John Talbott

Very interesting report Adrian. October 9th last year Colette and I tried to get into Senderens (having been told it was full when we tried to make a reservation), we figured it being a Sunday it would be easy and as a fall back we'd do the bar menu upstairs. And indeed that's what happened; after they almost seated us downstairs and almost allowed us to order off the downstairs carte; one look at the tapas advertised tho' and we were outta there. From your account I'm glad we didn't order. By the bye, the downstair's carte/food/etc is not like upstairs at all.

Absinthe in Paris Bars La Perle 78, rue Vieille du Temple in the 3rd, 01.42.72.69.93 Cantada II 13, rue Moret in the 11th La Fee Verte 108, rue de la Roquette in the 11th Les Furieux 74, rue de la Roquette in the 11th Restaurant L'Absinthe 24, place du Marche St Honore in the 1st But in my very humble opinion not a place to go for either food or alcoholic things.

Bars La Perle 78, rue Vieille du Temple in the 3rd, 01.42.72.69.93 Cantada II 13, rue Moret in the 11th La Fee Verte 108, rue de la Roquette in the 11th Les Furieux 74, rue de la Roquette in the 11th Restaurant L'Absinthe 24, place du Marche St Honore in the 1st But in my very humble opinion not a place to go for either food or alcoholic things.

I would gently (I hope), kindly (I think), but firmly (definately) remind us all that we are members of a Society dedicated to the discussion of food. Be well. Back to L'Ambroisie. John

Hi everyone. May I remind us all that while we can disagree, be contentious and exercise our first amendment rights, we want to stay on topic and avoid ad hominem statements. Thanks.

This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Stages in the Medoc, Paulliac Working in France Working in Avignon Setting up a Stage in Paris Employment or stage Need help with a stage Stagiaire recommendations sought Any chance to work in a restaurant The stage of Louisa Chu at Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athenee The countdown at ADPA Paris housing for a stagiaire Stagiaire’s Story

The Week of March 6th, 2006 Monday, in A Nous Paris, the critics wrote up two 3/5 block places, one old, the other new. Le Gorille Blanc has been around for a while {see my review here} but while they liked the food, the found the ambiance not bistrotish; the second, La Ferme des Mathurins, 17, rue Vignon in the 8th, 01.42.66.46.39, lunch formulas at 22, 27 and 32 €, dinner 30 and 35 € had a good artichoke soup, monkfish blanquette and pineapple in “all its states,” the regret – just the décor. Wednesday, Emmanuel Rubin’s “C’est Nouveau” in Figaroscope gave the lead, photo and 2-hearts to the “cult place” Aux Zingots, 12, rue de la Fidelite in the 10th, 01.47.70.19.34, closed Sundays and Mondays, costing about 40-50 € for the “dietetically incorrect” dishes of kidney, tete de veau, brains, pigs feet, sausage etc. Also getting two hearts was the mid-ancient mid-modern bistrot Chaumette, 7, rue Gros in the 16th, 01.42.88.29.27, closed Sundays costing about 40 € for entrecote, pot-au-feu and veggies. Then there were three one-hearters: the “mini-table” by the Seine run by an ex- of Lasserre, Robuchon + Lucas-Carton - La Table de Michel par Fabrice, 13, quai de la Tournelle in the 5th, 01.44.07.17.57, closed Sundays described as very wise cooking, not unpleasant and good but without finesse {EN: for this they gave it but one heart?,} a tartine, soup & sandwich place Les Enfants Gates in the 17th and a Danish place Le Cesar in the 9th. In their “Dossier” the Figaroscope team led by Colette Monsat picked “Seven Chefs of Note” giving for each, their provenance, their cuisine and their future plans: l’Avant Gout – Christophe Beaufront Chez Jean – Benoit Bordier Drouant – Antony Clemot Le Delicabar – Sebastien Gaudard Chez l’Ami Jean – Stephane Jego La Cerisaie – Cyril Lalanne Ze Kithen Galerie – William Ledeuil And as usual, in his “Hache Menu,” Francois Simon picked his own place to go, run by the darlings of Le Fooding (who, he says, deserve a spanking for falling into Le Fooding’s trap) at Transversal, coordinates given before. The headline says it all: “….genial, mais nul.” If you need more, he answers his question about “Should you go?” with a “Yes, for the Monory special exposition in the museum, the museum itself and the bookstore.” “Bouf!” {There’s more delicious and barely comprehensible Simonspeak in between, but I’ll let you savor it raw, as he apparently evaluated his meal.} Wednesday, Zurban’s guest critic Pierrick Jegu devoted his major space to a review of Temps Libres, coordinates given before, where he talks very little about the food and then terms it largely pleasant with pleasing prices (lunch formula 23, menu 29, a la carte 40-45 €. In his three casserole choices he reviews the same place as A Nous Paris, however, he calls it Chez Cecile – La Ferme des Mathurins, serving scallop tartare, a medallion of veal and sautéed tuna and says it’s good news for the area; plus an Asiatic cantine – Zen Zoo in the 2nd and an African brasserie, Moussa l’Africain in the 19th. Jean-Claude Ribaut, in Wednesday/Thursday’s Le Monde writes of the installation of the fine affinateur of cheeses, Henry Voy at La Ferme Saint-Hubert in the Ternes market in the 17th, open Tuesday to Saturday 9-1 and 4 to 7:30 PM as well as Sunday mornings 9-1:30. He goes on to list the best cheese sellers in the city, including: the three in the 7th - Barthélémy, Marie-Anne Cantin + Quatrehomme, Trotté in the 4th, Mollard in the 9th, Alléosse + Dubois et fils in the 17th, six cheese-shops that Androuet runs (www.androuet.com) and Les Fromages de Pierre for tastings in the 15th. Thursday, in l’Express Jean Luc Petitrenaud returns to the Perigord-in-Paris place, Les Allobroges, coordinates in the guides, where the menu is a fine 19 € for a first, main, cheese AND dessert as well as to Chez Fonfon in Manifon. Thursday as well, in Le Point Gilles Pudlowski was out of town a lot. But in Paris he went to Millésime 62, coordinates given before, where he enjoyed the tartine of goat cheese and sardines, filet of duck and lemon tarte - menus are 24-26 €. He declares both Il Cortile + Le Relais Beaujolais in good shape and thinks the best Turkish resto in Paris is Sizin in the 9th and likes Wa, a new Chinese place in the 1st. Outside Paris, he likes the ex-el-Bulli chef, Jean Sulpice of L'Oxalys in Val-Thorens, Le Matou in Megeve and the return of the “enfant terrible” Edouard Loubet to La Bastide de Capelongue in Bonnieux. Finally, he talks of lobster from Brittany which he suggests one buy from the Paris fish store – the Poissonnerie du Dôme - and gives a recipe with salted butter {that sounds like the classic US preparation}. Friday in Les Echos, Jean-Francis Pécresse writes of a wine store in the 5th Chez Pantagruel that carries a 39 euro Bourgueil, Grand Mont 1989. March’s Paris Notes has two articles by their food critic Rosa Jackson. The first, her traditional Paris Bites starts off discussing Luc Dubranchet who started {the newletter/journal I’ve referred to before} Omnivore and the places he (Luc D.), she {and I} like: Le Comptoir de Relais, Flora, Ze Kitchen Galerie + Jean and two she {and I} don’t and he does: La Famille + Le Refectoire. In any case, she then goes on to review Gaya par Pierre Gagnaire where “not everything worked” and l’Avant-Gout where it sort of did, except for the plain old moelleux of chocolate. She had a second article cleverly entitled “Constant Motion” about Christian Constant, covering everything from his “fathering” a host of chefs of hot modern bistros to his continuous oversight of the Violin d’Ingres, Café Constant + Fables de la Fontaine as well as his discouragement at the lack of future great young hard-working French chefs. {EN: It’s a charming article and interview – if you don’t subscribe to Paris Notes for Jackson’s articles alone, you should; and that goes for the French/Franglais Omnivore as well. Disclosure: I know both Jackson and Dubranchet but have received no money or other remuneration for this shameless promotion.} There was one other article in this issue by Paul Franklin on the Costes Brothers that summarized their rise in Paris through opening the Café Costes, Café Beaubourg, Café Marly, l’Avenue, l’Esplanade, Café Ruc, Le Murat + La Grande Armee. The brothers are quoted saying their cuisine is intended for a female clientele, are “micro” and are not “serious.” Saturday-Sunday, in Bonjour Paris, Margaret Kemp published International “it” Edition Buzz about the new hot places in town: Jarasse, Jules ex-Le Petit Victor Hugo, Bis de Severo, Les Symples de l’Os a Moelle, Chez Cecile ex-La Ferme de Mathurins, Le Comptoir, Mori Venice Bar ex-Bon 2 + Seafood Bar at Prunier and John Talbott, one on Jet Plane and California Dreamin’ but about Paris. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Well, this is a subject that could go on and on. 30 years ago, every French man wore a tie in any such place and women dressed elegantly as well. Now the men dress like schlubs but the women remain regal. Somehow if you're a French celeb you look OK in a black tee, but I don't think we do. Unless it's really hot in August and I'm going to a down and dirty bistro, I wear at least a coat (but I'm an old guy remember). I think grace's advice is sound; a tie in the starred hotel places, open shirt in bistros, tees at McDo's. This is another area where there's much change. 30 years ago one always had to order a full bottle (except for champagne as an apertif); now lots of places have wine by the glass and half-bottle, many have full, half or quarter liters, and, obviously, places like wine bars want you to try various things. An open half bottle I'm not familiar with, if it's open it's for pouring glasses usually.There are also two relatively new trends (since the Evin Law was passed), one placing the bottle on the table and measuring (by the thread = a la ficelle) how much is consumed and doggie bags for taking wine home rather than drinking it down and getting breatholized; but you will not see these at the Bristol etc.

I've only heard good things and indeed tried to go a couple of weeks ago but was caught in the Winter Sports vacation school break break. For a cote de boeuf, have y'all tried Bobosses at le Quincy?

So many points to address here Phrederic. Places we ALWAYS frequent? Hummm. Well, I just looked at my notes from 1991-1992, the first full year we ate almost everyday in France and of all the places we ate at, we still revisit only one- the Bistrot du Dome. There were plenty of others that were good but have dropped off the radar screen, largely because of the killing combination of price inflation and menu stagnation, eg Olympe, Chez Pauline, Petit Marguery, Rostang, Beatilles, Arpege, yes, it had a 290 FF menu then (or $51.40) and Les Ambassadeurs, again the menu was only 320 FF = $58 then. As for Helene Darroze, genius?, now you've got to be kidding; I'd say more but I think the libel laws would do me in. So there you have it, 15 years and only one that holds up, is consistent, maintains the price-quality ratio in the mid-range and is just as good now as when it opened, despite the kitchen and wait-staff changing constantly.

A lot of questions, let me try some responses depends on which one(s), the classic places have one and it's your table for the duration Take a look at the threads before - most people don't find it awkward I'd say most people on this Forum eat at night, not me, my big meal is at noon Only if you get exceptional service or dare I say it, want to go back again, then 5% is fine on top of the 15% that's added Probably, places with stars have at least one person fluent in English, it's pretty easy to say Reservation - X couverts - Y heures. And if you have a friend or concierge call, it'll make it easier. For this you'll have to dig into the prior threads, everybody has his/her favorite, l'Ambrosie + le Bristol seem to be leading the pack these days but the Meurice + les Ambassadeurs don't seem far behind. I urge you to branch out from the stars, especially if you're packing in two meals a day and I know you're joking about fast-food but it's no joke to those of us who hold food sacred.Have fun and report back please.

The dish I remember from 1991 was/were the haricots verts of all things - at that point it was a G/M 13 with one toque but even G/M notes that there was an "inconsistency" of chefs after the departure of Michel Oliver (founder) and his sister Stephane.

Well, we are in approx. the same ballpark. Sure. I go for the 100 Euros per couple. I was at La Petite Cour in September. It was nice. The setting helps a lot too. Is it "over the hill" now, in your judgement? ← It was Aug-Sept 2004, just after Epie decamped and it was just not the same place. And I love to sit in the sun too.

Ah, that's not my definition - I draw the line at 110 €/couple with wine & coffee - and phrederic never defined it now that I think of it. Not to be contentious, but when were you last at La Petite Cour? Since Gilles Epie blew in and out it's not the same place at all. Agree on decline and sprouting though.

Couldn't agree more about both.

Welcome. I can't think of a guideline you've broken. Terrific post, after 13 years you have earned the right to be disappointed, even grumpy. And it's great to have someone else on the ground contributing. I hope you'll continue. To answer your questions. Yes I think the great old bargain places have gone pricey and Chez Michel is a good example, although I still go there during game season. But with Breton's setting up Philippe Tredgeu at Chez Casimir there was a great alternative, sadly now no longer interesting (at least as of my meal there last month) once he left for Entredgeu. I guess where I'd quibble is that places I ate at 5-10-15-20-etc years ago are still there, many still with the same menus but increased prices, so I (and my restless three co-conspirators) have moved on. Therefor - I'm not bored - angry and deceived sometimes, but rarely bored. Sure I think people like Inaki and Choukroun messed up a winning formula by going too far but hey, no pain no gain. In the past year, I think the opening or rejuvenation of places like Carte Blanche, Cave est restaurant, Petrossian, Bistral & Chez les Anges has kept the excitement up. If the Fooding + Omnivore folks want to push for more exotic spices and ingredients and cooking methods - fine. What does make me grumpy and what I've commented on elsewhere is the trendiness and lack of imagination that some places show - exemplified by this year's disease of the month - pumpkin soup - one couldn't avoid it. And you're right, the dumbing down in purchasing products, freezing stuff, microwaving, etc is annoying. But I'm not gonna starve.

For the interest of those keeping score of the "best of," Jean-Claude Ribaut, in Wednesday/Thursday’s Le Monde writes of the installation of the fine affinateur of cheeses, Henry Voy at La Ferme Saint-Hubert in the Ternes market in the 17th, open Tuesday to Saturday 9-1 and 4 to 7:30 PM as well as Sunday mornings 9-1:30. He goes on to list the best cheese sellers in the city, including: the three in the 7th - Barthélémy, Marie-Anne Cantin + Quatrehomme, Trotté in the 4th, Mollard in the 9th, Alléosse + Dubois et fils in the 17th, six cheese-shops that Androuet runs (www.androuet.com) and Les Fromages de Pierre for tastings in the 15th. Remember too to check our Compendium of exiting threads on Cheese.

In addition to members answering your query, to assist anyone in their search for Cooking Classes and Courses, I've put up a compendium of past threads on the subject. Embedded in one or more of them may be one that speaks to your request. Please let us know your decision and how it works out.

This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Sending mustard to the US What to take to the next country Shipping Gifts for French friends Gifts for Americans Gifts to France Things to bring each way What do you bring home from Paris Expat substitutions

I've been looking everywhere for the thread you mention and cannot find it - anyone have an idea where it is? Thanks much ← And after a little snooping, here are the ones on gifts going each way: Gifts for French friends Gifts for Americans Gifts to France

I've been looking everywhere for the thread you mention and cannot find it - anyone have an idea where it is? Thanks much ← Well, this one started by Margaret Pilgrim is one - What do you bring home from Paris.

It's comforting to have someone agree that the big Dome is less exciting that its Bistro; the last time I was there the fish was overcooked and the coquillages standard. But you can always rely on the Bistro; that's one place one must credit Ms. Wells for writing up right after it opened. In any case have fun at Reminet.

This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Paris markets Tomato hunt Organic Beets Foodie streets Marche Auchan St Antoine Lyon Supermarkets Carmes Beaune Maison Rousseau Lyon Marche Forville Cannes

This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Eating alone or solo in Paris Solo, Sunday, August Solo, between the Gare de Lyon and Porte Doree Traveling alone

It's quite OK and was written up in the March Paris Notes by Rosa Jackson in her Paris Bites.