John Talbott

Like Margaret I think you've got to be kidding. A publicist? People like Darroze need publicists, Rose needs a heartless Chicago bouncer.As for a book, there's one with photos in the works, albeit the slow works.

← I don't know what you mean by a "Michelin standard" restaurant but the one-star Ze Kitchen Galerie is (as I said before) about 100 Euros per couple with wine and coffee. ← My guess is that you will only do this at lunchtime unless they now do the menu in the evening. On both my visits it was ALC and the price climbs. ← Your guess is correct; for 20 years Colette and I have been eating our "main" meal out at noontime and a light supper back home. So I shoot and usually tout places that cost 100 E a couple (with wine).

Sult hardly serves any pizza worth mentioning, and calling Brasserie Blanche Asian will have its chef running after you with a set of FRENCH steak knives. Brasserie Blanche is definetely bistro French influenced. Nodee though is spot on Pan Asian with arguably the best sushi in town. Oscarsgate is very much back on form after its first Michelin*. Reserve well ahead. Cru is an exciting new local bistro with extremely limited menu, but reciprocally extremely nice winelist. ← It should have read: Nodee for Asian.

Much as I've tried to like the Brasserie Tatin it just didn't work for me or apparently for others and is closing/closed this week (according to three of my sources) to be replaced “hopefully the first week of January as something Familia.....Dino, the new owner, was at Boccaccio’s....he....has already brought Bert the bar-tender, several wait staff, and two valet drivers...[and] is bringing the sauce chef out from retirement. There will be free valet parking. The menu will be Italian and will keep a few of the Tatin menu items.....They also will have carry-out lunches and may deliver to JHU."

That's where I see him, on the Rue du Poteau walking to the Pl Ch Bernard.

Recall also two topics running; one on Sunday lunch; the other on Sunday dinner.

Garance, Agapes, Bistro du Dome, Pinxo, Cagouille, Lao Lane Xang 2.

← I don't know what you mean by a "Michelin standard" restaurant but the one-star Ze Kitchen Galerie is (as I said before) about 100 Euros per couple with wine and coffee.

The places I gave above are all about 100-110 Euros for two with wine and coffee. 160 E for a starter?: I too am curious where?

L'Entetée is closed this year til the 2nd as well, Agapes, Clocher Pereire, Vieil Ami, Epigramme & Jadis are open except for New Year's Day.

Not for three years but it's a classic, with pretty good food and easy to get to Malpensa from.

How about the Fauchon cafe? I've not eaten there but it's been well-reviewed and it opens at 9h00.

Distressing news, esp in light of how welcoming Gino Troia is at his relatively new Grano Pasta Bar. A new one for me today was the 18th Fogo de Chao Churrasaria, this at 600 E Pratt St opposite the Inner Harbor. It reminds me of a restaurant we ate at in Kenya, Carnivore, where they came around with huge chucks of grilled giraffe, gnu, etc., except here it's beef, lamb and chicken, luckily cooked to any doneness one wishes. Certainly not fine dining but fun for those here for conventions, etc., who are stuck in the Inner Harbor. Salad bar was "so what," except for fine cured ham and parmesan chips; espresso OK, Brazilian dark beer, Xingu, quite good. Bill, I have no idea, it was an "Office Party."

Well, kayu has just put some reopenings up.

Check down a couple of topics and you'll find the results from my archival search of places open between Christmas and New Year's. I'll be merging this into that one once the holiday has passed to keep all the information in one place.

Well, if you mean Salons, Fairs, etc there’s the Salon International de l’Agriculture, 21 Feb – 1 March at the Porte de Versailles, info here and we have a topic running about it here.

The Week of December 8th, 2008 Monday-Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, Philippe Toinard, awarded 4/5 dots to Antoine Heerah’s Le Chamarré Montmartre, coordinates given before, where he loved the poached and jellied oyster amuse-bouche, partridge, foie gras and cepes, ravioli of innards and mango dessert and his colleague Jerome Berger reviewed and gave 3/5 dots to the revived Café Moderne, coordinates well-known where the Astier team has installed a chef ex-Crillon of the Dominique Bouchet era, who serves a tart of petit-gris, supreme de pintade and good wine for 55 a la carte and menus of 30 and 39 € (closed Saturday noon and Sundays). They also mention in the sidebar two places: Mon Oncle, 3, rue Rurantin in the 18th, 01.42.51.21.48, lunch menus at 22 and 26 €, serving a rotating Franco-Italian spread like veal tartare with ginger, parmentier with black sausage and Sicilian caponata, as well as La Canaille, 4, rue Crillon in the 4th, 01.42.78.09.71, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays with 14.50-29.80 € menus, where the ex-Ramalaud chef serves up marinated sardines, ratatouille, duck filet and terrine of chocolate. Tuesday, in Le Fooding, the Fooding Awards were announced on their website as follows: New wave Japanese – Guilo Guilo Best haunted house – Hotel Faurie in Saint-Agrève Best chef - Christophe Pelé, La Bigarrade Best bistrot – Le Chat in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire Best little luxe – Al Taglio Best “Station-Sandwich” – Gouter l’Aveyon in the rest area at the Millau Viaduc Best troquet – La Cantine du Troquet Best blow-out – Chez Navarre in Toulouse D'Honneur - Rose and Jean-Charles Carrarini Rose Bakery Best “Planque Verte” – Le Grand Couvert / La Colline Du Colombier in Iguerande Best Paris Bistrot – Jadis Wednesday, Emmanuel Rubin’s “Cest nouveau” in Figaroscope gave 5 places two hearts: Fabrique 4, 17, rue Brochant in the 17th, 01.58.59.06.47, closed Saturday lunch and Mondays, serving a 20 € lunch menu (35-45 € a la carte) of shrimp dim sum, line-caught pollack, and chocolate fondant; Le Montalembert, 3, rue de Montalembert in the 7th, 01.45.49.68.68, open 7/7, costing 60-80 € a la carte for eggs with parmesan, duck breast, scallops and fondant of chocolate; the African Le Palanka in the 4th; Benoit, formerly chef’d by the new chef at l’Assiette, old address, open 7/7, costing 38 € at lunch but 60-80 € at dinner a la carte for hot paté , fish cassolette and profiteroles; and in place of Le Boucoleon, Le Bouco, in the 8th, 01.42.93.73.33 closed weekends, serving simple, good food such as crispy potatoes, tartare-frites and poached pear on 22 and 29 lunch menus, a la carte 37 € at dinner. This week’s Figaroscope Dossier by Colette Monsat et al, concerns the “cantines” frequented/recommended by well-known chefs as follows: Alain Ducasse at le Crillon for brunch, l'Assiette, one of the 4 Constant places (Café Constant, les Cocottes, les Fables de La Fontaine + le Violon d'Ingres) for Sunday lunch, Ballon et Coquillages. Thierry Burlot at Apicius, La Marlotte, Fogon, Monteverdi, New Hoa Khoan in Chinatown with family. Éric Fréchon at Lapérouse, Ledoyen, Les Ambassadeurs, Le Cristal de Sel, L’Ami Louis. Christian Le Squer at le Beurre Noisette, L'Ami Jean, Le Bascou, L'Hôtel, Lapérouse. Hélène Darroze at le Coffee Parisien for a burger, l'Absinthe, la Galerie du Plaza Athénée for a club sandwich or tea, Mori Venice Bar, Jules Verne. Alain Dutournier at Fogon for wine and tapas, L'Ami Jean, Le Repaire de Cartouche, La Tour de Montlhéry, Le Train Bleu, Le Grand Venise. Yannick Alléno at Astier for cheese, Café Moderne, Atelier Robuchon, Guilo Guilo. Guy Martin at Bizan, Les Ambassadeurs, Le Cristal Room Baccarat, Alfredo Positano. Jean-François Piège at l'Hôtel Amour, Les Ambassadeurs, La Régalade, Le Comptoir du Relais, Le Georges. Francois Simon, in his Hache Menu went to Severo featuring Hugo Desnoyer’s meat where you can count on spending 50 € for tartare, frites and wine. “Go?” “Yep.” [sic] Wednesday as well, Richard Hesse of Paris Update, reviewed Mollard, coordinates well-known, where he found the food as shabby as the carpets. Wednesday-Thursday, Jean Claude Ribaut in Le Monde wrote one article on making foie gras, another reviewing four books, one on game, and a third on women involved in wine and cognac. Thursday, l’Express’ restaurant of the week for under 30 €, picked by Pierrick Jégu, was Les Terrines de ….., coordinates given before and restaurant of the week, the Japanese Myabi in Sens. Saturday, Francois Simon in his “Croque Notes” in Figaro, sampled lièvre à la royale, (doux Jésus!) at: Bascou, where it comes with a chocolaty sauce at 25 € a half-portion as well as Tateru Yoshino’s at Stella Maris and those at Gérard Besson for 65 € and Senderens, which with a 45 € Côtes-du-Rhône set him back 212 € for two. Saturday/Sunday, in Bonjour Paris, Margaret Kemp wrote about Eric Briffard at Le Cinq and John Talbott wrote an essay on “Ain’t Technology Great.” Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Incredible; I was going to tell about the guy who comes by every so often to sharpen knives; you're not crazy at all. The problem is that I cannot figure out his schedule.

December's Conde Nast Traveler recommended: Sult + Hell's Kitchen for pizza, Delicatessen + Yaya's for tapas and Thai respectively and Brasserie Blanche + Nodee for Asian.

Interesting. My pal and I have been looking for confit d'oie ever since it got dropped off the carte of Le Terroir. Thanks for the news.

In an article in Saturday’s Figaro, Francois Simon sampled lièvre à la royale, (doux Jésus!) at: Bascou, where it comes with a chocolaty sauce at 25 € a half-portion as well as Tateru Yoshino’s at Stella Maris and those at Gérard Besson for 65 € and Senderens, which with a 45 € Côtes-du-rhône set him back 212 € for two. It's only available now in the pdf version or abbreviated on his blog.

With much trepidation (due to new restos changing their vacation dates after a season or two) and the usual caveats (call before assuming anything), I offer these suggestions from my archives on eating between Christmas and New Year's, New Year's Eve Day (which is often v. pricey at dinner and limited at lunch) and New Year's Day: Between Christmas and New Year's: l'Arome, Violin d'Ingres, Bath's, Astier, Maree Passy, Table Lauriston, Beurre Noisette, Marty, Clocher Periere, l'Entetee, Agapes (ex-Equitable not Agapé), New Year's Eve: Viel Ami, Vaudeville New Year's Day: l'Epigramme, Bistro du Dome Any day but Wednesday: Lao Lane Xang 2

Today's NYT had an article entitled "The local flavor of Helsinki's food revival" by Laurie Winer that recommended: Juuri Grotesk Loft + Nokka.

The title of this topic "Chocolate Recon" is like that of today's NYT cute article "Le Tour de Chocolat" that recounts Amy Thomas' Velib journey to Michel Cluizel, Jean-Paul Hevin, Michel Chaudun, Jean-Charles Rochoux, Christian Constant, Pierre Marcolini + Pierre Herme. Our member David Lebovitz is quoted regarding Patrick Roger.

The November 23rd NYT has a Travel Q&A's answer about lunch or dinner Christmas Day that suggests Le Meurice, La Table de J.R. + L'Atelier de J.R. and the brasseries Bofinger, Terminus Nord + Chez Jenny as well as Chartier + Georges.