Paris, Florence & Rome: Where should a first timer go?
 

Take 2: My husband and I are going to Paris, Florence & Rome from Oct 2-15th.

There is so much information on the web it can be overwhelming for us first timers.

Hoping to get some suggestions for places to eat while in these cities or a suggestions for reliable resources, besides Fodor's of course : ).

Do three searches here, one each for restaurants in these cities and you will get more information that you'll know what to do with!

Thanks. I guess I should also try for specific things.

Many people have told me that the best meal is picking up a baguette and some brie and heading over to a park with some wine while in Paris.

Well, that's certainly an enticing option, though as brie is about as common as Kraft Singles in the USA, and there are about 400 other types of cheese in France, I think I'd get a bit more adventurous than that.

For Paris, I can recommend my two favourite restaurants (which my husband and I found when we lived there). One is Pomze, in the 8th arrondissement. The name is a pun based on the French word for apples, it's associated with apple growers, and every dish on the menu features apples in some way. It is a pretty, modern restaurant in a classic Haussmanian apartment building and it's reasonably priced - about 35 euros for a 3 course prix fixe menu. You can also order a flight of 3 glasses of alcoholic cider that are matched to the dishes you're served.

My second suggetion is for an unassuming French bistro/wine bar. It's located in a residential area in the south end of the 16th arrondissment and is called Le Vin Dans Les Voiles. It has a very short menu with a good selection of wines by the glass. The quietly charming proprietor will recommend wines for each course if you ask.

These are two restaurants that will get you away from touristy areas. Reservations are recommended for both, although you probably only need to do so a day or so in advance.

My favourite museums are the Musee Carnavalet (museum of the history of Paris) and the Musee Marmottan (also in the 16th), which has the world's largest collection of Monets.

Paris's gastronomic choices are astonishing. Whether a picnic lunch in the park is the best meal or not depends on what one considers a best meal under that circumstances.

This is your trip, and you are likely to have different tastes.

As you mentioned, receiving information at this point would overwhelm you even more. Perhaps you need some ways to sort the information?

I would recommend you make a list of types of food and dining experiences you would have wanted experienced in each city. Once this is done, coming up with specific recommendations would be a simpler task and would be less overwhelming.

Three recommendations for Rome:

Da Giggetto, in the old ghetto
Al Pompiere, also in the ghetto
Insalata Ricci, branches in the Historical Center and in Vatican City

Da Giggetto and Al Pompiere are upscale, but not wallet-busters. I preferred Al Pompiere, my wife Da Giggetto.
You can find descriptions of both using Google.

Insalata Ricci serves good salads for about 8€. You'll need places like this after eating at Da Giggetto or Al Pompiere.