therese

Admit it, jeffj, you just liked it because they gave you one of those hats, didn't you? [For those of you've who've not had the, ahem, pleasure of dining chez V, children (and anybody else who wants one) are given those little paper caps that male counter staff wear, the sort that fold flat into a rectangle.]

We actually had to have the main meat course (the lamb with coffee, same as jeffj) packed up, only managing one or two bites each. And then we were sent home with yet more food, little packets of madeleines. And really wonderful madeleines they were (trust me on this, I'm very much into madeleines).

Since there are some references back and forth now between this thread and jeffj's description of Menard's signature menu at The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta, I'll point out that the signature menu is not, strictly speaking, a degustation. Most of the dishes are full-size, at least by European standards, so there's no question of one finishing off that one little bite and thinking "crap, that was great, I really wish there were more". And frankly, if you actually wanted more you could ask for it---the wines (if you get the paired wines) are full pours and then more is offered. The kitchen would likely be as obliging. But who could possibly manage additional food?

Yeah, let's hope. But the Varsity still way over-rated. Unless, of course, jeffj was actually paid to eat the food there. Even my children won't eat a Varsity hot dog. A frosted orange, sure, and onion rings if you manage to get them before the fryer fat's broken down into a fatty acid nightmare, but that's pretty much it. The Varsity does actually make a nice chicken salad sandwich, but then that's nobody's idea of what you "should" be eating there, so never mind. Better to hang out looking the pimps and hookers like we expect, right?

Yeah, I hate Cold Stone. They do the selling up routine to children, after the order's been placed: "Would you like some chocolate chips in your ice cream? Would you like some M&M's in your ice cream?". You can make a really expensive cup of ice cream that way. Too bad I refuse to pay for it. Oh, and the ice cream sucks.

No mayonnaise on a Chik-fil-A. Not necesarry. But pickles, exactly two, very important. I bet I could make haiku out of that.

I have to come down on Robyn's side on this discussion. If you look at a tasting menu and realize that half of the items are things you don't really enjoy, then don't get the tasting menu. I ate at The Dining Room about three weeks ago and had the signature menu (the same option as in the original post, but somewhat different that evening), largely because I looked at it and decided that I particularly wanted the things offered on that menu. Had they not appealed I'd have ordered a la carte (except that there isn't really an a la carte option at The Dining Room---you're either ordering the short menu or the long one and that's the the end of that). In the case of a chocolate dessert, well, it's chocolate. And it's altogether unlikely that Bruno Menard (who is a great guy and a talented chef, no question about it) is going to do something so transcendently wonderful with chocolate on this one particular occasion that I'm going to say "Thank goodness I got the chocolate, my meal would otherwise have been ruined". I'm a lot more likely to say "Oh, god, I'm going to die. Why did I get the chocolate? It's too heavy for me. I know to never get the chocolate dessert." And for all his careful design of the signature menu, if you asked him personally whether or not he thought it was important that you have the chocolate dessert, he'd look at you and laugh and say "Fuck, are you kidding? Get what you want."

I'm also not a huge fan of chocolate after a big meal, and on our last visit to The Dining Room a chocolate dessert (not the same one) was featured on the signature menu. So I asked if something else could be substituted, and it was, absolutely no problem at all. I chose a soft meringue, absolutely fantastic. I like doing tasting menus, but I've switched out desserts on more than one occasion for the same reason---too much chocolate.

Well, yes, like instant. The Nestle/Nescafe name is closely (very closely) associated with instant coffee, so it's not all that bizarre that somebody seeing the publicity might consider the possibility that the product was comprised in all or part of a similar product. So, good to hear that it's real ground coffee and produces a nice espresso.

So are the Nespresso capsules filled with actual coffee, or with what the Nescafe company describes as "soluble coffee"? Glad to hear that at least they're not marketing hazelnut-flavored espresso. Yet.

Nescafe (I think) is presently marketing a home espresso maker that uses little pre-made bullets. In France, that is, all over TV and on bus shelters and so forth. Haven't tried it, but how good could it be? Different color bullets hint at the really unpleasant possibility of different flavors. Dog poop may be disappearing from sidewalks in Paris, but it is very much a part of the landscape in Montpellier (as of last week, at least). And the locals don't necessarily confine themselves to small dogs (large German shepherd sorts are popular, and they frequently get into fights), with expected disastrous consequences. Occasional dispensers of plastic bags are seen about town, helpfully labeled with a happy puppy called "Toutounet". The dispensers at the beach in Port-Camargue urge "Ayez le bon reflexe". These were much more common, but still not too heavily used.

Tracked down the thread that mentioned the name of the new place in Calistoga, Crush 29. Open yet? Anyone been?

Great write-ups, great pics.

They're everywhere. Occasionally an ATM (anywhere, not just Italy) will retain a card, particularly if you've made several unsuccessful attempts. If you're concerned about the possibility, make a point of using an ATM that's attached directly to a bank, during working hours (heh heh, just try figuring out when an Italian bank is actually open---one of the reasons ATM's are so wildly popular is that Italian banks are generally very inefficient) so that your card can be retrieved immediately if it's retained. Also note that the schedule on which you can withdraw money may be affected by both the Italian banking "day" and the U.S. banking "day" (for which you'll have to consider the time difference), such that you may get the message "invalid for international withdrawals" if you try and withdraw too much within whatever the relevant time period is. I don't know why this is the error message that shows up (because of course the card is valid), but I've had it happen in more than one town and on more than once occasion while travelling in Italy.

Yes, the Triangle is a seriously screwed up little area of shops. The idea of trying to reach anything by car there (seems like there's a Citadines and/or an Ibis in there somewhere, plus you walk through there to get back to the Sofitel) is actually pretty funny. The Hotel du Parc ranks very high on the "traditional and quaint" meter, but without sacrificing modern conveniences. The shower in question had excellent water pressure and spray pattern, abundant hot water, and a shower curtain that wrapped all the way around the two exposed walls. But tight quarters nonetheless (and I'm not a giant person, possibly the reason I was given this room) and I sat on the toilet to shave my legs. I usually get a bathtub in Europe precisely because they do bathtubs better than they do showers. And the hand-held shower thingy works just fine. Well, having eaten in an embarrassingly large number of restaurants of all sorts in both Montpellier (and environs) and Atlanta, I'm more likely to spin the dining wheel in Atlanta. I've had a difficult time finding really good food in Montpellier, in spite of advance inquiries and local expertise. All the local talent may well reside in a single restaurant (Le Jardin des Sens), but that's a bit depressing. I did have a nice meal a few years ago at Fabrice Guilleux (I think that was the name), but I'm not sure that's even still open. La Diligence, Le Chandelier, and Le Petit Jardin all disappointing. If you do end up in Atlanta do plan ahead, as some of the best places require considerable advance booking. Lots of interesting food adventures to be had, none of them involving barbecue, so don't come looking for it.

Dined recently at Bistro Jeanty and had a disappointing meal. So disappointing that recalling it is actually a tad nauseating (particulars posted in another thread on this topic). Terra was fine, not fantastic. Martini House was excellent. Wappo Grill was very good. There's a new place in Calistoga that may be open by now. It's in the slot previously occupied by Catahoula's (so right around the corner from Wappo). I can't remember the proposed name at the moment. Anyway, you could post an early report.

Very sweet. More of a caramel or dulce de leche (heh heh) flavor as opposed to vanilla. So sweet that my husband wanted to know why the bedroom floor had gotten sticky... The fat and sugar (and probably other things) varies with the baby's age, maturity, etc. If you want to compare the butterfat, pump some breastmilk and let it sit in the fridge until the "cream" separates. Based on my eyeball retrospective comparison to unhomogenized milk from my grandmother's Jerseys and Guernseys many years ago, not too different percentage-wise. The "skim milk" portion seemed a bit less opaque, so it may be more of a question of water-soluble things like protein and sugars. I have to say that I found the whole condensed milk story frankly horrifying. But then my mother nursed us all three in the face of frank hostility from the medicaul community at the time. If you have to choose among formula, cigarettes, and martinis, go for the martinis (beyond the first trimester, and in moderation).

The last time I did a thalassotherapy spa I stayed in La Grande Motte, the ultimate in purpose-built French resorts. Distinctive "pyramidal" architecture that looks interesting from a distance (say, from the rooftop restaurant of the Mercure in Port-Camargue), weird and intimidating from the sidewalk. The thalasso hotel in La Grande Motte is actually pretty nice, built a bit later so not quite so weird. And the French national soccer team happened to have booked a stay there the week I was in Montpellier, and played an exhibition match. The French are generally huge fans of a get-together of any sort, and the dancing and make-out sessions are all part of the general joie de vivre. My first sojourn in France was at age 17, in Normandy (where I developed a taste for cidre and public make-out sessions). I lived with a family and attended lycee in Deauville. Talk about your purpose-built French resorts... This was my third trip to Montpellier, and of course I've never bothered to rent a car (because I'm there for work). But having been in taxis and cars of friends (locals, even) it was clear that Montpellier's not exactly laid out on a grid, and the central pedestrian zone represents a void if one happens to be in a car. It was particularly bad about the time of the tramway construction, and they're getting ready to start construction on a second line (orange cars instead of blue this time), so it will be all the worse. So just avoid the car entirely. The tramway's convenient, clean, and inexpensive. The newer hotels (Sofitel, Astron, etc.) are located in the new fancy Antigone areas, and I find them all particularly disorienting. Again, the scale is too large. They're at least well served by the tramway now. No, one would very expressly not need a car. It's actually just a block or two outside the old town wall (over near the Jardin des Plantes side of things) and a short 1.5 block stroll from the Albert 1er stop on the tramway (third stop up from the Place de la Comedie, less than 5 minutes). As my meeting was at Le Corum I could either go two stops on the tramway or walk (a bit less than 10 minutes), a decision I generally made based on the sort of shoes I'd worn that day. The old town is particularly steep on that side, so a walk directly to the center (rather than around the periphery) is instantly aerobic. On the other hand, if you did happen to have rented a car for day trips, the Hotel du Parc would also serve, as it has its own private parking lot (small, traditional pale tan pea gravel that my little old-fashioned terrace overlooked). Much easier to access than Sofitel, etc. as it's on a small road right off the ring road (whose name changes every 0.5 kilometer, it seems) that runs right around the old town, and marked with those skinny brown signs that indicate hotels in French towns. As I said, my general knowledge of its location and the skinny brown signs were sufficient to guide the shuttle chauffeur right to it. The hotel itself is older, basically a rehabbed mansion (very recently rehabbed---plumbing all excellent, for instance). I stayed in a smaller room with only a shower (58 euros/night), but there are larger rooms that include large bathrooms and sitting areas. Elegantly decorated, very pleasant staff---more of an inn than a hotel. Glad to hear that somebody else found La Maison de la Lozere nice. We were also in the courtyard, a pretty little cube topped by a lovely square of sky. Far and away the best I've had in Montpellier, though certainly still not exceptional by Atlanta standards. I didn't bother with Le Jardin des Sens, as even the low end menu is now well into the 100+ euro range, and I can eat quite as well, thank you, in my own back yard for less. My next trip I may sweet talk some deep-pockets European vendor into springing for dinner there, but otherwise I'm not likely to go to the trouble. The other not too bad meal I had during the Montpellier stay was in Lattes, about halfway between Montpellier and the coast. "Ariane" something or other. A bistro-esque place, new construction on the ground floor of yet another boating resort. The reference to Blais was directed at the original audience for this post (Atlantans). By no means original to him, but he used the tall shotglasses so frequently that it was a bit of signature.

It's located in East Atlanta, one of the many in-town neighborhoods that was pretty much ruined by the decision to slam interstates right through them without regard to pre-existing boundaries, topography, whatever. Very convenient to I-20, of course, so if you can bear to venture in-town for dinner you won't have to drive too far or look at too many suspicious sorts on the way. And once you're there it's valet parking, so you don't even have to set foot on the actual sidewalk of the actual scary neighborhood. Anyway, the area is recovering, with a central area of shops and restaurants attracted by the existing cute storefronts and low rents, and the adjacent crack houses being rehabbed as the cute bungalows they always were. The upside to the past decades of poverty has been that nobody bothered to rip down all the houses and replace them with brick and stucco rat traps. Not so very long ago Virginia Highland, Inman Park, Candler Park, and Lake Claire would have been described as "bring your own gun" neighborhoods. All of them are now pleasant places with happy denizens. If I had extra money right now I'd buy a house to rehab in East Atlanta.

Milt, I'll point out that the version of the prix fixe served to the big group last night was a super deluxe one: the usual Sunday night prix fixe is $29 for a starter (these vary markedly in size, so ask the server), soup, and main dish. Nicolas and his staff did a great job of handling a huge crowd while sending out exceptionally well-prepared food. We've eaten there a half dozen times or so since they opened, and it's always been great. Oh, and to clarify the "service station" reference, Nicolas is housed in a rehabbed gas station. A fairly common scenario for small Atlanta restaurants actually---dish, Watershed, and Universal Joint all come to mind.

[This post originally posted in somewhat different form elsewhere, but I've foregone a link in favor of the full text] So, spent the last two weeks in France, the first at a seawater spa (something called thalassotherapy) on the coast, the second at a conference in Montpellier. Port-Camargue is all new construction, basically an enormous marina for leisure boaters, with the quais interlaced with condos. A bit disorienting and monotonous, with no real town center. My hotel (a Mercure, not quite as nice as Mercure generally are but acceptable) was directly on the beach and directly linked to the thalassotherapy center. Thalasso is very relaxing---you spend about half of each day getting sprayed, pummeled, wrapped, and bathed in various combinations of seawater and oils and algae. The rest of the time you hang out and wait for the next meal. Guests usually do demi-pension, which includes breakfast (enormous buffet, including scrambled eggs and bacon as well as soft boiled egg you make yourself, croissants, fruit, yogurt, etc.,). You can choose either dinner or lunch as your other included meal, and the menu is the same for both, posted very early each day in the elevator so that you make plans. You choose from two or three choices of appetizer, main dish, and dessert that change each day, or you can pick certain items off the standard menu (which doesn't change). If you do pension complete (all three meals included) you have the option of dietetic meals. Very light, caloric values listed on the menu. I might choose this option next time, as the regular items tend to be fairly filling. All of the meals I had at the hotel were fine by French standards, by which I mean that they were fantastic compared to average U.S. restaurant meals (and stunningly good compared to U.S. hotel meals) but not quite up to the standards we've grown to expect from our local Atlanta restos. The restaurant's located on the sixth (top) floor of the restaurant and pretty much entirely windows, so stunning views over the gulf---so bright during early dinner hours that many diners wear sunglasses. The hotel offered daily shuttles to points of interest in the area, and so I went to Le Grau du Roi twice, and Aigues Mortes once. Le Grau du Roi is an old fishing town that's now also a beach town that fills up early with lower middle class French. We had great weather, so there were a lot of local daytrippers. Anybody who'd like to observe directly the effect of vastly "improved" standard of living on health need only visit Le Grau du Roi to see that hours in front of TV and computer screens coupled with snacking, and reduced walking and biking will make anybody fat. The French have never been different, they've just been relatively poor until recently. They're also now two generations beyond WWII, so the effects of near-famine have been washed out of the younger, with the expected effects. The 60th anniversary of D-Day is approaching, by the way, and the press is full of nostalgia, very positive view of Americans. Not the slightest hint of anti-American sentiment anywhere I went, and a great deal of empathy, as the French are having a great deal of difficulty with their colonial pasts in Muslim countries. Anyway, back to food. I had one restaurant meal in Le Grau du Roi, the first day I arrived. I'd walked from Port Camargue (it's about an hour), so decided on an actual meal instead of snack. I chose a big busy place on the main walking street called Va Bene that featured an 11 euro menu (appetizer, main, side dish, and dessert). Yep, very cheap, and very busy. Some of the dishes I didn't recognize, so in my usual retiring manner I turned to the people at the table next to me (who happened to work in the nearby Haribo candy factory) and asked for some descriptions. They were happy to help, and I ended up getting bulots (sea snails, cooked in the shell and served with mayonnaise), some sort of squid/cuttlefish stuffed with a sort of spicy fish meatloaf (can't remember the name---it's a local classic), green salad, and apple pie. Including a muscat aperitif, a half carafe of wine, and coffee the whole tab came to...hmmm, can't find the receipt, but it wasn't very much. Later in the week I checked out the market at Le Grau du Roi. Lots of great cheeses and sausages that they're happy for you to try---I got youngish chevre and duck and pork sausage. Strawberries and cherries were both coming in, so I got some of both. Beautiful baby radishes. Young garlic was also just in, but I didn't have anything to do with it so skipped that. Found a good bakery near the post office (pick up point for the shuttle), home in time for lunch on my terrace overlooking the beach. Dry cider (in corked bottles, like champagne) completed my meal. Another shuttle trip was to Aigues-Mortes. Very cool town that was originally built as a departure point for the crusades, and later served as a prison for protestants. Entirely walled, and you can walk along the ramparts and get fantastic views of the surrounding countryside, including big mountains of sea salt collected by the La Baleine company. The market there was outside the town walls and either not nearly so nice food-wise as Le Grau du Roi's or I managed to miss that part. I bought savoury pastries from a young woman: fougasse (the savoury version is mille-feuille, while the sweet is more like a coffee cake), tielle (sort of a covered tart filled with fish and vegetables), and something else I can't remember. More dry cider, another lovely lunch on the terrace reading (Henry Miller's "Tropic of Capricorn" was just perfect). Finally, my week of thalasso finished, it was time to go to Montpellier. The hotel offered a shuttle to either the airport or train station, but as I was the only person taking it that day they drove me directly to my hotel, a bit of a feat since I didn't know how to get to it by car (having assumed I'd be using a local taxi from the train station) and the driver wasn't familiar with Montpellier. But we managed, happy good-byes all around. So, week two. The meeting's in Montpellier because it's an easy place to get to (direct flights from Paris, TGV connection right from Charles de Gaulle, etc.) and has a terrific meeting facility called Le Corum. There's a new tramway that makes getting around town a breeze (11.20 euros for 7 days unlimited use), and a very cool old town that's mostly pedestrian so very people-friendly. Very dog friendly as well, so don't forget to look where you're walking. But the food is generally not all that fantastic. I have this theory that places with great weather (Montpellier is sort of a cross between San Diego and Atlanta weather-wise) and large numbers of transient business sorts just don't need great restaurants, because people show up anyway and they have to eat. Food at Le Corum was quite good, exceptionally good considering that it was basically a conference center. Buffets featured particularly amazing cheeses (after, of course, all sorts of other good stuff) and decent wines. The best meal of the week was the most expensive, dinner at a place called La Maison de la Lozere. Two menus offered, the less expensive at 44 euros. Three named courses, with an amuse and cheese and mignardises as well. I was with five Americans, most of them absolutely petrified by the elegant (but relaxed) atmosphere. My suggestion that we have a cocktail was greated with the sort of enthusiasm usually seen in laboring women asked if they'd like an enema. But the staff was charming and accomodating (and about as anglophone as French service people get), and eventually we managed to get some wine into them and dinner ordered. Amuse presented in a tall shot glass a la Blais (a fantastic but recently defunct restaurant here in Atlanta), a melon ball at the bottom, then a cherry tomato stuffed with soft herbed cheese and something else on top of that. My first was tuna carpaccio, served with all sorts of groovy extra bits like fava beans. My second was duck, beautifully scored and seared, served with a thin waffle that had been rolled around something cheesy and topped with mushrooms. All of the main dishes are accompanied by something called aligot, a very cool dish of mashed potatoes and cheese (and cream and butter and garlic, of course). In order to get the correct texture, the potatoes are pureed to within an inch of their lives, the cheese (fresh tomme) added, and then the whole thing "worked" (sort of like making salt water taffy) until it's like velvet. The final "working" occurs tableside, with the server spiraling a strand into each diner's waiting side dish. Cheese next, as much as you want of the usual fantastic assortment. I had Epoisses and a couple of other things I can't remember now. Ask for small pieces unless you really want a lot. My dessert was pineapple that had been layered in a glass with blood orange on the bottom, some sort of sorbet, etc. Five different sorts of mignardises, including caramel with fleur du sel and really lovely pistachio sandwich meringue. Coffee (not included in the prix fixe) comes with a nice little chocolate pot de creme. I managed to eat half. Very reasonably-priced wines, and when you realize that the service and tip are already include in the 44 euros it's quite a deal. So, looking forward to my next trip. Found a great hotel (Hotel du Parc) should any of you be headed to Montpellier any time soon.

Buckhead Life there in force, bu also plenty of other upmarket establishments. The year we went it was tastings, and you went around and visited the various booths. Lots of booths had more than one item, and nobody minded if you took more than one taste. A huge amount of very nice food. At a certain point you just have to decide to stop eating. Wine tastings were also included, and again there was no limit. Open bar that year as well. Altogether excessive. The silent auction was great.

Thaicoon, a Thai/sushi place here in Atlanta.

Clafoutis. Frozen cherries work really well (I use the Joy of Cooking recipe), and you look like a genius. Pineapple upside-down cake. Again, huge praise for almost zero work. A la mode if you like it that way. Canned pineapple, so you don't have to worry about sourcing fresh, and other canned fruits also work.

I use very little dressing, and often forego it entirely. Sometimes I order it on the side and use a small amount, and sometimes I just say "no dressing", which gets me a double take and not infrequently a conversation and so there I am, back to asking for it on the side.