaurant, often with Mom at the cash register and Pop in the kitchen. Menus are most often handwritten or mimeographed, and the selection of dishes tends to be small. They can be chic and elegant, sometimes heavily Mediterranean, and often dispensing gutsy fare, including the pot-au-feu (beef simmered with vegetables) the chef's grandmother prepared for him as a kid.

French for "brewery," most brasseries have an Alsatian connection, and that means lots of beer, although Alsatian wines are also featured. They are almost always brightly lit and open 24 hours. Both snacks and full meals are available. The Alsatian establishments serve sauerkraut with an array of pork products.

The cafe is a French institution. Not just places for an aperitif, a café au lait, or a croissant, many serve rib-sticking fare as well, certainly entrecôte with french fries but often classics like blanquette de veau (veal in white sauce).

More attention in the late 1990s focused on the wine bar,. Originally, wine bars concentrated on their lists of wines, featuring many esoteric choices and ignoring the food except for some charcuterie (cold cuts) and cheeses. Today, you're likely to be offered various daily specials, from homemade foie gras to boeuf à la mode (marinated beef braised with red wine and served with vegetables).

Paris prices may seem extravagant to visitors from other parts of the world, particularly those who don't live in big cities, but there has been an emergence of moderately priced informal restaurants here, and we recommend several.

Although they're not as fashionable as they were, still around are baby bistros, reasonably priced spinoffs from deluxe restaurants where you can get a taste of a famous chef's cuisine without breaking the bank. We cover the best of them.

Can You Dine Badly in Paris?--The answer is an emphatic yes. Our mailbox fills with complaints from readers who've encountered haughty service and paid outrageous prices for swill. Often these complaints are about restaurants catering to tourists. Avoid them by following our suggestions or looking in nontouristy areas for new discoveries. If you ask Parisians for recommendations, specify that you're looking for restaurants where they'd dine, not where they think you, as a tourist, would dine.