John Talbott

Glad you had a nice time. I just love No. 9 Park, both the restaurant and the cafe. Interested to hear more about Tapeo. Was that a special event? ← Not really, we had to go to a cocktail party earlier and just wanted a quick bite to eat; it was perfect for that purpose and the wine was good. It was a "special event" though for three others who had the "Happy Birthday" treatment.

I may be in deep trouble here without my wife Colette's input, but I think it's the Hotel des Ventes of the Credit Municipal de Paris which can be found here. If I'm correct, it's at 55, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 01 44 61 63 63, and it looks like the next sale is Nov 18th. (Mind you, like all such places, the stuff is on view before the day of the sale and I don't want to promise it's cheap, but it'll be a bargain if your companion knows his/her stuff.) Email : contact@creditmunicipal.fr Horaires d'ouvertures : Lundi–vendredi : 8h30–17h30 But this is off the topic, so back to food.................

Dear All; Thanks for your input to my query and others on the Forum. Due to some family, personal and professional obligations we did less ethnic food on the fly than we'd planned. We had our best meal (once again) at #9 Park and a surprising tapas tasting at Tapeo. Great Bay did well with the scallops but poorly with the fish, indeed good old Legal did better. And as for ethnic I loved the eel at Peach Farm but almost nothing at Khao Sarn. "Chacun...." I suppose. But again, many thanks. Next to Paris, Boston rules.

Two thoughts: One, there's a lovely place called Le Dome du Marais, 53 bis Francs-Bourgeois 01.42.74.54.17 located in the spectacular setting of the ancient city pawnshop (the "new" one is nearby, great bargains on jewelry) which serves very good products. Second, to tie scarfs properly, Colette tells me, one must either be born French or have taken a course offered at WICE.

Interesting that Ribaut in Le Monde beat Ms Wells by a week in reporting it.

The week of November 1st, 2004 Figaroscope’s “C’est nouveau” awarded four hearts to Hiramatsu, 52, rue de Longchamp in the 16th, 01.56.81.08.80, open every weekday. Métro : Trocadéro. Menus at 130 and 180, à la carte about 150 € (see this thread for more.) Also, they awarded two hearts to the third Bel Canto, 6, rue du Commandant- Pilot in Neuilly-sur-Seine, 01.47.47.19.94, open everyday except Sundays and Mondays, Métro : Sablons, where the wait-staff sings OK operatic arias and the “lyrical” menu is 60 € (dinner only) as well as a new Bar à Huitres in the re-opened (for two years) Café de la Paix, Place de l’Opéra in the 9th, 01.40.07.36.36, open everyday until midnight (esp. convenient for those attending something at the Garnier). Métro : Opéra. Six oysters will run you from 12 € for the fines de Claire Number 4 from Oléron to 24 € for the spéciales creuses Gillardeau Number 1 and a “serious” plate of shellfish for two runs from 23-105 €. Finally, one heart each went to the bistro Au Grain De Sel, 13, rue Jean Beausire in the 4th, 01.44.59.82.82, open everyday except Saturday lunch, Sunday dinner and Mondays, Métro : Bastille, formula at lunch 20 €, à la carte 40 €. and a café-bar circa 1950 Le Cinquante, 50, rue de Lancry in the “bo-bo” 9th, 01.42.02.36.83, open everyday except Mondays from 5 PRM til 2 AM. Métro : République. Cost about 20 €. François Simon’s Hache Menu covered Joe Allen, 30, rue Pierre-Lescot in the 1st, 01.42.36.70.13. He asks “should you go?” You knew the answer: “No!” Readers will be thrilled to learn that this week’s Figaroscope Dossier is all about Hamburgers. Because this is the e-Digest of Record, I’ll give them: Original version: Coffee Parisien Breakfast in America Planet Hollywood Bugsy’s Hard Rock Café PDG McCoy Café The Adaptations: Devèz Hippopotamus Bombay Café Thursday-Friday’s Le Monde’s Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote about the return of game to the tables. As an example he notes that Taillevent’s lunch menu Nov 8th will consist of caviar, lobster, partridge, cheese and orange dessert. The venerable restaurant is at 15 rue Lamenais in the 8th, 01-84-95-15-01, closed weekends and has a menu at lunch for 70 €, a tasting menu for 130 € and a la carte, count on 120 and 140 €. He also mentions that game is appearing on the menus of Gérard Besson, Le Pressoir, Lucas-Carton, Alain Dutournier, Michel Rostang, Guy Savoy + l'Astrance. Last week, I summarized Jean-Claude Ribaut of Le Monde’s take on the Ducasse/Michelin fete; this week, Patricia Wells gives her similar tribute to him and the meal in an article entitled “A master class.” J-L Petitrenaud of L’Express reviewed Auberge et Cie, 23 rue Clauzel in the 9th, 01.48.78.74.40, which serves snails, smoked pork with dried tomatoes, veal foot, eel stew and nougat all for he a menu of 32 €. In addition he has a link to a review of another place he likes in Boisset, the Auberge de Concasty . November’s Where had an article by Alexander Lobrano concerning the reopening of Chiberta by Guy Savoy, already well-reported, in which he reports that their trademark “nouvelle cuisine,” which was revolutionary in the 1970’s is now “mainstream.” Lobrano also lists the fall’s hot places, whose coordinates can be found in prior posts above, in a piece entitled “Four Bistros & a Bakery”: L’Ami Marcel Marsagny Le Temps au Temps Le Vieux Chene Boulangerie-Restaurant-EK Odeon Finally, he too visited Murano Urban Resort and likes the “eye-candy service,” the air-kissing “sexy crowd” and the cooking which he describes as healthy and imaginative. Heather Stimmler-Hall, in her “Secrets of Paris” newsletter writes up several reasonably-priced places she’s been eating at and likes: the brasserie Le Martignac , 109 rue de Grenelle in the 7th; 01 40 62 98 64, Metro Varenne or Invalides; no menu and just three specials a day on the ardois but an unbeatable 12€ bill, with coffee; the co-op Le Temp des Cerises, 18 rue Butte aux Cailles in the 13th, 01 45 89 69 48, Metro Corvisart with a no smoking room, 10 € menu and open everyday except Saturday lunch and Sunday; a “traditional” Basque café Chez Gladines, 30 rue des Cinq-Diamants in the 13th, 01 45 80 70 10, Metro Corvisart with “giant, hearty salads,” an “enormous” cassoulet and cash only policy, open everyday from 9 AM until 2 in the AM; the chili con carne, Chile-Columbia food-serving Tierra del Fuego , 6 rue Ste-Marthe in the 10th, 01 42 39 46 21, Metro Colonel Fabien or Belleville with a 12 € menu, open evenings only and (the place you’ve passed and passed up a hundred times) – the Café Leffe, 41 rue de la Bucherie in the 5th, 0143 54 24 52, Metro St-Michel, with a starter, main and ¼ wine for 19 €, open everyday 8 AM til 2 AM. November’s Travel & Leisure had yet another mention of the “hipper-than-thou” Murano Urban Resort. The November Conde Nast Traveller listed a number of “Truffle Tables” in Provence: Chez Bruno in Lorges La Beaugravière in Mondragon Troisgros you know where and Le Louis XV in Monaco. The Voyages d’Affaires suggested three places for autumn: the Bar Vendôme at the Ritz in Paris, Tamarillos in Montpellier, and Le Cyros in Deauville. The November American Saveur had an article on the “Vintage Pyrenees” about the wines of Jurançon which mentioned two restaurants – Chez Ruffet + Le Goxoki. In the November Gourmet, there were two items of interest. First, Reine Sammut of La Fenière opened a new restaurant, Le Passage, in Aix-en-Provence which is said to be quite popular and the ubiquitous Alexander Lobrano had an article on Brittany which listed: L’Amphitryon, Aux Peskud, L’Escurial, La Fleur au Sel, Maison de l’Huître, Olivier Roellinger, La Taupinière, La Tête de Lard, La Vielle Tour + Le Yachtman. As a sign of their change, perhaps, the TimeOut website is a bit behind the curve, only now mentioning Joël Robuchon, Hélène Darroze, La Régalade, Chez Michel, L’Ami Jean + L’Entredgeu. I don’t mean to be unkind, because their section on this week is up to date, but restaurants seem to have suffered in their budget cuts. The website Paris Voice has saved me a lot of work with Julie Baker’s compendium of places in which to sample Beaujolais Nouveau. They are: Couleurs de Vigne Taverne Henri IV Aux Bons Crus Le Baron Rouge Le Sancerre La Tartine Le Rubis Cave La Bourgogne Bistrot des Augustins And in 2004, she added: Juveniles

From the Digest for the week of November 1st: Thursday-Friday’s Le Monde’s Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote about the return of game to the tables. As an example he notes that Taillevent’s lunch menu Nov 8th will consist of caviar, lobster, partridge, cheese and orange dessert. The venerable restaurant is at 15 rue Lamenais in the 8th, 01-84-95-15-01, closed weekends and has a menu at lunch for 70 €, a tasting menu for 130 € and a la carte, count on 120 and 140 €. He also mentions that game is appearing on the menus of Gérard Besson, Le Pressoir, Lucas-Carton, Alain Dutournier, Michel Rostang, Guy Savoy + l'Astrance.

In my weekly work for the Digest I came across a 2003 list of places in which to try Beaujolais Nouveau at the Paris Voice website. Many have been mentioned on this thread already but for what it's worth, they are: Couleurs de Vigne Taverne Henri IV Aux Bons Crus Le Baron Rouge Le Sancerre La Tartine Le Rubis Cave La Bourgogne Bistrot des Augustins Whoops, here's her 2004 addition Juveniles Edited by John Talbott several times for completeness.

FYI, today's Figaroscope gives it 4 hearts, the photo and top billing but after P Wells and Zouave's reports, one wonders what governed that decision

Been once, not bad, not blow your socks off, bill was quite a bit higher; never saw a reason to return. Now Taillevent in 1968 that was something else.

Sorry to be unable to answer, I just read the story coming to the US on the plane and didn't buy the Bottin yet.

I really second what Ptipois says; everyplace IS a dining area, no place is more than 25-40 minutes away from the Etoile subway stop; get a #2 map in major metro stops, search the threads on the French Forum to get the hang of things, and have fun.

As we've talked a lot in this forum lately, secrets for some are not for others. There are levels of the game. For the top guys, e.g. Simon and Demorand, writing for the dailies and weeklies, there are no secrets and the "word is out" within days or at least weeks (for example l'Ami Marcel); for those who write in English, e.g. Lobrano in the glossy Anglophonic monthlies, e.g. Gourmet and Where, it may take months (for example L'Ourcine) and for the guidebooks, e.g. Lebey and Timeout, in whatever language, it may be a year or at least 10 months (for example La maison de Jardin. That's why if you want something new and fresh you've got to either be a good flaneur or watch the current press.

I'm not sure what to say. It's a Gelateria/Patiserrie with what Apple thinks (and I agree) is gelati as good as they get and other goodies also good, eg almonds, canelli. I do not have the Apple article in the NYT but I'm sure you can get it from the archives for $3 or 4. It tells the whole story of the Costanzos and other places nearby. Is there something else you wanted (oh, its just off the Duomo square, actually visable from the Duomo steps). If you go to Sicily I would not miss Palermo; we did this time mainly because I'd recently spent a week there. But the food and museums are tops.

The Week of October 25th, 2004 On Monday, A Nous Paris’s Jerome Berger, doesn’t so much review (e.g. giving no blocks) as wax rhapsodic, as have others, about the cooking and history of Chef Eric Martins of L’Ami Marcel whose coordinates have appeared in prior posts. Wednesday, Figaroscope’s “ C’est nouveau” had only one 2-hearter - Le Jardinier, 5, rue Richer in the 9th, 01.48.24.79.79, open everyday except Saturday lunch and Sundays, where the menus at 11-19 E and a la carte food at 40 E and their shrimp, risotto with rouget and apple tart pleased Emmanuel Rubin and team. The one-hearters were Le Diogène, 2 P Cuisine, Tadoussac and Wash by Arcaffe. {Ed. Note: recently Le Diogène got 3/5 blocks from A Nous Paris, 2 P Cuisine got a good review from myself and Zurban, and Wash by Arcaffe frankly sounds like a bad joke; my point: “go figure!”} Figaroscope’s “Dossier” reviewed rice places in several categories: Rice Crispies: Murano Urban Resort Paella: Fogon Saint-Julien La Paella Black rice: Rosimar Suchi: Kinugawa Byriani Indian: Indra Cantonese rice: Tang Hainan rice: Le Palais de Choisy Senegalese: Waly Fay Risotto with cepes: L’Osteria Paolo Pétrini I Galosi Caffé Minotti Rice pudding: Café Constant Mon Vieil Ami Chez Michel La Régalade Chez l”ami Jean L’Ourcine And don’t forget: Les Délices d’Aphrodite for stuffed grape leaves La Poule au Pot for chicken with rice Les Charpentiers for a blanquette of veal with basmanti rice Moissonnier for a rice cake Passiflore for rice à l’Impératrice. Wednesday, also, in his “Haché Menu,” François Simon reviewed the Armani Café , which, to cut to the chase, he describes as redundant, e.g. butter with foie gras and had a bill of 175.50 for two (he notes that readers are often shocked by the size of his bills). “Should you go?,” he asks as always; “Yes, if you wish,” he replies. Finally on Wednesday, Figaroscope’s “Quartier” mentioned places in the 11th most of which are new, have been well-reviewed and are interesting: Mansouria Bistrot Paul-Bert L’Écallier du Bistrot the fish and esp. oyster offshoot of the above Le Temps au Temps Au Vieux Chêne Purple Café Chardenoux Pure Café which figured in the movie “Until Sunset.” Wednesday as well, Sebastien Demorand in Zurban, wrote up Murano Urban Resort which is getting a lot of press this fall for its edgy décor and chic clientele; the food, well, Demorand uses the phrase “il faut” four times and “il ne faut pas” once. As for his facing piece, “Les Restos à la Casserole,” he mentions a Japanese place, Ploum and a Sicilian one, the Café del Gattopardo, as well as one French wine-barish type place, Les Crâneuses, 72 bis, rue Jean-Pierre-Timbaud in the 11th, 01.47.00.37.59, seemingly (if I can decipher his elegant prose) aimed at women. À la carte it’s 10-15 E. Also of note, on the 3rd floor of Le Printemps, Pierre Gagniere has had a hand in (but not provided products such as langoustines, truffles or game that he serves at the Mothership on Rue Balzac), thus the easier prices, e.g. 20-35 E. Thursday in Le Figaro, François Simon had an article on the legal process between Pascal Rémy, author of “L’inspecteur se met à table,” (see thread on the book) and Michelin about his layoff from the company; the decision will be handed down December 14th. Also Thursday in Le Figaro, there was a little squib in “Personnages” about the new edition of the Lebey “Guide 2005 des restaurants de Paris” in which Lebey features cafés of yesteryear where the boss serves you a glass of wine at the bar and the madame prepares the daily special. It mentions two places as examples: the Café Constant + Les Papilles. Also, this year’s Lebey gives its highest rating to L’Astrance where Pascal Barbot serves 26 souls who reserve weeks in advance. Thursday-Friday, in Le Monde, Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote about a dinner for 47 three-star Michelin chefs held at Alain Ducasse’s where he served langoustines with caviar, scallops with cèpes and truffles, bar de ligne with veggies & fruit and rabbit. Ribault singles out three for comment: Ferran Adria of El Bulli for his explosive palette, Philippe Rochat, the magician of Crissier, Giradet’s most faithful and most talented follower and Gérard Rabaey from Le Pont de Brent in Brent, close to Vevey on the heights of Montreux who embodies Giradet’s spirit in French cooking. Thursday-Friday as well, Le Monde’s Jean-Claude Ribaut‘s “Toques” covered Ploum + La Table de Joël Robuchon see above and a fish place, Dessirier, 9, place du Maréchal-Juin in the 17th, 01.42.27.82.14, now renovated under the aegis of the Rostang group – count on 60-80 E; open every day. Saturday/Sunday was a busy day in Le Figaro. First, the top news is François Simon’s “Croque Notes” article, which he subtitles “ The Farce of the Food Guidebooks,” in which he notes the following: (1) “the surprise of the century” - that Bottin will demote the “number one” (sic) Le Plaza Athénée whether run by Alain Ducasse or Christophe Moret (no matter which) from four to three points (e.g. stars) while promoting Jean-Georges Klein of L'Arnsbourg in Baerenthal in the Moselle and Eric Briffard of the Elysées du Vernet in the 8th, (confirmed by AFP Sunday in a Voila.fr posting), (2) that Claude Lebey’s new “2005” Guide will give the dates restaurants are visited (shades of the critics of the “Michelin Red Guide”), (3) that the Guide Peugeot by Marc de Champérard will feature 11,900 addresses to “eat well every day,” (and if I understand Simonspeak, they adhere to the ISO 9000 standards, which perhaps some native will explain how quality standards for autos apply here), and (4) that Fooding, guided by Alexandre Cammas and Emmanuel Rubin (of Le Figaro,) which to my knowledge appeared first last year, will be an annual publication. But there’s more: in addition Alexandra Michot wrote both an article on and interview with Game’s Numero Uno in Paris, Gérard Besson, he of the eponymous restaurant located at 5, rue du Coq-Héron in the 1st, 01.42.33.14.74. No real surprises about game here, except that several restaurants, including his (which is traditional in serving hearty Burgundies), will be featuring game & interesting, some might say bizarre, liquids that are strong enough to counter the gibiers. They are: Game and single malts: Mellifere L’ Elysées du Vernet Pavillion Montsouris Relais D’Auteil Guy Savoy Teas: La Place, in the Radisson SAS Hôtel Champs- Elysées. 78 bis, av. Marceau in the 8th, 01.53.23.43.43 She also wrote an article on traiteurs for large events, accompanied by three recipes by Phillippe Legendre, Guy Martin and Pierre Hermé. Finally, a three page ad was published by the trade association of tripiers listing hundreds of restaurants featuring tripes, liver, tongue, kidneys, etc. I mention these articles and ads, which as of now are not to be found on their website, sorry, so that if you’re interested in the subjects, you can get the Saturday-Sunday, October 30-31 issue at your bookshop or the Figaro office or chase it down at the Bibliothèque National Mitterand reading room (which is a wonderful resource). In the October Where, Alexander Lobrano lists his favorite oyster places: Ballon & Coquillages Le Dôme de Villiers L’Huitrier Garnier Cap Vernet Le Bar à Huitres He also mentions that the restaurant at Le Meurice offers something I’ve never come across before: a do it yourself dessert trolley; you can add nuts, ice cream and sauces to your millefeuille choice(s).

I thought this interesting enough to not wait til the "Digest" was posted later today: François Simon’s “Croque Notes” article which he subtitles “ The Farce of the Food Guidebooks,” notes “the surprise of the century” - that Bottin will demote the “number one” (sic) Le Plaza Athénée whether run by Alain Ducasse or Christophe Moret (no matter which) from four to three points (e.g. stars) while promoting Jean-Georges Klein of L'Arnsbourg in Baerenthal in the Moselle and Eric Briffard of the Elysées du Vernet in the 8th. This was confirmed by AFP Sunday in a Voila.fr posting.

Figaroscope's lists in their "Dossiers" or "Quartiers," as opposed to "C'est nouveau" and their biannual compendia, which rate places by hearts (1-4) and numbers (1-10) respectively, do not allow one to judge much. I include them in the "Digest" mainly because they give some folks an indication of where to go depending on the dish they want or quartier they're in, which while the "Michelin Red Guide" does as well, is not nearly as inclusive or interesting. Jonathan's comment about company/establishment dining rooms is indeed one to heed. I was silly years ago when I declined to join friends in such places, but some of my nicest meals have been at the dining rooms at SocGen, the Ecole Polytechnique (open to the public) and, yes, even the French restaurant at the American Embassy (avoid the other two - the fastfood and American ones - unless you've been in Outer Mongolia for 10 years).

The fall restaurant scene in Paris: One new one - Au Temps au Temps and five repeats: L’Ecaillier du Bistrot, La Cerisaie, Les Fables de Fontaine, 2 P (Deux Pieces) Cuisine, Maison de Jardin. Some folks have asked why I never report on repeat visits to Paris restaurants, that is, aside from my ADHD, chronic fickleness and need for novelty. OK, here’s some follow-up – all coordinates have been given in the “Digest.” But first a new one - Temps au Temps, worth every bit the accolades it’s received, tucked away in the non-touristy but very happening 11th. Three of us ate there and did very well for 114.50 E. Firsts of rillettes of rabbit and palourdes stuffed with veggies were innovative and good; mains of scallops (without roe, with a long explanation why not) and a piece of Salers beef with a fabulous sauce and mashed potatoes which I loved (an exception); topped off with a mound of various chocolate stuff with a praline wrap, a apple tart and a sorbet; all accompanied by a surprisingly good and very drinkable Anjou. Now, in honesty, we had stopped off first at the L’Ecaillier du Bistrot up the street, for a dozen Utah Beach oysters with a bio white wine first – we’d been impressed by them a few weeks ago and couldn’t resist the urge. Damage = 40 E. Finally, to the repeats: La Cerisaie remains fabulous, with a changing menu, this time a wonderful terrine, wild duck and unbeatable moelleux of chocolate; all for 171.80 E for 4; warning!, you’ve got another month before the guidebooks spill the beans. The Maison de Jardin also holds up very well with ray, veal liver and perfect Floating Islands which even your grandmother would envy. 76.80 E for 3. 2 P Cuisine, aka Deux Pieces Cuisine; another place that holds up; the tartare of cod and scallops were perfectly prepared; the duck and pork and their accompanying potatoes exact. For 64 E for 3, one cannot do better. Les Fables de Fontaine, was OK for the firsts of friture and the mushrooms, but fell down on the scallops and pasta a la paella. The bill = 166 for 4.

Sicily – October 2004 – A golden oldie trip. First off, thanks to you all for your help and ideas – the Italy site is great! We were on our third trip to Sicily so we hit the high spots touristically speaking and ate largely where our cranky chauffeur stopped. Although we had the Michelin Green and Red Guides, the Rough Guide, (we found the Rough Guide to be most useful for leads In out of the way places as well as a general tour guide), L’Espresso, Gambera Rosso, Fodor, Plotkin, and the National Geographic, as eGulleteers know, there are not a lot of food recommendations available for those on the road. For what it’s worth, here is some feedback for future voyageurs (NB. We, as always, had a rental car and thus were not governed by city limits): Primafile in Terrasini (at the end of the southern runway of the Palermo airport but kilometers away) where we had an incredible seafood salad, pasta Trapanese and pasta with clams. Bill = 55 E. (Our plane was late, but they were still serving at 3PM) Rist. Monte San Giuliano in Erice which was touted in the NYTimes of October 3rd 2004 for Sicilian couscous (not harissa, lamb, chicken, zuccini-based as we are used to in the hexagon; but a different browner/bigger couscous grain, seafood ingredients and dense tomato based soup). Bill = 55 E for 2 at dinner. Da Bruno aka Africa in Selinute where we had locally caught fresh fish grilled to perfection; bill = 39 E for lunch. Kokalos in Agrigento where we had pizza (fresh funghi, porcini and other mushrooms). Bill = 29 E for dinner. (We were told that ‘locals’ frequent this large restaurant, but we were impressed by the large (and noisy) groups dining there.) Trattoria Templi in Agrigento as well where we had (once again) superior fresh grilled fish = 61.50 E for lunch. Rosemarie Tasca d’Almerita’s B&B on the Regalali Estate, deep in the vineyards, where we went from Sicilian amuse-gueules, to antipasti, to cherrio-shaped pasta with ragu, to tightly wrapped sausage and baby tomatoes, to fruit and pastries with accompanying aperitifs, wines, dessert wine and grappa. Fabulous. 160 E for 2 for B&B and dinner. (contact via email: rostascalm@hotmail.com) Al Cordoba in Aidone, where they had none of the dishes we wanted from the menu and the wait-ladies were bored & the music too loud. Bill = 46 E for lunch. Eremo della Giubiliana outside Ragusa, an elegant place that is listed as an agriturismo but is more like a paradore/posada, where we had dinner for 46 E with a fava bean soup, rabbit, stuffed foccacia and pork. (the accommodations were OK but very pricey: 240E) After a horrible lunch with hoards of flies around the outdoor table in Noto at Il Griglio, for 30 E, but better left forgotten, my wife Colette and I went down the hill from the Duomo to the Corrado Contanzo for a spot of gelato; ordered them plus a cannoli, coffee and a grappa and sat down only to discover that the Scarlet Pimpernel of Food, none other than our old mentor R.W. (Johnnie) Apple, had been there first (NYT Dec 22, 1999). I’ve got to give it to him (and Betsey) it was everything he said it was. Cost = 11.70 E for a lot. That night we stayed at another very nice new & modern agriturismo, La Percola, outside Sicacusa where we made the mistake of eating the 22 E meal with watery wine and mystery meat, never again! We should have ‘unreserved’ when we saw the chef saunter in at 6PM with a gallon jug of wine. (To get a pleasant room on the 2nd floor, reserve ahead) Don Camillo (Siracusa), one of the two Michelin two-forkers in Ortigia delivered with good cozze, gnocchi and swordfish = 61 E. (We enjoyed yet another Regalali wine with this meal.) That night, we went to a local (10 km or so away in Belvedere) pizzeria, a huge place with an entirely local clientele and very very respectable food La Frateria; bill = 28.10 E. There seem to be a number of B&B places in the area and the Siracusa tourist office has a brochure that lists them.) Finally, not to be left out or glossed over was our “last meal” before our (fine and very reasonably priced) Volare flight back to Parigi; we ate at the airport self-service and it was not bad at all for steam-table food = 30.30 E.

Good point. My wife who is a scallop freak noted the same trend; eg having corail last season but not last week at the Fables for instance. The best quenelles I've had recently were at Les Ormes; coordinates & details in one of my posts (they've moved from the 16th to the old Bellecour space in the 7th).

danhd sounds right but calva is quicker As for I have found marcassin and biche to work well, altho one does use up a lot of otherwise good wine.

Yesterday's Figaro had a full page on the Mayor's new initiative. Good news: 30 restos have "voluntarily" put up the sign saying "here it's 100% smoke free." Bad news: there are 12,000 places in Paris. Also, there was an interview of Didier Chener of "Oh ! Poivrier" which is among them, where he states he's unafraid of a drop in customers.

For those in Paris, however, there's at least one source: Maitre Mathieu, a take-out rotisserie place on the rue du Poteau in the 18th. A few years ago I saw his predecessor "Maitre Guillaume's" sign indicating dinde for le Thanksgiving and at the time I asked, he had almost 30 orders. Since there are not that many Americans around folks are coming from somewhere else. To be honest, however, about my meal that Thursday, it'll be game of some sort not dinde. Sorry, but I cannot pass that up for turkey.

The Week of October 18th, 2004 François Simon, a few days back, in his October 15th “Croque Notes,” writes in an article titled “A real restaurant” about the Le Montrachet, in Puligny-Montrachet, 03.80.21.30.06 which features charolais beef, escargots, foie gras, pigeon, lobster, pork; all Burgundian writ large, plus attentive service from the 1960’s. Monday, in his usual “Table d’Affaires” spot in Le Figaro Entreprises, he also reviewed and gave 3 of 5 stars to Chez Serge, 7 bd Jean-Jaures in St-Ouen, 01.40.11.06.42, which he calls a “solid” and smart address serving foie gras, steak, pork shank, red tuna, tete de veau, veal liver, shrimp salad, clafoutis and fondant of chocolate for about 30 E (business menu=22 E); closed Saturday and Sunday. His sole reservation – too many men. Alexandra Michot, on her part, is talking about the foods of autumn, such as scallops at the Hyatt Madeleine + 59 Poincaré, mushrooms, specifically cepes, at Michel Rostang, Chinoiseries, + Crillon game at La Traversière, Relais d'Auteuil, Guy Savoy, Chamarré, + Chambord, sole, turbot, sweetbreads, tripes at the Atelier de Joël Robuchon, L'Absinthe, Pré Catelan, + la Poêle d'or and millefeuille at the Pré Catelan, Café Moderne, l'Hôtel Meurice + Guy Savoy. Monday’s A Nous Paris gave three/five blocks this week to both Le Diogène, 89, bd de Courcelles in the 8th, 01.43.80.78.22 where they feature eggs in red wine, etc sauce, marinated tuna and prune clafoutis, menu at lunch 16 E, à la carte 40E, open 7/7 and Dans le Noir, 5, rue Quincampaix in the 4th, 01.42.77.98.04, the place already mentioned in eGullet where you’re literally “in the dark,” but where you choose your dishes in the light from an ardoise running 23-35 E or from the surprise menu at 21-37 E. They liked and could readily identify the fish and baba au rum but were less enthusiastic about other items. Last week’s issue had another 3-blocker, Frugier 137, av de Versailles in he 16th, 01.46.47.72.00 which has been getting some good press since it opened; featuring Chef Frugier’s (ex of the Terrasse Mirabeau) one man bistro show: veal ribs with ginger, gambas and green beans wok-prepared and tartlette with caramel; menu = 29 E, closed Sunday and Monday. The week before they featured a “Tour de Monde in a plate” with: La Mezyana de Chez Jean, Fogón, Saint-Julien, Wally le Saharien, Au Petit Paris a Croatian place, and Les Délices d’Aphrodite; all 4/5 except La Mezyana 3/5 and Au Petit Paris 2/5. Of note, as well, is A Nous Paris’s monthly “Coups de Coeur” in which they feature Le Point Bar, coordinates already given and praised by others, including me. Wednesday, Figaroscope’s “C’est nouveau” had scant news of must-go-to French places: they gave 2 hearts each to a Thaï place Mum Sabai and to an Italian one Taverna de Gli Amici and one heart each to a wine-charcuterie-cheese destination Chez Pantagruel, 26, rue Berthollet in the 5th, 0147.07.09.85; a “b.a.-b.a.” bistrot, Les Bouffes de l’Hôtel de Ville where everything was over-something, eggs overcooked; girolles overlimp;” and Man Ray, under its new chef from Le Meurice who’s raising the level of its dishes and apparently also their prices (27-35 E formulas and a la carte 60 E) Figaroscope’s “Dossier” reviewed “Business lunches” for the following types: Political: Chez Françoise Tante Marguerite Ferme St-Simon Maison de l’Amérique Latine Esplanade Le Divellac Le Dôme Chez Ramulaud Media: Murat Relais Plaza Zébra Square Pichet Le Divellec Chiberta Cap Vernat Table d’Anvers Fashion and Show-Biz: la Suite l’Orénac Grill du Park Hyatt Vendôme Rue Balzac Pierre à la Fontaine Gaillon Thiou Fouquet’s Publishing: Drouant Cigale-Récamier Perron Duc Dôme Rotonde Montparnasse Montalembert Laurent Paris Orient Extrême Gaya Rive Gauche Flore Lipp Closerie des Lilas Big Bosses: Les Ambassadeurs Le Meurice Alain Passard Taillevent Laurent La Salle-à-Manger Other: J’Go I Golosi Le Soleil La Cave Gourmande Wednesday, in his “Haché Menu,” François Simon reviewed one of the above, Le Dome, the famed fish place on the Boulevard Montparnasse. Bottom line: no need to return. The reasons: (1) his 6 belons (costing $5 each and one of which stank) arrived “dead from cold” sitting on a platter hastily composed of seaweed, and when he complained the waiter seemed not to understand, “not good?, not good?, and left; (2) his sole was soaked in a villainous and murderous sauce. His bill = 182.30 for two. Wednesday as well, Sebastien Demorand in new sized Zurban, wrote up Suave 20 rue de la Providence in the 13th, 01.45.89.99.27, which serves what sounds like pan-Asiatic (Vietnamese, Chinese, Thaï) cuisine and in his “Casseroles” section three other places, the Bistrot du 1er 95, rue St-Honoré, 01.40.28.02.62, closed Saturday lunch, Sunday and Monday night, which looks like an Irish pub and serves overcooked pasta and hamburgers; le Traiteur d’Italie 152, rue de Charonne in the 11th, serving good pasta; and 2P Cuisine 65, rue du Ruisseau in the “gentrified” 18th, 01.42.23.31.23 where he had (one month after it opened and 3 weeks after I reported on it in eGullet {Ed. Note - pretty impressive speed!} a terrine of lamb with dry fruit and nearly blue-cooked duck with honey, mint and citrus fruit. Wednesday, coincident with Zurban’s arrival, the October-November GaultMillau arrived in my mailbox without a single review of a Paris restaurant (what a change in a few decades and how sad). However, for those who follow the formation and meanderings of chefs there was an article on ten top ones, showing their ages and past histories: Gilles Choukroun, 38 Le Café des Delices + “Angl’Opera - (La Truie qui file) Inaki Aizpitarte, 32 La Famille – Le Café des Delices Phillippe Tredgeu, 35 L’Entredgeu - (La Pérouse + Chez Casimir) Thierry Blanqui, 36 Beurre Noisette - (La Tour d’Argent, Ritz, La Marée, Opéra Grand Hôtel + Ledoyen) Yohann Moraccini, 27 De Lagarde - (La Table d’Anvers, Tante Louise, Armée, L’Arpège + La Braisière) Sylvain Danière, 29 L’Ourcine – (Closerie des Lilas, Fauchon, Harrods, Phillippe Detourbe, Café Royal, Plaza Athénée, La Régalade + Le 70) William Le Deuil, 39 Ze Kitchen Gallery - (Ecole de Commerce, Ecole Supérieure de Cuisine Française + Guy Savoy) Bertrand Bluy, 32 Les Papilles - (Auberge de l’Eridan, Troisgros, Barbacane, le Bristol + Taillevent) Stéphane Jégo, 32 L’Ami Jean - (La Régalade) Nicolas Vagnon, 29 La Table de Lucullus - (Le Bamboche, L’Assiette, Les Olivades + Le Bon Acceuil) And they credit also Yves Camdeborde and Gilles Choukroun as founders of the “new trend” as well as give a nod to Alain Ducasse, the brothers Pourcel, Joël Robuchon and Antoine Westermann. Friday, Patricia Wells in the IHT reviewed a butcher in the 14th: the Bucherie Hugo Desnoyer, 25 rue Mouton-Duvernet in the 14th, 01.45.40.76.67 which she entitled “Butcher to the best,” her editors corrected it to “Butcher to the Stars,” in any case that tips off her views. Friday as well, Francois Simon’s “Croque Notes” in Le Figaro was entitled “The Grandeur and Humility” and discussed several things/places: L'Arsouille , 17 rue Paul-Bert in Rennes, where Simon had a good meal with suitable wine; L’Ampère 1, rue Ampère in the 17th, 01.47.63.72.05, where Philippe Detourbe, ex of the resto in the 15th has been cooking for 2 years, recharging his batteries; and L’Ami Marcel, 33, rue Georges-Pitard in the 15th, 01.48.56.62.06, which he calls the address of the moment {and which is beloved by everyone but me.} Champs-Elysees, the audio teaching tool, had a piece this month on La Fontaine Gaillard, Place Gaillon in the 2nd, 01 47 42 63 22, Gerard Depardieu’s place that has been open for a while, indicating that it was the buzz of high society. The actor is interviewed by Evelyn Pagès and talks more about his “companion,” the décor and his chef than the food. Zurban, October 6th, published a little note, indicating that (1) the Mayor has designed stickers for places that says “établissement sans tabac” and Liberation said there is an internet site that lists no smoking places all over, including a list of 80 such restaurants in Paris. Finally, December 6th, the Restos du Coeur begins its winter soup-kitchen operation which serves over 600,000 meals a day from over 2000 centers; donations can be sent to Restaurants du Coeur 75515 Paris Cedex 15.

And here I thought I was too cynical. Oh well, at least some provide more than a "no smoking table." As of today La Cerisaie remains no smoking throughout.