robyn
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Posts posted by robyn
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My goodness - 2 young men whose combined ages are less than mine - and whose combined heights are about 2 feet less than me and my husband - and they were stuffed. This will be some complicated food planning (in terms of volume of food).
BTW - I don't care how cute or ugly you are - I've been married for 37 years to a great looking guy
.Any possibility of having an eGullet get-together here sometime in the fall? For lunch or dinner? We will be in Paris first week in October. Robyn
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And today is my husband's birthday (won't say how many years - let's just say he gets Social Security payments).
I just got a new Lumix camera - the one with 8.1 megapixels and 10 times zoom. It has the food setting (which I haven't tried yet). Cute little camera for those of us who like to travel light. At least in the US - best deal on the camera is on Amazon.
I think I am a person who can either take pictures - or talk. And when I'm a stranger in a strange land - I tend to choose talking (which is usually harder than taking pictures - but frequently more rewarding in terms of establishing connections with people). Robyn
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Is the week in Lyon a "done deal"? I think a week is a bit long for Lyon (in terms of things other than eating). And there are other really good food regions not too far away (like the Dordogne). Robyn
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Good grief - I am 60+ - 5 feet tall if I stand up straight. You had to take a walk - think someone would have to carry me home
. I too have a decent appetite - for my size - which is apparently a lot smaller than yours! And another thing I have found out over the years is that if you're not used to eating lots of really really rich food (and - even with those veggies - I am sure they're not all steamed) - it's kind of hard to handle. FWIW - I am hardly ascetic when it comes to food. Tonight is pasta with a home-made red bell pepper cream sauce. I just don't reduce my cream sauces about 3 times like a lot of French chefs do. As we (retired) lawyers like to say - I will "govern myself accordingly". Robyn -
Please get in touch before your next visit. My husband and I will be glad to spend an afternoon giving you the $10 tour (we're getting into the "it's too hot to go outside in the afternoon season" - so I have lots of time). Which you should do before you decide where to live. We have many different neighborhoods - each with distinct advantages and disadvantages - and they come in all flavors. For example - Southside is centrally located but kind of bland. My 90 year father lives in an independent senior living facility there (atypical for the area - most of the people who live there are a lot younger). I wanted him there so he didn't have to spend too much time driving places. My husband and I live in Ponte Vedra Beach because our driving abilities are much better than my father's. Riverside is considered a "sophisticated" area. In Middleburg - you'll need a full sized American truck with a rifle rack. Etc. Note that our real estate market here - like the market in most of Florida - is pretty lousy. You can get some pretty good deals on condo and house rentals. If you plan to do outdoor cooking - you might check on restrictions where you're thinking of renting (they have to do both with the height and construction of buildings if I recall correctly). Traffic is a consideration (it isn't as awful as south Florida but certain drives during commuting hours are pretty bad). Where will you be working? Schools are an important issue too if you have kids. Etc.
I personally think that most of the local "flavor" dining places are mediocre to just plain bad. They date back to a time when almost everyone in Jacksonville was a lot less sophisticated about food. One of my favorites for old fashioned southern food (allthough it's a chain) was Piccadilly cafeteria. It may be going down the drain due to decreasing consumer income (it is a lower income type of place) and rising food costs. Golden Corral (another chain) is still pretty good for what it is. Note that both places offer tons of southern veggies (which I love) - and I like to have lunch at them every once in a while. My favorite BBQ places are a couple of vendors that show up regularly every year at places like the Jacksonville Fair - and the Gainesville Arts festival (the guys who have huge portable smokers attached to their trucks). Great smoked turkey legs.
With regard to shrimp - we have excellent local shrimp (Mayport shrimp) - and they are readily available in season fresh at reasonable cost at what will undoubtedly be your "everyday" grocery store here (Publix - best in Florida). If you like to cook - you can easily spend a year or two going through the Bubba Gump list of things you can cook with shrimp! Costco also has a lot of good stuff. We have a great "big box" wine/liquor store - Total Wine.
Whole Foods is supposed to open sometime in 2008 in Mandarin (which is about 25 miles from my house on the beaches). It won't be a place where I will shop regularly (too far away). I don't each much meat - but I've found Fresh Market to be the best for what little I buy (I think there are 3 of them in the metro area now - one around the corner from me). Our favorite local bakery is old-fashioned Italian (Cinotti's) - but if you wind up living 20 miles from where we live - there will be others closer to you. I have never shopped at the Farmer's Market off I-10 (it's more than 30 miles from my house). I've been in Native Sun - but not too often (I'm not big into organic food). I used to buy my pine nuts there (for my homemade pesto). But they are so much cheaper in bulk at Costco - that's where I buy them now. As for specialty food stores - there are lots of them - Chinese/Japanese/East Asian - Indian - Mexican/Central & South American). Scattered all around town. (Speaking of ethnic - we also have a pretty decent Indian restaurant now - Red Chilies).
Although I would probably give the dining scene a C- or so - I have to give the food shopping scene a solid B+. And the few things I want that I can't buy here - I order on line. Robyn
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John - Thanks for the compliment - but all I know at this point (apart from what other people have told me) is what I've been reading. No personal experience. I am approximately half-way through the Michelin Guide (up to about the 8th arr.) - and the only restaurant I've bookmarked that meets your requirements is Auguste - 1 Michelin star. I liked the description of the blend of modern minimalist decor and contemporary but somewhat traditional food. OTOH - some people don't like this kind of decor (when they say they want "fancy" - they want a lot of gold leaf). I agree that lunch at various places would give a lot more "bang for the buck". Robyn
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You can't sell my house - I have to sell it to finance this trip
!Although this meal sounds wonderful - it also sounds huge. And I am assuming that Andy and Ian are 2 younger normal size guys (and even they had to "take a break" while eating). I personally would probably get sick trying to eat this much food.
Does anyone know whether the lunch menu is more modest in size (it is certainly more modest in price)? Robyn
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If you drink enough wine at dinner - you may miss half a day in the morning
. According to Michelin - there is only 1 menu at l'Ambroisie - "carte" at 196-252 euros. Robyn -
I second the idea of lunch. I know I've been told by various people that in a lot of restaurants - dinner is better than lunch - but I am not sure how to quantify how much better (especially since I tend to eat at perhaps a couple of 3 star Michelin restaurants a year). For example - the 340 euro dinner menu at Arpege would have to be I don't know how much better than the 130 euro lunch menu for me to think I had gotten my money's worth.
FWIW - in terms of searching - I am using both the Michelin guide - and Zagat's (Michelin has the lunch and dinner menu prices and then I go to Zagat's for some "chatty" information).
Also - as a practical matter - in a lot of Europe - people do eat their big meal at lunch. So it is not as if you would be doing anything unusual by having a lunch celebration. Robyn
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I think with "take-out" - the place(s) would have to be pretty near the hotel. Doubt our room comes with a microwave to heat things up
. And you will have to forgive me - but 152 euros sounds a bit much for "take-out". You could get this for about $30-40 in Japan! Robyn -
Thanks for these ideas - I'm printing out the thread and will save it for future reference. Robyn
P.S. In Japan - when we weren't too hungry - and kind of tired - we sometimes did "take-out" from department store food basements. Amazing take-out food. Any places we can do that near the hotel? Robyn
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New York - Philadelphia area? Where is that
? I grew up in south Jersey (Camden County) outside of Philadelphia and worked in center city Philadelphia a long time ago. My husband grew up in north Jersey (Bergen County) outside of NYC. They're not exactly around the corner from one another.Where will you be living (the greater JAX area is huge geographically - we live out at the Beaches - and - for example - we don't get to some good restaurants closer to town except when we do things like attend concerts). Overall - there are some decent places to eat - but you will find that - in general - JAX is a good place to save money (on lots of things) so you can splurge in places like London. If you tell me where you'll be living - I can probably give you a "short list" of places to try.
On the bright side - the area is - and you might not expect it - a great place in terms of both medical and senior facilities. I think maybe the best in Florida - perhaps the whole southeast (we moved my FIL from North Carolina to here where he spent the last 2 1/2 years of his life in the best skilled nursing facility in Florida). If your parents are ailing - I would be glad to discuss that with you by PM or email (since it's beyond the scope of the forum). I would also be glad to get together with you and give you the quick $10 get-to-know-your-way-around town tour.
BTW - if you like BBQ - this is a great place to learn to DIY. There are a lot of local enthusiasts. Who knows - you might even wind up with a kick-ass smoker
. Robyn -
...So, Julot ... when are you going back to L'Arpege?
Since Arpege supplies their own veggies ... in France, which season would be the best one? Meaning, the season where the vegetables are abundant for both qualities and quantities (aka variety)?
Obviously you are not a gardener
. Spring is best for delicate vegetables - peas - asparagus - ramps - baby greens - etc. Summer for sturdier stuff like corn. Fall for the most robust - like squashes and winter greens (which - unlike spring greens - need braising). In general - I think most seafood would tend to pair best with spring vegetables - and hardier things like pigeon and other birds - including game birds (I understand this restaurant doesn't serve meat) - with fall vegetables. I know you don't live in the United States - but compare spring Easter menus (with delicate spring lamb) with fall Thanksgiving menus (with turkey) - and you will get the general idea. I think there is great merit to both spring and fall menus in many countries - and everyone should try to do both in the course of his or her travels. Robyn -
We will be in Paris for about 8 days. I am planning some large meals. But - frankly - I can't eat large meals more than once every other day or so. At home - there are many many lunches and dinners where we will have a sandwich and soup - some eggs - a salad - etc. At home - we usually prepare a lot of these meals ourselves in our kitchen - but that isn't practical in a hotel room
.So I would appreciate any recommendations in terms of places where we can have nice light meals. Preferably in nice looking places with full bars. Maybe bars where we can have a few drinks - or glasses of wine - and share some food at the bar? (At least in terms of dinners - we usually don't drink at lunch.) We have sometimes found nice cafes in or near museums - any that you can recommend in Paris? Note that our hotel is the George V - so places near there would be great - as would places where we would be likely to be doing some sightseeing during the day - or places where it's pleasant to walk around in the evening. Robyn
P.S. Regarding walking around in the evening - I've been keeping my eyes open to find out when Nuit Blanche is this year (it will be around the time we will be in Paris). So far - no news. Have any of you seen a day mentioned yet?
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Bleu = very rare; saignant = rare; a point is medium-rare; and bien cuit is well done.
Plafield - I always found the uploading and posting of pictures here to be very clumsy. And it took a lot of time. I disliked it so much that I rarely used it. I now use Flickr for sharing pictures. It is very easy to use with the new Flickr Uploadr. You get 10 mb of storage for free - and it costs I think $25/year for unlimited space. Once you upload the photos to Flickr - you can just post a link to your pictures anywhere you care to. I am sure there are other sites that are equally good - and perhaps other people here can mention them to you.
BTW - what sources did you use to pick your restaurants? You seem to have made some very good choices. Also - I am comparing what Michelin has to say about some of the restaurants versus what Zagat's says. I know few people here are fans of Zagat's - but it does mention things like the cheese tray at Astier whereas Michelin doesn't. A significant omission IMO. Robyn
I definitely said saignant but apparently should have said bleu. When I said saignant the waiter responded by chuckling a bit and saying what sounded like "regulair!" and I thought he meant that's how "regular" people eat it so I said "oui." Then the beef came out medium rare, definitely too well done for me, but I then I wonderd if the "regulair" had something to do with that. Any ideas?
Robyn: Thanks for the idea of using Flickr. I've used shutterfly in the past but don't know if I can send out a link to specific pictures with them. I'll definitely check it out.
One evening at La Regalade we met a guy from Isreal who spends a lot of time in Paris and he swears by Zagat. As for how I chose, I did a lot of cross-referencing but relied heavily on this board as a starting point. Whenever I read about a restaurant here that looked interesting, I'd search for it in multiple venues and see where there seemed to be agreement. I read a lot of food blogs and looked for people writing about food in a way that sounded like they had similar sensibilities to mine and then, serendipity stepped in and I connected with Julot, whose wife's home town is where I live! I had read his blog and his posts here and knew his opinions would be similar to mine. He made a number of great recommendations, including Astier (for a Monday evening when it was a holiday and many places were closed.)
I don't eat a lot of meat - but - when I do - I am a rare (but not raw or cold) meat kind of person. And bleu is too rare for me unless you like your meat room temperature (or cooler). Saignant should be plenty rare (and almost warm inside). Quite frankly - I don't like to eat steak kinds of things in restaurants anywhere. I eat them at home perhaps once or twice a month during the north Florida grilling season - when I can crank up my grill - and get a "crust" on the outside with red on the inside. Ditto with things like lamb. I am looking forward to our trip in the fall - when I will eat a lot of game - and a lot of little birds. And I won't have to worry about the niceties of bleu versus saignant (you can get raw chicken in places like Japan - but it is not high on my list of things to try). FWIW - most of the beef I've encountered in Europe is very low on my list of tasty things (it's too lean - more suitable for things like braises than grilling). OTOH - I'd kill for Bresse chicken.
Thanks for the information about how you found your restaurants. And give Flickr a try. Robyn
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Margaret - Whenever I use a hand-held shower - I feel sorry that the hotels don't have US federal flood insurance
.And John - it takes real guts to fly only by the seat of your pants without any information. Kind of impossible to do in France (unless you put on a blindfold) - but impossible not to do in lesser traveled countries. OTOH - when you're talking about places like Paris - or London - it isn't necessarily wise to fly only by the seat of your pants. You can wind up spending a ton of money for a mediocre (or worse) meal. Not a desireable result. On the third hand - who cares when you're spending 100 yen (about $1) on a tidbit at the Osaka cherry blossom street food festival? If you take a bite and don't like something - you just throw it away.
It is really unfortunate that high end dining in countries like France has become so expensive - because the prices encourage people to be very *safe* in their choices (assuming they can afford to eat at any high end places). I can recall eating 3 star meals for 2 for perhaps $150-200 for 2 people (including modest mostly regional wines) in France about 20 years ago. Exchange rates aren't the only culprit (I've been through many ups and downs with those). It is basically that there are more people now in the world with more money - and not many more wonderful restaurant seats - so prices have gone up accordingly - supply and demand. About the only thing I can think of that has gone up more in price percentage wise than meals at these restaurants is the cost of an Ivy League education. Robyn
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I just got my 2008-09 Zagat's guide. It covers a *lot" more restaurants than Michelin. The ratings of the "top tables" are similar to those in Michelin. OTOH - it lists a fair number of newer restaurants not found in Michelin. On the third hand - there are a lot of listed restaurants that are fairly expensive but poorly rated - exactly the kind of places I would like to avoid lunching at only because they're convenient. Sometimes a guide is as important in terms of telling you what to avoid as it is in terms of telling you what to try.
Also - I like the writing style - like this statement about a restaurant I won't name: "Service would have to improve to be indifferent". Anyway - for the $11-12 or so I spent to buy the book - half the price of a martini at a high class bar in Paris - I am not disappointed with my purchase. Robyn
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Margaret - I couldn't agree with you more - but the lack of contact with non-French tourists goes way up the food chain (at least it did when we did most of our traveling in the 70's and 80's). We dined at L'Esperance when it had 3 stars (we had reserved when it was 2 stars). Our presence as non-French people was so unusual that almost no English was spoken by anyone. And there is nothing quite as much fun as going to a small local restaurant - being surrounded by local people - and having them argue about the best dishes - wines - cheese - whatever - on the menu that you simply *must* try. BTW - the only downside of traveling like you describe is coming face-to-face with that horrid fixture of a lot of European plumbing - the hand-held shower. Using one is a skill I have never been able to master
. Robyn -
FWIW - Charolais is the most common continental breed of cattle found in Florida (we're a big beef state). It is frequently cross-bred with other breeds to get results you wouldn't get with pure breds. I also see a lot of Limousins being sold at local fairs for breeding purposes. Is there a lot of cross-breeding in France? Robyn
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Bleu = very rare; saignant = rare; a point is medium-rare; and bien cuit is well done.
BTW - what sources did you use to pick your restaurants? You seem to have made some very good choices. Also - I am comparing what Michelin has to say about some of the restaurants versus what Zagat's says. I know few people here are fans of Zagat's - but it does mention things like the cheese tray at Astier whereas Michelin doesn't. A significant omission IMO. Robyn
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The bc is in the front pages of the English Michelin Guide to Paris - how to read the entries. I think there was simply a proof-reading error when translating from French to English - the front of the guide should have said "bi" instead of "bc".
I use Zagat's like I would use the "yellow pages" telephone book. Simply a guide to where places are. Then I look at the place in person - the menu - and decide what to do. A guide with a lot of restaurants like Zagat's is particularly useful when I am in a particular part of a big city and simply looking for an ok place to eat lunch (without traveling across town). It tells me about a places that may be close - but I otherwise wouldn't find on my own. For "big deal" meals - I do a lot more research and almost always make reservations. I have a medium size back pack - and a small camera
- so both Zagat's and Michelin will probably go in the back pack!Frankly - I haven't been to France for about 20 years - so I can't remember whether I was thinking of the Michelin Guide to France - or Paris - or perhaps the Michelin Guide to large European cities. I suspect we will do a lot of "bar bell" dining in Paris - big deal restaurants on one side of the bar bell - and much lesser and lighter meals on the other side of the bar bell. Better than spending a lot of money for mediocre expensive meals in the middle. Robyn
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Before you travel 150 miles to get here - check that Penzey's is still open. It was a little dead when I went there over the winter holidays - so I don't know how long it will last. I am not sure I would travel 150 miles to go a spice store that does a big mail order business. BTW - where do you live? The Panhandle - southern Georgia? Robyn
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P.S. There is *plenty* of high end dining outside of big cities not only in France - but in many parts of Europe. "Destination" restaurants. I recommend getting off the beaten path and trying them. And once you get away from 3 stars in easy to get to places in countries like France - you are pretty much off the beaten path. We were at 2 German 3 stars last year and we were the only non-Germans in the restaurants. And I know you all get bored by my endless repetition of this - but take the time to learn at least a little of the language of the country where you'll be traveling. It will add a lot of "texture" to your travels. Robyn
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We have traveled extensively in France during our lives. And I can say that the Dordogne is a great eating region of the country (it's foie gras and armagnac country - enough said). But there is no reason to say that a small city or town is better than a large city in a country - or vice versa. It is simply a question of traveling to various types of places during various stages of your life. Now that we are older - we much prefer longer stays in larger cities (where it is easy to get around by cabs and public transit) than hopping into rental cars and navigating back roads in a foreign language. IOW - these road trips - while wonderful - are - IMO - best done when you're younger - not older. So do them while you can! Robyn
Sunday lunch in the French countryside
in France: Dining
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A bit OT - I am not exactly sure what dollar/pound has to do with the cost of eating in France - but the currencies are basically flat versus one another in the last 52 weeks. Robyn