Wimpy

Hmmm. Seems it's pretty much a matter of chance whether a restaurant and staff is accommodating enough to give you a menu or not. It is missing the point to be give the customer a menu from seasons past! I must admit to having "stolen" a menu once- though. It was at Le Prieure (at that time a one macaroon Michelin) in Villeneuve les Avignon (just 15 min. from Avignon in the Provence). We actually ordered room service that evening and staff brought us a menu from the restaurant from which to order. (It was the first time in my experience that they brought the food up to the room by the course!). Of course I tipped rather well (to compensate for my guilt of slipping menu in suitcase). Point is, I still pull out the menu on occasion and go through it page by page. Wonderful memories of a beautiful vacation with wife are thus recalled, as well as the recollection of an opulent meal (best thing was their dessert cart- never saw one that huge). I can only hope my trip to France this time around will have me dining at establishments with understanding staff! Have so far reserved lunch at Au Crocodile... This whole question may be moot however, as I have planned a vacation smack in the middle of August when most restaurants are closed! As for taking pictures, I vividly recall making full video recordings of my lunch at Le Cote St. Jacques in Joigny back in 1999 (at least digicams nowadays are quite small and unobtrusive). When I review the movie now, I cringe at how gauche I was, filming everything that was served to me like some hick from the boonies! However, the video of the food still evokes Pavlovian reactions and so was glad that I was brazen enough to film! I'll try to be more subtle this time around.

Thanks Margaret! But just to spare you the effort, I'm flying off in a few days, so I'll figure it out some other way re the confit/cassoulet in bottles. Btw, I'll be spending a couple days in Strasbourg. I don't suppose the bottled stuff I'm looking for is better there?

On the non-food side, (but still related), I was thinking of buying a set of Laguiole steak knives. I bought a Laguiole corkscrew with olive wood handles in 1999 (in a wine shop just next to Hediard at the Place de la Madeleine) and it has served me very well. Does anyone have anything good (or bad) to say about their knives (not the folding type)? Are they cheaper in France? Are there many brands from Laguiole (similar to Solingen knives where Solingen denotes a famous steel producing areas and not actually a brand of knife)? 6 more days till I'm off to France! Having trouble focusing on work!

Margaret: can you recommend any particular brand of either artisanal or commercially made confit and cassoulet products (the ones in jars)? There's not point in my getting Rougie for example, as I can get that at home... Thanks!

Mamster: one of the best ways I enjoy food in Japan is not just the restaurants, but the department store food centers (usually located in the basement). The visual bounty and variety of both Japanese traditional and Western delicacies and Chinese will certainly astound you. Nothing in the US comes close, in my experience (not Draeger's in SF, not Zabar's in NYC). In Europe, it is reminiscent of Fauchon, Kaefer in Munich and KDW in Berlin. I love it also because unlike in restaurants, you often get a free sample from eager vendors (they are esp. nice to foreigners) which allows you try tons of stuff you've never heard of. The first think I do when I arrive in Tokyo is to hit the basement food centers! While almost every department store has a basement food/delicatessen area, my favorites are as follows: 1) Shibuya Station (in front of the Toyoko subway line on ground floor) I forgot the name but BON may be able to help there. There are two of interest (to me anyway), both right under Shibuya station. One is in the basement next to the entrance to the Hanzomon subway platform. 2) Mitsukoshi Department Store (flagship store) at the Mitsukoshi-eki-mae station (Ginza or Hanzomon subway line) 3) Takashimaya Department Store (flagship store) at the Nihombashi subway station (Ginza subway line). Foods to look for: 1) Assorted sushi & sashimi (for take home). Note tip: after 7PM or so, sushi/sashimi and other perishables are sold at steep discount. I once bought some very nice Honmaguro ootoro and chutoro (bluefin tuna). 2) Tonkatsu (take back to hotel and eat). You will note different prices for similar looking sizes. I avoid the cheapest ones because they have huge borders of pure fat. More expensive cuts are more meat than fat. 3) Japanese desserts/pastries: mainly rice based and bean based sweets. I find Japanese desserts too one-dimensional for my taste, but is worth a try. My favorite: look for something called "warabi-mochi", very delicate desert coated with a nutty soybean (I think) powder called "kinako". 4) Japanese savory condiments/accompaniments to rice in soy sauce called "tsukudani". In this fashion, many things, from small shrimp to fmall fish and clams are preserved. They are great with hot steaming rice. Try some walnut "kurumi" tsukudani- a personal favorite. 5) Fruits: the quality of fruits in Japan are unparalleled but you pay through the nose! However, they are worth a try. For the traditional , try the persimmons (kaki) which are amazingly sweet and tender. My two favorites are mandarin oranges (mikan) and strawberries (ichigo). Gee- there is so much stuff to try! And be forewarned, even buying food at these places, while cheaper than restaurants (but not necessarily cheaper than traditional foodstalls), are not bargains. I really recommend you try at least one such place. I would start with the Mitsukoshi department store. Enjoy! PS Sometimes, the butcher's section will have free samples of wagyu steaks cut in little bite size pieces. You have got to try that if you spot it. Also, take a look at the various grades and cuts of wagyu beef for your edification.

I've always wanted to bring home with me the menu of the restaurant at which I've had a particularly memorable meal. However, I'm apprehensive about how such a request would be received. Stealing the menu, apart from moral implications (I was raised Catholic and thus have all kinds of guilt-ridden safety features which are hard to overcome on impulse) is impractical as menus in France are often huge things bound sometimes in leather or are made of hard to fold rag paper. Does anyone have any experience in this area? I would think a nice request to buy or keep the menu is flattering, but you never know with the temperamental Gaul. If I do this at a Michelin restaurant, can I forget any chance of getting a reservation in future? Pls. advise.....

Thanks Cabrales and everyone else for inputs! I of course realize that freezing and bringing home is a poor 2nd choice to eating the stuff fresh and at its peak in Paris. However, I will endeavor to take with me those items which suffer least from freezing. I will definitely try Pierre Herme. Have heard lots about him in magazines. I just hope they are not on hiatus like every other commercial establishment in Paris in August! I am hoping Paris won't be like New York (i think it's NY) in that Charleston Heston movie where he's the last man on Earth (after nuclear fallout).

Cabrales- I must admit that frozen fresh foods will pose somewhat of a challenge. My most recent successful venture was in bringing wagyu (japanese marbled beef) and tarako (salted cod roe) from Tokyo to Manila. Results were quite satisfactory when packed thusly: a) brought newly bought tupperware-type containers to Tsukiji (bought in Tokyo- they're cheap), asked them to fill tarako directly (avoiding touching so as not to accelerate decay) and brought home to freeze thoroughly (parents live there). This, I hand-carried in a aluminum lined freezer bag used to carry ice cream from the super to the house but threw in two frozen cooler bricks. b) as for wagyu, the butcher packs it very well, each 1cm slice (about 100g ea) in individual plastic pouches. The whole 1.5kg was then put in a styrofoam box filled with small frozen gel packs. I put that in my check in luggage. The above were still frozen solid when I arrived home in Manila- fully 7 hours door to door I would say (actual flight time 3 1/2 hours). Not a drop of water to be seen/felt. For France, the challenge is the longer flying time, but will endeavour to pack similar to above. For Bresse chicken and foie, I do have a hand carry cooler which should do the trick (Coleman makes nifty softcase ones). If you think about it, the check-in luggage is best for transporting frozen foods as the cargo section of the plane is not heated and at 30,000 feet, it is colder than a witch's you-know-what! It's the handcarry which poses more of a challenge, but temperatures in flight are hardly warm- it would cost the airlines too much to heat the cabin to "normal" temperatures. If you like, I'll let you all know how my contraband fares on my return (Aug. 18th). Meanwhile, please let me know what other goodies I should to bring home! Also, if you know THE place to buy it (in Paris, please) or brand, it would help. Finally, it goes without saying that this whole transportation of fresh frozen foods is only possible if you are staying in an apartment or visiting friends. If you're staying in a hotel, forget it, it's a pain in the A__ to convince/ask the hotel kitchen to freeze foods for you.

Margaret: thanks for starting this thread! This questions is close to my own heart as I am about to embark on a two week trip to France in 7 days! I am fortunate compared to you US and Europe based egulleteers in that customs in the Philippines (where I live) is extremely lax in the importation of food (technically restricted, but they never really check). With this in mind, here's my list. I welcome suggestions! 1) Bresse chicken frozen (never had, heard all about it, and want to share with fellow gourmand back in Manila)- at least one (is there a particular place to get it from in Paris that's recommended? 2) Cheeses: need to expand my horizon beyond the tried and true. Stinky cheese most welcome, unpasteurized uppasteurized! Need to bring plenty of ziplock bags to hide the smell. 3) Normandy butter: want to bring some (frozen) to try cooking with it, and see what difference it makes. 4) Chestnuts: can't get them here (except the small Chinese variety which pale in comparison). 5) Cured meats: salamis, sauccisons, maybe even boudins. 6) Creme fraiche- again, want to try for recipes calling for it. Does anyone know if it freezes well? 7) Foie gras d'oie and canard (maybe one each). They freeze extremely well. Any more suggestions? I obviously can't bring that much home as I am constrained by baggage allowance. Part of the joy of good food is sharing it with friends who have the same passion. Hence the extraordinary effort to bring all that stuff over from France!

Jinmyo-san: I love raw egg on hot rice as well! It's a trick my Japanese mother taught me as a kid. Of course, need some soy sauce to go with it (please, not the Chinese type). It's a handy snack when there's nothing else in the pantry. I'd make sure the egg is fresh though- remember Salmonella! However, it's even better if there's some natto available.

Hi Cabrales- One suggestion- have you ever heard of SMS? It's the short message texting feature available on all GSM phones. It's fantastically popular in Asia where I live and essentially allows you to text messages via your GSM handset to another's at much lower rates than a voicecall. The response time is also almost instantaneous even across the globe (depends somewhat on your service provider's network configuration). The drawback is that some have little patience for tapping out a message on miniscule keys. Also, of course you can only text to another GSM mobile handset owner. When I travel abroad, my wife and I carry GSM phones and SMS each other when we invariably get separated (she's off looking for bags, me for food). Also, I touch base with friends/family at home via SMS without having to make a voice call (save that for emergencies and when you want to hear your kid's laughter). Just a thought... Trivia: The volume of SMS texting (per day) in the Philippines exceeds the volume of SMS texting in all of Europe combined.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! Last night, I got over my procrastination and started calling France to make arrangements. 1) Booked a place in Dijon for one night "Chateaux de Gilly" rated by Michelin as having a red "four gable rating" and with a restaurant having a four fork rating (red). I am looking into options to dine at Michelin star restaurants in the vicinity but well, many are closed in August. 2) Booked a place in Strasbourg for one night "Regent de Contades" rated by Michelin as having a red "three gable rating" and with bfast served only. 3) Booked lunch for two at "Au Crocodile" in Strasbourg rated two star Michelin. Burehiesel is closed. Looking at the Paris restaurants, there is only one three star Michelin open in August! That's Pierre Gagnaire's place. Will call them tonight to see if there is any slot free for either lunch or dinner. As I said, last resort is to hole up in my friend's Paris flat and cook stuff bought at local marches. Does anyone know a good website that has all the opening days/times for the food markets of Paris? Thanks!

Lizziee- Thanks for the warning. Yes, I am aware of my unfortunate choice of travel time- smack in the middle of the time when the French themselves are on vacation! But have little choice, given demands at work. And yes, I realized Burehiesel is closed during the time in question. Now, question is a) can I get reservations for Le Krokodil at this late date and b) even if I could, is Le Krokodil worth the trip to Strasbourg? I might also be comparing apples to oranges as I get the impression Burehiesel is more traditional alsacienne while Le Krokodil is more "refined". I do have a fallback plan which may end up being quite pleasant. As my dear Parisian friend has left me her apartment at our disposal during the entire two weeks, we could base ourselves there and go to different marches in Paris to buy stuff to cook in the apartment. We'll use Paris to make day trips anywhere up to a 3 hour radius by car... I've "been there, done that" as far as the tourists spots around France many times in my salad days, so a quieter, slow paced vacation may not be a bad idea. Not ALL restaurant, bistros and the like are closed in the first half of August, I hope. Surely not....

To all you Francophile culinary sages and masters of of trivia and the eclectic, I seek your advice. Wife and I set to spend 2 weeks in France Aug. 3 to 17th. Will be in Paris (coz staying at friend's apt.), Dijon (Aug. 3 for cousin's wedding) and Chartres (Aug. 15 for my goddaughter's baptism). Questions: 1) Where to stay in Dijon? 2) Where to eat in Dijon? Apart from that place in Seaulieu (name escapes me now), are there any other establishments of note? 3) I've been to La Cote St. Jacques in Joigny in 1999. Had fantastic menu degustation experience. Has anyone been there recently? Is it worth another visit? 4) Am renting car in Dijon- we're debating whether to drive to Strasbourg. Frankly apart from food (which of course is sufficient reason in itself), is it worth going? Alas, wife does not share total enthusiasm for gastronomy as I do and feels nothing to do in Alsace but food. Normandy on other hand, seems to offer both history and food (but have not seen many Michelin star rated places there). 5) Finally Chartres- any day trip near Chartres worth going to (historic/cultural as well as gastronomic)? Have done the Loire Valley thing a few times already so anything but that! Suggestions most welcome. I am also kinda planning to wing things as far as reservations are concerned (i.e. calling a day ahead for reservations). Worked perfectly well in October 1999, but is it too risky for August 2002 given peak season? Thanks!

I remember in high school (an American high school in Vienna, Austria), I had this classmate from Turkey who always packed his own lunch. He very often brought a pita/flatbread sandwich with a filling I couldn't recognize till I asked him- they were black olives! I was grossed out then, but in retrospect, I think he ate better than we all did! Anyone know if this is a common Turkish sandwich? Just curious. I grew to love olives, especially Kalamata (Vienna was luckily a crossroads of culinary cultures: German/Turkish/Slavic and markets abundant). However, they are better eaten simply pickled than in a cooked dish as they seem to turn bitter so quickly and thereafter, are to me, unpalatable.

Well, this half-japanese kid can confirm that lotus root is quite common fried tempura-style. It's actually one of my favorite veggies done this way- batter is crisp (thanks to ice cubes mixed in the batter), and the lotus root crunchy (almost reminscent of water chestnut texture but more flavor if you ask me). Of course, the tempura sauce adds the essential flavoring.

Fellow gourmands/gourmets, thanks for your responses. I stand suitably humble prior to embarking on this project. Actually, so much so that I better stick to perfecting profiteroles before I try piling them sky high! Merci beaucoup!

Fellow foodies. I am contemplating a monumental (for me anyway) project- a Croquembouche. I was inspired by a recent wedding I attended and want to try it out for a few friends, one of whom is celecbrating a birthday. Ok, the profiterole part seems doable- it is the construction of the towering cone-of-cream puffs for which I seek tips before I embark on this laborious process. Also, is there anything I need to know about spinning caramel threads? Thanks!

Hi Guys! Had a taste of my Chicken Marbella last night. At first, it seemed too sweet (after all, 1 cup brown sugar is a lot) but after cooling and overnight refrigeration, the savory taste of the chicken/vinegar/spices seemed to counteract the first impressions of overwhelming sweetness. Olives were a bit bitter but I guess it can't be helped unless maybe thrown in at very end (but recipe called for chucking it in as part of marinade). I threw in apricots with prunes for good measure (I read somewhere they were related anyway). It's great with toasted baguettes. Sandra- I was wondering why/how Marbella has jewish traditions? Is it Spanish/Jewish? Is there anything Jewish about the ingredients (other than it being kashrut- I guess as long as chicken is slaughtered correctly)? Whatever religion you are, it's pretty good. Lemme know if you have any suggestions for embellishing the dish. I was thinking toasted sliced almonds to finish it off would be pretty good. Any other ideas?

[Fantastic straightforward no-muss no-fuss and great planned-overs from Marcella Hazan's lemon-in-the-cavity breast-side-down-to-begin no-basty method. From her first book, I think? Fancier, and with the toothsome crispy skin to show for it, are the various butter-enriched versions, such as have been introduced here] Allow me to add my vote to Hazan's method. I can typically stuff up to two whole lemons in my chickens! After roasting though, I deglaze the pan using lemons from inside the chicken (careful to catch the seeds else will impart bitter taste) and add salt and pepper to taste. Also sometimes add butter to emulsify sauce slightly. Makes for nice gravy.

I just finished sticking 4 quartered chickens in the fridge with the prune/vinegar/olive oil marinade a la Marbella. Does anyone know its origins? A quick search on Google shows how most recipes are lifted from the Silver Palate cookbook (of course, Google is US centric, so perhaps not such a big surprise). Other links show possibly a Jewish heritage. From the name, it is obviously Spanish. Does anyone have more info? And btw, what menu can you suggest centered around Chicken Marbella? I always thought it goes great with fresh country bread to sop up the sauce but would appreciate ideas on other side dishes. Cheers!