therese

I was considering Julia's for lunch, figuring we'd be at Copia anyway. But I may just do lunch at the non-fancy place in Copia (presumably good) as we've booked dinners at Martini House, Terra, and Bouchon, and don't really need to have enormous lunches on those days. The locals' night does sound like a great deal, but we're not (locals, that is), so probably won't sign up even though the membership thing is entirely tax-deductable, as we're doing our best to support our local museums at the moment. So many restaurants, so little time...

It's not just food writing, it's all writing. And it's not difficult to figure out what's wrong---just glance at my kid's (corrected) homework and you'll realize that there's very little in the way of rigorous instruction. Obvious errors go unrecognized, and there's little incentive to get it right. Hey, my kids have even gotten marked down for recognizing inconsistencies in their texts or instruction.

Happened to me recently (about two years ago) in a nice place in France. Conservative old school sort of establishment outside Montpellier.

Okay, so once again this topic must have been discussed, but I don't find too much on Julia's at Copia. Any experience here?

Many thanks, melkor. I'll post when we return.

Yeah, after I'd read the menu more closely the mediterranean slant at Pere Jeanty became more evident. Have you (or anybody you trust) been to La Toque recently? Looks spendy and fancy, but that's okay.

So far I've booked at Bouchon and Martini House for other evenings. Between Pere Jeanty and Bistro Jeanty, do you have a preference? Or rather, what do you see as the differences?

I'm headed out to Napa Valley soon and would appreciate any recent info on restaurants. I've gone back a ways looking for old threads (there must be some, have already checked out the French Laundry thread, even if we won't be going this trip) but if anybody could point me to some quickly that would also be great.

Yep, Royal Sweets has jalebis (or is the plural jalebi? you've got the advantage here). My kids like them, but I find them just over the top sweet (really saying something for me). I think they're one of those things that are really best right out of the cooker, like a funnel cake but even more so. If you could manage to get there right when they were cooking them I think it would be cool. They have gulab jamun in the cooler cabinet, but typically when I order them they go in the back and get some fresh if they've got them ready. Actually, they do that with just about anything that they happened to be just making. Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing what you think of their stuff. My frame of reference is fairly limited in this instance.

The samosas at Royal Sweets are quite good, though I'm not sure I'd drive a really long way to get them. But since you're already going to DFM and want to try them, I'd say sure. The samosas at the DFM cafeteria are also quite good (particularly great with a fresh OJ). While at Royal Sweets you should get some of the other items. If it's the weekend they'll likely have dhokla (or however you want to spell it) on hand, and they have lots of other savory cracker and nut sorts of things. The sweets include milk fudge (barfi or burfi or whatever), with our favorites being pistachio and mango. The gulab jamun are good (pick light or dark) as are the sweets made with them. My absolute favorite sweet here is julli (or jooli or whatever), basically the world's freshest cheesecake. Note that Royal Sweets can only be reached from the southbound (headed towards Atlanta) side of Lawrenceville Hwy. It's a small place and sort of sneaks up on you, so keep a sharp eye peeled for the sign (yellow, up on a pole so you can see it from a distance). There's another Indian sweet/snack shop around the corner on Dekalb Industrial called Gokul Sweets. Also good, but they lack Anita (the owner at Royal Sweets), a big drawback.

Like Mayhaw Man said, the grittiness vs. creaminess has a lot to do with exact cooking conditions. Within a single batch, depending on how fast you work, you'll get some that are a bit grittier than others. But even the creamiest will have a certain slight gritty quality (in my experience, and I think this also has a lot to do with how one defines "gritty").

Yeah, a single batch. You are such a kidder, Mayhaw Man. First of all, only somebody who has done it before is going to get the first batch right (once you've figured it out you just sort of "know" when it's time to stop cooking and start dolloping). Second of all, a single batch isn't going to last more than about 10 minutes.

That fudgy/creamy/gritty quality is exactly what you're looking for. The chewy sort are okay, but nothing all that special. We use Paul Prudhomme's recipe every Christmas, and people fight to get on the "list" for them.

maf: Sounds like the Pink House has gotten a second wind---I ate there years ago and it definitely met criteria for pretty darn dreadful. Is Teeples still around?

They're doing a bang-up business here in Hotlanta. Located out on Buford Highway in the middle of the asian/latin strip that goes on for miles and miles, it gets lots of crossover clientele. In a market this big even fish head stew will appeal to a large number of people.

Interesting hearing about your experience at the Triangle version of Penang. We've got one here in Atlanta (same chain as the one in New York) and the one thing that you can absolutely count on is the service. They just about hand you your water glass before you're seated, and you can count on being in and out the door, well-fed, in as few as twenty minutes if you're trying to get to a movie on time. No detail left unattended, every last person who walks by checks on you and your beer and...well, you get the picture. Food generally quite good, and not much on the menu hits the $20 mark (maybe the whole fish). We don't consider it destination dining, but it's pretty cheap and pretty good.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Blais. We've been twice now, once for the tasting menu (billed as 5-10 courses, but closer to 20 on our visit as well), and are looking forward to a third visit. FYI, you can do a 31 course dinner, though you have to call ahead by some period of time (two days, I think, but you could check the web site).

Entirely possible that the ensemble in question was grey (or gray...), though I couldn't say for sure. Overall impression was subdued, reasonably upmarket. I wasn't looking all that hard, it just struck me as a possibility. I was coming out of the pasta aisle, I think, when I noticed the candidate shoppers. Would you describe yourself as skinny, medium, or more than medium? The woman was medium-ish. Presumably the guy I described matched either Ari or Jason. Ari's probably passed out on the floor of his kitchen right now in a citrus stupor. Too bad about the bland curry in the cafeteria---we'll have to point him towards all the great Indian options out LaHi and elsewhere.

The people I saw were an Indian (or similar) woman (under 30) with long straight hair and a guy of indeterminant height with curly blond-ish hair. I've got pretty good gay-dar, but wouldn't have been able to say. No extra guy in evidence, though of course he could have been left behind marveling at the fish. There were some nice looking Meyer lemons, but I opted for key limes (half of one is just perfect for a glass of Lillet). We used kumquats as part of the decoration for Christmas, so I'm a bit off kumquats at the moment. I shop there so much that I tend to fall into a bit of a rut, but new items this trip included stevia (which tastes about as artificial as artificial sweeteners, so Splenda is still my favorite) and pomegranate juice. I haven't eaten in the cafeteria in a while---let's hope they've got bacalao on offer when I do.

I make a point of giving visitors to Atlanta (particularly those who are considering moving here) a trip to DFM. Even the relatively non-food oriented find it pretty cool. Tryska, was it just you and Ari? I was there early Saturday afternoon and thought I saw a couple of people who might have been the right demographic. Of course there were also about a bajillion other people there---it was possibly the busiest I've ever seen the market, including Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving. Hmm, something about a trip to stock up for Superbowl being pretty much useless on a Sunday?

Well, there's the fridge and pantry capacity to worry about, and then there's just the fact that you'll have to consume the food at some point. Though at least we're in a bit of a lull produce-wise, citrus and cabbage-y things being the most prominent. If you go hungry you can try out the cafeteria as well.

Um, you mean like a tour? DFM may not be what you're thinking of when you think of a farmer's market. It's not different purveyors with different wares to offer, so there's no need for somebody to come along to point out that Mr. Smith has the best apples and that Mrs. Jones has the best pies. It's large and laid out very clearly and consistently, so really all you need to do is roam through it systematically. Some tips: 1. Dress warmly. It's cool inside all year 'round. 2. No credit cards. If you want to use a check stop by the information desk first thing and have your account set up (they'll use your driver's license number, or maybe some other number if you use different ID, I suppose) so that you don't have to hassle with it when you're checking out. Checks are the easiest, as you don't even have to fill them out: you sign your name to a check, present ID, and the cash register prints the remainder of the info on the check. 3. Grocery carts are in the parking lot. Get one before you go in. 4. As you enter the market most of the dry goods (candies, dried fruits, teas, canned stuff, pasta, etc.) will be to your immediate right, extending all the wau tp the far end of the market. Wine and beer are at this end of the market. If you're new to Georgia you need to know that you CANNOT buy any alcohol by the bottle between midnight Saturday and midnight Sunday. The entire middle of the market is mostly produce. As you work your way back towards the other side of the market you'll come to bread (okay in a pinch, but there's much better in Atlanta), coffee, flowers, fish, and finally deli/meats/dairy. The staff doesn't always speak too much English, but generally know the stock pretty well. Many of the shoppers are very familiar with the market and will also chime in. You might even meet me...

Both are on Buford Highway, with Happy Valley being closer in to town (in Plaza Fiesta, the old Burlington Coat Factory Shopping Center), just the far side of Clairmont. It's cart city at both on the weekends. Both also offer weekday cart service, but with limited offerings. If you want something that you don't see at Happy Valley you can ask for it, and they can often oblige; don't know if Canton House offers the same.

True, not native born (though born in the south). But even my native-born friends who still live here (there are a few of them around) don't get all excited about the Varsity. When compelled to eat there by circumstances I get onion rings---pretty good, but not difficult to stop eating after the first three or four. The chicken salad sandwich isn't bad, but that's not what most people are talking about when they talk about the Varsity. My kids won't touch anything there except for a frosted orange.

Tried some soy-based pasta a while back in an attempt to lower my kids' starch intake. Exactly like eating cooked cardboard, except maybe just a bit worse. Incredibly the kids and my husband managed to down several bites each until I finally pronounced it inedible. Hugh sighs of relief all around.