robyn

Dodin-Bouffant was the first Michelin starred restaurant I ever went to! It was also the first place I ever had a tower of seafood. I have loved that presentation ever since. Had one at Balthazar in New York a few years ago. They did a really nice job. I'll tell you a funny story. I had one miserable trip to Paris in the late fall one year. The weather was wretched. I got a horrible cold. My husband - our friend - and his friend - the head bartender at the George V - decided I needed a good whiskey to clear my chest. So they took me to Joe Allen's. And ordered me a Johnny Walker Black. I am not a scotch drinker - but it didn't taste so good. So everyone passed the drink around - and it was decided unanimously that it wasn't Johnny Walker Black. The waiter was summoned - and told that the drink wasn't Johnny WB. And the waiter basically said - who are you to tell me that! And the friend of our friend - Nino - summoned up all 5'5" of himself - and said - I am the head bartender at the George V - and I am telling you it's not Johnny WB. I got a new drink . It did the trick for a bad chest cold - even for a non-scotch drinker . Robyn

I agree with everything you said 100%. I am not a VIP (except to the extent that anyone dropping over $500 at a fancy restaurant is - or should be - a VIP). But I'm not going to eat at a time I don't want to eat just to say that I've been to a particular restaurant. I am at a stage of life where I don't do anything at a time I don't care to do things except for surgery and the occasional emergency plane trip. And I am getting to the point where I don't want to spend really big bucks on a restaurant unless there's a single seating - or an explicit or tacit acknowledgement that if I have a reservation at 7:30 or 8 - I'm not going to get the bum's rush so someone can get seated at 9:30 or 10. In addition to 3 stars in France and ADNY - I've only experienced single seating by design in London and a couple of other restaurants in the US (The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead and the Bizcaya Grill at the Ritz Carlton in Miami). We're going out of town tomorrow and have reservations at a place called Casa Tua in Miami. I understand that it is a single seating restaurant too. I am currently planning the dining for our trip to London in May. Lots of people have recommended Gordon Ramsey - but it has an explicit policy that it reserves the right to get you in and out in 2 hours. Now I am a person who likes an apertif before dinner - and I like to linger over dessert and drinks after. Even if I'm only eating 3 or 4 courses - not 13 or 14 - it should take about 3 hours. I don't think I want to spend over $500 for a 2 hour dining experience. I'd rather drop the $500 at Neiman Marcus . Robyn

Said I'd report back. Here's the report. Worked my way through a lot of Jacques Torres since Valentine's Day. Have to say that my favorite is still Maison du Chocolat. And I like Vosges second. Torres is third. My number 2 and 3 rankings are mostly based on the fact that I like the flavorings in Vosges more than the flavorings in Torres. More interesting - more fun. Neither can beat out a Maison du Chocolat trrufle though. Robyn

When you live in Jacksonville FL - it has to be fedexed from somewhere . So I'd just as soon have the cheese skip the layover in New York . (And it's great fun watching my cheese as it works its way through the fedex tracking system.) By the way - the web site I use - Fromages.com - has been pretty dependable in the past. And you can sign up for regular emails about things like the cheeses of the season, etc. Robyn

Why is it that we make fun of early bird specials when FL = Fort Lauderdale - and not French Laundry. Perhaps I am unusual - but I like to start eating dinner between 7:30 and 8:30 - and I don't understand why I should spend more than $500 to eat at times which might be suitable for my elderly parents - or for people who are eating post-theater - as opposed to a reasonable time when I usually like to eat. I agree with Fat Guy. There's no such thing as a 3 star restaurant (with 3 star prices) when you're talking about 2 or more seatings a night (and I don't have the slightest idea what 1 1/2 seatings a night means - because - when the house takes reservations - it expects that my table will turn over - or it won't). Robyn Oh. Well, I apologize for starting a rumor that FL (meaning French Laundry, not Florida) seats people at uncomfortable times or is concerned about turning tables. When I ate there in September, my reservation was for 7:30. I had the table for the night. However, I observed that some people were finishing up and later some others got tables. I can't imagine in my wildest dreams how this stops it from being a 3 star restaurant. In fact, it is considered one of the best in the world. Well - 7:30 is fine. I got the impression from your message that you had to reserve at 6:30 or 9:30. Robyn

If the soup didn't have noodles - I'd starve . Chicken broth, clear apple juice and jello sounds like a colonoscopy prep diet . Robyn

Only if you want Cuban food . What kinds of food do you want - and what price range are you looking in? Where will you be staying - and do you have a car? Robyn

Goiter caused by insufficient iodine was a problem in the US until the 1920's - which is when they started to iodize salt (and that's why salt was iodized). Iodine insufficiency is much more of a problem these days in undeveloped countries where people don't have access to iodized salt. In our quest for exotic - extravagant and "natural" ingredients - we shouldn't forget that a lot of ordinary products have been supplemented in such a way that dietary problems which were once common have virtually disappeared. As far as extravagances are concerned - I have my vices (like cheese fedexed overnight from France). When it comes to salt - it's not usually necessary to add it to most dishes that incorporate processed foods (which tend to have lots of salt). But - when I do add it - I use regular iodized table salt if the salt will be dissolved in a liquid I'm cooking. I'll use something with a bit more texture if the salt is sprinkled on top. Robyn

Sorry to digress - but I hope you make sure that there's another and regular source of iodine in your diet (common table salt is iodized to prevent goiter - it used to be endemic in the US - but has basically disappeared). On the other hand - we all probably get a lot of iodized salt in the processed foods that we eat. Robyn

I can't tell you all the ways Progresso soup has changed - but the salt content has increased dramatically in recent years - from about 30% DV to over 40% (my husband has high blood pressure so we read salt labels). I keep a couple of cans of Campbell's Chicken Noodle in the pantry in case I'm sick and can't get solid food down - or am suffering from dehydration and need a salt infusion. Note that if the government passes the new proposed salt DV - one serving of most canned soups will have 60-100% of the DV. Robyn

I think dining has 4 elements: food, service, atmosphere and value (the last not being relevant at the highest levels). No matter where you eat - you want excellent food, service and atmosphere. But they will of course vary depending on what cuisine you're eating - and where you're eating it. To give you an extreme example - I might find a certain space terrific in New York. But I might be disappointed in the same space if I encountered it in Hawaii. It just wouldn't "fit". And patio dining in New York isn't much competition for patio dining in a fine restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In other words - different places have different things to offer. And you hope to get the best of what a place has to offer when you're there. I can't comment on your question about the French model of dining because I don't know what your definition is. What is your definition of the French model? Robyn

Why is it that we make fun of early bird specials when FL = Fort Lauderdale - and not French Laundry. Perhaps I am unusual - but I like to start eating dinner between 7:30 and 8:30 - and I don't understand why I should spend more than $500 to eat at times which might be suitable for my elderly parents - or for people who are eating post-theater - as opposed to a reasonable time when I usually like to eat. I agree with Fat Guy. There's no such thing as a 3 star restaurant (with 3 star prices) when you're talking about 2 or more seatings a night (and I don't have the slightest idea what 1 1/2 seatings a night means - because - when the house takes reservations - it expects that my table will turn over - or it won't). Robyn

I've been using these and found some brands better than others - can anyone here suggest one that's better than average? (true confessions - I don't drink alcohol but if I get a first class upgrade when flying I order the small bottles as my "free drink" and just take them home to cook with). I've found that the Pinot Grigios are ok for whites (I use Cavit most of the time). Don't have any occasion to experiment with reds since most of my recipes that call for red wine call for a whole bottle (or close to it). Robyn

Duck was about the only thing I could think of. But pork in most shapes and forms is certainly its highest and best use. Since Harris Teeter here puts pork tenderloins on 2 for 1 sales all the time - I always have them in my freezer (except in the summer - when it's just too heavy). Robyn

You're not talking to a professional chef here (far from it) - but the recipe states that "the apples and prunes are usually stuffed inside the pork roast, but here we've put them in the sauce". So I think you'd be on fairly solid ground. As for the figs - I'm not sure they'd add anything - but I don't think they'd hurt either. I too frequently try to get rid of small amounts of unused ingredients whenever and wherever I can . I sear pork tenderloin before I put it in the oven. And I use olive oil. It does burn a little too fast. On the other hand - it winds up putting a nice crust on the tenderloin - and that's a "good thing". Also puts a nice crust on most of the area around my stove . You will have to excuse me. I'm upset about Martha S. tonight. Robyn

Wait -- are they whole? Or are they boned and butterflied? What we have here is a failure to communicate. Not to bust your chops... I was typing faster than I was thinking. They're gutted. Bones in - head on - slit down the middle. Can be cooked as a whole fish with both halves together - or "butterflied". Robyn

Robyn, We're never too old to learn. I just wanted to reinforce Robyn's point about the value of a student ID. It's much more valuable in Europe than in the US with many cultural discounts and for people our age the disadvantage is that you have to be a registered student and not necessarily someone who's learning anything. My husband takes courses at the University of North Florida. So when we go places - his dad gets the senior discount - he gets the student discount - and I'm the only full fare . Robyn

Unless you had a *really* bad day and have a headache - I think you should always give a restaurant an opportunity to "make things right" if it shows an inclination to do so. I will sometimes order a dessert even if I don't want one just to give a restaurant that has made an earlier mistake the opportunity to "comp me" on the dessert - as a means of apologizing. Of course - some don't take the bait - and then they are toast in my book. Robyn

You're right. Complaining is something of an art. And you only do it if you think someone might rectify the mistake(s). But - even if you don't think it would help - you don't blab about it all night. You just don't return to the restaurant. Along the lines of your gritty mushrooms - one night we ate at a pretty good local hotel restaurant. And one of the veggie dishes was inedible - much much too much salt. So we complained to the waiter. And the chef came out. And he tasted the stuff - and he spit it out. Turned out the night's recipe called for 4 tablespoons of salt and the line chef had put in 4 cups. The chef made us a new veggie dish . Robyn

Buy a copy of Let's Go (the Harvard Student travel guides) - think they have both Paris - and France in general. I am far from being a student - but their sightseeing recommendations are excellent - and I have liked the occasional budget/student restaurant I've tried (sorry - but I'll pass on the youth hostels ). Don't forget to bring your student ID for things like museum discounts. Robyn

Where do you live? In the southeast - it's really easy to find whole farm raised trout (boned and butterflied). They may not be the best fish in the world - but they taste fine - and - for what they cost - you won't kill yourself if you mess them up. Robyn

Grand Vefour is an absolutely drop dead gorgeous room - the kind where if your wife isn't wearing diamonds - you wish you'd bought her some. I am not sure how it compares to more contemporary 3 stars these days in terms of food. Robyn

My husband grew up in Montvale in the mid/late 50's - before then he lived in Fly Creek - near Cooperstown NY - and - before then - in Snyder NY (near Buffalo). I think there was a big difference between the 40's/50's and 60's. I wouldn't call northern Bergen County rustic - it just wasn't really developed. My father was a builder. I was brought up in Wantaugh LI in the late 40's - 50's. We moved to Cherry Hill New Jersey (Camden County - near Philadelphia) in about 1959 before it was Cherry Hill New Jersey. It was mostly farms then. I don't recall when the Cherry Hill Mall opened - my guess would be early 60's. But there wasn't much of a restaurant scene. We went to the Woodbine Inn for the occasional family dinner - and the Latin Casino for Sweet 16's. By the end of the 60's - a fair amount of south Jersey had changed. I was long gone by then - having left for college in 1964. My husband and I returned to the areas we grew up in perhaps once or twice in the 70's. We frankly didn't recognize them. I'm sure that anyone who left Miami (where we spent most of our adult lives) in 1960 would feel the same way if he/she returned 20 years later. Robyn

I've had both Weber charcoal and gas grills (never had a grill until we moved into this house about 8 years ago). Wound up using the gas most of the time. There are 2 things I like very much about the Webers. The porcelain coating wears well in Florida. And the grill is dependable. It gets cold here in north Florida in the winter (ok - not as cold as Minneapolis - we're talking 40's and occasional 30's). But - on a relatively warm evening in February - I can fire up the grill if I haven't used it in 2 months - and it starts without any problems whatsoever. As for stainless - it "ain't here" - this close to the ocean. And my nickel kitchen cabinet pulls have to be cleaned intensively to prevent corrosion too. After using the Weber products for 8 years - I am a big fan of porcelain and plastic type products. Note that I have replaced the grates and flavor bars once or twice. They are usually so filthy by the time I replace them that I don't mind that they're corroded. Robyn

There's a recipe for pork loin with apples, prunes and mustard cream sauce on page 124 of the 2/2004 issue of Gourmet magazine. Just wanted to let you know that I tried it - and the sauce is a total winner. I made it with marinated pork tenderloin - not pork loin (we're only 2 - we can't do justice to a 4 pound pork loin). If you'd like to know how I marinated the tenderloin and cooked it - I'd be glad to share that (it's not in a copyrighted magazine). You could probably eat this sauce out of the pot - without any meat (and I did - just tasting ) - it would still be terrific. Robyn