Blue Trout and Black Truffles

There were many great restaurants in Europe, but Blue Trout and Black Truffles focused on the French eateries. It was a vicarious experience to read about the culinary wonders of the notable establishments of another era that had become the last epicurean haven in this materialistic, mechanized world where fast food chains and frozen food dinners reigned. Mr. Wechsberg reached back to the twilight days of the Habsburg monarchy, when those splendid monuments to haute cuisine in central Europe—Meissl and Schadn of Vienna and Gundels of Budapest—were in their prime.