robyn

There's only one cookbook for your sister as far as I'm concerned. "The New Cook's Cookbook" by Carol Guilford. I buy it when anyone I know who doesn't know how to do anything except microwave popcorn start to learn how to cook. It has been out of print forever - but you can buy it on Alibris for perhaps $10-12. As it says on the dustjacket - "Whereas ordinary recipe collections automatically assume that the reader has some familiarity with the kitchen jungle, this book takes nothing for granted." Note that this is an understatement - the book starts with telling you how to shop for food (so you want to make lamb chops? - which ones should you buy) Highly recommended. Robyn

Actually - I was hoping to do what one person in this thread recommended - do the restaurant for a lunch *and* a dinner (we'll be at the Chelsea Flower show one day - which would of course be perfect for lunch). I just won't set my alarm clock to wake me up in the middle of the night to make a dinner reservation. I will have to look at a map - and see where this place is. Reservations aren't everything - particularly when you try to stay on local time when you travel (which for us means eating dinner late in the UK). My husband and I had our Alain Ducasse experience as "walk-ins". Same thing could happen here. Robyn

We may just wind up doing lunch there. Robyn

What is a punter? Sketch sounds like one expensive restaurant. But - my rule of thumb when I'm looking at London these days is that if something costs X in New York - it will cost 1.5 X in London. So - using that scale - it is probably - like you say - worth it. Robyn

My husband and I frequently do lunch at a big deal restaurant where we've never dined before. Only problem is we can't eat as much at lunch as we can at dinner - and - if I have anything to drink - that's the end of my day. Sketch sounds like the kind of place where you need a couple of glasses of champagne to appreciate the glitter of the surrounding company. On my part - I am definitely not one of the young and beautiful. Although - given those couple of glasses of champagne - I am a good dancer :). This is a short one-week "in town" trip only. Waterside Inn will have to await another trip. I would like to note that perhaps the most special out-of-the-way visit we ever had in the UK was to Gidleigh in Devonshire. That was a long time ago - when the current owners were just starting out - and it wasn't as "posh". But I've read that it's better now than it was back then. Only thing that could make it better in my opinion would be repaving the roads leading to the hotel so there would be room for 2 cars - and no one would ever have to "back down" - and tearing down all those stone walls (we barely made it to Gidleigh with 4 non-flat tires - most of the other guests weren't as lucky). My husband and I have had many pleasant trips in the UK on "brown roads" - but those stone walls in Devonshire are the worst in my opinion! Robyn

Imagine being in the US and trying to get a French Laundry reservation :). The person I've exchanged email with didn't mention the possibility of a fax - either 2 or 3 months in advance - or one month in advance. I guess I draw the line when it comes to a "hot ticket" as opposed to a "great restaurant". When a restaurant becomes a "hot ticket" - it is usually an invitation to disappointment. I have sometimes had the good fortune to make reservations at places shortly after they opened - before they got that second star or third star. Like eating at Jamin and l'Archestrate in Paris when Robuchon and Senderens were in the kitchens and they only had one star :). Flash forward a decade. My husband and I have very difficult reservations at Lucas Carton. A friend - who knows the restaurant staff - and who made the reservation - is supposed to dine with us - but becomes ill that evening. He insists we keep the reservation - and we do. We are treated to the proverbial "bum's rush" before we have to toss the name of our friend around (at which point the staff decides that we are - after all - entitled to the treatment one would expect at a 3 star Michelin restaurant). I'd like to say I'm showing my age - but I'm sure the Robuchon's and Senderens' of the next generation are out there there now - and that I won't have to wake up at 3 am to dine with them. Just have to find them. Hate to keep telling stories - but let me tell you one that expresses how I feel about this type of thing. My husband and I once took his parents to a nice resort hotel in the US called the Greenbriar to celebrate his father's retirement. The hotel is near Washington DC - and it attracts a lot of Washington types. On our trip - Alexander Haig (who some of you of a certain age may remember) was there. He was far from the most famous person there that weekend. There was a judicial conference in progress - so the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court - tons of other judges - and a few US Senators - were there too. I had booked a tennis lesson - but the head tennis pro called that morning to cancel. He said that Alexander Haig insisted that when he played tennis - the courts on either side of him had to be vacant. So I called the management to complain - and my tennis lesson was reinstated. And Alexander Haig didn't play - because he didn't get the vacant courts he wanted. When I asked the management about what it did - it said - some of our guests may be more famous than others - but everyone who comes here is entitled to the same wonderful treatment. I was pretty young - but I thought that was terribly classy (and very smart - there are a lot of people in the world with lots of money whose names you'd never recognize). Paris will have to be another trip. I love Paris - and eating there - but right now my husband is so pissed at the French he won't go to France. Although I am not a big fan of President Bush - I hope that nothing happens on his current trip which will cause my husband to feel the same way about the UK. Robyn

I'm confused. I exchanged email with someone at Gordon Ramsey's organization today. And that person said to get a reservation at Gordon Ramsey - I must call exactly one month in advance at 9 am London time to try to make a reservation. That sounds dreary - trying to wake up at 3 in the morning my time to make a restaurant reservation. Only reason I ever wake up at 3 am is if someone winds up in the hospital. I am in the process of making further inquiries. On the other hand - some web sites - including Top Table (think I got that web site reference from another thread started by Andy Lynes) seems to offer a reservation service for various restaurants - including Gordon Ramsey. Can I rely on these web based reservation services? If not - what's the best way to make a reservation? Frankly - if I am interested in spending 300 or 400 pounds at a restaurant - I don't think I should have to wake up in the middle of the night to try to make a reservation. Makes me dislike the restaurant even before I get there. Robyn

Daniel Boulud has a web site with menus for all his restaurants. Don't know if they're current - but the ones that are posted show the differences between New York and Florida. In Florida - they weren't doing dinner for homesick New Yorker's - they were trying to take advantage of the ingredients (especially fish and tropical fruits) which are more available - and fresher - than they are in New York. And I think they were kind of getting into the swing of south Florida fusion cuisine. The room is kind of a shocker for Palm Beach. Most restaurants in Palm Beach are - in my opinion - at best elegant - in a slightly dowdy kind of way. Many are just plain dowdy. This room was completely different. It wasn't cool and hip and cold - more like "fun guys with lots of money do a tropical look". It was very eye-pleasing and comfy. If you do get to Palm Beach - we were surprised that our dinner at the Breakers was better than our dinner at the Boulud Cafe. There's a new chef in the kitchen. Forget his name - but dinner was outstanding. I also recommend Echo. It's owned by the Breakers - but off premises. Fusion Asian - kind of casual. Perhaps my most serious recommendation is that if you do go to Palm Beach - unless you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company - go in low season - or shoulder season (November and December apart from the holidays are a good time to travel if you don't like sweating a lot). Not only will you save about 1/2-2/3 on your hotel room - but staff who wouldn't give you a 5 pm reservation in high season will seat you at 8 pm and fall all over you. A restaurant like Cafe Boulud isn't very large - it's likely to be a hot ticket in a town with tons of money which doesn't have many good restaurants - and when 100 CEOs fight for tables in February - ordinary people with net worths of 7 figures or lower (like you and me) will simply be ignored. In August - the ocean is warm - the evenings are perfumed and romantic - they embrace you - and you can do just about whatever you want on 24 hours notice or less. Robyn P.S. I've never been to Daniel. I don't get to New York that often - and it was never high on my list of "I have to go there".

Whether something is worth it or not, is going to be very subjective. That the price is justifiable is something else. The relative value in things lies as much in our ability to appreciate them as anything. The connoisseur is always going to be willing to pay a bit more. Kaiseki? What is often referred to as tea ceremony food. It's probably a high art form and most definitely not overtly concerned with sating a large appetite. I think there's a fair amount of elegant food and restaurant food that approaches the ideal, but requires less rigorous appreciation and is less expensive. For most people that's a close as they may want to get. The meat and potatoes guy will find a falling off in value right away. Those who complain about portion sizes in nouvelle cuisine tasting menus should probably avoid kaiseki if they get the chance. Here's a web site that's probably not an ideal explanation, but at least it's an introduction. If it were not past my bed time, I might do better. Well - I suppose all of these things are subjective :). Most of the people I know where I live think that spending anything more than they usually spend at Ruby Tuesdays for dinner is a waste of money. As for Kaiseki (I seem to recall that's the correct word) - I don't have a huge appetite. Mind you - it's not tiny (not like my 60 year old cousin who's still a size 4 and will only eat salad without dressing no matter how terrific the restaurant is) - but when I see and read about something like the French Laundry - well I think I'd be finished about 1/3 of the way through. Think 10 courses of anything is at least twice as much as I usually eat (like the burger I'm throwing on the grill tonight). And 3 courses of anything that includes a fair portion of meat and starch is more than enough. Also - I love "beautiful" food. Especially when each course is arranged on a different kind of dish designed to enhance its beauty. Thanks for the web site reference. Robyn

The food in sketch library is astonishing but not cheap - the night I went I didn't have any wine as I just couldn't it. I'd didn't have the lamb but the table next to me did & it looked amazing. The interior is quite, what the word, different? Some hits, some misses. they took me around the build afterwords & i was a bit suprised at the "video" room - large hite room white art video projected on the walls & all these expensively dressed kensington-types looking completely out of place in what is a "young" room. As for the library - can't wait to go back Ace cooking on a budget - try lunch at the Capital - which is just around the corner from harrods. If you don't mind my asking - what is "not cheap"? I have read that the average cost is about $200 a person (which I assume is only for food) - and I also read a customer review where the customer spent 750 pounds for dinner for 2 including a modest amount of wine. Robyn

Do any places other than those already mentioned do new and interesting variations on the "school dinner food"? I know that something like shepherd's pie lends itself to numerous variations - because I've seen them on menus in US restaurants and in recipes in US magazines. By the way - I was doing some reading last night - exploring web sites. Has anyone here ever used http://www.viewlondon.co.uk to make a restaurant reservation? What were your experiences like? I've read that the concierge staff in our hotel isn't terrific - so I would prefer to make reservations myself. And quite a few restaurants I'm looking at don't have web sites of their own - so my only alternative would be international phone calls. Robyn

I'm going to guess that robyn may be referring to VIP Harbor Seafood, at Barrington & Wilshire, upstairs, about a mile and a half from the Getty entrance. I've only been there once, but it was very enjoyable and I think they recently started serving dim sum for dinner. Coincidentally, there's an El Pollo Inka in that mini-mall also, it's good, but IMHO I would not place it high on the list since you only have a few meals in town. hollywood mentioned Father's Office for a contemporary burger. I've had it many times, and IMHO it's damn good for a frou-frou, yuppie burger - aged beef, carmelized onions, blue cheese, and I think arugula. Matchstick frites or sweet potato fries (extra) with aioli. They also offer a few small tapas. The after work scene makes it hard to get a table and eat, the room is small and noisy, etc. But they have a great beer selection, and decent selection of wines by the glass. For a more normal type burger, Fatburger is my personal favorite. (Kingburger, chargrilled - 8 oz - everything except relish - onion rings on the side). In-&-Out and Apple Pan are nice for a bit of LA atmosphere. Just to clarify, I think mixmaster b linked to the right thread but the restaurant is named Din Tai Fung. Soup dumplings! Pasadena is pretty close to Arcadia/SGV/Monterey Park, etc. so if you want Chinese food, there are several good, regional restaurants in those areas, some are arguably of the best in the US. Also, I've not been yet, but I've been wanting to try Nonya in Pasadena - Malaysian "grandmother" cuisine. Perhaps your hosts may have more info on it. I know you have a tight schedule, but if you happen to be in town and available, we're currently discussing an eGullet Korean BBQ meal around that time. If you end up on Olvera Street, Mr. Churro is a tiny shop that has sticks of deep fried simplicity, rolled in cinnamon sugar and I also recommend getting them filled with cajeta (milk caramel). For a cheap hit of Matsuhisa food in a casual setting, Ubon on the ground level of the Beverly Center is a worthwhile stop, IMHO. ~Tad Yes - that sounds like the place. And it is certainly better than similar places in Boston or Chicago in my opinion (if that is one of the crtieria). As for the Getty - agreed about the collection in general. But I would spend an afternoon there even if the museum were empty. Because the complex and grounds are simply spectacular. I can only imagine how Richard Meier felt building this place on a basically unlimited budget - an architect's dream job. There are amazing touches everywhere - the finishes in the bathrooms - the louvers which work electronically to control the light in the galleries - etc. I'm not sure anyone mentioned it - but although admission to the Getty is free - you *must* have a reservation to go there in terms of parking unless you have a student ID. I don't think anyone has mentioned sushi. Don't know if the person who started this thread likes it - but - if the answer is "yes" - Los Angeles is one of the cities in the US where you absolutely must have it. On our last visit we went to Sushi Katsu-Ya in Studio City. It was terrific. Worth a trip from Florida - not to mention Pasadena :). Robyn

We have a friend who's a neurologist. He specializes in dementia. He works at the University of Kentucky now. He did some interesting work associating the consumption of squirrel brains in that area with various forms of dementia. So I don't think you'll ever find squirrel brains on my plate. By the way - this isn't a joke. Robyn

Do you like Cafe Boulud? My husband and I ate there a few years ago (we were staying at the hotel it's connected to). We were not impressed. It was - like you say - supposed to be a "Cafe" - and it was just about as expensive as Daniel. Plus the tables were so squished together we could hear everything the people next to us were talking about. Which turned out to be a hoot - beause they were lawyers discussing details of a case in Florida that friends of ours happened to be on the other side of. At some point though - we told them who we were - and told them to shut up - because what they were saying became too intimate. Anyway - considering the prices - we were underwhelmed. On the other hand - we went to Boulud's new restaurant in Palm Beach in August and liked it a lot. The place - in our opinion - struck the right balance in terms of food and atmosphere for Palm Beach. The food was exactly right in terms of scale and flavors for hot tropical nights - and not only is the room very pretty - it's every designer's dream of how a Palm Beach dining establishment should look. Also - the service was excellent. On the other hand - we were there in August - dead low season. Places that are very agreeable in Palm Beach in August can be intolerable in February - when 20 groups of diners are competing for the same table. So we'll see how the place is reviewed come high season. Robyn

I have never eaten at the FL - but I have eaten at many fine restaurants in the countryside of France (and other countries). I have also eaten at many fine "city restaurants". One type of experience isn't necessarily better than the other - they're just very different. You don't go out in Manhattan in the morning to pick fresh herbs out of your herb garden. So one important issue will be whether Keller can migrate from a successful "country environment" to a successful "big city environment". Another important issue will be whether he decides to do a "one seating" restaurant (which I suspect the FL is - and which is very unusual in New York City) - or a "multi-seating" restaurant (which is the norm). I don't know how anyone can do 15 little courses in a multi-seating restaurant without pissing everyone off (everyone will have to eat at 6 or 10). On the other hand - his economics will be very different depending on this decision. I seem to recall that he owns the place where the FL is - and that he bought it a long time ago. So his overhead is fairly fixed - and probably relatively low. I assume he is paying rent in New York - and that it isn't relatively low. So the decision of which way to go may determine whether or not he succeeds financially. I'll note that when you talk about the meal prices in various big cities - the prices can vary a lot even if the food is the same depending on how many seatings the place is trying to do. The more seatings - the less overhead every diner has to pay. That's one reason a restaurant like AD is so expensive - there's usually one seating - and that one seating is paying the overhead for the table for the night. Most of New York seemed to resent AD for doing this - because it was highly unusual for New York. On the other hand - it would have been the norm in Paris. Robyn

At Ginza Sushiko in Beverly Hills - the price (which was about $300 last time I was in Los Angeles) was a fixed price for omikase dinner. If you went there - that's what it cost. So I suspect the $500 is a fixed omikase dinner price too (unless there are optional seasonal supplements that might increase the price). I think the higher price in New York is probably due: 1) to higher rent (the place in Beverly Hills was in a high rent district - but it was on the second or third floor of a somewhat pedestrian building that also housed a parking garage if I remember correctly); and 2) to higher shipping costs for the raw ingredients. Robyn

I have only eaten big deal Japanese food a few times in my life (in Hawaii - and on the west coast of the United States and Canada). The prices of the raw ingredients are extraordinarily expensive to start with in Japan - and high end chefs tend to fly them in daily from Japan - because the types of fish and cuts of fish they want to serve aren't available here. I never ate at Ginza Sushiko in Los Angeles (which was tiny) - but I did eat sushi at larger restaurants with equally good reputations. Average cost was about $150/person only for food. And you're not talking about people with enormous appetites. At the last place I went to - the best tuna was about $20 per piece (and it was worth it - the kind of tuna I've had at the best places out west isn't anything like I've found in the east). Ginza Sushiko was always more expensive because it had to spread its overhead (including rent in a very high rent area) over a much smaller number of diners. For what it's worth - my favorite Japanese isn't sushi - it's the long formal dinner composed of many small courses. There is a specific name for it - but I forget what it is. A lot of the dishes I've had were so exquisite they didn't even look like food. And don't forget all the costs in addition to food (like 12 table settings for each diner - you really need a lot of dishes - and they have to be really nice dishes to boot). Robyn

I don't know that I would label CT in that way (I have never been to those restaurants you mentioned either). I ate the same meal Adrober did, and thought it was definitely tasty. Charlie Trotter's focus is more on sourcing out unbelievably good ingredients. Nobody should ever go into a fine dining place and expect unbelievably, soul-satisfyingly good food, manna prepared by god himself, and lots of it. Food just doesn't get that good. For that, they should find a really good burger or pizza, IMO. P.S. The whole "really best" ingredients thing was a trend in restaurants that started when most people didn't have access to a lot of these ingredients. Today - lots of people in major metropolitan areas have access to those ingredients. I was at a "farmer's market" in Beverly Hills last year (sounds strange - but that's what it was) - and the fresh produce looked "to die for". And - even if you're like me - and you don't live in a place like Beverly Hills - you can - increasingly - buy things on line - next day fedex delivery. So the restaurant that serves Jamison lamb isn't such a big deal - even for me - because I can prepare it at home. Ditto with Hudson Valley fois gras. Not to mention that when I get a real "Jones" for cheese - cheese and chocolate are 2 of the big loves of my life - ranking only slightly lower than my husband :) - I have it delivered overnight from a web store in France. So my main goal when I go to a big deal restaurant is not only to get the best ingredients - but to have them prepared in ways that I either can't (or won't) do myself because the preparations are too complicated for my limited skills - or I don't have the time. Robyn

I don't know that I would label CT in that way (I have never been to those restaurants you mentioned either). I ate the same meal Adrober did, and thought it was definitely tasty. Charlie Trotter's focus is more on sourcing out unbelievably good ingredients. Nobody should ever go into a fine dining place and expect unbelievably, soul-satisfyingly good food, manna prepared by god himself, and lots of it. Food just doesn't get that good. For that, they should find a really good burger or pizza, IMO. I think you're wrong. But - more importantly - when I read your message - although instinctively I knew you were wrong - I didn't know why. And that made me think :). And I think I came up with an answer. When you say that what you like most are pizza and burgers - you're just talking about certain food tastes. I can't identify them 100% because I don't know you - but perhaps it's the cheese that you love - or the decadence of beef with lots of grease. Whatever. But you are not going to find these food tastes at a raw food restaurant like Roxanne's (which is being discussed in another thread). However you can find great cheese - or dishes with cheese - that will make you look down your nose at your everyday pizzas for a long time. By the way - I'm not sure this is the right answer for you. But it is the right answer for me. I know what I like - and I realize that sometimes I go to restaurants after looking at menus where not a single item appeals to me simply because I think I *should* be going to that restaurant. When what I should be doing is going to restaurants that are serving great dishes that use foods that I know I love. A perfect example for me is restaurants that specialize in fish. I am very French in the sense that I don't think most fish was ever meant to be a main course in a very big deal meal. A course between the appetizer and main course - ok. But not the main course - because most fish is too delicate. I would kill for a perfect sole with a perfect beurre blanc sauce. But I would consider it inappropriate as a main course. Also - I am curious. Don't know where you live or where you've traveled. Have you ever tried the burger at Cafe Boulud in New York (I'm pretty sure that's the Boulud restaurant it's served at)? It's supposed to be outrageous. The best burger in the world stuffed with fois gras - something like that. There are some pretty classy restaurants doing burgers these days :). Robyn

I think you have hit the nail on the head. Most American diners are food morons. I live in a southern city similar to Raleigh/Durham - and most of my neighbors can't taste the difference between Chef Boyardi and the kind of pasta I cook at home. As for higher levels of Italian cooking - they're totally clueless. The most popular Italian restaurant here buys its entrees pre-made and frozen from low-end wholesale places - and microwaves them. In addition - I think another factor at work is that so many younger people are putting so much money into their houses - and have such incredibly huge fixed expenses - that they don't have enough disposable income to pursue things like high end dining or travel. I know people in their 30's here who own houses that cost $500,000-$1 million - but they have never spent $200 for a couple for dinner - or stayed at a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons. Every last penny goes to make the mortgage payment and the car payments. By the way - my in-laws used to live about an hour south of the Triangle area - so my husband and I used to eat there once in a while (we always needed to decompress after visiting). We had some decent meals - but the only memorable one was at Crook's Corner ages ago when Bill Neal (think he was the chef) was still alive and in the kitchen there. I'm sure we never would have found the place on our own - a friend took us - because he insisted we had to try this new-fangled dish - "shrimp and grits" - which was perhaps the first example of "new southern cooking". It was the concept of the thing - perhaps more than the execution back then - and certainly more than the restaurant itself - that put Crook's Corner on the map. I still have an old Bill Neal cookbook. It's interesting reading - even though I never have and never will make a dish using squirrels :). The better new southern restaurants these days aren't in Raleigh/Durham though (in my opinion). They're in places like Charleston - where there are lots of tourists who don't mind spending big money dining. So - if I were an aspiring chef - as opposed to a cook - the Triangle area would be far down on my list of places to start working unless I had some compelling reason to be there. Robyn P.S. Even though my favorite cuisine is French - Italy is my most favorite country to eat in (it's hard to beat great food served without an ounce an attitude anywhere you go).

P.S. I happen to love poached pears although they are not particularly southern. For the holidays - I make a gingerbread cake with poached pears and cinnamon cream. You might do it as a holiday variation on the poached pear cake you're doing now. Robyn

Zilla - I live in north Florida - the southernmost part of the south :). Haven't been to Louisville recently - although I once met a fellow at a bar in Chicago who owned a bunch of restaurants there - and my husband's old neurologist is now head of neurology at the University of Kentucky teaching hospital. Do people in Louisville demand trendy? If not - how about something just plain melt-in-your mouth good - like the best sweet potato pie? We have a potato and cabbage festival every spring here (bet you didn't know that we grow potatoes in Florida) - and it is hard for me to imagine any better dessert than the sweet potato pies the church ladies cook up. I have favorite sweet potato pie recipes if you're interested. Robyn

I don't know where you are from - or what you're looking for. I am from nowhere and am always looking for everything :). We had excellent dim sum at a strip shopping center place right near the Getty when we were there a couple of years ago. Perfect pre-museum stop in my opinion. Robyn

Can't tell a lie. I only read about 1/3 the thread - and then started to nod out. My husband and I go to Chicago about every 2-3 years - and have had some very good meals there. Especially lots of ethnic food we can't find at home (including such basic staples as Italian). Have never been to CT. But - from the description - it sounds like restaurants like Jean Georges in New York - and Azul in Miami. Very cutting edge - very intellectual. You feel out of place if you're not in black head to toe. At best your taste buds will be challenged - and you will appreciate the interior design. And you will feel trendy. But you'll never think that anything you eat is "yummy". You will never say to the person you're dining with - "no - I won't share - I want it all" :). If you drop a morsel on the floor - you won't try to distract everyone around you while you try to pick it up. I have eaten at quite a few restaurants like this - and - although I know they have their fans - they are not my cup of tea. Deconstructivist/intellectual architecture is a little boring. Deconstructivist/intellectual food is a lot boring. I want "yummy". Like when I put the food in my mouth - my mouth should be excited (sorry - I edited this sentence for content - didn't know if this was a PG audience). Just my two cents. Robyn

Bux - I see that you are active in terms of France. Let me tell you a little story that I think neatly ties up the issues of France - and drinking hard liquor - and knowing what to do/not do at fancy places - and how to express one's self when things aren't going right. My husband and I were very fortunate to have a mentor when we learned how to eat at fine restaurants. A business colleague about 20 years our senior - who had served in France during WWII. After WWII - he spent about 3 months in France every year. One of his best friends in the world was Nino - the head bartender at the George V. On our second or third trip to France to see our friend - I got a bad cold. It was late winter. I am not much of a "brown spirits" person - but everyone decided that I could benefit from some Johnny Walker Black. This was not something to have at dinner - it was definitely something for mid-afternoon :). So me - my husband - our friend - and Nino went to Joe Allen's - and they ordered me a double Johnny Walker Black - straight up. I tasted it - and although - like I said - I am not a "brown spirits person" - it didn't taste right - it was too rough. I was reluctant to say so - but finally said something. My husband tasted it - our friend tasted it - and then Nino tasted it. All of them are scotch drinkers - and all agreed it wasn't Johnny Walker Black. So they summoned the waiter to the table. And told him that. The waiter got all huffy - denied the "drink switch" - and basically said - "who the heck do you think you are?". Well - my husband and our friend were basically "nobodies". And if they had been the only 2 people with me - I think we would have had an ugly scene. But Nino got up (he was pretty short - but he got up tall as he could) - and said in a grand way - "I am the head bartender at the George V - and this is not Johnny Walker Black!". He did everything but throw the contents of the glass in the waiter's eye. And the waiter apologized - went back - and got me a drink which everyone agreed was Johnny Walker Black. I couldn't swear to it - I just know it was a lot smoother - and I forgot about my cold after I drank it :). Guess the moral of the story is sometimes all of the stuff I mentioned in the first paragraph doesn't matter - it just helps to go drinking with the head bartender from the George V :). Robyn