John Talbott

A few months ago, I ate at Hide in the 17th and loved the place. Well, I took my gang, or they took me as the case may be and it suffered the "sophomore slump," which I've written about before here and I ate crow instead of food. As first courses I had (again) the foie gras and it was superb, on a bed of fine al dente green beans and Atar had cod on a bed of mache, equally good. But then..... I had over-the-hill, muttony lamb with good for nothing "Boston" beans and smashed potatoes which were OK, but the whole thing I barely touched; Atar had sole with pleurottes which if one were starving on a desert isle would pass, but Colette's chicken didn't survive scrutiny even with added salt and Elan's trio of fish was just passable. Finally, Colette tried her standard by which all restaurants are measured, a floating island and I didn't hear any Meg Ryan sounds. Coffee and bread and wine were OK; the bill 109.50 E for 4, but as my father used to say: Yah gets what yah pays for. *My last meal was June 20th, fully paid for.

Dave Hatfield has put up a map of Cheap Eats linked from his topic and I thought I'd revive this resource so folks can update it and Dave can get additional ideas, esp re:Paris.

hate to sound dumb, but where can I find these? ← Click on Search on the top tool bar and just put in the name of the place then when you get the options, go through them and use the Find function on the Edit category. If you know who posted the post or topic, use the Filter by Member......etc function too.But for my takes: Le Gaigne is here, Garance here and Astier here.

My current Sundays faves are Garance + Le Gaigne but because their Aug closing dates aren't in guidebooks (they're too new) you'll have to telephone (numbers are in my reports). That's true of other places too Klary, because often the guidebooks say "closed two weeks in August" but who knows which two weeks? Good luck, report back. Edited for spelling

Dave: you've done yet another service for us. Thanks and I hope all will contribute to the map.

No but I went to the #3 l'Os in Issy a while back and it was OK for what it was - a table d'hote.

In Sunday's NYT, Sarah Wildman has several eating suggestions from flatbread to gastro dining in her article 36 Hours - Vienna: Zum Finsteren Stern, Do-An, Cafe Drechsler, Cafe Restaurant Halle, Kantine, Vestibul + Zum Roten Elefanten.

And yesterday's NYT had an answer to a letter by David Allan that repeated Evan Rail's recs from March 25, 07 for affordable: Cafe Savoy + Tynska literarni kavarna; clubs and pubs Palac Akropolis, Blind Eye + Pivovarsky klub and high-end U Petrska veze as well as Allan's bar favorite U Sudu and cafe-bar-coffeehouse-bookstore Globe.

The Week of June 9th, 2008 Monday, Assia Rabinowitz in Le Fooding wrote about the Restaurant De Lauzun in Gignac. Monday-Tuesday, Jerome Berger in A Nous Paris reviewed and gave 3/5 blocks to the Japanese-sounding but French-cooking Hide, coordinates given before and Philippe Toinard gave a similar rating to Monjul, coordinates also given before but written up to date only by Richard Hesse to my knowledge. Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin awarded two hearts to and the photo to the new Lebanese restaurant in the Monde Arabe: Le Zyriab by Noura, 1, rue des Fosses St-Bernard, 01.55.42.55.42, no closing days given and one-heart to 3 places, the Thai Le Livingstone Rive Gauche in the 1st, l’Institut, 1, bd St Germain, 01.53.10.85.95, open everyday, serving veal chop and confit de canard for 25-35 €, replacing the Buffalo Grill and Alliance Gourmande, 25 rue Jean Jaures in Levallois-Perret, 01.47.31.64.50, closed Saturday and Sundays all day and lunch Monday through Wednesday, serving anchovies, a bavette and floating island for 30-35 €. Finally a busted heart went to the “snacking” Baboto, in the 1st. In this week Figaroscope’s Dossier, Colette Monsat et al gave details on where to go slightly outside the city: B-B Ducote Cuisine Ville d’Avray Le Café des Artistes et des Pe Versailles La Veranda au Trianon Palace Issy l’Ile Issy Guignette St Cloud Le Chalet de l’Oasis Neuilly Durand Dupont Meudon l’Escarbille Champigny La Guiginette du Martin-pecheu And in his Hache Menu, Francois Simon went to Au Pere Lapin in Sursesnes which he calls a veritable good address. Wednesday, as well, Richard Hesse in Paris Update reviewed Les Papilles, calling it a “winning formula” serving “good food.” Friday in Les Echos, Jean Louis Galesne wrote about places in Chablis, specifically: the Hostellerie des Clos, Laroche Wine Bar, Le Petit Millésime + La Griotte. In Saturday’s Figaro Francois Simon wrote about Le Galopin in Rennes. Saturday/Sunday, in Bonjour Paris, Margaret Kemp wrote an article on “Crillon Picnic, Gantie 2008 & Oyster Bar” and John Talbott one on “Wine, Whining and Me.” Rosa Jackson in "Paris Bites" in Paris Notes enthusiastically reviewed l’Epigramme + Au Bon Acceuil. The weekend of May 24-25th, Christina Passariello wrote about places featuring wine in Paris in the WSJ that mentioned: Il Vino, l’Astrance, Senderens and Lavinia. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

les Ombres ← My apologies, I was rushing out the door and put in the wrong link. Here's the correct one for my report.

Here are my takes on Les Ombres and the Mini-Palais. Edited and merged by John Talbott for accuracy, clarity and comprehension.

They did have a brunch Sunday noon but a full menu too. Most people were having brunch but there was no resentment at my ordering just like it was a weekday. Two other Sunday real lunch places are Garance and Fine Gueules (about which some eG folk disagree with me)

I thought I'd add that we had nice hierlooms at Fines Gueules Sunday.

Keeping up with the Joneses or in this case Alain Ducasse. And I'm sure it's not really a Ball jar but some fancy handblown glass one.

The Week of June 2nd, 2008 Monday, Chloé Aeberhardt of Le Fooding revisited Bigarrade and found the food brilliant (she had been disappointed in January). Monday-Tuesday, Jerome Berger in A Nous Paris reviewed and gave 4/5 blocks to the Japanese Guilo Guilo, coordinates given before but Philippe Toinard only gave 2/5 to Le Square de Marcadet, ex-Le Square, coordinates in the 18th well-known, where his “regret” was everything from start to finish. Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin awarded two hearts to 5 places: the photo and blurb and #1 slot went to the Corsican A La Chataigne, 22, rue de Miromesnil in the 8th, 01.40.07.90.86, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, where for 35-45 €, one dines on terrines, charcuteries, tripes and chestnut tart; the Tunisian Le Comptoir de Tunisie in the 1st; the Brasserie du Louvre in the Hotel du Louvre, place Andre Malraux in the 1st, 01.44.58.38.38, open 7/7, costing 50-60 € for tomato soup, ray and chocolate biscuit; the Chalet de l’Oasis in the St Cloud park, 01.49.66.12.83, running you about 30 € for an oeuf mayo, onglet/frites and dessert; and finally, Chez Fred, 190 bis, blvd Periere in the 17th, 01.45.74.20.48, closed Sundays, costing 35-50 € for herrings and potatoes, shrimp and avocado, warm lyonnais sausage and a baba. In this week Figaroscope’s Dossier, Colette Monsat et al described hotels in which to have breakfast: Chic Empire Cafe Japanese Tour Seasons George V Generous buffet Milton Arc de Triomphe Light Bar du Murano Discreet charm Hotel de Sers Healthy Park Hyatt Vendome Price-quality l’Hotel Left bank tone La Brasserie du Lutetia To see and be seen Hotel Costes And also Hyatt Regency. In his Hache Menu, Francois Simon went to the bar at the Bel Ami Hotel where he had a mediocre breakfast for a banal 25 €. Wednesday, as well, Richard Hesse in Paris Update reviewed Afaria, calling it “a supremely satisfying tucker.” In Saturday’s Figaro Francois Simon wrote about the return of chef Jean Jacques Jouteux to 153 Grenelle the the 7th, coordinates given before. In another large article, Alexandra Michot discusses chefs doing other things with their places such as selling wine, books, or providing cooking lessons, etc. Saturday/Sunday, in Bonjour Paris, Margaret Kemp wrote about restaurants that have nice terraces. Sunday in JDD, Inaki Aizpitarte of Chateaubrian identified his two favorite places where one can eat for less than 35 €: Bigarrade, coordinates given before and the Viet Namese Minh Chau. In addition, Astrid de T’Serclaes reviewed the Café Tournon + Le Temps au Temps in JDD's magazine version femina. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

So as to not double post, I put me revisit hrere.

Well, we've got a topic devoted to Fines Gueules but I'm putting my followup visit here since I posted my first meal here. I ate at Fines Gueules today with my charming co-host when we found the place we had intended to eat at's kitchen was non-functional. We both had the hierloom tomatoes, not from Joel Thiebault, but a farmer in the south, and they were terrific and tasty. She had a mozzarella served with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts first and I had the farm pintade as a second. We thought both were most tasty. Finally, we shared a pot of chocolate with coconut bits that was also quite good. Aside from a very pricey glass of wine, I thought this was again an excellent meal and for 94 E with wine, coffee but no bottled water, I'd go back on a Sunday lunch even if the intended place's kitchen is back functioning.

June 08 – Itineraires, Six Odeon, Ducoté Cuisine, 153 Grenelle, Le Gaigne, La Folle Avoine, Le Telegraphe, Les Comperes, M comme Martine, Mets & Vins, Valentin, Messager, 25º Est It’s even better than Temps au Temps. Why? I dunno. 6.2 Itineraires, 5, rue de Pontoise in the 5th, 01.46.33.60.11, closed Sundays and Mondays, has been written up by all the big boys and I’d been delaying going until I could with the RFC. Today was the day. I had really liked Sylvain Sendra’s cooking at Temps au Temps and equally admired Sarah’s sang froid in the front room. But could they go successfully from 20 covers on the Rue Paul Bert to 2.5 times that in the 5th. The short answer is yes. One enters and it’s quite different; new, big, airy, welcoming – Sarah and two other wait-folk; blackboards all over with the 3 course 34 € (29 for 2) menu containing 4/5/4 plus daily specials in all three categories. The RFC ordered the hure Lyonnais which he liked and I thought was standard, but my green asparagus with a foie gras vinaigrette and dried tuna belly (like smoked duck breast slices) was outasight. He then had a magret de canard with sliced beets that again I thought were gold standard but my confited beef cheek(s) with pureed potatoes were/was incredible; the sauce intense and different from the norm. Then he had a round of picodon cheese that was straight from the frig but good; while I had a deconstructed lemon tart with sorbet that was as good as it gets. The bill after a lot of wine, one glass of which was “offered,” no bottled water and one coffee was 105 €. Go? You bet; this is this spring’s l’Epigramme, Afaria, Spring, etc., eg the bright shining star of the season. Bait and switch, low-ball/high-ball, whatever. 6.0 (food) - 4.0 (price-quality-deception) Six Odeon, 6 rue de l’Odeon in the 6th, 01.44.41.09.72, closed Sundays and Mondays, was touted by Emmanuel Rubin as running 30-40 € pp and on scoping the three sheets of paper in the window, I was pleased to see that one could have two of the same things offered at night for pricey prices, at lunch for 24 €. We thus entered this very trendy looking art gallery/restaurant/cantine with no expectations but an open mind. The menu, as my companion went through it, is a pastiche of traditional, bistrot and dieting-model food that certainly sounded interesting. We asked about the “menu” – Oh, we just changed everything, it’s now just a goat cheese and foie gras first and beef main. Whadabout the lunch “menu” outside? Oh, we just changed that. So, we soldiered on. My companion ordered herring with warm potatoes, a bit pricey (15 €) she said but I want potatoes. Me I ordered a warm Toulouse sausage also with potatoes and salad in a Ball jar, also pricey (15 €) but I too wanted it and didn’t want the Caesar salad, salad with parmesan, etc., alternatives. Both were very, very good; both were tasty and tart and tangy. Then she had a gateau Landaise (20 €) and I the beef special with many terrific veggies and aioli (18 €). If you’re doing the math you can see we’d already easily exceeded the 24 € lunch advertised. So we went for broke with one shared very fine sort-of moelleux chocolate cake (8 €). With a bottle of the cheapest wine, a small bottle of water (6 €, which is rubbing it in), and no coffee, our bill was 124 €. This may have been the most expensive meal of the month and was totally not as advertised. Go? For the food, yes; for the deception about the prices, no way. The next big thing? Could be. 5.6 Ducoté Cuisine, 112, ave Victor Hugo in Boulogne-Billancourt, 01.48.25.49.20, closed Sundays and Mondays opened just a few weeks ago, but only Emmanuel Rubin seems to have glommed onto it – what a shame! While it’s pricey (80 € a la carte) as you’ll see later, one can exit for under the magic number (50 €) and it’s well-worth the long subway ride to Sembat because it’s almost just opposite the exit. I went on a typically grey, rainy, Roland Garros day and got drenched entering and leaving. It is elegantly appointed, clearly the charming couple who run it, Amelie and Julien Ducoté, who know NY and the States well (Daniel for four years), intend for this to shoot up the charts. The cooking is elegant and yet traditional and yet innovative. They started me off with an amuse gueule of a curry-battered shrimp set on a bed of chopped tomato salsa with a shotglass of spicy gazpacho – both simply wonderful. Then I had the daily entrée special, a mousse of sandre with lobster sauce; not unlike quenelles de brochet; I sopped up ever drop of sauce, that had a kick at the end, with their excellent wheaty bread roll. After I had the main special – monkfish with an intense red-brown sauce (one almost thought it had foie gras in it, it was so tasty.) Besides the lotte was a large serving of tasty spring veggies: asparagus, artichoke hearts, green peas and tiny potatoes. Though I had no coffee, they provided a nice mini-éclair with caramel and a raspberry tarte/thing. I had no dessert, bottled water or dessert but if one has the 2-course 35 € formula (3-courses are 43 € at lunch) with a half-bottle of wine (that start at 14 €; bottles commence at 22 € and go to 950 € for the Lafitte-R) one can get out for under the magic number. Go? Of course you won’t, but this is this year’s Magnolias. Another fine spring opening. 5.55 153 Grenelle, 153 rue de Grenelle in the 7th, 01.45.51.54.12, closed Sundays, is an incredibly classy place; classy food, classy setting, classy carafe d’eau, classy wait-folk and sommelier and classy prices (59 € for the 3-3-2 choice menu.) I went on a sunny day with an eGullet member who isn’t quite sure yet if she likes French food yet (over her native Asian fare) but I think it made an impression. We both had the 35 € menu, which has 2-2-2 choices and we split the possibilities. She started with purple artichoke hearts in a nice sauce topped-off with a slice of pancetta that set off the blandness of the hearts perfectly. I had an unusual (because it was tart – terrifically so) asparagus soup with teeny tiny wild asparagus stalks. Then she had the fish that replaced the turbot, but nothing lost in the substitution, it was quite good, with a cabbage side. I chose the baby (milk-fed) lamb chops which were also delicious, with excellent mashed potatoes. We finished with the goat cheese dressed with olive oil and the melon with melon ice, both also good. There was a slight problem with the bill (overcharged by 11 €) but remedied and wound up with coffees but no bottled water at 100 € for two; no bad for excellent food. Go? You haven’t got distance as an excuse. A little gem, barely found, but for how long? 5.5 Le Gaigne, 12, rue Pecquay in the 4th, 01.44.59.86.72, closed Tuesday – thus open Saturday, Sunday, Mondays, hooray! Let me start with the young chef – Mickael Gaignon – who’s passed through the shops of the Pre Catalan, Gagnaire and Gaya; he may be young but he’s got it. And his wife Aurelie is terrific in the front room. When I entered (coming off this dingy street in nowheresville to find tables decorated with young live herbs) and realized it was just the two of them (plus a kitchen aide/plongeur) for 20 covers, I worried that they could never get the food out promptly, but they did, meanwhile turning away people who drifted by and saw the reviews by E Rubin et al in the window. I was worried about the “brunch on Sunday” note in Figaroscope, but the chef insisted that they served the full weekly menu too. And they did with no cancellations or substitutions. For this tiny and new a place, they served an amuse-bouche - of real vichyssoise – I haven’t had it so good in years. Then I had terrific small cromesquis morsels of morue, thankfully not called brandade, that were crisp outside and melting inside, with forceful watercress sprigs and puree. The bread is worth commenting on, not crusty, but dense with a moist wheaty flavor, quite, quite good. My main was/were a divine farm chicken served two ways; a sliced breast with a delicious herb/cream sauce and rollatine bits atop young green stuffed cabbage. I had no dessert but a terrific Molongo coffee with fine marshmallows. Coda: there’s a funky pink light in the bathroom and a funky tin milk pail instead of a wash basin (someone has a good sense of humor.) The bill = 42 € with two glasses of wine – but other days, the menus are 16 and 22 and wines begin at 14 €. Go? Yes, this guy knows what he’s doing. He’ll be moving into bigger space eventually for sure, with higher prices, so go soon. No pretensions, no frou-frou, just good chow and great service. 5.5 La Folle Avoine, 91, rue de Grenelle in the 7th, 01.45.51.02.59, closed Sundays, opened to almost no acclaim, except for Emmanuel Rubin’s keen eye. I went expecting nothing and was pleasantly surprised. The exterior and interior are purple-tinged in a very soothing way. But you look around and there are arty pix of Audrey Hepburn (from the “Breakfast at Tiffany” era) and the Brooklyn Bridge and music such as Johnny Cash/Joaquin Phoenix and Procol Harum, played non-obtrusively. Oh, and my wine from Alex Lichine’s son Sacha had a quote from the Rolling Stones. The options are many: one dish plus 2 drinks for 20; 2 dishes plus one drink for 25; and 3 plus a drink are 30 € (and the glasses of wine are 20 cl = 7 ounces) and they also allow you to order a la carte. I started with a terrific brochette of three grilled shrimp with sesame seeds and oil and salad and a shot-glass of gazpacho that was quite soothing as well. My squid main was too salty and the artichoke halves were presented in a Ducasse/Aux Lyonnais/Ball jar but these are minor quibbles. The chocolate moelleux with pistachio ice cream was as good as it gets. A problem? – I worry about the charming chef’s tobacco addiction – he should live a long life – he’s does good stuff, but at the rate he puffing them down, who knows? The bill, as I say, 3 dishes plus 2 glasses of wine and coffee run one 38 €. Go? You bet, especially if you’re selling arms to Hervé Morin or blackboards to Xavier Darcos or are in the nabe. Le Telegraphe - On a great day, near the Orsay, you cannot beat it. 5.4 Le Telegraphe, 41 rue de Lille in the 7th, 01.58.62.10.08, open everyday for lunch only, with menus at 24.50 (2 courses) and 29.50 € (3 courses) looks much the same inside as when we last visited 20 years ago except I saw none of the old photos of the women “manning” banks of telegraphs/telephones that used to decorate the salle. Since then, it’s changed owners and focus at least twice, most recently appearing as a Kosher place that someone on the Kosher Blog called the “best restaurant in the world” in 2006 – Whoa! If it was that good why is it now under new management, etc? In any case, I entered and was impressed by the amount of money they’d sunk into the chairs and tables (resembling Gordon Ramsey’s high-priced internal restaurant at Versailles.) The nice waitperson asked if I’d like to sit inside or out – foolish lady – it was 75º and sunny and the terrace looked delightful, which it was until the patrons felt free to smoke and talk loudly on cell-phones in this space with echoing brick walls. I didn’t really cotton to the ultra-healthy salad firsts so chose to just have a main and dessert. The amuse gueule was a tiny but good piece of liver, nicely sautéed, atop a dozen cooked apple bits. Then I had crispy-skinned, roasted pintade with a cream and rosemary sauce that was perfectly made and served along with fine rosemary-flavored rice. My dessert was a crème brulée, flamed off at the table a la the Pump Room, circa 1950. OK. Finally a good coffee, which with wine and no bottled water runs one 50 €. PS. the bread was warm and made there and so good I hustled some off to have with my raclette tonight. Go? While not as bucolic as say the terrace at the Maison de l’Amerique Latine, it’s a great place to have a good, calm but not dazzling meal. What a nice place to have lunch in. 5.3 Les Comperes (de Dantzig), 32, rue de Dantzig in the 15th, 01.45.33.72.71, closed Sunday and Monday nights. It’s another “to hell and gone” place, just across from the “Lost and Found” building, has a small but good “cave” at the entrance, is packed with locals and looks really brand new (3 ½ months old) and reminded me of both Les Papilles and Les Racines. This was a place listed in ANP as being a good value place and with its 14 € 2-courses (wonderful looking melon with ham, beef and veggie brochettes and a faiselle with a coulis of red fruits) with coffee formula, it sure was. I though wanted something(s) else. I started with a salade gourmande which I did with some trepidation since the last time I had one, it was just a few blocks away and descending from the bus my knee locked, I had to fly to the States the next day and the next thing I knew my meniscus was magically removed. In any case, added to the quite nice salad, green beans and baby tomatoes were slices of fine foie gras, duck breast but also wonderful warm soft, yummy, confited gizzards. My. Then I had spareribs with a caramelized surface, perfectly crisp on the outside and moist inside. I’m not a potato man but man these potatoes were good. I had a nice wine (they unfiltered, etc and are 4 a glass, 10 a carafe and 16-50 € a bottle), good Kimbo (Naples) coffee, awful bread and tap water - the bill was a gentle 41 €. Go? It’s not yet in the Afaria + Grand Pan league yet but I have a suspicion it soon will be. If I lived nearby this would be another “cook’s night out” option. The perfect example of a neighborhood resto you wish you had in NY, LA, Chi or (ouf) Baltimore. 5 M Comme Martine, 33, rue Cardinet in the 17th, 01.43.80.63.60, closed Sundays and Monday dinner, underwent a change in chefs a few months after I wrote it up in April 2007 and gave it a 4.3 calling it the “perfect example of a neighborhood resto you wish you had.” I see no reason to revise my opinion. It’s quite, quite nice. I was 15 late, which is unusual, due to horrible traffic, a balky bus-driver and bad karma. I don’t like to be late anytime but especially not when dining with a multi-talented much-published food writer (MTMPFW). So when I entered, I forgot to take a pix as I always try to do to lead off my pieces with some color, tone and flavor, but more of that later. I also barely registered the changes in the place; indeed, were there any? There’s a 17 € menu with a lentil salad, some fowl or some fish and a dessert; but we both ordered off the carte, which you’ll see wasn’t expensive. Spookily enough, I had the same starter (tuna tartare) I had a year ago but this came a la guacamole (eg with avocado, chopped scallions and the tuna). I ate halfway thru it before realizing it was unsalted and un-Tabasco’d; once I added salt it improved 100% tastewise and when I hit the bottom I got the pepper hit. Madame, the MTMPFW, had a lovely looking artichokey salad. We didn’t trade bites because I felt awkward offering her a bit of fish she now avoids because it’s overfished; I felt therefore doubly-guilty. She then proceeded to supions with a - was it really pink? – foamy topping that was quite good with zucchini (one of her top two likes) spaghetti. I had a simply super, properly cooked (“presque bleu” = some outside bits burnt, some inside liver still quivering), thick enough to recall Chez les Anges, circa 1968-70 with – I was in heaven I thought it so good. (Do you know when one dish changes your whole view of a place – oh well, that’s an essay for another day.) We had no dessert but coffees properly made both long and short as asked for. The after-dinner choco-pralines were fine as well. Our bill with no bottled water but two glasses of wine – I wasn’t “working” this afternoon, she was – was 66 €. Beat that folks! Should one go? For the fourth time, if you live/rent/hotel in the 17th, I envy you. Go. Good products, good wines, a great host (Pierre-Benoit Perard) and a good time, what more could one ask for? 4.9 Mets & Vins, 14, rue Saussier in the 17th, 01.42.27.64.58, closed Sundays, is a place I’d walked by and into a few months ago and was astonished by the newness of the furniture amidst a mountain of wines. Somehow I didn’t get around to going until today. Why? Oh, I guess I was confused by Emmanuel Rubin’s 1 heart rating but 2 heart review. I went after reserving (warning, they don’t always answer the phone, but do give a cell number, and they will show up: they being three guys who together manage the wine store – Mes Accords Mets-Vins, 10, rue Bridaine in the 17th and Mets & Vins.) As I entered the host was sampling a white with two locals and discussing it earnestly (which he did just fine, but did not with me, sensing correctly that I hate “winespeak,” if you know what I mean). Then he turned to me and explained that they just have wine, cheese and charcuterie, one cold and one warm plat and a dessert (no surprise, because I knew that from the reviews and chalkboard). There was no mention of where stuff was from, which I appreciated since I’m tired of waiters boasting about serving Bordier butter, I mean nowadays, who doesn’t – Flunch and McDo’s? The next guy who struts about Bordier, I swear I’ll bop. But of course it was Bordier butter, Alleose cheese, Leautey charcuterie and Mes Accords Mets-Vins wines. I started with a Toulouse sausage with potatoes, both lukewarm (the guys have one tiny oven/micro, which is one reason why their predecessor Presqu’ile, failed), both perfection, especially with the tart Greek olive oil and ground salt and pepper. Then, though I was full I had the “small” plate of 3 sheep cheeses and an aged Gouda; quite nice. It was all accompanied with a bottle of Moulin a vent (that he complimented me on choosing – a good move for any host) a la ficelle (you only pay 10 € corkage and for what you consume). Bills therefore, will range according to the price and consummation of wine but should run 30-40 € with coffee. Disclosure – Pierre-Benoit Perard and I talked endlessly about wine, American and French politics, their business and the neighborhood over 2 glasses of super Givry, offered as they say. Go? If you liked the old Caves Miard/La Crémerie and Les Papilles, you’ll probably like this place, it’s better than 1-heart. But of course, one is judging their choice of products. A hole in the wall that comes up with pretty decent chow. Where? 4.5 Valentin, 64, rue Rebeval in the 19th, 01.42.08.12.34, closed Sundays has one dish at 10, 2 for 13.50 and 3 = 16.50 €. So where is the rue Rebeval? Where Le Baratin, Zoe Bouillon, Mon Oncle Vigneron, O. Bon. Home, Mukura + Chapeau Melon are. It has a wonderful provenance: Argentinean/Latin American in origin with a Thai chefess who cooks things like Mexican chicken molé. Two of us went one dismal early June lunch. I started with the Thai duck salad that was exactly flavored like Colette’s Thai beef salad, that is great and I mopped up every drop of the sauce with my bread. He had oeufs mayo he admired equally well. Then we both had the chicken mole, that didn’t match the one served at El Parador on East 34rd St, circa 1968, but what does? The potatoes that came with it were nicely browned and garlicky. We finished up with a tarte tatin and warm clafoutis creole (banana) that was flamed; both very nice. With coffee, no bottled water and two carafes of house wine, the bill was 53 € that my dining partner picked up most graciously and unnecessarily. Go? You won’t, but if you’re near there - you should? Oh I wanted to like it. Truly. 1.5 Le Messager, 28, rue du General Bertrand in the 7th, 01.47.34.30.26, closed Sundays was a place both Le Monde + Figaroscope were not wholly enthusiastic about but liked some things. It had opened a few months ago but given the burst of new places this spring, only now has it worked its way up my list to a reachable position. I went on a brilliantly sunny day and I thought that that and the multiple choices on the chalkboard were good omens. As an amuse gueule there was a small ramekin of peanuts which I started eating, then felt guilty because none of the other tables seemed so provisioned, but they did appear spottily elsewhere afterwards. As I said, there were lots of choices on the 16 € formula chalkboard (3/3/3 I think) and many more on the a la carte one. I chose to start with the risotto with gambas which wasn’t half bad albeit a bit skimpy on the shrimp. Then I had the duck thigh fondante, which I thought then and now was a strange use of the adjective. It was nicely-cooked but had a strange, slightly woody and honeyish sauce accompanying it – not bad, just strange – along with a tartly-dressed salad and mound of mashed potatoes. I finished with a pain perdu that also had a strange but not bad taste and thus I was left with two strange tastes versus one nice one. Now I began to calculate how I’d rate this place, taking into consideration also: 1. The waitress’s lack of knowledge of what people had ordered what. 2. Her blowing her nose in a Kleenex and not then washing her hands. 3. The coffee asked for serré was saturated with water, and yet 4. The chef was most genial, inquiring about my family ties to Talbot/t wines. The bill for the formula plus a glass of wine could be 20 € but mine was 38 € with two glasses of wine at 4 € (bottles were 16-50 €.) Should one go? Why not? I think it deserves another tasting but unfortunately not by me. Someone’s got to confirm or refute my impression. I oftentimes tell the story about how it’s important it is to “anchor” one’s ratings. 25º Est did that for me today. 0.0-1.0 25º Est, Bassin de la Villette in the 19th, is in one of the most opportune and beautiful spots in Paris; at the bottom of the basin. I went, despite the lack of many reviews except Richard Hesse’s idyllic report from last summer. The menu is not inspiring; lots of desserts, cheese, wine and salads. The clientele is eclectic; Moms with kids, kids themselves, business folk and a largely 22-32 crowd. They have a daily menu for 14.80 €, 2 courses for 11.80 €. I ordered the 1st special Quiche Lorraine – safe eh? Unh unh. Terribly, much too salty, although not bad. Then the main – a bavette with fried potatoes and salad; beef tough (expected) and tasteless (surprise): mustard, salt and pepper and cursing didn’t improve it. Potatoes - oh well. Finally the crème caramel; quite good actually, as was (very surprisedly) the bread and the Sinatra and Sinatra-era songs playing nonstop. The bill (no bottled water) with coffee and ½ l. of house wine =’s 27.80 € . Go? Well, I suppose with your teenage kids or young adult kids with toddlers (great fountains and boats galore).

My first evening here, as is traditional for me in Spain, was devoted to ham and wine. I really just plunked myself down in a nice looking, no-smoking place (and the rules are still blurry here concerning smoking-no smoking) near my hotel in the old town (oh sure, I consulted eG, the guidebooks and my charming nicely-décolletaged hotel lady). But I really went to Bukoi, in the Calle Nueva, one of four places run by the exuberant Berton boys, because they specialize in Basque stuff. A “small” portion of their “Joselito” jamon which their web site calls “El mejor jamón del mundo,” was 15 € and they ring the bell once it’s sliced just to show that; with a few drops of wine, I had a very nice re-immersion into Spain for 20.10 €. Go back? Yah, sure, why not? The second night I was dedicatedly on my way to another, highly rated by the Miche, tapas place downtown, where I was now staying at my Congress hosts’ expense. And - I got there and whoops, closed definitively. So I dragged my sorry butt back towards my new hotel and was scoping alternatives along the way; (1) too much smoke, (2) too many old people finishing their meals at 8:15 PM, (3) too crowded. But hey, across the street I saw an awning that registered in my pigeon brain – Serantes II, hummm, where did I read about it and its motherhouse Serantes - seafood restaurant, but they had a tapas bar, well, duhhhh. I hied myself in, plopped down and looked at the offerings. The marinated shrimp in olive oil (salpion) looked pretty tempting and it was. The bread roll was the best I’ve had in months if not years anywhere. All this, with a glassahousewine = 16.50 €. Not bad. Go back? Actually, yes, tomorrow for the percebes, which my generous, question-answering host/barman allowed me to have a preview of. Serantes II bis Pretty good them percebes. And pretty dear too – 42.50 € for the mothers which are simply lowly barnacles, lowly swabbies scrub off the ship’s hull. I also sampled finger food at the Cafeteria Toledo afterwards; it’s fair game to critique Congress free food, non? The “cocktail de Gala” there had unspeakably un-delicious and dry shrimp and cheese, I dared not go farther. Go back? Not reading til the end again are you?

First off I'd like to thank everyone who's contributed to this topic, which was so helpful to me the last 96 hours. Doc, I never got over my paella craving, I even tried to get some at 11h00 today before heading off to the airport. But to the facts. I’ll start with the best. The Guggenheim Gastro Resto aka Jatetxe Gastonomika is simply genius. I was certainly touted onto this place by my good architectural friend Janet, eG reviews lauded it, so it was not a found object, but was on the top of my list. And, rightly so. There are a confusing number of eating opportunities on the upper ground floor of the Guggie-B, but the gastro one run by Josean Alija and Martin Beraskegui is where you wannabee. I choose the most expensive of tasting menus (72 vs 62 €, NB: one course a la carte was 3/4 that), because it seemed to be the most comprehensive. But who knows, all their dishes seemed terribly inventive, so maybe the fish soup at 12 € would have been just as mind-blowing. In any case, the amuse gueule was a double veggie tempura with a slice of flower they never identified – off to a good start. Then teeny, tiny (not thick) sprigs of white, yes white, asparagus cooked “one minute” in what they say was a “floral, herbaceous and citrus” tart oil, sounded hocus pocus to me but tasted divine, with another tempura of what sounded like “axtyx” but tasted like onion and which I originally thought was over-salted but was strongly-herbed. A slice of aubergine, covered with a purple sauce (which they said was licorice, but I think was laboratory engineered aubergine skin reduced to its essence) with a sweet sauce of makil goxo, whatever that is, and olive oil from 1000 year old trees, was next. Then, a pasta (which in Basque Spain I was not looking forward to), with a “Joselito” (see below) ham stock and parmesan. I was Right: it was parmesan but Wrong, it was not sliced over the pasta; it was in a foam. Then the fish of the day, a small piece, perfectly, I mean, perfectly cooked piece of hake on a bed of black olives so reduced to their essence they were ephemeral along with a sauce flavored with sherry and oregano and rhubarb leaves. Next, what was understatedly described as a “traditional stew” of pork; my a** it was. It was as if one took a slice of raw beef filet and grafted onto it a browned/vers/burnt duck skin and presented it in a wild herb and honey sauce with potatoes confited in passion fruit. Get the picture; complex but incredible food. So now onto the desserts that my source Janet thought were the best part. First a “cream of pumpkin” (coulda fooled me except for the color) with bergarnot perfume, macerated biscuit bits and a dollop of toasted beer (come on, toasted beer?) ice cream. Pretty damn good. Then a choco thing that was ½ way between a moelleux and a gateau with coffee ice cream sitting atop ginger dust. The bill here cannot be less than 70 €, even with the 62 menu, one glass of wine and no bottled water (here, difficult to escape) or coffee, which given our dollar’s standing doesn’t look too great. Oh yah, the “corn bread,” can you believe it? was crusty and delicious. Go back? In an instant, maybe tomorrow, just kidding Colette. Why are the best restos in museos here? I was going to the Fine Arts Museum the next day and had read in a lot of places about Aitor Basabe’s place in it, called Arbola Gana. I asked my concierge to make a rez, my Basque being a bit rusty; but she said as I headed out of the hotel, they weren’t answering their phone; nor were they when I got to this magnificent museum. So I inveigled my way into the servants’ elevator and on getting to the 3rd (eg 4th) floor resto, saw that there were 3 names penciled in, one of them mine. (PS by my meal’s end, all had shown up). In any case, no one spoke but Basque, the carte was indecipherable and I figured – go for broke with the Degustastion Menu (42 E, really 45 E, since sneakily they don’t add in the TVA/IVA until the end). NB: the prices are weird on the carte, still translated from old pesetas eg 5.11 and 18.73 E). The first first was some warm eggplant slices covered with a toasted red pepper with a coffee-ground looking topping and foam; impressive. The second first was a truffle soup with shaved black truffles atop; also quite nice. #3 was cod, perfectly cooked with those pasta things that look like pumpkin seeds in green (? parsley; I tried to find out what it was in my primitive French, Spanish, Italian, German, even mildly up-to-date English – no dice) sauce. The second second was what we primitives call pigs’ feet wrapped in fat and skin, accompanied with a huge portion of sautéed pleurottes (couldn’t fool me there); excellent. The desserts. First, a dense tiny chocolate buche like my French Mother’s negresse (sans the chemise) with what I swear was coffee ice cream, covered with a white powder that could only have come out of Ferran Adria’s lab. The second, a single scoop of “vinegar” ice cream; I kid thee not, recalling my maternal grandfather’s favorite dessert – vinegar pie. It was a fitting end to a fine meal; ample, tart and chasing the sweetness out of one’s mouth. My bill could have been under the magic number of 50 E easily with no bottled water or coffee but with one glass of wine, but when they tacked on the TVA/IVA, I felt denied my goal. This was not the Guggenheim, but it wasn’t bad either, by any means.

Web Radio du gout announced that the Troisgros were opening their third establishment called La Colline du Colombier, in Iguerande, 20 km from Roanne which has a menu at 34 euros. Their first two are of course La Maison Troisgros + Le Central next door.

Well, the adventure of Daniel Rose, continues. Tonight he hosted a wine tasting of some of the 29 wines he carries at Spring at competitive prices, that is, not like some wine bars/etc., that have sizable markups. One may buy them after one eats there or drop by when he is open and buy/order them. The most intriguing is called "Who I am?"; and they include champagnes, Corsican and Portugese wines. This is a terrific resource for the locals, which is why he said he did it.

I would remind everyone that we have had an events policy since 2007 - if someone wants to plan an event somewhere it should be followed. Fine examples were Braden's tastings. Communicating by PM to folks is another matter but any event addressed to all has to include date, price, place, etc.

I realize paella is a more Southern/Valencian thing but I have this craving. Is there such a place in Bilbao?

A couple of questions; Is there any way (eg bus) to get there from Bilbao without a car? What prices are we talking about for a complete meal with wine and coffee? Remind me what time lunch is in the Basque country? Thanks John