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Where to Dine. The tradition of Paris' elegant restaurants is to be had at prices more elegant than ever (minimum: $8 per person) at Tour d'Argent (try the violet soufflé), Maxim's (Roger Viard is Albert's successor as head waiter), Lapérouse and Grand Vefour, where the specialty is ortolan, a European finch served under glass. Parisian diners-out, who shift their favor unpredictably, still rank Lassere's highly, which specializes in squab (about $18 for two), and for less fancy eating prefer Chez Les Anges (specialty: steak Aphrodite) or the Rotisserie de 1'Abbey, with its Renaissance décor and troubadours, or the Lucas-Carton, with its belle époque atmosphere. For outdoor dining, the waters and woods of Paris' Bois de Boulogne form the background for the Pavilion Royal and the Pré Catelan (specialty: chicken in champagne).
In the provinces, knowing tourists thumb their Guide Michelin, which this year only gives its coveted three stars to seven restaurants outside Paris: at Le Baux-de-Provence (Bauma-niere), Noves (La Petite Auberge), Vienne (Pyramide), Talloires (Auberge du Père Bise) and Avallon (Poste). Special inexpensive tourist menus are available at restaurants that bear the government tourist office's white and blue signs with a chef's head and one to four stars. A three-course meal costs $1 at a one-star restaurant, $4 at a four-star restaurant.
Flaming Meat Platters. In Vienna, where the eating is rich, there are flaming meat platters at the Csardasfürstin and Alpine trout at the Rotisserie Coq d'Or. The Drei Husaren (Three Hussars), probably Vienna's best restaurant, concentrates on veal schnitzel and crepes filled with rich chocolate or strawberry cream. Anton Karas (The Third Man zither player) has his own wine bibbery.
Two of London's favorite restaurants this year are the expensive Mirabelle and the Guinea, a converted pub. Less expensive and more colorful are Ye Olde Cock Tavern, a Fleet Street favorite of newsmen since Charles Dickens' time, and Alexander's, a basement hideaway for visiting celebrities.
Favored in Scandinavia are: Copenhagen's Langelinie Pavilion, in a garden overlooking the harbor; Oslo's Viking, decorated by Gauguin's son Paul; and Stockholm's downtown Riche and outlying Stablemaster Lodge ($16 for two). Rome's "21" is the posh Hostaria dell'Orso, in the house where Dante once lived, and Da Giggetto has a lot of classic atmosphere for the price ($4-$6 for two). Florence's Sostanza serves Tuscan beef at long, crowded tables ($4 for two); Venice's Colombo, at San Luca. offers fish specialties served in an open courtyard.
In Germany, Munich favorites are Holzmüllers, which makes a tantalizing Salzburger Nockerl (fluffy cake of egg whites), and the excellent Walterspiel at the Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons) Hotel. Also recommended: Zurich's chalet-style Velt-liner Keller combines rustic atmosphere with Swiss specialties; Brussels' Ancienne Barrière (specialty: oysters in champagne).