picaman

For ~$100 you get $120 in food credits which can be used by 2 adults + children, plus all the listed benefits. I didn't ask for exact details, but armbands were mentioned so I assume they are working on a way to eliminate passing your benefits around. Jamie

I just got this--I think it's a great deal as one pass can be used for multiple people. The Bubba Tent is priority seating for passholders. Hate to be a bit elitist, but after waiting in those lines last year, and especially after not getting any pig snoot, it's an investment I thought was wise. Jamie

The best White Castle in the city is the one at the top of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx (on Fordham Road), because I can walk right by it on my way to Mike's Deli and be completely guilt-free. White Castle burgers give me mountainous gas and tear my stomach up, and if you know the stuff I'll eat, that's really saying something. Jamie

Good to know. I stay in the 18th when I visit Paris (Ermitage Hotel on rue Lamarck) and always like to have something local and recommended to add to my list. Jamie

I thought I knew every bit of fair food there was to know, but this is new to me Excellent report. I had deep fried cheesecake in Berks Co., PA this summer by the way--much, much better than deep fried Oreos. Jamie

Excellent first post, and welcome! Jamie

For what it's worth, Louisa Chu, my partner, and I (and of course Karli her dog!) ate there in early April and all, including Karli, really liked it. Details here. Jamie

Or Au Petit Tonneau, on rue Surcouf in the 7th. I've found Mme. Boyer's cuisine de femme to be consistently wonderful. Jamie

Good question. Above all, I consider the sources. But there are plenty of "mid-range" restaurants that are nearly universally lauded. For me, with my ~one week a year in Paris, the problem lies more in whittling down this list to a manageable number. Even if my "Paris restaurants with good value" thread remained static, it would take me a month of dining to visit the restaurants about which everyone agreed. So, bottom line, the chances of my going somewhere with even a partial diversity of opinion is slim. But I will say that, for me, this wouldn't apply to upper-starred restaurants. There, I'd be more likely (in theory, anyway ) to read widely and match the restaurant to the experience I was after. Opinion would play second fiddle to more factual information. Jamie

I've heard that reaction before when I've made my comment about Le Soufflé, enough that I could believe that my experience may have been somewhat anomalous. And this experience was years ago. But with all the food experiences to be had in Paris, I've never returned to confirm or revise my opinion. Indeed. There's only one Parisian restaurant that I visit on each trip, and that's La Galoche d'Aurillac. But I'm probably the only one who says that Jamie

My worst (to this point ) is Le Souffle, in the 1st. I kind of suspected going in that I'd be disappointed, but I had the full-court press applied by someone I trusted a bit. Big mistake. Bad food, rotten service, and it took me quite a while before I wanted another souffle, having had three at one sitting Jamie

Exactly. I grew up with Krispy Kremes available to me and have never understood either the attraction or the hype. Give me a fresh cake DD anytime. Jamie

Hi Owen, Here is my fairly recent thread on the same subject. I'd used the figure of 125 euros per meal, but I think you could eat pretty well and stay within the 100 euros per day range, with a couple of caveats: breakfast included at the hotel or standing at the cafe bar for a croissant and coffee (no sitting at breakfast for you, young man! ) and confining the rest of the day to one main meal, with the third meal light street fare on the go. That's what we did--one main largish meal, with bread and crepes and sandwiches and cheese the rest of the time. And we managed to maintain our weight in spite of all the walking And, as many people noted in the thread, many of the places listed were well under my target price. Have fun digging through this thread--lots of info there. Jamie

Perhaps this fabled 39 euro lunch isn't a permanent fixture? When we had lunch there in April, they didn't have it. We had a wonderful prix-fixe lunch which we considered a good value, but it cost substantially more than 39 euros. If anyone is interested in specifics, I can look them up in my notes. Jamie

I was with SuzanneF and MHesse as well I generally agree with their comments, except that I'd more vehemently stress my hatred of the patty. The flavor was all char--no subtlety whatsoever. For me, it had the exact flavor of a premade cheap "ground beef patty" purchased in bulk at Costco and cooked to death on the backyard Weber, minus the lighter fluid aftertaste. Which is a shame, because I know they are supposedly starting with a high-quality patty, but they are really ruining it. And from what I saw and heard from others, it didn't make much difference whether you ordered it cooked to taste--the medium rare patty was nearly as dry as the well-done patty. My supposition here is that the patty is too lean to start with. I remember seeing the Parker Meridien patties before cooking, and they looked much fattier than these. And the Parker Meridien burger, with approximately the same size and cooking method, was immeasurably juicier. Jamie

Kirk and I are still OK for this Saturday but if rescheduling is necessary, any upcoming Saturday works except for Sept. 11. Jamie

FWIW, the Bronx location (1 block west of Arthur Avenue) looked yesterday like it was still in business--no ominous signs in the window. Jamie

It's confirmed: BLT. Jamie

I think these inspections are, at best, a somewhat inaccurate snapshot. The inspectors will thankfully catch the most egregious violations, but a lot of violations really are happenstance. "Personal cleanliness inadequate" is a perfect example. There's probably not a restaurant kitchen on the planet that wouldn't get some kind of violation if the inspector came at the wrong time. I guess all these inspections give the local TV stations something to feature during sweeps months. "Shame On You!" LOL. There's a diner near me in Inwood that's had a lengthy series of perfect inspections. Practically never been in there without seeing a bug. Why do I eat there occasionally? An awesome omelet, and it's the only place nearby that's open on Sunday mornings. Jamie

The name makes sense. They are narrow ribbons of pasta 1 1/4 to 1 1/2" long that have been twisted. I thought maybe they would be great with olive oil and some roasted garlic, with the pockets in the pasta catching bits of the oil etc. Does anyone know if there's a standard/traditional way these are served? Jamie

With a Friday off and a bit of extra money in the budget this month, Kirk and I spent a great afternoon at the market--it had been a while since we'd been. Clockwise from bottom: prepared lupini beans, dried mozzarella balls, strozzapreti, stuffed peppers, smoked mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, proscuitto bread, provolone bread (bread from Madonia Brothers down the street) and hot sopressata in the center. Not pictured--the perfect old-school $2 nutmeg grater. That, the numerous samples everywhere, and a Yankee Stadium sandwich with a yummy side of pesto pasta made for a great afternoon of browsing, eating, and walking, and an even better evening of nibbling. If you haven't been here, or haven't been in a while, get thee hence to the BX12. Jamie

Odds are it's some letter or combination thereof. Forgot about BLT though--you might be right there. I emailed him...we'll see if he answers. Jamie

Stanley Bing's monthly column in Fortune magazine From his very funny column: "Let's call the place ABC, for that is very nearly its name. It was about six on an evening not long ago, and I was hanging around with my friend Dworkin thinking about dinner. We do that quite a bit, Dworkin and I, when we're not thinking about drinks. "There's this new steak joint that nobody can get into," says Dworkin. "Try," says I, and I can feel the prickle of hair rising on the back of my neck. So Dworkin picks up the phone. "Hello. Yes, I'd like a reservation for two for dinner. Uh-huh. Nine o'clock. Mm-hm." He hangs up." Though he never gets specific about the restaurant where he tries for his res, it's clear to me that it's V. Agree? Jamie

I haven't been there in maybe three years, so I'll defer to John for more current info. And indeed, I had the wrong station. My gare-ish mistake for the day. :groan: Jamie

Le Train Bleu is in the Gare du Nord. I've eaten there twice and enjoyed both meals quite a bit, though others on this forum are less enthusiastic. It's hard to beat it for romantic atmosphere, though. John Talbott mentioned recently in his digest that Pariscope had named it Best Brasserie. Jamie