John Talbott

Zurban, October 6th, published a little note, indicating that (1) the Mayor has designed stickers for places that says “établissement sans tabac” and (2) also indicated that Liberation said there is an internet site that lists no smoking places all over, including a list of 80 such restaurants in Paris.

No car but willing to go anywhere the "T" will take us.

Actually, I find that more fun, so am taking 1 nonfiction and 1 fiction that's set in Sicily.

Staying on Newbury Street, convention center is the Hynes, any ethnicity but not French nor crabs since I get plenty in France & Baltimore. Thanks

No, this week we'll be in Sicily and not Tuscany so I saw no need to read it. Sometime maybe. And Bux, recall that he misspelled Claiborne's name as Craigh too.

The week of October 11, 2004 François Simon’s Croque Notes” appeared Monday. In it he discusses the “virtual” absence of Alain Ducasse from the Plaza Athénée and the passage of its cooking from Jean-François Piège to Christophe Moret, who returned its tone towards “classicism,” which Simon says is closer to his boss’s intent, albeit perhaps pushing the envelope a bit much. Lovers of Simon-speak and A.D. might want to read the original. Also Monday, in Figaro Entreprises, Simon reviews La Cerisaie already well covered in/by eGullet, and subtitles it “It’s so good,” for once telegraphing his opinion rather than forcing you to divine it. 20 covers, full in 10 minutes, prices are reasonable (8 E entrees, 13.80 E mains, 7 E desserts), and the menu depends on the market and season. He will go back. Wednesday’s Figaroscope listed in their usual C’est nouveau 3 restos of 2-heart quality: the Café Guitry in the Théâtre Edouard-VII, 10, place Edouard-VII in the 9th, 01.40.07.00.77 open every evening until 9 PM, Métro : Madeleine-Opéra, menus at 24 and 28 E (a la carte 35-40 E) and mention the rabbit terrine, tartare and nothing-to-talk-about cheesy dessert with caramel; Ploum , 20, rue Alibert in the 10th, 01.42.00.11.90, open every day, featuring “neo-nippone” cuisine (e.g. tartare of “chinchard” {yes, I had to look it up too, it’s also called saurel, scad or horse}, Kobe beef, tiramisu with green tea) at about 35 E, Métro : Goncourt; and the Café Moderne, which by my calculation turned over chefs in under a year, and they think it’s better than before (it sure did nothing for me last December), menu-carte at 20-35 E, with fried soft-boiled eggs, creamed spinach, confit of lamb with apricots and a “soupe” of pineapples. One heart each was awarded to Le Petit Moulin, 4, rue Saint-Merri in the “saucy” Marais/4th, 01.48.87.47.59, open every day, Métro : Hôtel-de-Ville with an “honorable” quiche lorraine, chicken tandoori and not bad tarte du jour (then why did it get only one heart?) and High Noon, 38, rue de Berri in the 8th, 01.45.62.20.20 a fast food place open every weekday from 10-8, Métro : George-V. Figaroscope’s ”Dossier” (with the usual long description of each followed by pluses and minuses which you can check out yourself) is of Restaurant-Epiceries: Les Vivres La Crémerie aka Les Caves Miard Byzance Da Rosa Les Papilles Aux Pipalottes Gourmandes Terres de Truffes Rouge Tomate Be Finally, in Figaroscope this week, François Simon’s “Hache Menu” covers Pasta Linea, 9, rue de Turenne in the 4th, 01.42.77.62.54, closed Mondays but open other weekdays 11-9 and weekends 12-8, which features Italian ham, etc. He says “Go.” Also on Wednesday, Sebastien Demorand in Zurban reviewed Les Caves Miard, 9, rue des Quatre-Vents in the 6th, 01.43.54.99.30 – also mentioned in the Figaroscope Dossier summarized above which specializes in Italian products suitable for eating with your aperitif. In addition, he revisits Au C’Amelot, coordinates well-known, whose menu (albeit a bit limited) changes rapidly and whose appeals to an international clientele (“franco-japano-danois”) as well as Cibus + Cok Ming, respectively, Italian and pan-Asian restaurants. I usually do not dwell on foreign food here but Demorand’s description of the dishes served at the former sounded wonderful (carpaccio, langoustines, parmesan, courgettes, etc.). Thursday-Friday’s Le Monde’s Toques en Pointe featured Jean-Claude Ribaut’s take on: the Brasserie Le Congrès Maillot, 80, avenue de la Grande-Armée in the 17th, 01-45-74-17-24 open every day which features the usual oysters as well as confited lamb cheeks with olives Thursday and loin of lamb on Sundays, menu at lunch = 26 E, a la carte 45 E, plus restos Silk & Spice, 6, rue Mandar in the 2nd, 01-44-88-21-91, open every day 12-3 and 7:30-12 MN, a Thai place and Fontana Rosa, 28, bd Garibaldi in the 15th, 01-45-66-97-84, an Italian place open every day. October’s Gourmet has a small photo and little blurb entitled “A New Bistro Has Le Tout Paris Talking,” about L’Ourcine, as I predicted in July. A few pages back, there is another piece by Alexander Lobrano on “theme restaurants,” which have been mentioned by myself and others already on eGullet. They include: Pomze, Rouge Tomate, Bellota-Bellota + Ballon & Coquillages. France, the US not the UK version, has an article by Alexandre Lazareff about “Imagination on the Menu” in which he reviews many places already well-reported on eGullet. They are: Hotel Restaurants: Le Crillion Le Meurice Plaza-Athenée Le Lancaster Le Vendôme New Addresses: La Table de Joël Robuchon L’Absinthe L’Ourcine Le Chêne Vert Le Libre Sens now occupying the Korova space at 33 Marboeuf (01.53.96.00.72) 40 E, described as less flashy and more professional and La Petite Cour in which he has Gilles Epié still there (no longer true.) In L’Express, J-L Petitrenaud’s “Saveurs” reviews Au Rendez-vous, 14 avenue de Wagram in the 17th, 01 42 27 23 57, notable for its fig alcool, couscous, bekaila (beans, spinach & beef), etc. Gayot.com has listed DeVèz, 5, pl de l’Alma in the 8th, 01.53.67.97.53 as “New and Notable.” It serves Aubrac beef 12 ways (shades of Le Duc….) from tapas to rotissed. RestoaParis.com gives its Coup de Coeur to La Tourelle, 5, rue Hautefeuille in the 6th, 01-46-33-12-47, Metro : Saint-Michel, open 11 AM to 10:30 PM nonstop weekdays and 7-10:30 PM Saturday. Menu at lunch and dinner at 10 and 14,50 E respectively. Qualifying as good food news, Alexandra Michot announces the welcome arrival, as of October 4th, of scallops and Jean Miot the opening of the game (partridge, wild duck, wood-pigeon, grouse and le lièvre à la royale) season at Le Relais d'Auteuil, 31, boulevard Murat in the 16th, 01.46.51.09.54, closed Saturday and Monday lunch and Sundays. Menus : 48 (lunch)-105-135 E, à la carte : 70-100 €. Finally, since this was “Food week” in France, I think Friday’s report from French word a day qualifies as news and those interested in expanding their French can get it free daily here. P.S. Late-breaking news – R.W. (Johnnie) Apple, chief politico-foodophile for the NYT will hold his 70th birthday party in Paris next month and the weekend FT reports that Calvin Trillin will write it up in Gourmet; I’d advise those on Apple’s A-list to sign up soon for a great feed. Please start a new topic if you wish to reply to the Digest. Please do not respond to the Digests by posting in this thread.

Greetings - We have several food opportunities while in Boston in early November and am most curious to know of (1) a place for lunch Sunday (2) 2 ethnic places for Saturday and Sunday evenings where we can either get reservations now (eg two weeks in advance) or walk in and (3) somewhere open Monday lunch. We love food not décor, innovation not classicism and price not pomp. (I know Boston a bit, having been born, grown up and gone to college there, but the restaurant scene changes so rapidly I love to try new places). Many thanks.

For the subheadline-challenged, like myself, readers should note that in the Figaroscope Dossier, the Caves Miard is titled La Crémerie even though the accompanying photo shows the Miard in the window. Zurban, on the other hand, entitles the review Les caves Miard. Edited by John Talbott to correct misspellings.

Gilles Pudlowski – “Comment être critique gastronomique et garder la ligne.” Rocher, 2004, 14,90 E. 160 pages Following François Simon’s “Comment se faire passer pour un critique gastronomique sans rien y connaître” here is the Pudlo’s view of his métier; less funny than Simon, more serious about his figure but equally passionate about his food. (Warning for those tempted to go to the end to find “the” secret; there isn’t one. There’s nothing here about diet and exercise you wouldn’t find in a Jane Brody’s column – but that doesn’t mean it’s uninteresting.) 1. A funny job. GP, as I’ll refer to him, is asked thousands of times, “That’s a job you have?” But he thinks he’s a journalist, a reporter and at the same time, a chronicler of things literary and gastronomic. While he used to be ashamed of the job, he’s past that. Now the worst thing is an obligatory meal; in Stockholm recently, he says he lunches here, dines there, runs to the covered market, tastes herring, etc., and it wrecks his schedule of 12:30 lunch and 8 PM dinner. He reels off the dishes he’s expected to “taste” that an up and coming chef prepares and feels like vomiting. He talks about places with 4 amuse-gueules, several wines from around the world; etc which he thinks is either crazy or exhibitionistic. But he’s determined not to become obese, alcoholic, dishonest, stupid, megalomaniac or all of the above. Everybody envies him, though, thinking he’s on perpetual vacation. And he suffers though hard bread, vinegary wines, and gloomy hotels, badly prepared or dangerously spoiled fish, even in the most glorious places (e.g. Hong Kong) because it’s his job. 2. Who made you such an expert? He quotes Isaac Stern’s dictum that critics are like eunuchs, who know a lot but can’t do much. Some cooks turn into critics (e.g. Senderens, Robuchon and Coffe) while some writers turn to cooking (Gault). But to be a critic you’ve got to have lots of judgment criteria and lots of things to compare each thing to. You taste, you test, you eat, you ask but you don’t stuff yourself. Millau said that in this game, some know how to write, some know how to eat but rarely know both. GP writes for hours every day, at the end and early in the AM. You operate by comparison, by knowing sweet and sour, by knowing all types of foreign dishes. And if honesty is your best policy you may be believed by some and feared by others but you’ll be respected by everyone. 3. How do you keep in shape when eating all this? Elementary: you can’t lose weight by eating. So if you eat everything that passes your plate in 10 years you’ll easily gain 30 pounds. GP like everyone likes to start with the amuse-gueules, especially when he’s hungry and has an empty stomach. And like everyone, he wants to try the dessert. But to finish a “marathon” meal without gaining weight is an oxymoron. He tells the story of having a 7 course meal prepared by Roland Mazère (as thin as a tennis player) who asked him how he (GP) could eat it all. And he says now he does not; he asks for half-portions or even in Alsace, insists on a plate of assorted fish or meat or desserts. Even then how does one stay thin? Answer: you don’t eat it all; you eat but parsimoniously; you taste but what’s on the tip of your fork. 4. The key word is balance. Begin with a small lunch, more liquid than solid, cut pieces up, leave some and have as little as possible at dinner. He’s critical of Americans who have a sandwich at lunch but a big dinner; stressing that it takes 3 hours to digest a big meal. What else?: eat ‘til you’re full, no more; pass up the dessert and eau de vie; the rule is you should leave the table just a bit hungry. But watch out, Sundays when you go out with your kids to a film, it’s all too easy to have that ice-cream or pop-corn. 5. How best to pass up a temptation? If you crave truffles, foie gras, langoustines, lobster, caviar, pibales etc, fine, but learn to vary your pleasures and oddly enough you’ll look more forward to new tastes than old standards. He names every chef in the starred world from Veyrat to Gagniere and says he’s most interested in how they replace sauces with emulsions and what’s new to each one rather than a knock-off of, say, El Bulli. 6. All regions are not equal. That is, Lyon has cream, butter, fat, wine and charcuteries while Provence has olive oil, fish and vegetables and fruit. His worse meals have been heavy creamy ones and he tells the story of the mayor of Lyon who when reminded by his secretary to stick to his diet, orders the waiter to cancel the lettuce. Again the bottom line; alternate your pleasures. 7. I know nothing of glucids and lipids. I’m not sure why this is here except to reinforce his position that he’s advocating sensible eating based on logic not chemistry and to indirectly and at times directly question Michel Montignac’s dietary fads of the 1980’s. He says he is awed by people like Karl Lagerfield who went from 225 lbs to 132 lbs by following Dr Jean-Claude Houdet’s diet for a year of green beans, hard boiled eggs, shrimp and halibut without wine or spirits or desserts. 8. Each morning is a test of courage. Since he came from the Lot, he once had managed to eat fois gras five times a day. Now he’s challenged to find light and lightening dishes made by chefs like Passard and Savoy as well as foreign cuisines such as Japanese or Italian. 9. Foreign food. It’s clear he loves foreign food and it suits him: Vietnamese, Thai, even American soul-food. 10. A brief elegy on green tea. He says he got the idea from Passard who like Dorian Gray, stays young and whose secret is green tea and he devotes six pages to the wonder drink. 11. Water, the other elixir. Oddly enough, in a chapter devoted to water, he starts out by quoting an Alsatian Nobel Laureate who insists his key to clear thinking is a glass of kirsch a day. But then he goes on to talk about more types of bottled water than I knew existed and he says he loves each one and their differences. 12. Don’t you want to take a break? This chapter revolves around a simple story that while in Lucerne, after the fish and meat, he waited a long time (he likens it to “Waiting for Godot”) until the waitress says “Don’t you want a break?” 13. The Plimsoll line (which indicates the maximum safe loading levels on a ship). Fat? He mentions several “large” chefs in the business and compares them with Guérard’s cuisine minceur. This chapter, like many others, mentions chefs and what they prepare and eat when out with him, which I found numbing after a while. 14. Let me tell you about Italy. I think 80 pages into the book, his editor said, that’s not enough, so things begin to get “thin,” no joke intended, at this point. This chapter is rhapsodic about Italy where he loves the sights, eats well and has lost two pounds with each visit. 15. The tricks to look good. GP says he’s not thin: 168 lbs, 6 feet, size 48 but his best friend is his tailor so he looks great. Then he gives his dress code suggestions: first, over-dress to avoid nasty surprises; second, wear classic rather than casual clothes; third, no sneakers, but black shoes; and fourth, grey and black make you look thinner. 16. To save yourself. He relates his various weights at 20, at marriage, at maximum, etc. and notes that overeating ages you. He says he avoids group dinners (where I guess it’s inevitable to eat a lot and drink champagne etc.) 17. Eat with your eyes. It just takes a glace to judge food; so if he’s trying to lose calories, he just looks. As an example he relates a trip to Lyon “yesterday” where by my count he had 6 food occasions but lost 4 ounces as well as a lunch with Bocuse and Troisgros at Hiramatsu where he dares to suggest one can eat “intelligently.” 18. Think of your body. In which he relates losing 3 sizes through a tummy tuck 10 years ago; after which he craved food less, did sports even though not talented and leaves his plate half-eaten. He says each day is a battle and that holiday meals are potential disasters. (Again, there’s lots of dishes mentioned, chefs acknowledged, etc.) 19. And for you normal folks. Here he notes that Craigh (sic) Claiborne had each dish three times before he wrote it up; not he, because that’s not what normal folks do. Then he tells how he arranges his day; he works at lunch, thus he tries to eat lunch at creative places (say in the 8th) and eat dinner to amuse himself at bistrots of friends say in the 11th. 20. The benefits of water-therapy (as in “thalassothérapie”). He takes a week and goes to one of them, eats “correct foods” like vegetables and fish, and returns refreshed. 21. All-fish diets. The best way to follow “thalassothérapie” is to continue eating fish a la vapeur. 22. And on vacation? He doesn’t know the word, but he does go over Noel to Alsace and at the beginning of the year abroad (e.g. India, China, etc.) 23. The less I eat, the better I carry myself. Despite this phrase that begins and ends this chapter, the middle is taken up recounting meals of the chefs (geniuses all) with whom he’s eaten from the 1980’s to present. 24. The ascetic moral. One can suicide a “la Grande Bouffe” if one eats too much and you can die of hunger. He advises us to eat with pleasure but minimally and not to have to taste and/or eat everything. 25. Salute to his friend Fritz (Kobus) This chapter is a salute to his favorite fictional food-lover, the product of two alsatio-lorrainian writers. 26. Be convivial. In which he discusses the “lesson of Fritz,” e.g. to have a good time, in the context of Alsatian cuisine. 27. An elegy to walking. In which he waxes about walking around the countryside which not only keeps one fit but allows you to see the true France. 28. All clouds have a silver lining. GP declares that he suffers for us when he eats an off meal, gets put in a room facing a concrete wall, finds a cockroach in his salad, etc. The implication is that his discovery of bad food warns us off, saving us from having the same experience. He gives one example where nothing was good and he told the waiter just that when asked. 29. The warning shot across the bows. He starts by saying there are days he feels like quitting and then goes on to mention many of the famous food critics for the national dailies and monthlies. 30. Hold on until you retire, Léon. A continuation of the litany of food critics, men and then women (things get so sloppy here that he mentions Ruth Herschel (Reichl) of the New York Times.) Finally he mentions his elder chef-friends and mentors in what should have been an acknowledgement section. And with that he stops.

Sorry, haven't been in 3-4 years. It was good then though.

Now, these are interesting points. At what point do the fabulous meals at FD's cross the line into "it's just too much and too rich" to bear? Just two weeks ago we had two meals at starred places in Dijon; one we could easily walk away from delighted and satisfied and able to think about dinner at least conceptually; the other, so full of amuse bouches, sorbets, mignardises, caramels, desserts, etc etc etc that it left us too stunned to think straight. And then again, maybe it's just age, because 20 years ago we went through Burgundy eating two of those a day - alas, no more! I'll soon be posting my notes on the new Pudlowski book "Comment être critique gastronomique et garder la ligne" in which he gives some interesting tips on such like.

Sounds like he's the type to quote de Gaulle as well: "How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?" And Jackal10 I think you get the prize. That sounds correct to me. Good reasoning. Thanks.

This quote of Talleyrand's, “Une nation qui a trente religions et un seul plat n'est pas un peuple civilizé," appeared in Le Figaro I believe October 1st and France-Amerique 18-24 September. It dates from 1794 so it can't refer to a Big Mac; any Talleyrand scholars out there know what was our only dish in 1794?

Beware; the sign outside lists all sorts of great dishes, almost none of them served the day you want to eat. A big deception (in the US sense). We were told "oh that's what we can and might serve."

Stop torturing me.

#9 Rue du Poteau in the 18th shrink wraps; I'm sure Cantin in the 7th, Alleosse in the 17th and both Bon Marche and Galeries L. must d/t # of foreigners I see ordering cheese. But there must be a thread somewhere. Lacking that; check the Produits (last) section in each arrondissement in Pudlo. Sorry.

The week of October 4, 2004 Sunday, Le Journal du Dimanche had several items: first a set of reviews of Restaurants and Mode/Styles by Astrid De T’Serclaes in which she reviewed La Table de Joël Robuchon + Le Comptoir de Thiou already well-reported here. Not much new; and “A Table Avec…..Guy Savoy” in which he listed his favorite affordable Paris restos: Le P’tit Bouchon, Le Rendez-vous + Le Montefiori; and finally ran an interview with Hervé dos Santos from Languedoc who (as I said before) will be cooking at Ducasse’s as part of his young chef who are “rising stars” presentations. Wednesday, Figaroscope’s “C’est nouveau” awarded two hearts to Le Bamboche, 15, rue de Babylone in the 7th, 01.45.49.14.40 open every day but Sunday for lunch, Métro : Sèvres-Babylone after Claude Colliot’s departure. They note the prices are pricier: about 60 € (à la carte); menus: 28 et 35 € but advise you to see for yourself. They also gave two hearts to Il Lotti suggesting you take Jane Fonda (who stays there) and one heart to the Café Loom, Marché Malassis. 142, rue des Rosiers Saint-Ouen; 01.40.10.04.26, open every day but Tuesday from 8 AM to 6 PM, Métro : Porte de St-Ouen. Broken hearts went to Renoma Café + Piace Caffé. François Simon’s “Haché Menu” in Figaroscope reviews Les Papilles; subtitled “sparkling,” already mentioned here, a charming sort of resto-in-a wine space place where the cases and bottles of wine surrounding you are available for a corkage fee of 6E. After the usual Simon-speak, this is the most enthusiastic review I’ve read of his in a while. I won’t summarize the food because everything is different from what I had only a few months ago, so it’s obvious the chef is constantly renewing the carte. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” this week concerns itself with wine. First off they list places from which you can “doggy bag” (sic) your wine: Clément, les Brasseries Flo, Bofinger, Vaudeville, Terminus Nord, Coupole, Balzar, Julien, Bœuf sur le Toit, Bistro Romain, Androuët, Chai 33. Then they list places that serve “organic wines:” Le Verre volé, La cave du Chapeau Melon, Le Vin de Zinc. Third, is a list where “wines are explained” (it sounds like you’re told more than you need to know): Pierre, Market, Le Vin dans les Voiles. Then, places where “wines are less expensive” usually because you choose them from the shop and pay a corkage fee (5-20 E): Le bistrot-cave Pétrissans, La Muse Vin, Les Papilles, Le Zinc des Cavistes, La Cave de l’Os à Moelle, Lavinia, Couleurs de vigne, Les Domaines. Fifth are places where you can get “wine by the glass:” Lucas Carton, L’Atelier et La Table de Joël Robuchon, Ledoyen, L’Angle du Faubourg, Spoon, Chai 33. Then, places where the sommelier will “daringly open great wine” (but not very great) bottles for a glass, charging one-fifth the bottle price: Les Muses, Le Meurice. Finally (feminists hold your noses), places with “wine for women:” Lavinia, La Grande Epicerie de Paris. Mercifully the remainder of the “Dossier” covers rumors and murmurings, etc.: e.g. the return of Philippe Detourbe, (he of the whipped sauces) by the end of 2004 and Philippe Conticini (ex-Table d’Anvers), who is opening a restaurant in the 17th; the take-over of Bon by the Copenhague-Flora Danica bunch, ironically returning it to it’s pre-Bon origins which was called Olson’s which served herring and acquavit; the “re-launching” after two closed seasons of the “mythic bar-club” Le Baron; the emergence of another (after La Plage du Batofar, Le Fooding ) ephemeral place run by Pierre Gagnaire and Christian Ghion – Le Printemps de la Maison, bd Haussmann in the 9th from only October 30th to November 13th; in the flea-market of St Ouen, two side-by-side restos: La Puce, 140, rue des Rosiers serving sandwichs and bruchettas and Le Café Loom, 142, rue des Rosiers, a 100 place cantine-of-the-1950’s style serving lox, foie gras etc; the return of Dramanda an indo (bird of Vishnu, whatever that means)-lounge resto-bar on the rue Bernard-Palissy in the 6th; and Faucher retrofitted from a Michelin-starred restaurant to a smart bistrot. Wednesday, as well, Sébastien Demorand in Zurban reviewed a Japanese restaurant Takara first but then three French places: the Bar Fleuri, a corner café at 1, rue du Plateau in the 19th, 01 42 08 13 38. Metro Buttes-Chaumont where the carte is about 15€ and the food matches the 1950’s M. Hulot décor, eg oeufs á la mayonnaise, rillettes, brandade, roast chicken, etc.; Le Troquet, coordinates pretty well known by those reading this, which he compares to his review last week of Chez Michel; thus another “not new but well worth revisiting” place;” and La Truffe Noire, 2, place Parmentier in Neuilly-sur-Seine, 01 46 24 94 14. Metro Sablons or Porte Maillot closed weekends where the menus are 36€ and 72€ (a truffle feed) a la carte is about 60-70€. The chef is Patrice Hardy, ex of Korova, who serves such things as “croque monsieurs” with truffles, pork cheeks, raviolis of lobster and waffles with caramel. Apparently it’s a hit with the Japanese and quite BCBG. Thursday-Friday in Le Monde Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote wrote in “Toques en Pointe” about a bistrot, La Table Lauriston, 129, rue Lauriston in the 16th, 01-47-27-00-07, closed Saturday lunch and Sunday where the chef, Serge Rabey, who trained with Bernard Loiseau and Guy Savoy and came through Le Soleil in Saint-Ouen, has been cooking since June; sample dishes depend on the market – e.g., a salad of cepes, terrine of game, chicken in vin jaune; 25 € at lunch; à la carte, figure 45 €; the famed brasserie Le Marty, which apparently is now chef’d by Thierry Colas ex of the Tour d'Argent and the resto Les Vieux Murs in Antibes. He also wrote an article about the food eaten by Flaubert and Colette, discussing “L'Education Gourmande de Flaubert,” by Gonzague Saint-Bris (a writer) and Eric Fréchon of Le Bristol and Colette’s favorites prepared by Emile Jung at Le Crocodile in Strasbourg. Sunday’s New York Times’s Travel Section had an article by bureau chief Elaine Sciolino on “What’s Doing in Paris” where she mentions several French restaurants: L’Ami Marcel, Chiberta + La Table de Joël Robuchon, already covered here, plus an Argentinian steak and an American brunch place, Anahï + Sir Winston respectively. The October Paris Notes’s section “Paris Bites,” written by Rosa Jackson reviews the 10-table, single chef’d resto Pétrelle, 34 Rue Pétrelle in the 9th, 01.42.82.11.02, which has a 25 E “no choice” lunch (that day it was raw marinated sardines, rabbit with rosemary and poached figs) and is about 60 E à la carte (the choices included langoustine tails with cepes, duck three ways and a chocolate terrine.) The chef, Jean-Luc André, buys his food at Rungis himself and the veggies sound special. In the October Gourmet is an article by Alexander Lobrano on Route 7 which runs from Paris to Nice. For those making this blue road trip, he lists: L’Auberge des Templiers in Les Bezards, La Poularde in Gien, Les 200 Bornes in Pouilly-sur-Loire, Le Central in Roanne, Restaurant Nicholas Le Bec in Lyon, La Pyramide in Vienne, Pic in Valence , Le Jardin de Quai in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and La Bastide St.-Antoine in Grasse. Catching up on back issues, I encountered the Sept 6 New Yorker article on Jim Harrison and 11 others 37-course “meal” at Marc Meneau’s place in L’Espérance; I’ll let you judge its value to you and/or other potential diners.

Thanks all, esp Squeat and Malik; we ate very well indeed at: Omeis in Santa Cruz, Limon in SF and Little Sichuan in San Mateo.

Just up the hill from the Abbesses Metro are two on Trois Freres; La Famille, loved by me the first time and I believe by F Simon and S Demorand still and Dan Bau, a one heart only in Figaroscope Sept 24; a Vietnamese place at 18, rue des Trois-Frères which has menus at 9.5 E (lunch) and 19.5 where I have not eaten. I defer to Zouave on Chez Grisette and agree with him wholeheartedly on Montmartre restaurants in general. Caution about l'Entracte, as he says it is small and it features "boys' food"; addition, La Mascotte is one of "Amelie's" places, charming and not bad. I still think 2 pieces cuisine, just a bit down the hill (to the North along the route St. Denis walked carrying his head), is a better bet.

Yes, check my post of earlier this week on "2 pieces cuisine", it was terrific.

Done, booked, thanks. Now any thots about the airport?

Thank you all so very much. I didn't realize so many of you are such helpful contributors to the French site (and I'm in awe of your endurance for that flight); it seems like old home week. I'm disappointed to hear that the Slanted Door is no longer good, I've been only 2-3 times but liked it. And I think I'll also try something different from Zuni or Panisse since I'm also fairly familiar with them. Actually, about the airport area, since we're taking the red eye, I was planning on eating around there for supper. The only place I really know is the Chinese place right across the Freeway; so I'd be interested in other ideas, we have time to go a bit away from the Millbrae/San Bruno axis and ethnic sounds terrific. Again thanks to you all. See you in Paris John

So somebody did read that review/note.

I'm afraid I conveyed the wrong message. We're not touring but we are coming in 3 days. Weather no problem. Yes, we've done the Muir woods and Sonoma & Napa, Chez Panisse, Highway 1, "The 49-Mile Drive," etc (we come every year). This time though it's for a memorial service in Carmel and thus we just have a few hours in downtown SF before the plane home and that's where we're aiming to eat. Sorry for the confusion of my telegraphic post.

Hi - This is my first time on this part of the site and I'm not sure of the ambiance but you all seem pretty cool and informed, so the question: We have one food opportunity which is Saturday lunch (it's a long story); we'll have a car. Ideas? Our criteria are (1) interesting food (2) any ethnic type but probably not French - d/t my being spoiled living in Paris and (3) decor immaterial. Thanks. John