therese

Seems like I heard recently that a U.S. city was considering taxing fast food restaurants at a higher rate. Maybe Detroit?

Possibly. My friend Gwen from Edmonton assures me that Cheesies are both altogether different from and superior to their U.S. counterpart, Cheetos. I'm not a big fan of either, so I just take her word for it. Any plans for Nanaimo bars this week? I've yet to see Nanaimo bars down south.

Great blog. And I'm not even going to hold you accountable for the fact that I now need, really need, some Rebecca Ruth bourbon chocolates.

yes. it's a rite of passage. one i haven't gotten a chance to do yet, actually - because the damn clermont keeps closing by the time i get there. ← So if the Clermont closes before you get there you are staying out way too late. I had no idea that the Clermont actually ever closed, frankly. Didn't Bourdain say he'd been to the Clermont when he visited Atlanta a few months back? How can you resist with endorsement like that?

Very true. There's actually a fair amount of generalizing in the other direction as well, of course, such that I routinely end up fielding questions from French women (and men) re my weight, and their perception that the majority of Americans are either fat or enormously fat (I'm neither, which is presumably why they feel comfortable discussing it with me). Virtually none of my conversational partners have traveled in the U.S. and either never or rarely see Americans unless they're traveling to Paris or another tourist area. I'd say there's about as much variation in parenting style in France as there is in the U.S. I was not even remotely "in charge" as a child, and my children are similarly expected to do as they're told. My experience with children (and parenting) in France extends beyond restaurants and other public places, as my high school exchange household included a 10 year old younger brother and three cousins aged approximately 14, 11, and 7. A loud group of youngsters who ate what they liked of the (generally excellent) meal prepared for their elders, rounded out with pasta or eggs according to their taste, so overall much more lenient than my own upbringing here in the U.S. (where one ate what was served, period). The only time these children ever ate in restaurants was on holiday (and even then usually not). My French mother taught elementary school, so I got to see her class of 8 year olds' very respectful and proper interaction with her, and and often not nearly so polite interactions with their parents and peers and myself (I used to go along as an extra chaperone on field trips). Again, plenty of child to child variation. The "not picking up a crying baby" phenomenon that I describe in my first post was not one that I'd previously seen, but then I was only around infants very rarely and then not for extended periods. Their presence in the dining room at the spa is explained by the nature of the spa's treatments; perhaps the behavior is somehow specific to that context as well.

The Highland Inn is a chic boutique hotel? Boy, they must have done some major renovation recently. The restaurant's presumably going into the adjacent slot occupied until recently by Rue de Paris/Muse Cafe. A great location, particularly the terrace out front, which now features lots and lots of sun motifs. Let's hope the food's better than the previous occupants. Not a difficult feat to pull off. [edit to add link to The Highland Inn; actually a very convenient location that's otherwise poorly served by lodging of any sort, but not exactly upmarket]

She's right, of course. Chopped tomatoes are a pretty common variance, however. ← Or even sliced tomatoes. We traditionally eat them when we've got leftover turkey, after the winter holidays, when tomatoes wouldn't necessarily be available, but they so improve the dish that we use them anyway.

Some French children can do this, and some can't, just like children everywhere. French parents just don't take the ones who can't yet to nice restaurants. Instead they take them to small places where they get up and run around, entangling themselves in servers' legs, getting fussy when told they need sit back down, and finally breaking down entirely, though fortunately dinner's nearing an end at that point so not a problem.

Not really so much horrendous as odd. I have children of my own, and like other people's well enough that I'm often the one on the plane who offers to hold a baby while his mother uses the WC or helps getting a stroller up stairs or whatever. So the sound of crying babies doesn't just make my head hurt but makes me want to help. Which I eventually did. Or maybe I didn't, but this is what happened: I was at the spa alone, and I'm pretty chatty, so generally end up talking to whomever is seated nearby for at least a few minutes. If I don't feel like chatting I bring a book and people tend to understand that signal. Anyway, over the course of the wek I ended up seated next to all three of the couples with infants, and in each instance we ended up talking about the little (screaming red-faced) angel. Because I'm an American nobody expects me to exercise even the slightest bit of restraint when it comes to anything at all, so I finally asked each couple if it was usual in France to let crying babies cry. And in each instance they replied that they were more concerned with the disapproving glances they were likely to get if they did "give in" to the child than they were with the din or even the apparent distress of the infant. My smiling, nodding reply of "Oh, very good" was then followed by the obvious question from the parents: "Um, what do you do in the U.S.?" To which the answer is "Well, we pick them up." "Really?" "Yes, really." "Nobody thinks this is a bad thing? Because I have to admit that it's really very difficult for me to listen to my child cry." "Absolutely. Especially small infants." After some hesitation each couple picked up the little charmer (who quickly became a little charmer until rocking off to sleep) and dinner was much nicer. So I've probably wrought havoc with these children's socialization, and earned the parents the undying scorn of their elders forever and ever.

Some sporadic activity on various eGullet forums re children in restaurants as well as personal experience prompts me to ask this query: What's your experience with children in restaurants in France? My own experience is that children are generally welcome, particularly in family run places that might well have children belonging to the owners on premise. Dinners are long, and older children may be expected to sit through the entire meal, but younger children often leave their seats and (hopefully) find a terrace or garden to play in. My most unusual experience with children to date has been at thalassotherapy spas in the south, where a post partum spa week is an option. The infant (with both Mom and Dad, Mom typically there for a cure, Dad along to babysit while mom is being sprayed and pummeled) accompanies his parents to the hotel restaurant for dinner (an early dinner, in deference to the infant's bed time) where he proceeds to scream his head off for the entire meal. Not whimpering, not intermittent yelps, but full-on screaming for pretty much the entire meal. Not surprising, actually, as children this age often experience a "witching hour" in the early evening. It's the response to the screaming that I found puzzling. Not only did my fellow childless diners go on with their meals, politely yelling over the din to communicate with each other and the staff, but the parents seemed absolutely stumped about the correct course of action. A concerned glance at the pram, an adjustment to the bed covers, but absolutely no contact with the actual infant, and certainly no picking up the baby. Anybody else experienced this situation? This wasn't a one off, by any means: three different families over a week's time, all dining to ear-splitting shrieks, and subjecting fellow diners to same.

Therese, Hmmmm. I think I disagree. I think a fundamental part of the experience is the way it lasts for several hours after you've eaten. I hadn't heard of the Majestic. I'll have to put it on my list. And to return to the subject of good food, have you been to Tierra? Kevin ← Okay, go to the Varsity and eat. Then go to the Clermont Lounge, and then go to the Majestic. Take notes (or photos) because you're unlikely to recall any of it the next day. As for Tierra, yes, one of our favorites. And we've not been in a few months, so thanks for reminding me.

Okay, never mind Muss & Turner, it's in Smyrna, west of town rather than directly north. Does your company have a branch in Smyrna?

Vide supra. You might want to consider bringing your jammies and toothbrush and crashing at my house before the drive home. There's a new market call Muss & Turner somewhere out there that's supposed to be very good. I'll see if I can figure out where it is so that you can look at housing within walking distance.

As I did, earlier this week. He's at ONE. Midtown Kitchen, sister to TWO. Urban Licks, where he was cooking last month. Fortunately for me both of these restaurants (and virtually all of those described in this thread up to this point) are located in Atlanta, well inside the perimeter and an easy drive from my house. Adoxograph, on the other hand, will be working (and presumably living) in Alpharetta. This map will give you an idea of how far Alpharetta is from Atlanta. It's interactive, but the view that first shows up includes the top half of the Perimeter (I-285) as a thin red orange sort of semi-circle at the bottom half of the map. Assuming adoxograph lives right smack in the middle of Alpharetta, close to GA 400, the distance to Dutch Valley RD is 22 miles. Yahoo gives an optimistic drive time for this trip of 33 minutes, realistic if you're going against traffic, or if a neutron bomb has gone off and destroyed all life in the area but somehow sparing you and and your family. Much of the housing in Alpharetta is some distance from GA 400, though, so one can easily add another 20 minutes to that drive time. Against traffic. We have friends who live in Alpharetta, and go to see them or dine out in that area about twice a year. We budget 45 minutes for the drive, and are sometimes on time. The good news about Alpharetta is that it's affluent and growing very rapidly, so you can get a very fancy enormous 'burb sort of house for the money that would buy you a two bedroom Craftsman bungalow in town. The surrounding countryside is lovely, rolling hills and very green (which Atlanta also is) with small farms, etc. But don't assume that the small farms in your neighborhood will be there for long, as they're very rapidly being turned into enormous shopping centers. Because it's affluent there is an increasing number of good restaurants and markets there. Many of these restaurants would be considered outstanding in most of the U.S., and tend to get short shrift here because the competition is so strong.

Yeah. Or "Frank-fort".

My husband says that nobody cares. Or at least he doesn't care, same thing.

"These beaten biscuits are making me thirsty!" - Kramer at the Derby ← What? Why I oughta sue... This is what comes of not watching enough TV. And there are people out there who don't own julep cups? And people who put powdered sugar in mint juleps?

I tend to do it more at the regular grocery store, where I'm likely to see some pretty scary stuff in the way of crap, than where I usually shop here in Atlanta, Dekalb Farmers Market, where the emphasis is on food you'd actually consider eating. Other people still do it, of course: last night a woman noted my half flat of strawberries and two gallons of milk and asked if I were making ice cream. No, I'd stopped by for milk ('cause I've got two kids who drink a lot of it) and a few other things and had fallen prey to the siren song of the strawberries. She was clearly flummoxed at my casual purchase of that many strawberries without a particular goal in mind.

Weirdly enough I really like beaten biscuits. They are, indeed, a very odd comestible, but I really like the contrast with country ham (the baked sort, thinly sliced) and find both the flavor (or lack thereof) and texture compelling. Maybe I just like them because they make me thirsty and that's a good excuse to drink. I do have that "fast women" reputation to live up to after all.

Well, I'm actually from Kentucky (well, went to high school in Lexington, and my parents still live there, and yes, the horses are beautiful and the women are fast), so I'm not going to look anything up but just venture some guesses. Country ham (baked) and beaten biscuits? I don't know if these are served as far west as Louisville, but no self-respecting upmarket hostess in the Bluegrass would consider entertaining without these. Hot Browns? I don't think of these as being associated with the Derby, but they are associated with Louisville, so I can imagine that people might request them for entertaining out of towners.

Bunco while pregnant seems unfair. But on the other hand you're not sweating the calories, are you? I'd definitely design the menu around my most fetching maternity wear. Maternity Hawaiian-style capris sound just the ticket. Themed music an added bonus. Leis?

Vodka. Lots and lots of vodka. At least that's what seems to be popular around here. Oh, and jello shots. But it doesn't sound like your crowd's as into that sort of thing. Tapas are pretty much ideal, and I like the idea of small plates again, but this time choosing another part of the world. Maybe, hmm, Polynesian? Shrimp on skewers and macadamia nuts and pineapple and coconut sweets. Some sort of soup served in mugs is good for that sort of party. And you could serve Mai Tais with little paper umbrellas.

Well, you don't technically have to eat there. Because if you just walk in and hang out for a few minutes, breathing in and out, you'll feel as if you've eaten there, and in this instance that's ideal. Another dive that you'll want to experience is the Majestic, where everybody who is anybody goes at 3 AM for some hangover prevention (particularly if you've been at the Clermont). Don't go if you're not already hammered, because then you'll realize that it's every bit as surreal in real life as it is when you're drunk, and that's sort of disconcerting.

So this is precisely why it's so important that we know where (not the name of the business, just the approximate location) you're going to work, and where you're thinking about buying housing. Because friends who aren't food people simply aren't going to take this very important variable into consideration. DFM has a nice cheese selection, and the turnover's very high. Whole Foods supposedly has good cheese, but I've never been particularly happy with it (or anything else about their stores, come to think of it). Top of the line cheese purveyor in town is Star Provisions, but Alon's bakery also does a nice business in cheese (plus it's right across the street from the Morningside Farmers Market, which is only open on Saturday AM and starts at 8:00 and if you want the good stuff you want to be there at 8:00 clutching lots of small bills, so you can see how very important proximity will be).

Okay, a really really important question: where will you be working? Because traffic here sucks, and depending on where your job is you'll want to be very careful about your choice of housing lest you end up stuck in a truly hellish commute every day. Under no circumstances should you rely on a real estate agent to help you decide wear to live---he/she is not interested in your happiness, but only wants to sell you a house. Of the markets that gwilson lists, only the Morningside and Piedmont markets are farmers markets in the conventional sense. The others are giant markets with various ethnic emphases---very cool, with generally much better prices and quality than Kroger (where I never shop) and Publix (which varies a lot depending on where it's located---the more affluent the neighborhood the better the selection). I do most of my shopping at Dekalb Farmers Market. Restaurant quality generally better in town (also known as ITP, or "inside the perimeter) though things are improving in the 'burbs. Nobody's going to music/sports venues for the food. We usually eat on our way to the venue. Turner Field (Braves baseball) initially offered some great stuff, but it apparently didn't sell well so the quality dropped. They're reportedly improving it, but I haven't seen much difference. As for the gyros, sure, you can get them, but it's not going to be the same as up north. But don't worry, that can be the thing that you remember fondly about living up there. Whenever you find yourself eating a gyro and thinking that it's not quite as good as the ones you recall, just whack yourself with a menu and recall that you no longer own either a snow shover or a snow blower.