Lexma90

Spaghetti carbonara is made with raw eggs. In trying to perfect our recipe for this dish at home, I did an obsessive amount of research on whether the heat of cooking the dish is enough to destroy any salmonella. The results I found were that no, the heat didn't go high enough - in the recipes I found, and the one that I use, you actually remove the dish from the heat at the point when the eggs are added. Our solution at home is to use homeginized eggs; I wouldn't think restaurants would do that. (We serve this dish to our kids, so our concern is more for them than us adults.) So you might want to give spaghetti carbonara a miss. When traveling in France while pregnant, where products like lait cru cheese are more common than I think they are in Italy, I found the French much more in tune with products to be avoided than I was - waiters would tell me which cheese from a cheese cart I should avoid, for example.

Sampaguita - It's been a busy month; I just now saw your post. As you may have guessed, I used a lot of your info in preparing for our trip. And we will definitely be back! One place we saw that I would have loved to try was l'Osteria del Vignaiolo. Actually, during the entire trip I kept noticed restaurants that I'd read about! Interesting about it being more the custom in the Piemont to pay at the front desk - I wish we'd known that. Though in plenty of places, other than da Renzo, we saw people paying at their table. We did drink Barberas as well, maybe more for lunch, and I'm sure I missed writing down some of the wines we drank. I have a very limited ability to distinguish wines, but I do like Barberas, so we tend to drink Barberas quite a bit too. My husband doesn't like whites, so I primarily have white wine by the glass, at lunch. We are also big connoisseurs of gelato, so we tried Grom's gelato in both Torino and Milano. We both liked it, but in Milano, I preferred the gelato at Gelateria Toldo, in the Brera. The marron glaces gelato was superb wherever they had it, including Grom. About Torino, I don't plan to write separately about that - I was very surprised to find that I didn't love the city, after hearing so many people rave about things that usually make me love a city (smaller size, less touristy). I think it was partly that the city is so grand, and everything is so big (including the piazze). And I decided I prefer Renaissance, and even gothic architecture, over Baroque. But to balance that, both my husband and I enjoyed Milan much more than we expected. We ended up spending only one day in Torino, using the day of our arrival for more time in the Piemonte, then arriving in Torino in the evening. We ate at Tre Galline, which was fine, but we both made bad choices on the main course (boiled meats, which I truly dislike, no matter how many other people love it). Lunch the next day was on a pretty piazza, Sfashion Cafe, but nothing unusual, except they had decent stuffed zucchini flowers. Dinner, DH's birthday, was a blowout at Vintage 1997 - definitely a special-occasion place, and a very good time was had by all. The next day, we drove through the Valle d'Aosta before heading back to Milano for our last night before the plane flight back to the U.S. But back to Torino, we did spend lots of time in Piazza San Carlo (2 blocks from our hotel), and I tried the bicerin - way too sweet for me! But I love the way every place in the Piemonte served some food with our drinks. For Torino, I thought that maybe - and I'd love your opinion on this - the cafe culture is so big (we saw many cafes with huge and wonderful antipasti spreads, but (D)DH wanted a "real meal") that there aren't, in comparison to other cities, as many "regular" restaurants. Or maybe it's just that Torino is far enough off the English-speaking map that I wasn't able to find as much information on Torino restaurants as I was able to for Milano, Bologna, the Piemonte, etc. (I can read some Italian, so used the Gambero Rosso website to the limits of my linguistic abilities, and have the English Slow Food book, but that doesn't have as many restaurant entries as the Italian version).

I'd seen that you'd be there soon - hope my report has whetted your appetite! I copied the following from my trip report; notice how the prices rocketed up with those servings of white truffles. Also notice my husband is very much into fine wine. But it will definitely give you a feel for the prices. Antica Corona Reale da Renzo, dinner, total for 4 people, €390, including 2 bottles wine; 3 servings white truffles La Ciau del Tornavento, lunch, total for 4 people, €433, including 1 bottle wine (€64); 14 (or 5?) servings white truffles Giardino del Felicin, dinner, total for 4 people, €326, including 2 bottles wine (€72 & 28) Osteria La Cantinella, lunch, total for 2 people, €71.50, including 1 bottle wine (€20) Trattoria della Posta, dinner, total for 2 people, €220, including 1 bottle wine (€70); 2 servings white truffles Rabayà, lunch, total for 2 people, $92 (notice dollars), including ½ bottle wine Plus cover charges and I'm sure there are espressos that I didn't include.

We’ve recently returned from a wonderful first trip to the Piemonte area of Italy, and wanted to report on our restaurant experiences. (On this trip, which was business-related, we also spent time in Bologna, Venice, Milan and Turin.) We stayed in Monforte d’Alba, in an absolutely stunning B&B called Le Case della Saracca. I’d go on about the wonderful place and its owner, but this is a food forum. (Other than eating, we visited two wineries for tours and tastings; the Alba truffle festival; a bunch of lovely towns; a smaller bunch of enoteche; and the brightly-colored chapel outside La Morra) With DH and I for some of the time were our friends, who were on their first trip ever to Europe (and had to return home earlier than we did). We’re all foodies (though DH and I more than our friends) and adventurous eaters, more or less. I speak some Italian and a lot of “food Italian;” DH can read most main items on a menu, and our friends do not know (and didn’t try) any Italian. On this trip, as ever, I was torn between the desire to try more creative, inventive dishes and wanting to sample the local specialties and food items. Also, because it was (early in) the white truffle season, we were inclined to order truffle dishes when we could, which was positive on the truffle front, but limited the variety of dishes we ended up eating. The Piemonte, overall: Great area, and we will return! In terms of food, we very much enjoyed it, with some minor exceptions. I have never liked pot roast (negative childhood memories of Sunday afternoon pot roast with those horrid overcooked vegetables), so I usually stay away from meats with similar textures. So I’m not ever going to be a fan of, for example, beef braised in Barolo. I like carne crudo, though not necessarily enough to have it as an antipasto for every meal! But the local pastas, every time, were delicious, as was anything with a fonduta. Possibly due to the French influence in the area, we saw more cheese courses and carts than we’ve ever seen (or perhaps just noticed) elsewhere in Italy; and many meals served friandises. Much more Italian-only spoken here than in more heavily-touristed Tuscany. Or possibly, because while my language skills are minimal, my accent is good, so the Italians felt they didn’t need to use English (a correct assumption most of the time). White truffles. Before reaching the Piemonte, and via email from our B&B host, we had heard that it was a not-so-good truffle year (too hot, or too wet, or both), that they would be late, expensive and not so good quality. An acquaintance in Milan, however, said there would be truffles in the Piedmont, just not a lot for elsewhere. We did see them at restaurants, and ordered them at any restaurant that had them. Each time, it was a supplement of €30-40; I wouldn’t know if that was expensive for white truffles in the Piemonte. I’m not so familiar with white truffles that I would know if the quality was lower, though they did seem less aromatic. We were there in mid-October; the situation has probably changed a lot since then. In order of favorite to least favorite: Lunch at La Ciau del Tornavento, Treiso (about 5 km east of Alba) This was probably the best meal, both food and experience, of our entire trip, and definitely lived up to its Michelin star. I told my husband last night that I’d return to Italy just to have more of the pasta I had here! The restaurant, and the views over the hills, is stunning, and the ambiance was wonderful as well. I chose this restaurant to be a more modern, creative contrast to the other, more traditional Piemontese restaurants that we ate at during our time there; I would say that was the case. The service here was great, even though we entered as the same time as what appeared to be the Italian Porsche club (about 40 people). The owner, Maurilio Garola, and his staff took very good care of us. I would suspect that he, or someone, speaks some English, but my Italian was apparently sufficient. When we stumbled over a word used to describe a salad, Maurilio brought the item out to show us –they were pomegranate seeds! I could tell that Maurilio cared about his food and the dishes, and our appreciation of them. The restaurant is a Palladian-style rectangle; with one long side all sliding doors overlooking the Langhe hills. It was a gorgeous fall day, and the doors were all opened to the afternoon air. A small lawn with a low wall encouraged restaurant patrons to step out for an aperitif, or just to look at the view. There’s also a swing at one end. We only had one bottle of wine, a 1998 Barolo Aziali San Rocco. We did have two amuse bouche, though: the first was called by Maurilio “terre e mare;” a thick paper cone, with one perfect jumbo shrimp in the middle, coated in of chopped hazelnuts. The shrimp sweetness of the shrimp combined well with the hazelnuts. The second amuse bouche was two thin slices of trout on buttered bread, also very good, if less cute. For a primo, I had my most memorable dish of the trip – ravioli liquidi, in a brothy sauce. The filling (possibly foie gras?) had melted during cooking into a (surprise) liquid; a rush of delicious mouth sensations. At the last minute, I agreed to the white truffles on top. I have to say, it would have been just as good without the truffles. For his primo, DH had l’uovo, a delicious white-truffle-season local item, an egg (coddled?) with many white truffles shaved on top. The diner must stir the egg and truffles vigorously to combine the two. It was truly delicious, though it doesn’t provide much opportunity for the chef to show off his skills. One of our friends had the quail salad (with the aforementioned pomegranate seeds), a light mixture of greens and large pieces of tender quail (sorry, I didn’t note what the fourth person in our party had). For a secondo, I had the local snails, lumache, served creatively in two miniature saucepans on a small wooden board, one with savory snails in a butter and leek sauce, the other with polenta, creamy and soft. The polenta was a bit different; with, I believe, pieces of fresh corn mixed in. This was a case where ordering a local food item may have prevented me from having one of Le Ciau’s more creative dishes, but I did want to try the lumache! For his second course, DH had the potato gnocchi, four very large gnocchi sitting in the bottom of the bowl, looking very much like hard-boiled eggs, covered (again) with white truffles; DH loved those as much as I loved my ravioli liquidi. For their secondi, our friends each had tajarin with white truffles, which one said was the best tajarin she had. Before our trip, I saw tajarin described as being the local linguini. Tajarin is much better than that; there is an appreciably greater percentage of eggs in tajarin dough, and the shape is different, often narrower than linguini, but thicker. Several us got the cheese cart, which was impressive indeed. I asked for a variety, from mild to strong, and while I didn’t note all the names, they included several local Tomás, and a Castelmagno, delicious indeed, with a sharp edge, similar to cheddar, without the bite of a blue cheese. The cheeses were served with cugná and honey, to be eaten with the stronger cheeses. We finished our meal (no dessert) outside on the terrace, two of us on the swing, with café and friandises. Dinner at Trattoria della Posta, 2 km south of Monforte d’Alba This meal was just DH and I; our friends had returned home. The décor here was elegant casual, exemplified by the worn terracotta farmhouse floors covered with Persian rugs. The tables were spaced far apart in the two rooms we walked through. Oddly enough, this was the only restaurant of our days in the Piemonte where we heard other English-speaking customers, and there were several tables of them (one two-top held two American chefs doing stages here in Italy; while the one was talking quite loudly, I never heard the name of the restaurant she’s working at). We were greeted warmly by the owner; as I recall, someone else took our orders. That woman appeared to only speak Italian, to my (private) amusement, as she took orders from the table of Germans next to us, I discovered she went to the same language school as my father - if they don’t understand you, speak louder in your own language! For wine for our meal, the restaurant was out of DH’s first choice of a Manzoni (we had visited their vineyard), so we had a Parusso 1999 Barolo. The amuse bouche was nice; thin mozzarella, rolled up, with pieces of sweet pepper (just a couple) and anchovies (not the fresh kind), a little olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. I have made a personal vow to order torcione (torchon) of foie gras whenever I see it, so I was committed the instant I saw it on Trattoria della Posta’s menu! It was served with the usual though also accompanied by cugná and a Moscato aspic; it was very good, but nothing compares to Thomas Keller’s torchon. DH had roast porcini, served on a grape leaf; a nice beginning to the meal and a pretty, seasonal presentation. For a primi, I had angolotti al plin, stuffed with veal, with a very light butter sauce. The agnolotti were delicious and delicate in flavor, but could have used a little salt. DH had ravioli al plin, stuffed with a fonduta (not liquid), with white truffles. He said the truffles were good, but I couldn’t even smell them across the table. Yes, we had a third course (I couldn’t pass up the torcione, and I couldn’t skip any of the other courses). I had l’uovo, this time served with fonduta (and the requisite white truffles). Not so aromatic, as noticed earlier, but a very good dish regardless, and the fonduta lightened up the egg. DH had filet of veal, but without the foie gras that it was supposed to come with (I would have eaten it for him, but with three courses, that would have been too much even for me). This veal was, to our minds, the best meat either of us had in the Piedmont, flavorful and not fatty at all. The dessert list was long and looked good, but after three other courses, we were much too full for anything but café. Dinner at Giardino del Felicin, Monforte d’Alba For some reason, I thought this would be a casual, informal place, which we deserved and/or needed after a large and long lunch at Le Ciau; turns out, Felicin is a “big meal” kind of place as well (oh well; tuck in and eat more). More nice-rustic décor; big tables spaced far apart. The restaurant/inn has a lovely terrace outside, where they serve in warmer weather. We were greeted at the table, in English, by the owner, Nino Rocca, vivacious and big with a loud voice. Nino proclaimed that he didn’t have any white truffles, because the “white truffles are for tourists” (I beg to differ, having seen many Italians at Le Ciau and della Posta eating white truffles). Nino declared he would help us with our meal decisions, and bring us each three small antipasti. So we each had three antipasti, which were not so small! The first was a piece of grilled codfish, with a fresh salsa on top; second was a veal terrine, with apple and aspic in the terrine (those of us who like terrine thought it was tasty); third was the best, a piece of pork accompanied by delightful carmelized chickpeas. Our first wine was a 1996 Clerico Plajana Barolo; I didn't note the second bottle. For a primi, we had a pasta that Nino said he would make “specially for us.” (A bit of a slick character? Or maybe just a character?) Anyway, the tajarin he brought had a little meat, mixed with tiny chopped vegetables and black truffles. Must say, it was very good. Then Nino brought to the table “somebody’s” extra ravioli al plin con rosamarino and black truffles, with a very tasty meat filling, which we all shared as well. I’m not sure how “extra” it was, and I do believe we were charged for it. One of our friends then had a secondo of rabbit, which he’d been wanting to order at some meal (they were returning home the next day). It was served roasted, in a Nebbiolo sauce, with zucchini, carrots and fried polents, and delicious. Being quite full by this point, the rest of us shared an order of grilled porcini. Continuing the food fest, we all had dessert. The guys had sorbet. My friend had a gianduia item, like a chocolate-covered wafer, served with vanilla gelato and on top of that, I was tickled to see the kind of chocolate that hardens (like at Dairy Queen). I finally had the chance to try the local dessert, bonet, which here was spelled bunet (and pronounced “bunette”). It was fantastic – chocolatey but only a bit so, and quite light and not too rich (I was able to have another serving, at a cafe in Alba, and it was very similar, light and not too chocolately. But upon looking up the recipe after our trip, I have discovered that it’s quite rich indeed, being mostly eggs and cream. Deceptively light, then!) The bill was a bit confusing. We were charged for a couple of the set menus, though we hadn’t intentionally ordered them. It was probably cheaper that way, though it would have been nice to know in advance. Lunch at Rabayà, via Rabayà, 9 12050 Barbaresco Neither this nor the following restaurant is of the caliber of our dinner restaurants, or with lunch at Le Ciau. But not every meal should be over the top, and we love leisurely lunches in beautiful locations, which this certainly was. So for the sum of food plus ambiance, this restaurant comes next. (We did note Antiné, however, for another trip!) This restaurant is outside of Barbaresco to the south. It’s a good-sized place with a plant and flower-filled and vine-covered terrace (including the sweet peppers and chili peppers used in the restaurant’s dishes) with absolutely stunning views over the countryside. On a quiet Monday, we were the only people here (inside or outside); it was just warm enough for us to sit outside. Unfortunately, for our entire time in the Piemonte, a haze was settled in the distance, so we couldn’t see any mountains. A noisy chicken and occasionally a dog’s bark, accompanied our meal. For wine, we had a 1/2 bottle of Pio Cesare Barbaresco 2003. I enjoyed the mixed antipasti plate: First was served a tasty veal crudo with shaved cheese and little olive oil. Then, all on one plate, (1) rotolo, made with herb pasta, with a strong ricotta and with crushed hazelnuts on top; (2) roast sweet peppers – two red and one yellow, with a caper and mild anchovy paste inside and topped with pesto; and (3) a little salad of galletto (rooster meat), with tiny pieces of zucchini and cooked carrots and with balsamic vinegar; such a simple thing, but so delicious that even non-salad-person DH kept taking bites. DH had the crespelle with porcini, fonduta and tiny herbs; a nice, light first course, and the porcini were good. Our next (and last) course was primi, agnolotti al plin, rectangular , filled with cheese; and tajarin with sugo al carne. Both were good but not outstanding. A quick café, then we were on our way. Lunch at Osteria La Cantinella, via Acqua gelata, 4/a Barolo Another lovely location, outdoors on another beautiful (if hazy) day, on the northwest edge of town, with a view (past a small parking lot) of some houses and above them, the hillside. It was Sunday lunch, and many Italians were out enjoying the beautiful weather; the restaurant was full inside when we arrived, and there were only two outside tables available. DH had a primi of risotto ai Barolo; I got tajarin ai funghi. My tajarin was nice enough for lunch. The risotto had an unusual flavor; maybe a little too much Barolo. We shared a secondo of formaggi; a large plate of maybe 12 different kinds, with cugná in the middle. I tried asking the names, but the server laughed and indicated that she had no idea! I was facing away from the entrance to the restaurant and its kitchen, but DH was facing toward it, and he was incredibly tickled when, every so often, an ancient “mama” came down the steps of the hillside above, entering the restaurant kitchen with a large tray of (presumably just-made) pasta. Dinner at Antica Corona Reale da Renzo, Cervere (“da Renzo”) I have to say, this meal was disappointing. This meal, our first in the Piemonte, was also our friends’ first visit to a Michelin-rated restaurant, and they’re the type to care about stuff like that. I won’t describe the restaurant, as that information can be found elsewhere. I will note that you have to ring the bell at the door to get in, and the sign for the restaurant is a bit small, so in the dark you have to be watching for the place. Our disappointment was in the service and resulting ambiance. It was slow generally, though professional when someone approached our table. I translated the entire menu for our table before a waiter approached to ask (in English) if we needed help; not that I minded doing the translating, but in a restaurant of that caliber, with a table in a central location, I was surprised that we weren’t approached sooner (in fact, our problem is usually the reverse – the waiter/owner is ready to take our order before we’ve decided). And we didn’t get the feel of personal or welcoming service. At the end of the meal, we asked for the check three times to no effect. DH finally went into the other room to pay (maybe that’s SOP at da Renzo, but if so, someone should have told us). Interestingly, the owner of our B&B said he had similar service issues the last time he visited – and he’s a local who knows the owner! Rant over, on to the food, which was of the high caliber I expected, though nothing I’m still salivating over. The amuse bouche was delicious – carne crudo (don’t know what animal), served on top of mashed potatoes. It reminded me very favorably of the salumi al sugo I had in Ferrera several years ago (and still dream about). DH and I shared l’uova, here prepared with a fonduta, with white truffles. Excellent of course. We also shared an order of tajarin with white truffles. To be honest, though I wouldn’t have passed up on the white truffles, the tajarin would have been just as tasty without the truffles. Our companions had the uovo and tajarin as well. For a secondi, DH had capretto (baby goat), roasted, with vegetables. His only comment was that it was very good. I had pork (can’t remember what cut), like a somewhat-stringy steak with a thick Nebbiolo-balsamic sauce. Not what I’d usually order (it was recommended by the waiter), but I really enjoyed it, though the sauce could have been a bit lighter. One of our friends had the lumache (snails), which he described as somewhat bland. They were served out of the shell, in a little casserole, with the local leeks and onions. Sorry to say, I don’t remember what our other friend ordered! We shared two desserts, one a gianduia flan that was very rich. The friandise I liked more. Special Mention of a Great Wine Bar: “Barolo Bar” in Monforte d’Alba. We visited twice, and what a delightful place. Small, cozy, with long tables to share. Each time we went in, we appeared to be the only non-locals, but were welcomed kindly and promptly. A nice selection of wines by the glass, good variety of antipasti, and each time, a very nice place of complementary antipasti. My comment on Michelin-rated restaurants in Italy: Based on our two previous Michelin experiences in Italy, El Toula and Convivio Trioani in Rome, I haven’t been very interested in Michelin restaurants there. For those Rome restaurants, as good as the meal was, I felt like I could have been eating anywhere in the world. Not so on this trip; all of the Michelin-rated restaurants we ate at, those in the Piemonte as well as Vintage 1997 in Turin, felt and “ate” Italy. When choosing restaurants in Italy, I will still refer to eGullet, and guides like Gambero Rosso, but feel a bit better about Michelin. Hope this helps others in their enjoyment of the region...

We're not vegetarian, but our son is. When we visited the Piedmont several weeks ago - on an parents-only vacation - I noticed many vegatarian items on all the menus, being more sensitive to vegetarian dishes now that our son is one. Probably more choices, and definitely better-tasting items, than on a standard American restaurant. Flans (sformatina) are popular, and often served with fonduta (cheese sauce). I saw these listed usually as antipasti; I had them several times. Another popular regional item (but which we didn't have) is bagna cauda, a aoili-like dipping sauce for vegetables. Pastas can come with or without meats; I don't really like meat sauce, but don't recall ever having difficulties finding a pasta I wanted (in fact, I had the reverse problem of deciding which pasta to choose). The tajarin, which before our trip I saw described as similar to linguini, is much better! More eggy, and while just as narrow, or narrower, a little thicker than linguini. A big specialty during while truffle season is ouvo with truffles; I saw this listed as antipasto and as secondo courses (we had it several places). This is a soft-boiled egg, served with or without fonduta (tasty either way), with whitel truffles shaved on top. Definitely vegetarian, and a definite treat! Many restaurants also had cheese course; a number of times, the cheese courses were listed as secondi, though of course you could also have the cheese as a separate course after your secondo. What I did notice, in our 3 1/2 days in the Piemonte, is fewer separate "contorni" courses than I have seen in other parts of Italy, like Tuscany. So probably your interesting vegetable dishes will be listed under the antipasti or secondi portions of the menus. Enjoy!

Several weeks ago, we were in lovely Bologna for our second visit there, and have a couple of restaurants, etc. that haven't been mentioned. We arrived in Bologna after the lunch hour, but before dinner. We wandered the market streets, which were a bit dead by that time of day. Tamburini and Atti were open, of course, but Tamburini's "cafeteria" counter looked a little picked over and, honestly, the indoor seating area reminded me of the tables at Woolworth's when I was VERY young. However, right next door to Tamburini, and operated by Tamburini, was a delightful outdoor wine bar called Bar a Magner, Salumi & Baci. In the middle of the afternoon, there was one empty table (actually, it was a wine barrel) for us. A number of salumi and/or cheese plates to get with the decent wine selection, and as we found out later by observing other customers, you could also have them serve anything from the cases in Tamburini. It was just what we needed! Any time later that day and evening that we walked by this wine bar, it was packed with people. We had dinner at Pappagallo, which of course has been mentioned before! I was looking for a restaurant that had regional cuisine, but with a creative touch. (We ate at Trattoria Caminetto d'Oro on our last visit, and as good as that was, we wanted to try somewhere else.) I would say Pappagallo delivered on our desires. The interior is typically upscale Italian, white walls, though here lined with pictures of celebrities who've visited Pappagallo over the years (mostly unknown to us). A whimsical silhouette of a person leaned over the second-floor balcony, and the centerpieces on each table of a single type of fruits and vegetables toned down the formality (our table held a basket of the biggest pears I've ever seen). My crostata of pumpkin and leek included smooth flavors of each vegetable, the sweetness of the crostata balanced by the fonduta puddled underneath. My Pappagallo lasagna was excellent, creamy without being too rich, and with a hint of lemon to add a touch of the piccant, and just enough veal to add flavor without overwhelming the pasta. DH had the green lasagna, also delicious, though I preferred my lasagna to his. He also had the guinea fowl, which to our surprise, was fried. It was served in four manageable pieces, with a cheesy potato accompaniment. With dinner we had a superb Brunello Castelo Giocondo 2001, and we finished with a cheese plate. (And gelato from Gelateria Gianni's location right down the streeet, on via San Stephano.) For lunch the next day, we had a magnificent meal at Drogheria della Rosa, on via Cartoleria 10. Our experience there was one of the best on our entire trip (which included Venice, Milan, the Piemonte and Turin). Drogheria is owned by Emanuele Addone, whose care for his food and each of his customers was evident the entire time we were there. He spoke to us throughout the meal, making sure we enjoyed our food, and even writing down the name of an unknown item on the antipasto plate - ciccioli. I think we call them pork rinds in the U.S! Emanuele is concerned about food, and quality, and spoke dismissively of an unnamed Venice restaurant that served his wife and daughter old fish. His restaurant is located on a quiet side street, not too far from Sant Stephano; the interior looked adorable (a former drugstore), but we ate outside. No menu. First came a plate of mortadella, prosciutto and the aofrementioned cicioli. Then Emanuele recited our choices; DH selected ravioli stuffed with potato, served with butter and white mushrooms; the pasta was a little thicker and heavier, which suited the potato filling. My ravioli was stuffed with eggplant, and served with many fresh cherry tomatoes (pacchini?) and a bit of spinach; my more delicate pasta brought out the flavor of the eggplant. For a main course, DH had filleto di manzo, which was large, thick and cooked with balsamic vineagar, adding a great flavor. It was served with a Belgian endive, also roasted or sauteed in a balsamic vineagrette (DH gave it to me - I loved it). For a main, I had the sformatina, light and tasty, again served on a pool of fonduta. On both our plates was a green or herb called silene (?), which I'd never seen before. (Again, we chose gelato over dessert at the restaurant.) I would love to return to this welcoming restaurant. Unfortunately, those were the only meals in Bologna on this trip, as we had to move on to a business meeting in Venice. But I would urge you to seek out Drogheria when in Bologna.

Thanks, again, for the truffle pointers. I had heard to be careful about buying truffles, though we weren't sure that we'd actually do so anyway. We definitely plan to be eating a lot of white truffles at restaurants!

Thanks for the additional information. Unless I'm outvoted by my group, I think we'll just enjoy the truffle experience of the Truffle Festival, and eating them at restaurants, of course! I'm fine with leaving the hunting part to my imagination (or to reading about it), which is just as you describe - a long, sometimes-unrewarding search, that IMHO isn't something an outsider can truly take part in without changing the experience to make it not quite real. Ok, that's a bit overly analytical, but I hope you know what I mean.

We (a group of 4) will be in the Piemont in October for the Truffle Festival (staying at a B&B in Monforte d'Alba), and I was also considering a white truffle hunt. But, cynical as I am, I would help thinking that why would any "real" white truffle hunter be willing to reveal his/her secret places for the sake of some outsider's interest. Could such a "hunt" be just a setup deal, and consist of hunting for previously placed truffles? I would enjoy a visit with a truffle hunter, and to hear more about truffle hunting, and be happy doing without an actual hunt. Or am I just TOO cynical? Also, I checked out the Buon Gusto website - does anyone know which local restaurant the group would eat at?

Another restaurant to add to the "open on Sunday" list. For the second time visiting Paris, on our trip in May, we were there on a Sunday, which caused me to undertake a far-more-obsessive than usual search for the "just-right" restaurant, especially as Sunday was the last night of our two-week vacation as well. For me, the restaurant selection process involves more than just the food - the location, the ambience, how it fits in with other restaurants on the same journey, and of course the price. With me were my husband and our 12-year-old son, an adventurous eater who loves to eat out as much as we do. Our final decision was Le Parc aux Cerfs, 50 Rue Vavin, 6th, which has been mentioned here on eGullet, but not often. The couple of French reviews that I found were favorable, their website pictures were appealing, and it sounded like the place had the type of upscale bistro atmosphere that I had in mind for our last evening; I didn't want to schedule anything too fancy or formal for that night. On our last trip, our Sunday-night dinner was at Mon Vieil Ami; which was a very good experience for all three of us, but I'm always wanting to try somewhere new. On this vacation, we spent most of our time in southwestern France, so I wanted to steer away from that region's cuisine (as good as it is). And after time in Barcelona earlier in the trip, we didn't want more seafood. The location, as well, fit our needs - close enough to our hotel to walk to it, but still gave us a chance to see a part of Paris that we hadn't been to before. Our visit did not disappoint! Le Parc aux Cerfs was a pleasant 20-minute walk from our hotel just off Boulevard St. Germain, through Jardin Luxembourg. It's tucked in amongst non-dining establishments, and has a welcoming entrance. The decor was, indeed, upscale bistro, though not so high-concept as, for example, Mon Vieil Ami or Au Bon Acceuil. The furnishings, such as a turn-of-the-century combination hat rack and mirror, added a quaint feel. The paper-covered tables, complete with crayons for drawing, reminded me somewhat negatively of "family-friendly" restaurants in the U.S., but I assume it's a novelty for Parisiens. (I didn't notice anyone other than our son making use of the crayons.) As far as I could tell (couldn't see or hear the entire restaurant), we were the only English-speaking patrons, which always pleases me, unfairly, I know, as we're a table of English-speaking patrons! While we could converse fine with my limited French, the manager (owner? maitre 'd?), who spoke fluent English, took our order; our waiter also spoke some English. The meal itself was enjoyable. For the entree, I had their housemade pate of foie gras, served with the usual raisin bread, an appealing fruit sauce, and pecans (first time I've seen pecans in France). DH and DS both had a red cabbage salad with shrimp. The raw cabbage was formed into a small cake, about 6-8 inches in diameter, white cabbage underneath and dark red on top. The boiled or steamed shrimp were arranged on top, with a lake of carmelized garlic underneath the cake. A beautiful presentation of a nice, refreshing item, though I can't tell you exactly what it tasted like, as nobody shared with me! For the main course, I had saumon a la planche, served on top of a small mound of large red beans, and with a basalmic vineagrette. The beans were disconcerting at first; my memory is that they were a little cooler than room temperature. On thinking about it, I would have enjoyed them more had they been lukewarm. The combination of tastes and textures between the salmon, the beans and the vineagrette was a good one, though. DH had dorade, prepared very simply, served with a tasty parmesan risotto (again, fashioned into a cake), with some sort of pesto. DS had the duck breast, which was served with a tart lemon sauce and a variety of fresh vegetables (carrots, haricots vert, pea pods, celeriac strips), which even our vegetable-neutral son liked and ate. The lemon sauce really made the dish; it's so common to see fruit sauce with duck, but the lemon flavor took it one step further. I must admit, none of the desserts, nice as the list sounded, really struck our fancy. So after I had a coffee and DH finished off our wine (the restaurant was out of what he had originally ordered, so we went with the waiter's recommendation of 2004 Domaine Cheze), we headed out. I'll be blasphemous and admit that after we reached the neighborhood of our hotel, I had a crepe with creme de marrons, and DH and DS had gelato from Amorino to truly finish off the evening. This is the first restaurant report or review I've prepared for eGullet, so I'd appreciate any helpful suggestions. For the record, for our other night in Paris on this trip, we ate at Ze Kitchen Galerie. We enjoyed that experience as well (though probably wouldn't call it fantastic), but it's been reported on enough on eGullet and elsewhere that I doubt I'd have anything new to add.

Thanks so much for the wonderful trip report. We'll be visiting Barcelona for the first time, and Paris for the somethingth time later this spring, so your report is very timely for us. The pictures are incredible, as are your descriptions. So tell us, how did you eat the squid? The husband and I will have with us our aspiring foodie 11-year-old son, who picked Cinq Sentits (with our concurrence) as one of the two high-end resturants we'll visit in Barcelona. Your description sounds like a good fit for him - he'll eat anything (except maybe broccoli), but obviously doesn't have the knowledge or sophistication of an adult foodie, so simple will be better for him. Lovely hubby, however, has said he doesn't want to be locked into a tasting menu, which is somewhat disappointing to me and the kid. Do you know if the entire table must order the tasting menu, as is usually (always?) the case in the U.S?

If you're looking for wine shops in Breck, there's Ridge Street Wine, which is actually located on Main St. (used to be located, guess where, on Ridge). Decent selection for a short stay. Otherwise, I'd also suggest Applejack's. I'd also suggest Marcyzk's (did I spell that correctly?). I don't go there often enough, but they generally have a good cheese selection, and other fun things, like marinated baby artichokes.

I'm not a meat-and-potatoes or even a steakhouse person, so I can't tell you anything about that sort of place in Breck (of which, as you may guess, there are many). That aside, here are some decent places: The Cellar, a new place in a cute Victorian with contemporary decor and upscale cuisine. It's got a lot of buzz because it's new, and has a sister restaurant in Frisco. It's claim is the tapas-style menu. I've only eaten there once, because while the food was good, I found the selection a bit thin, especially if you want to share tapas-style with the group. I think you can also go there for drinks-only, earlier in the evening. Cafe Alpine, also upscale cuisine, also in a cute Victorian with somewhat-contemporary decor. Darling hubby thinks it's overpriced, I like it anyway. Empire Burger opened over the summer, and it's one of our new favorites. Features burgers and delicious fries (hand-cut?) with a large selection of sauces to dip those lovely fries into. The siracha mayo is my favorite, though the blue cheese is good too. Denzaemon serves, basically, Japanese noodles. Seems authentic to me, and great on a cold day, but I honestly wouldn't know if it wasn't authentic. My Thai is definitely not authentic, not real spicey, but tasty nonetheless, and the staff is great and always helpful. We always get one of the curries, though once my son ordered the pad thai, and it was ok. Clint's has very good breakfast stuff, though it's a bit unpredictable in terms of timing of baking in the morning. Mi Zuppa has fantastic soups at bargain prices. Open primarily for lunch, though they stay open until the soup's all sold out, so depending when you finish skiing, you may be able to pick up something for dinner. Mi Casa is the favorite "Mexican" restaurant, uses good-quality ingredients, and not too much cheese sauce enveloping everything. Much more authentic is Fiesta Jalisco, which has pretty good food. My favorite is the chicken mole. I hate to encourage the Breck and Denver restaurant boosters to rain on my parade as well, but I wouldn't tell anybody to go to Breck for the food. (Though like Denver, it's getting better.)

I just read this course, and enjoyed it. One of our great pleasures is eating at great restaurants; due to where we live, that mostly occurs on vacation (which are structured around places with great food and restaurants), though we go out at home too, less frequently. Our first experience (a number of years ago) at a Michelin-starred restaurant turned out to be much less intimidating than we expected, because the staff was so kind and thoughtful. We have, I think, reached the point - much earlier in life than I expected, given a busy life, house in suburban wasteland, two young kids, etc. - where we have become "regulars" at a extremely well-regarded restaurant in our area (long drive from our house). We didn't intend to become regulars there - we just love the place so much that we use any excuse to eat there, despite the distance. And, in retrospect, it's the sommelier/co-owner that gives the place its vibe. He recognized us on a recent visit (we've talked to him each time we've eaten there), and came over to acknowledge that he recognized us, even before we were seated, which led to a conversation about their recent staff trip to Europe and article about him in a recent industry mag. And we'd already been impressed that he (or someone!) remembered what wine we'd ordered on previous visits. Anyway, we visited the restaurant again this week. We had indicated on our earlier visit that we were returning, soon, to celebrate a special occasion. And also, when I called the restaurant that day to ask a question, I mentioned in passing that we were celebrating a special occasion. When we arrived, we were disappointed to see that our "friend" (in quotes only because I wouldn't want to presume) was off that night. And the only acknowledgement of us or our special occasion was a comment from the waiter "I think some of you have been here before." (All of our group of 4 had been previously). The food (and the service) were both as fabulous as ever, it's just that, I thought, the extra something special was missing. So, a two-part question. Specifically, what should one expect from a familiar restaurant when celebrating a special occasion? I wasn't fishing for a free dessert, but possibly congratulations from our server, or something like that (I mean, I'd been kind of starting to feel like family). And then secondly, what is the impact that a good person in the front of the house (or back) can provide - whether it's the maitre de', owner, chef, or in this case, a sommelier/co-owner with a lot of personality? I've been thinking about it a lot since our meal, and have decided one person like that can have a huge influence on the restaurant.

Wonderful article! I've been realizing slowly that many of my childhood memories also turn on enjoying food. Not just the usual, "my mom made this trifle every Christmas," though there's that, too, but memories like the story of how my friend and I would sneak fast food into the movie theater, saving enough of our money to be able to have dessert after the movie at a restaurant that featured crepes (a big deal in my hometown then). While I cooked some as a kid, my real interest didn't flower until sometime in college. I can remember returning from a college journey to New Orleans with my very own copy of a New Orleans cookbook (I still have it, of course, battered and stained, but I don't recal the name). Many more have followed, but I still have all of my earliest books. We have a number of kids' cookbooks now, but none of them have exactly been "right." Most are, as you say, rather dumbed down. My kids can make nachos without needing a recipe! But the pictures are mostly great, and the kids occasionally flip through and find something to make (almost always treats). The best recipe, from another book I can't remember the name of, is peanut butter popcorn. What we do mostly is cook from either our current receipes and (grownup) cookbooks, or get an idea of something to make, and find it on the internet. After tasting Indian Pudding recently on a trip to Boston, my 7-year-old daughter and I found a recipe that we liked (I did already have my own Indian Pudding recipes, dating back from when, long ago and pre-kid, we lived in Boston, but those weren't good enough), and made it for a school project on colonial days. Neither of the kids is to the point yet where they can make an entire dish themselves (other than stuff like nachos), so cooking with me still works the best. (Dad loves to cook too, but he has a hard time sharing the cooking with others...) After another recent batch of Indian Pudding, my son, not satisfied with my offer of his own scones or biscotti or even chocolate mousse, announced that the only thing he wants to make is a chocolate souffle. Ok, I love throwing in the science instruction with the cooking and baking! And like most (all?) of us, they're learning how to modify and change recipes to suit our tastes.

John, I've seen Fontaine de Mars written up a lot, but you didn't mention it as a Sunday dinner possibility - can you give me your opinion of that restaurant?

Thanks for the advice thus far. Hmmm - dinner on Sunday, well it might deserve another thread, but none of your suggestions, John, are open on Sunday If you have further Sunday advice, my ears are wide open! The Cheval Blanc I was referring to is in the Loire, in Blere. We're just eating there, and staying just outside Amboise. I'll check out Boussole, too. I've been reading your posts, docsconz; you'll have to report real fast after your trip - we're leaving for London on Sept 22. But I would love to hear your (and your kids') opinions of your meals.

We're taking our 10-year-old son for his first trip to Europe early October. In London, we'll focus on Indian food, then on to the Loire Valley, where we'll visit le Cheval Blanc, in Blere (I ate there with my mom about 15 years ago, and I'm looking forward to returning). And ending up in Paris! In past Paris visits, hubby and I have focused on Michelin-rated restaurants, but this trip, we plan to tone it down a bit. In the four dinners we have in Paris (spanning Sunday night, unfortunately), I'd like to expose our fledgling foodie to a variety of Parisien dining; he's pretty adventurous and well-behaved, and I think he'll enjoy most places we'd take him. I've collated a too-long list, based mostly on recommendations here. But I'm having trouble making those final decisions, and your input (especially re ambiance, appearance and neighborhoods of the restos) would help. Here's my short list, in no particular order: Mon Viel Ami, Petit Tonneau, Le Fontaine de Mars (**), Au Bon Accueil, Au Bascou, Chez Maitre Paul, maybe Violon d'Ingres. Further afield (and I'd be more interested in the following if they are also in good walking neighborhoods): Temps au Temp, le Troquet, la Famille, la Cerisaie. (I was all set on Chez Maitre Paul for our first night, then heard it's gone downhill - is that so?) From some older posts, I've also seen le Coupe-Chou and le Maison du Jardin. And do I understand correctly that le Comptoir serves only one set menu in the evenings? My parameters are that I would like a variety between more old-fashioned and cute vs. sophisticated and contemporary. Not too many Americans (so hypocritical, as I am one). For obvious reasons, nothing too terribly chic (I think that rules out Cinq Mars). We're staying in the 6th, and plan to take a boat on the river from the Pont Neuf our first night, so I'd rather eat closer to the Pont Neuf then. And despite the 7eme-heaviness of the list, I'd like to eat in more than just the 7th, though not as far afield as we might go if it were just the hubby and me. Lunches we'll probably eat close to wherever we are; we need to save lots of time for sight-seeing and macaron-tasting (I have collected lunch-type restaurant ideas too). But if you have ideas in the 6th for a typical-Parisien lightish lunch at a place that serves moules-frites, I'd love those too!