robyn

Thanks for your report Joan. Count me as one of the people who wear "comfy pajama type" things when taking red-eye or very long flights. If all I'm going to do on the flight is sleep - I figure I ought to be dressed for it . Regarding "casual" clothing in restaurants in places like Paris - I have read that expensive jeans - tees - leather jackets - etc. - are fine - as long as you look like a male or female model wearing them. Perhaps I could have pulled off the look 30 years and 10 pounds ago - but I can't today - so I dress more conservatively. I think it's a question of looking at an outfit in the mirror and being honest with yourself. Just curious. What was so awful about the flight from Atlanta? We hub through Atlanta all the time (and will be doing so on our trip to Paris). I think it's a pretty nice airport. BTW - was that price at the LeMeurice bar for 1 person or 3?

I already have the Green Guide to Northern France and the Paris Region (which includes Versailles) - so I should be ok. If the Paris guide has more pictures - does that mean it covers fewer restaurants? One thing I always liked about the Michelin guides in France was that they covered just about every restaurant you might find. Robyn

I really agree with this sentiment (although I am not familiar in particular with Herme or Gagnaire - I've experienced similar). Note that this is not only a trend in food - it's a trend in other areas - some that might not come to mind instantly - like gardening - the quest for new exotic things - whether or not they make sense. BTW - if chocolate counts as "pastry" - what do you like/dislike? Here in Jacksonville FL - my special treat is when my husband internet orders from Maison du Chocolate in New York for special occasions. It was great stuff in Tokyo too. Is it good in Paris - and what other places would you recommend for chocolate? When I am in cities with great chocolate - I like to buy a little - and eat a piece or two at night before I go to bed. Robyn

Here's a link which might be useful. FWIW - you can put Gridskipper RSS feeds on your desktop for various cities. There are usually lots of interesting little articles about everything from food to museums to shopping to festivals. Robyn

That's something I noticed when planning my upcoming trip to NYC: most of the restaurants seem to be cheaper than in Paris, even if the exchange rate was around 1/1 (well, maybe not Masa, but I'm not even going with the current EUR/USD rate). Of course, the quoted prices don't include taxes nor tips, but still, a 2-courses, 1 dessert lunch at Jean-Georges costs $36 (so you have to pay something like $45). I don't know (yet!) how this restaurant ranks next to other comparable lunches in Paris, but what could explain what seems to be such a huge difference? Do they receive more customers every day, by example? ← I think the lunch at Jean Georges is a real bargain (heck - you can easily spend $15 at Cheesecake Factory for lunch) - and there are probably similar relative bargains in Paris (although probably not $45 for 3 courses - although I did see a 3 course bar menu + amuse bouche at Senderens for 36 euros). I think in general that if you poke around - you can find decent values just about everywhere in terms of lunches at some nice restaurants - frequently half or less what you'd spend for dinner (e.g., the set menus at JG for dinner are about $150). So it can pay to shop around. BTW - when you're looking at menus - it helps to know what ingredients cost. Higher priced ingredients will usually translate into higher prices on menus. Robyn

It doesn't really pay to buy the whole 2008 edition just for one map; look in any old one at a bookstore or library. ← I'll be getting the Michelin red guide to Paris for restaurant information. So if I find myself in a certain part of the city - and I'm hungry - I can see what's in the neighborhood. Without a guide like Michelin - I might miss a decent place that's 2 blocks away. I think the maps are usually pretty good too. FWIW - the red guide costs peanuts compared to the rest of the trip! Robyn

Just IMO - unless you have a really good reason to spend something like $600+ for 2 in a place like the main Kitcho restaurant outside of Kyoto - I think the $300 version in the Granvia will do very nicely. E.g., we were there during cherry blossom season and our first course was a fairly large dish that looked like a cherry blossom tree garden. Absolutely exquisite looking - maybe 600 calories total! Classical kaiseki meals have a lot of cultural and religious connotations which - again IMO - are lost on the average western tourist. I'd suggest doing some reading before deciding how to approach this type of Japanese cuisine. On my part - I liked the (relatively famous) eel restaurant in the Granvia complex a lot more than our kaiseki meal (because it tasted a whole lot better!). The higher end tempura restaurants too. I can appreciate a lot of vegetables carved up to look like cherry blossom trees on an intellectual level - but my tummy usually likes something that tastes more yummy. OTOH - I do very much recommend sampling as many types of Japanese restaurants as you can (I think there are about 12 or so major types - and they tend to be fairly specialized - e.g., you won't find sushi in a high end tempura restaurant). Robyn

Actually - the Euro/USD exchange rate is up a little under 25% in the last couple of years (2 years) - not 50%. No doubt - Paris is an expensive city. But it has always been an expensive citiy compared to other cities best I can remember. Robyn

Fibilou - The 70's were great. A time when many men - like my husband - actually learned how to dance! And - especially when it comes to Europe - it was a time when a lot of the post-WWII ruins and lousy economies started to disappear - and the place started to become what it is today. A transitional period as it were. Between not so good and a whole lot better. John - Thanks for the information. I do plan to get the Michelin Red guide(s) as necessary - but they won't be available here in the US in English until May. Robyn

I am not sure where this message should go - so I will write it here. Culinista - I understand what you're saying about Jiro. My understanding when we went to Japan is there were 3 types of higher end restaurants. Some allowed all diners. Some allowed diners who spoke fluent Japanese. And others just allowed people who were Japanese. Needless to say - we never went to any in the third category. I may be a JAP - Jewish American Princess - but that doesn't count . We did go to places in the second category accompanied by friends who were much more fluent in Japanese than my husband. I can understand somewhat the distinction in Japan between the first and second categories - because many places are very small - and the people who work in them can't speak any languages other than Japanese. As an American - I can't understand the distinction between the second and third catgories - it seems foreign and racist to me - but I can't pretend that I will understand thousands of years of Japanese culture after a 3 week visit. OTOH - the rules in Japan seem simple enough - at least for people like me and my husband who aren't Japanese and who don't speak fluent Japanese. In France - the rules aren't as clear. I have been to a number (albeit a very small number) of restaurants in France where I was welcome to make a reservation - dine - pay a lot of money - and be treated like garbage. Apparently based on the assumption that I am not French - and/or not famous and/or not a friend of the restaurant - and/or stupid about food (or perhaps all of the above). I am not sure. The meal that sticks in my mind the most in this category was one at Lucas Carton many years ago (perhaps because it was very expensive). They didn't think we'd notice if our first course was served before we ordered our wine. We managed to get the meal straightened out about mid-way through - but only after dropping names which got us in contact with "the powers that be" at the restaurant. Quite frankly - as between the 2 approaches - the Japanese which lets you know you're not welcome at all - or the occasional French approach - which seems to welcome you but then treats you shabbily - I'll take the former. As for dining times - I noticed in Japan that many meals - even in higher end places - can be really short by western standards (hour or so) - although we didn't have any problems if we hooked up with people at sushi/tempura/etc. bars and wound up talking past a seemly Japanese dining time. In France - and other western countries - including the US - we have sometimes gotten what is called here "the bum's rush" (everything served too fast). Which to me is a sign of disrespect for a diner (although I wouldn't read fairly fast service that way in Japan - because it seems to be the norm for everyone). Anyway - just my 2 cents about my perceptions of cultural differences from someone who really doesn't know a huge amount about either culture. Robyn

We ate at both of the less famous less elaborate "in-town" branches of Kitcho (in the hotel Granvia) and Kikunoi when we were in Kyoto. They are not in any way comparable to European 3 star restaurants - especially at Kitcho - which is very authentic very ascetic (like less than 900 calories for a long meal) kaiseki (the food was Kikunoi wasn't as pretty - but it was tastier). It is a type of cuisine you have to eat at least once or twice on a trip to Japan - but it is more ceremonial and beautiful looking than delicious - at least to my western tastes. I guarantee you will be ready for a sweet dessert elsewhere after one of these meals. In terms of dining alone - I don't think there would be any problems. Our favorite meal in Kyoto was at a relatively famous eel restaurant in the Kyoto train station complex (about the 5th or 6th floor). Robyn

Just as a point of information - how do you get from Versailles proper to the restaurant? I am thinking of making a day of it - a bit of Versailles in the morning (stately home and/or gardens) - then this restaurant - then back to Versailles. My husband has a bad leg - he's good for walking about an hour or so - then he needs to rest. So I thought sightseeing/lunch/sightseeing would really work out nicely. FWIW - we had a wonderful day a few years back doing the Chelsea Flower Show and Gordon Ramday RHR for lunch in London - and a similar day at Versailles and Gordon Ramsay sounds like it might be wonderful too. BTW - the Chelsea Flower Show this year is May 20-24. I won't be in the neighborhood but - if you are - it's a lovely place to spend a day - and a lunch at GR RHR puts it over the top IMO. Robyn

..."Sukiyabashi Jiro--rather unpleasant, but that was only to be expected..." Culinista - Why is that? I only had one really high end sushi meal in Tokyo - at Kozasa Sushi. It wasn't like any meal I had ever had before - if for no other reason than no one in the restaurant spoke a word of English (although there were other reasons as well) - but it wasn't unpleasant - nor did I expect it to be unpleasant. FWIW - we went to many other restaurants in Japan where absolutely zero English was spoken. We tried to dine with Japanese speaking friends where possible - but - many other times - we made do on our own - with my husband's very limited command of the language - and a lot of hand gestures. We found Japanese people to be - in general - reserved - and we are somewhat reserved too - but a chef's love of his food and our love of eating well frequently managed to overcome a lot of language barriers . Note that we were in Japan before the Michelin guide to Tokyo was issued. Haven't read the Michelin guide - but I don't have any reason to believe that it isn't at least somewhat useful in terms of Japanese restaurants in Japan. BTW - I did keep all manner of things like business cards - small gifts - even maps for cab drivers that we got in our hotels - to remind me of the names of the places where we ate in Japan so I can look them up. In many cases - the names just don't ring a bell to me - they don't stick in my memory. It is much easier for me to remember Per Se than Kozasa. For a person whose native language is Japanese - it is probably easier to remember Kozasa than Per Se! Were your expectations in general based on Michelin ratings - or what? Meeting or exceeding expectations - which is how you couched your message - doesn't necessarily correlate with whether the food is ok - good - or great. roosterchef21 - One thing to keep in mind when comparing the experiences of different people is when they dined at a particular place. I had a meal at Grand Vefour over 20 years ago that was one of the best in my life. Then it lost its 3rd star - gained it back - and now apparently is on its way down again. Places can change a lot in a couple of years - much less 5 or 10 or 20. My general rule of thumb in terms of picking higher end restaurants is to try to find chefs who are at the top of their game - or rising. I try to avoid restaurants I should have gone to 5+ years ago but didn't with some exceptions based on personal reasons. E.g., I didn't get to Chez Panisse (the cafe) for the first time until a couple of years ago - but I wanted to go because it is the "mothership" of California cuisine. I thought it was still really good. And I want to go to Senderens in Paris this trip because I have been to both of his earlier restaurants - and want to see how we both have aged. Whatever - as long as *you* know why you're going to a place - or a type of place - you don't have to justify yourself - as least not as far as I'm concerned. Another thing to keep in mind is - especially in large metro areas with millions of people - the people who live there like to try different things. The people who live in Tokyo may want to have a high end French meal (it's kind of far to go to Paris). But when I made the only trip to Japan I will likely ever make in my whole life - I wanted to eat Japanese food - every which way (and there are many - including some unusual concoctions with things like corn and mayo - which were definitely not my favorites). For me - as a traveler - I usually try to stick with local cuisine - even though other people might prefer - for various reasons - to eat "non-local" cuisines. IOW - a sense of terroir - or - in the case of a Japanese pizza with mayo - just plain terror . Finally - I agree 100% with John Talbott about consistency or the lack thereof. (Unlike Culinista - I sure didn't mind a perfect Bresse pigeon at Gordon Ramsay or consider it without soul - I live in Florida - where my encounters with any Bresse pigeons - perfect or otherwise - are non-existent - I doubt she would mind perfect stone crabs if she came to Florida .) I think that someone who dines regularly at any restaurant in any country will likely get a more personalized experience than I will get - and perhaps food that is better (or specials that I'm not sure how to order - except by pointing at what the person next to me is eating - which I do sometimes). But I expect to get at least the minimum of what I expect of a particular restaurant (which is a lot in a 3 star Michelin restaurant or equivalent). And I generally do. There have been some notable exceptions to the contrary - but not many in recent years. Perhaps that is because - as we've gotten older - my husband and I have gotten a lot less "up-tight" about dining in nice places - and - more importantly - my husband has made a concerted effort to learn languages for our trips - which is always a big hit in countries where most visitors never try to learn a word of the native language(s). In fact - if I had one single suggestion for enjoying one's dining in a country which doesn't share your native language - it would be make your reservations at places you think you'll like - and then spend at least 6-12 months learning as much as you can of the language of the country where you'll be traveling. Robyn

Alex - The link was on my nytimes.com home page too. So it's no coincidence. Robyn

I won't have to worry about K-F-P because I'll be there in July . We have kind of a mixed up family. My inlaws are midwestern kind of fundamentalist Christians. It will be interesting to see how my nephew and his fiancee react to Boston (they'll be moving there this summer because my nephew's fiancee just got into Harvard Dental School!). Anyway - my inlaws like Zingerman's - and if I wind up liking Zingerman's too - you'll know you have a real winner on your hands . FWIW - my inlaws usually go to a Seder at least once during Passover. Apparently - it's now a trendy thing to do for many non-Jewish people. Who would have thunk it? Anyway - I am really looking forward to our meal there - and we will stop by the deli too if it's open when we're in Ann Arbor. Robyn

I needn't have worried. Wrote my SIL about Zingerman's Roadhouse. As it turns out - they had my niece's graduation party from U of M there a couple of years ago and really loved the place. So Zingerman's it is. BTW - they have a Passover menu this week - and it looks to die for. I live in a metro area of over a million with only about 20,000 Jewish people - and it's hard to get even a major grocery chain like Publix to put out Jewish holiday stuff on the correct dates. All too often - the Passover stuff is displayed right before Easter - and the Chanukah stuff right before Christmas (even if Chanukah was over on December 10). I would give my right arm to have a menu here this week like the one at Zingerman's. Anyway - I will make a reservation at Zingerman's. Think it should be a lot of fun - for the whole family. Robyn

I looked up Zingerman's. I had some curious reactions. I was surprised to see that it is a James Beard nominee (best restaurant Great Lakes) this year. And I looked at the menu - and it looked a whole lot more like a regional menu from the southeast than one I would expect in the midwest. If I recall correctly - there weren't even any local fish on the menu (I happen to think that our Florida fish is hard to beat - but I have had some pretty tasty fresh fried lake fish in cities like Cleveland). Now I am not exactly sure what a regional menu in the midwest should look like - but I know that grits and mac & cheese and fried chicken are southern. And that I am generally disappointed when I - as someone who lives in the southeast and cooks and eats southern food all the time - have tried "southern food" away from home. Even Golden Corral serves pretty tasty mac & cheese here . One of the worst places I ever ate at was a high end southern place - think a failed attempt at high end fried chicken - in Beverly Hills. So once or twice burnt makes someone like me kind of shy. OTOH - is this considered a really good restaurant by people who live in the general area (and not only Ann Arbor types if you know what I mean). My BIL is the kind of person who shoots deer and and makes his own venison stew during deer season (unfortunately - although his venison is excellent - he does really clean kills with bow and arrow - his sauce skills leave something to be desired). Will he think it's silly (people from the midwest usually aren't "grits" people)? Or do regular people think it's a really good restaurant - but priced on the somewhat high side? Note that the prices don't knock my socks off (we'll be going to Paris in October and I think looking at prices there has immunized me from any kind of sticker shock!). Anyway - I guess what I am saying in a roundabout way is I really don't care what the meal costs. I just don't want to wind up in a lose/lose situation - where I don't like the food because it's a pale imitation of real southern food - and my inlaws don't like it because the food isn't their cup of tea. They - like many people - have had economic dislocations due to the downturn in the auto industry - and I'm trying to pick a place that they would pick for themselves - but which they can't afford except perhaps very occasionally - or never. Anyway - as you can imagine - I think it's kind of a delicate issue from my POV. I don't want to come across like our old friend BO (gosh - have you seen the price of arugula in Whole Foods! - although I will note that there is a Whole Foods in Ann Arbor - but not one where I live). Just want to have a good meal that my inlaws will enjoy. On my part - the only thing I require is a full bar (I don't drink beer or wine). BTW - with regard to Zingerman's - they have smoked brisket on the menu. Usually a Texas thing. Other smoked things as well. Do they smoke their own? If I saw a menu like this in the south - I'd try the place in a heartbeat (because I love southern food). Guess my reluctance springs from trying to transplant a cuisine 1500 miles away from the source. Robyn

Tobi - You are a braver person than I am packing wine in your checked luggage. You obviously have greater confidence in your packing skills and the airlines than I do! BTW - in terms of places like Blackbird and the like (the less formal places) for lunch - are reservations usually necessary on weekdays (we'll be eating a little early because we'll be on eastern time)? I usually prefer not to make lunch reservations - and see what the weather looks like in terms of deciding what we'll do and where we'll be on any given day. Would shorts be totally out of place at lunch? If it's hot (most likely in July) - I like to wear shorts for hours of walking outside. Note that I usually try to cross-reference potential lunch places in terms of where we might be at lunch time. Unfortunately - I have an old copy of Flashmaps (2001). Will be getting the current version before we leave - but - as of today - the last edition is from 2004 (too bad - because it's an excellent guide - but not when it's 4 years out of date). Would order the current edition now - but I am hoping that by the middle of the year - perhaps there will be a new edition. Anyway - I am having some trouble finding a likely lunch suspect near the Art Institute - or in the River North neighborhood. Last time we were in Chicago we had lunch at Russian Tea Time - really quite a nice place for lunch - especially when it's cold outside (and our last trip - it was in the 40's - even though it was May!). Oh well - looks like a short cab ride from the areas we will probably be in to Blackbird. I can't contribute much in terms of dining observations here (that's why I'm asking all the questions) - but I can tell those of you who will be visiting this summer not to miss the Jeff Koons exhibit at the MOCA. Robyn

Gosh - we are all showing our age now . But we still remember restaurants with "rooms" - as opposed to suites and spas and helicopter pads. When we stayed at Troisgros - the rooms were the ugliest things - all purple and black with a spiral staircase to the sleeping area. There are some things I don't miss about the 70's . Robyn

UE - Like I mentioned a ways up in this thread - I've had lunch at Cafe Spiaggia. It was relatively inexpensive and the pasta was really excellent. I am not sure I would have enjoyed a much more expensive dinner in the main dining room anywhere near as much. When was the last time you went to Blackbird? I have an article from Town & Country Travel dated summer 2006 (I save articles for trips) which describes it - and it sounds good. OTOH - although I think restaurants in Chicago have longer staying power than those in some other cities - at some point - they are over the hill. I rarely get to a particular city - and - if I err - I would rather err on the side of being a little too early in going to a place than too late. At least with a new place - you haven't read about how 300 people loved it in years past - only to find that you are disappointed with the current reality. FWIW - this is our first trip to Chicago since early 2002 - before Chef Bowles was at the Peninsula - and he will be gone by the time we arrive this summer. Frequently - timing is everything. Robyn

I would think no more than 2 a week for a short trip (like a week). But - as others have pointed out - over the course of a 4 week trip - perhaps fewer. A lot depends on travel plans (will you be in one place - on the road - etc.). If you're on the road - and there are places you really want to dine at - you might wind up with 2 great meals a few days apart. If you're staying in one place for 4 weeks - you can obviously space things out a lot more. As for top restaurants not having a "sense of place" - I think that some do - and some don't - no matter what city (or town) you're talking about. For example - you can have "high end international food" in London - or "modern British" food. When you get to a city like Tokyo - you can get high end sushi in a hole in the wall with 12 stools - or high end French in a place that looks like it's in Paris. And both cities have many other cuisines. I generally like restaurants that specialize in food that has a "sense of place" - but - since I don't live in a major city - I don't mind "high end international food" now and then either when I do get to a big city. And if you want to get really philosophical about it - curry shops are very English - they're where lots of local people eat lots of food. Japan has an entire local cuisine based on its adaptations of "foreign" food (it tends to use western ingredients like corn and mayonnaise in ways that are very strange to western palates). IMO - when it comes to eating and travel - there are "no rules - just right" (for those not familiar with the phrase - it's the advertising slogan of Outback Steakhouse - a chain restaurant) - except maybe for people who just want to eat at McDonald's and KFC (although they seem to be very popular outside the US not only with US tourists - but with locals too). If you want to travel with a sense of place - sometimes it's fun to learn what the best local seasonal ingredients are when you'll be somewhere (even cheeses have their seasons). And then try them every which way in all kinds of places (low end to high end). When we were in Germany last year - it was spargel (white asparagus) season. Spargel is a national obsession in Germany. So I had spargel every which way in all kinds of restaurants. I had good spargel - very good spargel - and great spargel. And one terrible spargel (on a train). The last made me realize it is possible to screw up just about anything . Robyn

I had forgotten about interstate highways. We go to restaurants in Jacksonville that are 15-20 miles away all the time. Takes less than 30 minutes assuming no traffic (and I doubt traffic will be bad on a Sunday). So it looks like we can consider Novi - Ann Arbor too (my SIL works in Ann Arbor - so it can't be that far away). Robyn

nyokie6 - Part of the reason I'm asking questions here is I keep running across formal reviews of places like Tru that are 5-10 years old (the review in one Chicago paper of Tru was from 1999). *Way* out of date. I can find dozens of diners' comments on line - but whether they're favorable or unfavorable - I'm never sure whether they're on target since I don't know the people (at least on formal food chat boards like eGullet - I can look up what people have said about places I know - and get some frame of reference when it comes to evaluating what they say about a place). BTW - you did confuse me when you said that Schwa was a "destination" - not a "dining out" place. Since I am in Florida - all of these restaurants are destination restaurants for me . Just as a point of information - right now the restaurant seems to be BYOB - which is kind of inconvenient when you're from out of town. FWIW - I decided to go to Seasons with my nephew and his fiancee. I think it's a safe choice. At worst - the food and service will be good - and - at best - it will be a lot better than that. It's kind of hard being a hostess when you're not familiar with the city where you're playing hostess - and I am more interested in avoiding a bad experience (which I have had in Chicago before at restaurants that were supposed to be pretty good) than having an exceptional one. Of course - my husband and I will have several days on our own - and we can be more adventurous for those meals. Have been doing a little reading - and I thought the new Graham Elliot sounded like it would be fun. My husband is really adverse to any restaurant which bills itself as "molecular" (we had a spectacularly bad meal in the only "molecular" restaurant I've ever been able to drag him to) - and this new restaurant may be a way to get him to warm up to this kind of cooking (it doesn't seem like it will be "hard core" - there are no mandatory 20 course tasting menus - and it won't cost a fortune). Of course - it's hard to tell exactly what kind of food Chef Bowles will serve just based on the written descriptions. Robyn

No reason we can't eat dim sum twice . FWIW - we'll be in Chicago during the week - leaving for the Detroit area on Friday. So no problems with weekend crowds. Robyn

The reason we're going to Chicago is we have a family wedding in Brighton Michigan (sorry Brighton people - couldn't resist Chicago on the way to Brighton ). We would like to take the mother and father of the groom (my BIL and SIL) out for dinner Sunday night. I realize Brighton is not a hot bed of fine dining but I'd like to find a place that's decent (even if it's a chain). I think Novi is a bit far to go for dinner - but towns nearby would be ok. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Robyn