vigna

Why not drive an hour south to Deidesheim and have a really great meal at the Schwarzer Hahn? Another good option is Luther in Freinsheim, also an hour's drive south, but closer in distance as a good part of the drive is not on an Autobahn.

L'Arnsbourg and Schwarzwaldstube are both fantastic Michelin three star restaurants, but are somewhat far from Colmar. L'Arnsbourg is close to the German border up in the Vosges, about a 2 hour drive from Colmar I think. I had lunch there in June, 2004. The location is wonderful, situated alongside a little brook right in the middle of a forested area. The food was exceptional, quite light, with excellent local produce. A great aspect of this place for me was that it is completely non-smoking! The Schwarzwaldstube, already mentioned in this thread, is in Baiersbronn, near Freudenstadt in the Black Forest in Germany. It is probably a 2 1/2 hour drive from Colmar. I had dinner here, also in June 2004, while staying in the hotel that houses the restaurant, Hotel Traube Tonbach. The hotel is located on the slope of a picturesque valley; rooms and the restaurant have great views of the Black Forest landscape; and the hotel has nice indoor and outdoor pools. The food at the Schwarzwaldstube is basically French inspired, although there were some local Black Forest touches. I think I enjoyed my meal here even more than at L'Arensburg. Service was really good and friendly. Wine pairings were exceptional. Unfortunately, I do not have my notes handy as I write this reply, so I cannot give a detailed description of my meals at these two restaurants. On a less exalted (and much less expensive) level, I've enjoyed meals at JY's (June, 2003) and Chez Hansi (summer, 2000) right in Colmar. JY's is run by JY Schillinger, the son of the Schillinger who ran the eponymous two star restaurant that was destroyed by fire some years ago (and also took the chef's life). The old Schillinger's had delicious food. JY's is certainly not in the same class, but does a very good job with alsatian specialties and also is quite creative. The location is nice, in an old picturesque building situated alongside a river in the southern end of Colmar. Chez Hansi is directly in the center of Colmar in an old half timbered building. It served typical alsatian food and has good wine. Very informal, but the food is tasty and hearty.

Had the pulled pork sandwich last night -- very good! It was served without much sauce, but the meat was juicy and very tasty. Only complaint was that it was served in a pita and I prefer bread (as others above have also stated). For $9.00 you get a sandwich and a side (BBQ beans, greens, or cornbread, etc.). I opted for the garden salad ($2.00 more), which was fresh and had a good dressing. With a large glass of Stella Artois I was completely satisfied and I will be back to try other items on the menu.

I just returned to the U.S. after a month of driving through parts of Italy, France, Germany, and Spain. I had the opportunity to dine at wonderful restaurants at a variety of levels of service and panache in each of these countries. At the very top of my dining experiences, which included six Michelin three star restaurants, were meals at Dal Pescatore (in Canneto sul Oglio, 20 km west of Mantova) and Martín Berasategui (in Lasarte near San Sebastian in Spain). The other four of these top-rated restaurants were L'Arnsbourg and Michel Bras in France, Schwarzwald Stube in Germany, and Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain. All of these restaurants were fantastic and interestingly, in my opinion, they were all superior to the other restaurants I visited on my trip (which included some exceptional places). I will be commenting on these restaurants in other postings in the next weeks. It was interesting for me to compare the qualities of the six restaurants mentioned above to see if they tend to conform to some Michelin standard of French-inspired food. I know that this is a topic that has generated lots of discussion on eGullet; from my experiences, at least, I think the answer is no for Spain and Italy. Both Arzak and Martîn Bersategui had lots of locally inspired dishes and the food at Dal Pescatore (as is true for Le Calandre) is based in the glories of Italian cuisine. The Schwarzwald Stube (in Baiersbronn in the Black Forest), on the other hand, is more of a French restaurant, as is certainly Gordon Ramsey in London. What characterizes all of these restaurants is exceptional food, inventiveness of the chef, a level of service that is very welcoming and friendly (even to guests that are obvioiusly not very important, such as me), and standards of presentation (cutlery, dishes, service, etc.). I think I probably have been fortunate in my choices of three star restaurants over the past year, avoiding those reputed to be in decline. But, on the basis of visits to the above-mentioned eight restaurants (as well as to Al Soriso), I have to give Michelin credit for correctly denoting particularly outstanding restaurants with three stars. Now to Dal Pescatore. This was my third visit to this fairly isolated and rather small restaurant, located in the countryside about halfway between Mantova and Cremona. They serve lunch and dinner, but as the restaurant is at a remote location, I would recommend lunch -- driving any distance on small roads after a dinner with lots of food and wine would be foolish (there are a number of small hotels in the area, though). Moreover, part of the charm of this restaurant is the very green garden that almost seems to enter the dining room through the picture windows, an effect enhanced by the plants and flowers set thoughout the dining area. I think this can be best appreciated in daylight. Two set menus were offered, each at 125 Euros, a Menu d'Estate and a Menu della Campagna. I chose the Menu d'Estate because I wanted to try the Branzino and the duck, but the server wisely suggested that I take half portions of the Tortelli di Zucca from the Campagna menu and the Tortelli with ricotta and parmigiano reggiano from the Estate menu. Along with an aperitivo of excellent Franciacorta Ca' del Bosco sparkling wine (12 Euros) came the following: excellent rolls and breadsticks, shavings of cooked parmigiana reggiano (sort of like the scrapings from a cheese fondue after it has boiled down, but better) and a little terrine of tomato and eggplant with olive oil. The first real course was a terrine of aragosta and astice (sort of lobster and crab) with eel. The seafood pieces were very delicate and the combination was great. The slice was covered with a delicate aspic and and a dollop of Malossol caviar. On the side were little bits of carrots and asparagus, salmon roe, and shaved ginger. The sauce was flavored with orange and it was absolutely delicious. Then came two pieces of the Tortelli di Zucca (pumpkin), which is a signature dish here, a specialty of the Mantova region. My notes say "great!" This was probably the best example of this dish I've ever had. Next was served a Risotto with porcini mushrooms, peas, asparagus, and fiori di zucca with a green sauce that was made from puree of the peas -- also exceptional. And then came the half portion of the Tortelli with the ricotta and parmigiano. This was less interesting than the other dishes, but very very good. The fish dish, a piece of Branzino in butter sauce with asparagus, carrots, peas, and fried thin slices of carrots and perhaps sweet potato, was delicioius and fortunately was a fairly small portion! Up to this point, I was drinking a half bottle of a very good Soave, San Vicenzo (18 Euros). The sommelier then suggested glasses of red wine and poured a glass of Gaja's Ca'Mercanda Promis 2002 from Bolgheri in Tuscany (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sangiovese, as was explained to me). This accompanied a peice of duck breast in a balsamic vinegar sauce served with mostarda of fruits. This was a very good dish, especially with the wine, and it is perhaps a credit to the exceptional food that I had up to this point that I found this dish the least special of the meal. I was then offered a small portion of shoulder of beef from the Campagna menu, a sort of braised beef in Barbera sauce, served with polenta and a bit of whipped potato. I loved this dish, which was very unpretentious, a dish of the countryside that succeeded because of the quality of the beef and the wonderful sauce. The sommelier poured a glass of an excellent Valpolicella (which he called a "home made" wine, I didn't get the details) with nice cherry quality and complexity. The second half of the glass was a good accompaniment to the cheese course, which consisted of four Italian cheeses (not served from a cart) -- an aged parmigiano, a gorgonzola, a cheese from Pienza, and a fourth whose name I didn't catch. For dessert, a soufflé was offered, but I just wanted something light after all of this food and a millefoglie of berries was suggested. It was delicious, served with whipped cream, as was the vanilla gelato and berry sorbet that accompanied it. A small glass of spumante was also served at this point. Along with coffee came a plate of excellent cookies along with a little cake with a bit of coffee gelato and apricot jam. Signor Santini, the proprietor, had stopped by during the meal to say hello and he returned to pour some grappa (of which I had only a tiny bit). When I was about to leave, the sommelier asked if I would like to see their wine cellars, which was a really nice touch. My bill was 162 Euros (not inlcuding the optional tip): 125 Euros for the Menu, 18 Euros for the half bottle of wine, 12 Euros for the glass of Ca' del Bosco, and small charges for mineral water and coffee. I was not charged for the glasses of red wine, the spumante, or the grappa. This is a very good value at this level of food and service. Also very pleasant for me was that I noticed that no one smoked in the restaurant. It seems that smokers are asked to go out to an adjacent lounge if they need to smoke. (I've noticed much less smoking in high end restaurants in Europe this past year, thankfully). This was truly an exceptional meal, very different from the other Italian three star that I would rate equally highly, Le Calandre. Le Calandre is more inventive and exciting perhaps, but Dal Pescatore offers a real taste of the countryside. It is set in farmland and many of the dishes are inspired by the area. The staff is one of the friendliest and helpful of all the restaurants I've experienced in Italy over the past 20 years. In comparison with other top Italian restaurants, I'd rate some other favorites -- Al Soriso, Da Caino, Arnolfo, and La Tenda Rossa -- somewhat below. And as I mentioned above, the only restaurant I enjoyed as much on this trip was Martín Berasategui, although I had great meals at Arzak, L'Arnsbourg, Schwarzwald Stube, and Michel Bras (as well as really good meals at Casa Geraldo, El Corral del Indiano in Spain, Ulrichshöhe and Adler, Langenargen in Germany, da Cera and La Bita nel Pergola in Italy). I hope to post my impressions of these restaurants on eGullet in the next weeks.

Very interesting insight about the LSC, Katie. I think, in fact, that many of the complainers are still patrons of the bar when they are not petitioning! (Now, if the club would just carve out a non-smoking zone on the top deck .....)

Actually, I made an error in my posting. I should have said, "I enjoyed these places more than Gambero Rosso, a similarly Michelin-rated two star restaurant..." Craig, I have found the Guida Rossa a very helpful, but not always accurate, guide to high end restaurants. In general, I am not at all disappointed in Michelin two star restaurants and I think the three star reataurants I've eaten in have been spectacular (Le Calandre, Dal Pescatore, Al Sorriso). In fact, for the best restaurants, I usually find the Michelin ratings a better indication of fine and interesting dining than the Gambero Rosso point system. But, for me, the Michelin rating system does break down to some extent at the one star and Bib Gourmand level. For example, it is hard for me to understand why I Sette Consoli in Orvieto lost their star, why Ditirambo in Rome was listed with a Bib Gourmand last year and was dropped entirely from the guide this year, etc. And we all know of lots of great restaurants that don't appear in the Guida Rossa at all. But back to the topic of the thread. Craig, I'm glad you agree about La Tenda Rossa. My point was to give some reference to both La Tenda Rossa and Arnulfo and to compare them with another highly rated restaurant in the region. Gambero Rosso is not only rated highly by Michelin but also in the Gambero Rosso guide (as one of the top rated restaurants) and has been praised on eGullet as well. I just didn't enjoy my meal there very much and I loved La Tenda Rossa and Arnolfo (just my personal opinion, based only on one meal at each of these restaurants).

I second Divina's suggestion of Arnolfo in Colle di Val d'Elsa, which serves spectacular food in a very gracious manner. Also, at the same level, but a bit further from Volterra, is La Tenda Rossa in Cerbaia (near S. Casciano di Val d'Elsa). I've had great lunches at both of these restaurants within the past 18 months. I enjoyed these places more than Gambero Rosso, the Michelin three star restaurant (located on the coast southeast of Volterra), which I found disappointing.

Toulouse as a base for touring, is a great idea, actually. Even if one accepts Marcus' 90 minute criterion, one can visit an amazing number of interesting places, using Toulouse as a base. Here are some, with the one way traveling times, as calculated on the Michelin web site: Carcassonne (58 minutes) Narbonne (85 minutes) Albi (50 minutes) Moissac (45 minutes) Montauban (36 minutes) Cahors (71 minutes), and not much further to the spectacular Grotte de Peche Merle Foix (56 minutes), and not much further to the interesting Grotte de Niaux and Grotte de Bedeilhac

Recollections from August, 2002: Noemi, a Bib Gourmand Michelin-rated restaurant located way up in the hills just north of Taormina, was quite special. Large portions of rustic food were served in what seemed like a never ending parade of courses, all for a very reasonable cost. But be warned, the road up to the restaurant from the seaside is winding and challenging. I actually liked Casa Grugna in Taormina very much. Dinner was served in a little garden, quite formal and elegant -- good seafood. I also liked Don Camillo in Siracusa, where I had a very good lunch of pasta with seafood and grilled fish, so I was surprised that MMerrill was not positive. It was packed with locals, not tourists; the food was not at all fancy, but was good honest food of the region, in my opinion. Some of my best meals on my 2002 trip were in fairly non-descript informal restaurants on the islands of Lipari, Vulcano, and Filicudi, where the pasta dishes and fish were unique and delicious. When I lived in Sicily, one of my favorite restaurants was La Botte, just south of Monreale. It appears to have disappeared from the Michelin guide, but a Google search indicates that it is still in business and the descriptions read as if the restaurant has not changed in concept -- local specialties served in an informal setting. I hate to admit it, but I was last there in 1987! At that time it had great antipasto siciliano, involtini siciliani, and paste con le sarde. It would be interesting for me to learn if anyone has eaten there recently.

Me too!

Menton1, I don't remember any unicorns in the Angers tapestries, which are a narrative of the Apocalypse. The only unicorn tapestries I know of in France are in the Cluny museum in Paris. Am I wrong? More to the point of the thread, I very much enjoyed touring champagne cellars in Reims and Epernay and the romanesque church of St Remi in Reims was almost as impressive to me as the great cathedral. Some years ago, food was very good at La Briqueterie, a hotel and restaurant near Epernay. And I've had good meals at small inexpensive places in Reims. But the highlight of the region is to visit the champagne producers and vintners.

The suggestion of foods from Ustica and Pantelleria reminded me of another great island product, Malvasia di Lipari, a very nice sweet wine.

I would bring back a real cassata siciliana. Cassata in Sicily is not ice cream, but is a cake covered with an almond paste frosting and often is decorated with candied fruits. I've never seen the real thing outside of Sicily.

I just returned to the U.S. from a week in Germany and was quite impressed with the restaurants I sampled. At the top of the list was the Schwarzer Hahn in the Deidesheimer Hof hotel, located in the small town of Deidesheim along the Weinstrasse in the Pfalz, about 1.5-2 hours drive southwest of Frankfurt. The Schwarzer Hahn gained some fame internationally when it was said to be the favorite restaurant of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, a place where he took his foreign guests to impress them with such local specialties as Saumagen (pig's belly). Actually, the restaurant has had a very high culinary standard, consistently receiving a Michelin star and high ratings in the Gault Millau guide (17, down to 16 this year). There's been some change of personnel, with a relatively new chef de cuisine, Stefan Neugebauer. The Deidesheimer Hof also has a second restaurant, the St. Urban, which specializes in the regional food of the Pfalz. I've eaten at the St. Urban before -- it's much more informal and less expensive than the Schwarzer Hahn and does have very tasty Saumagen! Both restaurants were filled to capacity on a recent mid-April Saturday. Options at the Schwarzer Hahn include two 7 course gourmet tasting menus offered at 100 Euros for the "French" menu and 85 Euros for the "regional" menu. One can trim down these to 6 and 5 courses at a reduced cost. I chose a 5 course regional menu at 72 Euros and also chose the 5 course wine service for an additional 35 Euros. One of the highlights of the meal was to have local Pfalz wines paired appropriately with each of the courses. There are many a la carte courses that were enticing as well, including a Saumagen dish with fois gras, but considering the quality of both the food and the wine served on the tasting menu, I was glad I chose that option. Soon after I arrived, I was served an amuse-guele of three little glass jars, filled respectively with a dill cream, chopped matjes herring and apples, and cold spicy asiatic vegetables. Another amuse-guele trio followed: a piece of salmon in thin crispy dough, rice topped with caviar and a quail egg, and a strong consommé with vegetables. All six of these little extras were interesting, the consommé and herring were delicious. Served along with these was a Weisse Burgunder (Pinot Blanc) from near Deidesheim -- dry, spicy, and crisp. Excellent breads (walnut, bacon, and whole wheat) were brought to the table. My first real course was a strudel of spicy rabbit (Kaninchen) served with cold red beets and coconut foam, a stunning combination that was really tasty. The accompanying wine was a Rosé from Schneider, a local vintner, dry with a touch of berries. The second course was a large raviolo stuffed with fois gras, over which was ladeled a broth made from green lentils. This was another interesting and delicious dish. The wine (surprisingly) was a steel fermented Chardonnay (I didn't note down the vintner). I learned from the sommelier that local vintners are experimenting with some non-traditional grapes (Riesling is generally King in the Pfalz, Chardonnay is relatively new in this region) and producing some very interesting wines. This Chardonnay was a bit fruity but was also unusually light and crispy. Next, a risotto with chicken and shrimps was served along with another Chardonnay, this time barrique-aged, fuller and fruitier, from Jacob Pfleger of nearby Herxheim. Again, the combination of wine and food fit well. The chicken in this dish, especially, was outstanding. The fourth course was slices of orange-infused duck breast served with carrots and asparagus. Again, delicious, served with a red blend of Pinot Noir and St. Laurent that tasted better than any red German wine I'd previoiusly tried. Finally, came the cheese course (I substituted servings from the cheese cart for the dessert course listed on the 5 course tasting menu, at no extra charge). I had five cheeses, all French, including a good chevre and a Münster, served with my final wine, a sweet Riesling/Sylvaner hybrid (I didn't note the vintner). A selection of pralines were offered at the end of the meal. This was certainly the best meal I've had in over 20 years dining in Germany (admittedly, I have not yet been to any of the Michelin 2 and 3 star/Gaullt Millau 18 or 19 rated places , but I would rate the Schwarzer Hahn above the similarly starred and either equally or higher Gaullt Millau rated Vau in Berlin, Luther in Freinsheim, Erno's Bistro in Frankfurt, Schachener Hof near Lindau, or (see below) Eisenbahn in Schwäbisch Hall and Wald und Schlosshotel Friedrichsrühe near Öhringen. My second favorite restaurant on the trip was Gargantua in Frankfurt. I think this restaurant at one time had a Michelin star, but now is merely listed in this guide; it rates a 16 in the Gault Millau, similar to the Schwarzer Hahn. I had in fact tried to book a table at Ernos Bistro, also located on the same street in Frankfurt's fashionable westend, but they were filled up and I am glad they were, as Gargantua turned out to be much more interesting. Ernos, which I very much liked on a previous Frankfurt visit, is as classical a French restaurant as one can find in Germany, very much in the mold of what the Michelin people really like in Germany. Gargantua is a much more adventurous creative place, although also basically a bistro. It is quite small, about 10 tables with only one waiter, but very nicely decorated. Here, I also ordered a tasting menu, this time of 4 courses for 50 Euros. After a somewhat indifferent amuse-guele of tomato mousse and a slice of headcheese, an excellent first course set the tone for an excellent meal. A duo of poached fish, Waller and Zander ("pike perch," and a type of catfish) in aspic with traditional Frankfurt grüne Sosse (green sauce) made a great combination. Grüne Sosse, usually just put on boiled potatoes or boiled beef, was actually a great accompaniment for the delicate fish. The little crispy sesame and sunflower seed rolls were perfect with this dish. My second course was a Thai-inspired chicken lemongrass soup served with a crispy springroll with shrimp. The soup was a thicker stock than any Thai soup I'd had, but it was really very good. My third course was slices of tasty lean leg of lamb in a rich brown sauce with some sort of braised lettuce-like vegetable and a rich risotto with spices and peas. I again opted for cheese as my fourth course, portions of three cheeses served with a delicious quince jam. I had three glasses (0.2 liters each) of wine to accompany the meal -- a very good Rhinegau Riesling (a bargain at 3.80 Euros), a tasty Weissburgunder (I think from the Pfalz, also a good value at 3.80 Euros), and a quite good Barbera d'Alba (8.00 Euros, overpriced). A very satisfying and interesting meal! Also excellent to good, were meals at two Michelin starred restaurants near Schwäbisch Hall, a two hour drive southeast of Frankfurt. This exquisitely intact late medieval town is filled with half-timbered houses and also has a fantastic set of spa pools fed by saline hot springs. The spa complex is connected to the well run Hotel Hohenlohe, where I spent one night. In the nearby village of Hessental is the Hotel Wolf and its restaurant Eisenbahn. This is basically a French restaurant with Schwabian touches. Here, again, I ordered a tasting menu of four courses (53 Euros). Three amuse-gueles set a nice elegant tone for the meal -- first, a tiny piece of fois gras in aspic, then a trio of creme of eel with a bit of caviar, a tiny tomato filled with basil and créme fraiche, and a piece of house marinated salmon, and then a large scallop served with a sweet rhubarb-like sauce (the least successful of the three). My first course was a nice foamy cream soup with crayfish . (I had originally chosen the marinated fois gras first course option, but they had run out.) The second course was Steinbuttrolle (two small fillets of turbot rolled around oysters) in the same foam as topped the soup with a bit of caviar, served with pearled carrots and other root vegetables. This was a very delicious course. The third course was a rack of tiny rare lamb chops and a well done but tender piece of fillet of lamb wrapped in a cabbage leaf, served with ratatouille, oyster mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and scalloped potatos. The lamb and some of the vegetables were excellent, but there was too much on this plate and I didn't like the ratatouille very much. My fourth course again was cheese, like the Schwarzer Hahn, from a very impressive cart of entirely French cheeses. To accompany the meal, I ordered quarter liter portions of dry Riesling Kabinet from the Fürst zu Hohenlohe estate (see below) and dry Grauburgunder (pinot grigio) from Durbach (Baden). The Hohenlohe Riesling was very dry and very restrained, the Grauburgunder was much more floral, although still very dry. Service was very slow. Also near Schwäbisch Hall is the Prince of Hohenlohe estate, which contains the Wald und Schloss Hotel Friedrichsrühe and its Michelin starred restaurant. I spent one night in this elegant hotel, with an elegant room in the Schloss (chateau) at an off season rate of 135 Euros. The hotel has indoor and outdoor swimming pools and nice woodsy grounds for walks. The restaurant is a very formal room with red fabric walls and green upholstered arm chairs. Tasting menus are offered at 108 and 82 Euros, but they did not seem that interesting so I ordered a la carte. Two amuse gueles were brought to the table -- a little medalian of tuna with asparagus in aspic, and a very small piece of turbot on a bed of wild rice and yellow peppers. My first course was a seafood soup (Krustentierkraftbrühe) with sweet/sour cherry tomatoes. This turned out to be close to a Provençal fish soup without the garlic, aoili, etc., but with delicious cherry tomatoes that had been pickled in some way -- a very delicious and interesting dish (12.50 Euros). My second course was Seeteufel (lotte) with an olive crust served with a lemon flan and broad beans and peas (17 Euros). I found this course to be a bit boring despite the excellent ingrediants. Third, I had a lamb course, which consisted of lamb cooked in two ways -- a rare piece of loin wrapped in a thick piece of lamb fat, and a well done piece of leg (I think), served with diced red and yellow peppers, white beans, and a pureé of what might have been kohlrabi. Although the components of the dish were of good quality, the dish did not have that much character and was the least interesting of the courses. I ordered three wines, all from the Hohenlohe estate, by the glass. The Riesling was dry, mildly fruity, but not particularly destinctive. A Sylvaner was very dry and astringent, but went well with the Seeteufel dish. A Pinot Noir was quite ordinary (and in fact the waiter had suggested a Bordeaux, but I wanted to see what they could do with red wine here). Service was formal but efficient. This was certainly the least successful of the four restaurants, but one could see flashes of excellence from the kitchen. Of the four restaurants I am writing about, the Friedrichsrühe was the only one where there were smokers and it was quite annoying. I think the Schwarzer Hahn now explicitly forbids smoking in its dining room and I just may have been lucky in that there were no smokers in the other two restaurants. My experiences over the last year is that smoking is very much on the decline in fine restaurants in Germany and Italy, and particular restaurants (e.g., Le Calandre near Padova explicitly forbid smoking in the dining room). It is surprising to me that there is relatively little eGullet interest in Germany despite its many excellent restaurants. True, most of the highest-rated German restaurants are heavily French-infuenced, but when one gets a fusion of local and French influences, coupled with great wines, as in the Schwarzer Hahn, greater interest is warranted in my opinion. In the summer I will be back in Germany and I'll report again on what I find.

I've enjoyed going back in time reading this thread, but these posts make me feel quite nostalgic. The place I miss most is the Commissary. Not only was the food great, but it was such a comfortable place to eat alone. Every time I pass Sansom and 17th, I think back to those good meals and wish for the Commissary's reincarnation. Frög (both at its original and second locations) is also very much missed. I think Poses also started the Eden chain, which was somewhat like the Commissary, but with a more restricted selection, specializing in stir fried dishes. One location of Eden was in International House, another out in Suburban Square in Ardmore, and yet another on Chestnut St., I think. I also concur in fondly remembering Tapas, Holly's, BLT's Cobblefish, Magnolia Cafe, Salad Alley, and in another vein, the more recent European Union coffee place on 22nd St in its first rendition. Saigon was a really good place -- so inexpensive and friendly. The family that ran the restaurant really seemed to care about the food and over the years their kids grew into adults and seemed always to be there, and then it was gone! Levis' was unique and had quite good dogs when I first arrived in Philadelphia, but then went downhill. Here are some places not yet mentioned that I miss, not in any particular order: 1) The original Gold Standard on 47th St. -- much better than the version that opened on the Penn campus in the Christian Center building; if I remember, the bill used to be presented on a laundry ticket. 2) Alouette on 4th St. and Bainbridge, later to be Pompano Grill, I think. This was a really fine restaurant, sort of French-Thai inspired with Kamol Phutlek as chef, who now runs Nan I believe. 3) Cafe Lisboa, a very good, but expensive, Portuguese restaurant, short lived, in the now decrepit complex just off Headhouse Square that used to be quite a destination. 4) La Grolla on S. Second St., a wonderful ristorante piemontese with absolutely authentic agnoletti con zucca (pumpkin). Here, the star was actually the chef's mother who, when in the kitchen, could provide real piemontese cooking. I really cannot understand why this place closed down -- it was special. 5) The Garden, a Spruce St. destination restaurant that sadly burned down only a few years ago. Everything I ate there was delicious and I remember festive celebrations in the outdoor garden area. A real shame to have lost this place. 6) Magyar Hungarian on the 2000 block of Sansom, quite authentic, with delicious pastries (perhaps now the site of Porcini). 7) Under the Blue Moon in Chestnut Hill -- great crispy duck!. 8) Hu-Nan, Susanna Foo's original (more authentic and much less expensive) Chinese restaurant on Chestnut St. And here are some others -- Wildflowers on 5th St. (great Sunday brunch), Siva's on Front St. (a quite good Indian restaurant, I think better than the more recent University City buffet-centered ones), October (also on Front St.-- specialized in regional American cuisine; a place I enjoyed taking guests from Europe to show that there was interesting regional cuisine in the States), Cafe Nola on South St. (which was quite good before it went into a deep dive of a decline), the original La Terrasse (much better than the present version), and Kelly and Cohen's (a Penn lunch hangout once located where the new monstrous Wharton building sits on the corner of Walnut and 38th, where one could get a pretty decent, if not really special, corned beef sandwich and good matzoh ball soup, served with attitude by waiters that seemed to have been there forever; -- One day, the place changed ownership, the old waiters were suddenly all gone, and the corned beef tasted as if it were canned -- business plummeted and Kelly and Cohen quickly bit the dust). l

There's a very modest restaurant called Marino located in the Santa Lucia neighborhood that has very typical Naples pizza and good seafood. I ate there in the summer of 2003. Although it is listed in the Michelin Guida Rossa, I was the only non-Italian in the place. If you stick with simple dishes, especially the pizza, you will be satisfied (Naples has the best pizza anywhere, in my opinion, and Marino's offers a pretty good example of the very spare pure variety found in pizzerias all over the city). The restaurant is located fairly close to the hotels that line the bayside avenue just opposite the Castello d'Ovo (the site of many touristy restaurants, including Transatlantico, which is said to be good). In contrast, I was disappointed with an old standby near the Central train station, Mimi alla Ferrovia. This seems like a restaurant of habitueés, frozen in time, which would normally be a good thing. The food was not bad, but nothing memorable. Service was a dour, which is very rare in Naples, especially if one orders in Italian. The area around the train station is not very good (I would definitely not stay again in the Starhotel Terminus at this location, chosen for convenience so that I could take an early morning train.) Although I've not eaten at Giuseppone al Mare recently and thus cannot vouch for the present quality of the food, this restaurant has a great view of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius (they had outdoor tables on a waterside terrace, perhaps they still do). It has been listed in the Michelin guide for over 30 years and was at one time the favorite restaurant of many locals -- a place where people would go for a family celebration. The specialty is seafood. The downside is that you must take a taxi out to the Possilipo shore line. [Naples taxis are among the worst in Europe (another contender for this honor is Prague, although nothing could beat my experiences in St. Petersburg in the early '90s) -- even if the meter is used, there is always some extra phony charge!] If there is time to travel to the Amalfi/Sorrento penninsula, the best restaurant in the whole region is Don Alfonso at Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi (not far from Sorrento). Wonderful fresh seafood and home garden fresh vegetables are the specialties. Nice atmosphere, very friendly (had three Michelin stars, but lost one of the stars two or three years ago).

Thanks for all of your suggestions. It turns out that my guests had already decided on the Imperial Inn, a surprise to me, but they had made a prior visit to Philadelphia and had liked the Dim Sum offerings at Sunday lunchtime. I hadn't been there in years (it was once a highly rated restaurant, but has not been talked about much for quite a while). I have to admit that the food was really quite good. The Dim Sum plates -- squid, all sorts of dumplings, sticky rice, crispy duck, and those buns stuffed with pork were all delicious. Less successful were platters of noodle dishes prepared to order. I would certainly return to the Imperial Inn, but I would also like to try Lakeside, Ocean City, Ocean Harbor and Golden Pheonix as well, as per the suggestions on this thread. (I agree with Scoats that Joy Tsin Lao is not up to par.) On an unrelated note, after this feast, we all walked over to the Kimmel center to hear a spectacular recital by Hilary Hahn and Natalie Zhu. I can't imagine Bach partitas played better than by Hilary Hahn and the two performed a knockout Mozart violin/piano sonata. I consider myself very lucky to live in Philadelphia, not only a top restaurant city, but a fantastic world class classical music city. In fact Hahn and Zhu are locals! (Has anyone out there heard the recent Mahler's 3rd symphony played by the Philadelphia Orchestra? Wow, that was also fantastic!)

Another site for getting train schedules all over Eruope is run by Deutsche Bahn. The address for running searches in English is: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?datesel=custom Bologna, Pisa, Arezzo, Lucca, and Siena are all reached by train from Florence. Bologna, the furthest, actually has the most frequent service (up to twice an hour) and is reached fastest (except for Arezzo) in a bit less than an hour usually (high speed trains and fewer stops). Service to the other cities mentioned is about once an hour and can take from 40 minutes (Arezzo) to an hour and a half (Siena). Last trains back to Florence leave at 21:51 (Lucca), 21:22 (Siena), 22:47 (Arezzo), and 22:46 (Bologna). Be sure to check the schedules once in Florence. The train would be a very good way to get to Bologna, Arezzo, and Lucca, but the Arezzo train station is not well located with respect to the old part of the town (neither is the station in Siena). For other sites in Tuscany, a car is really necessary. A drive from Florence to Siena through the Chianti region is really wonderful. The towns are atmospheric, food is good, and one can stop at various cantinas to try wine. Another town not accessible by train is San Gimignano, definitely worth a day. An advantage of driving to Arezzo is that you can extend the drive to Sansepolcro and Monterchi to see additional paintings and frescos by Pierro di Francesca. South of Siena, nice drives include Montepulciano and Montalcino. So I would really recommend at least a few days with a car -- perhaps making Siena or a town in Chianti as a center for this part of a stay rather than staying exclusively in Florence. One final comment. I am surprised by Antonio Galloni's negative reaction to Lucca. I find Lucca really enchanting -- a completely medieval town surrounded entirely with an intact wall; several wonderful unaltered romanesque churches; a Roman arena site that has been converted into houses; and several fine restaurants.

Does anyone have suggestions for a good dim sum brunch in Philadelphia's Chinatown? Some chinese friends of mine will be in town this weekend and we'd like to feast on dim sum. The problem for me is that I've been totally unimpressed so far with the brunch offerings in Philly's Chinatown and I'm reluctant to suggest a restaurant for the group. It would be great to hear your advice.

Villa Serbelloni has a spectacular lakeside location, a great swimming pool, and a very romantic terrace restaurant with quite good food. The views are incomparable and Belaggio is the nicest location on Lago di Como in my opinion. If one is willing to do without a lake view room, the costs are quite a bit lower than the Villa d'Este. I've stayed at the Villa Serbelloni twice in the past four years and it was great. About six years ago I stayed in a much much less expensive hotel in Bellagio, the Belvedere. This hotel is not lakeside, but it does have a nice view of the lake from its hillside site. The pool is very nice and the food was really excellent.

The vegetarian truck is called "The Magic Carpet." I never order the "meatballs," tofu or seitan -- I agree these items do not look appetizing. And I dislike their polenta-based specials. But -- the soups are always good (lentil, chick pea, vegetable, etc.); the mixed salad with a falaffel ball or stuffed grape leaf is tasty; and their moroccan couscous special (about once per week) is very nice. By no means is the food exceptional -- but one can get a nutritious and tasty lunch for under $5.00.

I've enjoyed reading this thread, as I work at Penn and eat in the area all the time. To answer Herbicidal's query about the Palladium, today's DP (Penn's student newspaper) has an article saying that the Palladium area is likely to become classroom space. What a waste of a really beautiful room -- one of the most atmospheric spots on the Penn campus. In the first place, the Penn administration made a senseless decision to eliminate the Palladium, a nice if not great restaurant that had a bar area with a wonderful fireplace, an old-fashioned white tablecloth restaurant area, and a great outdoor terrace on Locust walk. One would think that this space could be used creatively to enhance the social and cultural atmosphere on campus. At this time, the space has been used to house meetings of various student and academic groups, but the special look of the room has been lost. Menton1 did remember correctly that Le Bus used to be near the White Dog Cafe. Unfortunately, this great hang-out with homey soups, good casseroles, and delicious breads, closed about 5 years ago (ostensibly so the owners could concentrate on their bakery business -- they still have outlets on 18th St. and in the Reading Terminal Market, and possibly they still run a restaurant in Chestnut Hill). My votes for best restaurants in the Penn campus area are White Dog Cafe and Penne. Both are good for lunch as well as dinner. White Dog has lots of organically grown produce and meats and prides itself on using local suppliers; a good selection of regional American specialties and wines by the glass. Penne has well prepared pastas and pseudo-Italian specialties -- food is generally tasty. Gia Pronto (sara's suggestion) is a nice new panini and salad shop, better suited to take-out business than for a sit down lunch (crowded and somewhat uncomfortable to eat-in) -- but really good salads and panini. I haven't been to Rx, but I've heard good things. I've enjoyed Nam (but haven't been there for awhile) and campus standbys have been Nara (formerly Genji) for OK japanese lunches, Beijing (good, very inexpensive, if not exciting) chinese lunches, and Tandoor (very good value for their lunch and dinner buffets of Indian standards). Eating on the Penn campus every day, I am somewhat tired of the "trucks," although someone coming to the campus for the first time might be very interested in the variety of food. The one truck that serves consistently high quality food, in my opinion, is the vegetarian truck on Spruce and at "36th" in front of the Wistar Institute -- especially good are the hot soups. I second Katbert's comment on the Soup Nazi demeanor of the MexiCali truck guy on Spruce St., although his burrito creations are OK (just don't try to substitute anything in the order!) For hotels, the cery convenient Sheraton University City may not be a great hotel, but with a Penn connection one can get a substantial discount -- LJC should ask his Penn contact to make a reservation at the discounted price. Seminar guests that I have put up at the Sheraton say it is pretty nice. I agree with others that suggest that a Center City hotel might offer a better location for exploring Philadelphia. With the discounts available from PhillyOvernight, I would consider the Sofitel, the Park Hyatt (the old Bellevue of Legionnaire's fame), the Radisson Warwick, Sheraton Rittenhouse Square, and Westin in Liberty Place -- all are well situated and (except for the Radisson) first class. I hope LJC enjoys Philly!

Thanks, Rogelio, for all the very useful information!!! I was, in fact, thinking that a hotel in or near Gijón would be most convenient for a dinner at Casa Gerardo. That's why I mentioned La Estación da Luanco, which is listed in the Red Guide. I will definitely look into the Tryp Rey Pelayo.

I am planning to spend a few days in Asturias at the end of June with the goal of seeing 7-10th century architecture in the Oviedo region (including Valdedios near Villaviciosa, Pravia, Cangas de Onis). I probably will have time for two special dinners, one of which I think will be at Casa Gerardo. I wonder if anyone can give me advice on: 1) places to stay near Cangas de Onis and near Oviedo (preferably in proximity to Casa Gerardo, and 2) which restaurant I should choose in the Cangas de Onis/Ribadesella/Arriondas area? I would like to stay on the coast, if possible, or at least at a hotel with a pool. Has anyone stayed at La Estación da Luanco north of Gijón (it is not far from Casa Gerardo) or at any hotels in Ribadesella? Should I consider staying in Oviedo proper? Are there any restaurants of note in Oviedo? Thanks.

Ben, Hope your trip is still on. Let me throw in my advice, too, for what it is worth. Anil's idea is good -- there are good connections in Amsterdam for the Seattle to Venice NW/KLM itinerary and also for the Paris to Seattle return. You would get into Venice late morning. There are both water and bus connections to Venice directly from the airport. After spending some time in Venice (very romantic for a honeymoon), you could return to the airport and rent a car (be sure to arrange this from the U.S. taking advantage of discounts, e.g., AAA). Weekly rates cover a 5-7 day period and you can drop the car at any other Italian location (e.g., at the Milan train station) without extra charge (I've had good experiences using Hertz). It is often advantageous to take a prepaid weekly rental that includes CDW and theft coverage so that there is no hassle if you return the car with scratches or dents. I love driving in Italy and as long as one stays north of Rome, I think the behavior of the drivers is far far better than in Philadelphia, where I now live. But, I do agree with Bill Klapp's advice to be sure to stay on the right lane of the Autostrada and pass on the left with care. In Venice I would recommend the Hotel Rialto, which has lovely rooms facing the Rialto bridge and Grand Canal (rates for such rooms are between 200-300 Euros -- quite expensive, but well worth it for the beginning of a honeymoon!). There are many less expensive choices, but in Venice I think you do get what you pay for. At the 100 Euro level, Hotel Ca' d'Oro is very modest but not bad. In Florence, I often stay at the Minerva (in summer there is a nice pool on the roof to mitigate the heat) but it may be nicer to stay in Siena or the Chianti region and use this as a base to see towns such as San Gimignano, Greve, Montepulciano, Montalcino and of course, Siena. Great dining too -- Arnolfo in Colle di Val d'Elsa, La Tenda Rossa in Cerbaia/San Casciano. And you would still be able to spend time in Florence. On the drive from Venice to Florence (or from Florence to Milan), why not detour to Verona, one of the nicest small cities in Italy. Lot's to see, and good restaurants and wine bars too. I'd also recommend Ravenna (which was a possibility raised in one of the early postings) because the pre-romanesque buildings are amazing to see (although the overall atmosphere is not at the special level of Venice, Verona, Florence, etc.). Rather than staying in Milan, I would second Bill Klapp's suggestion of Lago d'Orta (Hotel San Rocco in Orta San Giulio has a good lake view and is not too expensive), or perhaps somewhere on Lago di Como or Lago Maggiore (Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio is incomparable, with great views, a wonderful terrace for dining, and a new indoor pool/spa, albeit very expensive; the much less pricy Hotel Belvedere in Bellagio also has nice views but is not lakeside). All three lakes have spectacular scenery and good hotels. Access to Milan is not difficult by car (or by train from Como or Stresa, for example). Rail connections from Milan to Paris are good -- the trip can be as short as 7 hours (e.g., leaving at 9:15 AM and arriving in Paris at 4:11 PM). In Paris, some very nice hotels and well situated hotels are the Angleterre and Jeu de Paume. I agree with Hathor about the Cadogan guides, which have excellent descriptions of art, architecture, etc. and also some interesting restaurant and hotel recommendations. Buon viaggio!