In Paris restaurants can actually go into a kind of hibernation for years and awaken in a new generation: Lapérouse, the famous swanky nineteenth-century spot, has, after a long stretch of being overlooked, just come back to life, and is a good place to eat again. Reading Olivier Todd's biography of Camus, you discover that the places where Camus went to dinner in the forties {Aux Charpentiers, Le Petit St. Benoît, Aux Assassins} are places where you can go to dinner tonight. Some of Liebling's joints are still in business too: the Beaux-Arts, the Pierre à la Place Gaillon, the Closerie des Lilas.
In Paris, certain restaurants can remain closed for prolonged periods, only to reopen later, rejuvenated for a new generation of diners. An example is Lapérouse, a once-popular establishment from the nineteenth century, which has regained its status as a desirable dining destination after being somewhat neglected. This cycle of revival highlights the city's unique culinary landscape, where history and modernity intersect.
The enduring legacy of Parisian dining can also be seen through the lens of literary figures such as Albert Camus. In Olivier Todd's biography of Camus, readers find that various eateries he frequented in the 1940s, including Aux Charpentiers and Le Petit St. Benoît, still serve patrons today. Similarly, several establishments mentioned by writer A.J. Liebling, like the Closerie des Lilas, continue to thrive, showcasing the lasting appeal and cultural richness of Paris's restaurant scene.
