John Talbott

Mollard is nice and nearby, the Cafe de La Paix is only OK and pricey by me.

I'd rather answer this qustion after the dinner; just to be safe. Because the person I spoke with seemed extra friendly on the phone ... but perhaps I am being paranoid. ← Don't be surprised if they are aware about this discussion on the internet. So you may be royally treated.keep us posted ← Pierre, as usual, is spot-on. More folks in the French food biz read this than ever post or identify themselves. So for better or worse, assume big brother is watching. We think this is just frolicky food fun, for them it's big dough, so to speak.

L’internaute.com announced the opening of a brasserie-bistrot (whatever that is) called La Véraison by Stéphane Bourgeot, exLouis Vins offering fusiony food at 64, rue de la Croix Nivert in the 15th. Adrian Moore in his blog noted that the Copenhague is open again. Au Petit Marguery after many years under the helm of the Cousin brothers, is now in the hands of Pascal Mousset, exChez Francoise, Apollo + Pasco with Herve Colin at the piano.

Nov-Dec 07 - In the Piedmont Before recounting our trip’s finds, let me thank all the contributors to this Forum and this topic for their help and advice. Osteria della Luna in Brodo, via Legnano, 12, Alessandria, 01.31.231898, closed Monday. Exiting Milan for the Piedmont we always have a dilemma, drive straight thru to Asti/Alba/Barolo/Bra, etc or stop for lunch. Having gotten a late start (Late night - last night, Milan Marathon this morning, moved Hertz office, we spent some time in the up-and-coming Triennale Bovina area, had a quick coffee and took off. One knife and fork and pinched pennies in the Michelin and we were there. Where? In dreary, dull, damp Alessandria. But the Square (Garibaldi) was a Sante Fe-esque display of chotchkis and junque and the resto very welcoming. They had an incredible “menu” at 28 € comprised of a first, main or cheese platter, dessert, coffee, water & wine. But we ordered off the carte and started with quite nice spaghetti with artichokes and risotto with red radicchio and creamy cheese. Then onto female deer (what in France is called biche) with a rich, brown, almost-black, intense sauce on fried polenta while Colette had a plate of Piedmont cheeses, that we both judged not much of a much, excepting one quite strong one and the sheep. Finally Colette had a dense yellow cake with Nutella filling. Excepting the horrible music, it was a fine meal for 76 €. Return? Probably Massimo, via Giolito Ferreri, 7, Trino, 0161.801325, closed Saturday and Sunday at dinner. Monday, on our way to the Sacred Mountain of Crea it was one of the few rated restos open. The amuse bouche was our second sampling of wonderful raw salmon this week, this with tart blueberries and celery. Colette had been hankering for pasta with porcini mushrooms and so, even though they were not on the menu, they said “of course” when she enquired. Me, I had a tajarin (15th century derived) pasta with bagna cauda (oil, anchovies, etc) sauce – both very good. Then I had four slices of perfectly undercooked (which for me means just short of raw) venison with only so-so polenta (Disclosure: it takes a great polenta to impress me). Colette, on a Nutella streak, had cream filled crepes with terrific chocolate sauce – which was likely to have been flavored with hazelnuts. Despite the shocking décor and horrid music, we passed a fine lunch for 57 €. Go back? Probably if nearby. Aldo di Castiglione, via Giobert, 8, Asti, 0141.35.49.05, closed Thursdays. We were recommended this Slow Food place by both the Osterie……. foodguidebook and our old Milanese colleague/friend who grew up around here and we were all set to really love it. While they have a menu posted outside; their offerings inside are based on the market (good), chef’s inclination (good) and the most charming Signora’s descriptions in Italian (difficult for us). Having had an ample lunch, which, although we walked much off on a forced march, was still weighing on us, we skipped the antipasti (however, we saw crudo, another meat with something that looked like ice cream/yogurt/crème fraiche dollops, go by us) and went straight to the 1sts; good, not great, raviolis of meat with a caramelized sauce and raviolis of squash that needed salt to cut the sweetness. Then onto roasted goat with sauce and veal cheeks with sauce (they also offered tripes, rabbit, lamb and one other I cannot recall). Colette thought her veal cheeks were more like pot roast; I concluded that cabrito is best when spit-roasted; but the fall spinach, al dente, with oil, was fine. No dessert, cheese or coffee, but a Barbera d’Asti, bottle of water and drop of grappa (offered) cost all of 65€. Go back? Sorry Ernesto, no. I like gutsier stuff. Lalibera,via Elvio Pertinace, 24, Alba, 010173 293155, closed Sundays, was a snail, wine bottle and cheese wedge in the Osterie…… and two fork and knives in the Michelin. It’s in the center of one of our favorite towns and so startlingly new that one wonders how “old” slow food can come out of the kitchen; but it does. We shared firsts; my spectacular pasta with “small fish” (called in my book – they were rouget) and a slightly spicy sauce that may have been the best dish of this trip, and indeed ever in Italy . Colette’s pasta with rabbit was very good, as was the bread. Then again we split: banal snails & salsify on polenta that had some spices on it and a wonderfully undercooked inside/crispy outside deossified quail on mashed potatoes with wonderful gravy. We had finished our first bottle of Dolcetto (of Alba, natch) both because of the fine quality and slowness in slow food delivery so we soldiered onto another (open) bottle with our cheese (again, not great, but necessary) with lingonberry/hazelnut confiture and terminated with an apple baked like I’ve never had and deep rich red sorbeto. That plus two Illys and a drop of grappa of Moscato = 92 €. Go back? Probably not Boccondivino, via Medicita 14, Bra, 0172.425674, closed Sundays and Mondays – address sound familiar? It should, it’s the epicenter of “Slow Food.” We had tried to get in a decade ago, shortly after learning about Slow Food from our food friend in Bologna, but it was closed the Monday we came by so we just picked up some SF booklets and said another time. OK. But I’m glad we came back, it was well worth it. The restaurant is on the second floor and is packed (reservations are a must) with locals (no tourists here, at least this time of year.) The walls are lined with wine of both common, young varieties and old, precious bottles. I had tajarin with tomato and Bra sausage that was excellent and Colette liked her vegetable soup which she deemed perfect for her sore throat. Then I had braised veal in Barolo that was as good as pot roast can get; C had rabbit with fennel. A moment out for a bread comment; it was very flavorful. Finally, Colette had a typical, local specialty, the bonet pudding, while I went with a semifreddo with pistachio and nuts covered with good chocolate. The bill with an excellent Barolo, water, coffee, one grappa = 85 €. Return to the epicenter? I’d say so. Ca del Re, via Umberto, 14 (but hard to find from the via Umberto in the dark), Verduno, 0172 470281, closed Tuesdays, was another Slow Food place that in some ways epitomizes the movement. They make their own bread, pasta, vinegar and wine, use great fresh, local products, treat the seasons with respect, etc. I started with 4 antipasti (tongue, pig’s face, goat cheese and spicy salami) while Colette had a plain green salad whose greens were quite tangy. I went on to a simple, spit-roasted rabbit that had a light spice dusting and was just on the edge of dry and Colette, the tagliatelle with rabbit liver ragu, that she says was the best she’s ever had. We tried two wines from their property: a full-bodied Barbaresco 1999 and a lighter “Verduno” 2006. The bill was 63.60 € with water but no desserts or coffee. An aside: the young chef is the daughter of the owners of the restaurant and nearby vineyards; she began in the food world as a waitress and then cooked for two years up the street at another restaurant before coming to chef at the Ca del Re. Next time we will likely take a room at the Ca del Re and plan on having another wonderful meal. The usual question. Yep La Cantinella, via Acquagelata, 4A, Barolo, 0173 56267, closed Monday nights and Tuesdays was recommended by both folks here (eG) and the “Osterie…..” book. It has three “menus” but we chose off the carte. Colette started once again with the tajarin with ragu that we agreed was not as good as that at the Ca del Re, but OK; I ordered the bagna cauda (the Piedmont specialty this time with tons of fresh veggies one dips in hot olive oil, garlic and anchovies) which we had to have once – OK. Then, having been overwhelmed by the Florentine tripes I had twice in Florence in September, I tried the Piedmontese version – not as spectacular, unfortunately, but Colette’s beef was up to the best boeuf bourgignon standards albeit without the wine in the sauce, so we were told, but we don’t believe it. The dessert was a nut cake with nut sprinkles and ice cream and zambaglione – super. The bill, with wine and water and coffee and one grappa was 74.50 €. Go again? Don’t think so. Le Corte Albertino, piazza Vittorio Emanuele 3, Pollenzo/Pollentina 0172 45 81 89, closed Sunday nights and Wednesdays, was a place we ate lunch at several years ago and after seeing the rooms in the hotel part of this complex, decided to return for more, so we stayed two days. The town, for those unfamiliar with its history, was built on a Roman one (Pollentina, parts of which are still evident), but retained/renovated huge buildings, churches, etc., that house four restaurants, of which one has one-star, two hotels and a University of Gastronomy (founded by the Slow Food folks). What hits you first is the horrid loud music and huge erotic painting taking off on Thomas Eakins’ Swimming, itself a take-off on Cezanne’s Bathers. We started with an amuse bouche of a bean/corn/rice soup with toasted bread with olive oil – a terrific beginning. Then we both chose pastas; Colette enjoyed ravioli filled with branzino, me one with rabbit and olives – both were just fine. I then had the roast quail with almost no sauce or spices or herbs, which was very, very good. (It seems that roasting meats is common in the Piedmont and the few we tried were very flavorful, even without any sauce.) We both then had desserts; Colette – the zambaglione (again) - and I a delicate vanilla flavored crusty cup into which Calvados-poached diced apples and ice cream had been placed. Altogether quite nice! The bill = 70 € with a lotta wine, water and no coffee. Come back? I think so. Violetta, valle S. Giovanni, 2.5 km from Calamandrana (ask directions) 0141 76.90.11 closed Tuesday and Sunday nights and Wednesday is a gem of a place beloved by everyone from Fred Plotkin to Michelin and we can see why. A smiley-faced Bibendum, while hard to find, it tries hard to please and does. No written menu excepting a wine list. We started with identical dishes of tagliatelle with a cuisinarted mushroom sauce. Then Colette had (what else?) rabbit and I guinea fowl; both were served with only their own minimum sauce in rollatine form and were accompanied by fine veggies: spinach, carrots and small leaves of just picked lettuce . We both had chocolate desserts (a bouche and mousse) which were less successful. With a bottle of Barbera d’Asti, water, coffee and one giant-sized grappa = 70 €. Return? As soon as possible - since I can now find the way.

Nov-Dec 07 Milan El Crispin, via Castelvetro 16/18, Milan, 02/33103004, closed Sundays, has two knives and forks in the Michelin, but that’s not why we came; we came because after spending 5 wonderful hours in the Frankfurt airport, surely much worse a place than LAX and JKF - which were my prior most hated ones, d/t the Italian transportation strike, and reaching the hotel at 6 PM, Colette said enuf! Find a place nearby. So I made a tour de block and found what every eG member who writes me wants the first night: a good resto no more than 5 min from their hotel. In this tour I found two salumerias/formaggerias, one enoteca, one beer place, one Mexican, one Chinese and three interesting looking Italian places. On looking them all up in the food guidebooks, El Crispin came out first. The amuse bouches were fried (looking like cod but not) balls of ham forcemeat (I’m sure a Lombardian specialty) – terrific. Then we had more or less in succession: wonderful slices of bresaola with parmesan (Colette & they swear; I say grana or aged asiago) on great rocket; mixed veggies grilled topped with a tad olive oil; and a branzino with porcini mushrooms (it’s still Fall, no?) – perfect. The bread (esp. the foccacio) was very good, the house Cab/Sangiovese from the House of Banfi quite good and the bill a very easy 53 E (a la carte, no “menu”, 3 dishes, one bottle of wine and water, no coffee or dessert). Come back? If in the nabe, that is, the Fiera, sure, but maybe it could have been just another first day in a country phenomenon. The Mensa, at the Mario Negri Institute, via Giuseppi la Masa 19, Milan, open Mon-Fri and weekends during meetings. The amuse bouche was a platter of mortadella, those leftover pieces the locals consider not much of a much, but they were splendid after a morning of lectures. For a first I chose a salad of great, fresh, spicy chopped radicchio with awful, pallid, pathetic tomato slices; no dressing, OK. 2nd: an incredibly horrible macaroni/lasagna thing with a side of contradictorily wonderful warm/hot unadorned spinach. Fruit: clementines. A fine split of red wine, a half-liter of water and a doppio espresso ristretto, rounded it out. The bill = 2.20 Euros (Disclosure: my reduced-price meal was in exchange for a brilliant contribution to a roundtable. Average citizens might have to pay 6-8 Euros.) Come back? This is a bargain place with not bad cafeteria food. Why Not? Plus the nearest resto is at the Milan Triannale, 300 meters away, which actually didn’t look half bad. Addendum: We did go back the next day to the Café at the Triannale and I had a super ristretto. Il Cortese, via G. Cherandini, Milan, 02.345.92.908, closed Sundays. I don’t know about you, but I dread Congress dinners – gaudy places, fawning staff, awful food, iffy companions and zippo wine. So why did Colette and I go? Ans: Because it was: - free - expected - not badly rated - not too far a walk. Ecola. We arrived late (well, that’s an oxymoron in Italy); sat down, and were urged to try the slightly fizzy (Asti?) white, switched immediately to a Sicilian red – fantastic - and ate much too much good bread. Then came a cavalcade of antipasti: (oh, did I mention that this was a seafood place?): fresh anchovies (that I insisted were lisettes – wrong) in a tasty batter – 5*; calamari with tomatoes (cold); calamari with brown sauce and polenta (hot); poulpo with salad and potato; and the piece de la r……….”, salmon cru with fennel seeds – at this point Colette, ignoring our French and Italian neighbors/colleagues/friends said “this is pretty good.” Then my friend/etc., on the right talked about his summer house up North on the border, the wines and cheeses theereof - and presto I had a bottle of Sfursat 2003 in my hands. The pasta arrived: homemade (of course) with you guessed it calamari, shrimp and garlic (and what I insisted were bits of rabbit or pork or veal – No!, nonesuch! said my pals and the owner) Then a millefeuille of swordfish/tomato/eggplant/etc. – gorgeous! Finally Colette had a divine chocolate mousse/etc. and I a micro-waved apple tart that I thought was gold or at least silver, standard but Colette said was not as tasty as hers in downtown Milan today (while I was working to pay for the trip- Oie!) Come back? Have you ever walked out of a place with more money than when you walked in, except for ATM’s and drug houses? La Quercia, via Molina 1, Somma Lombardo (eg Malpensa), 03.31.23.08.08, closed Tuesdays was right next to our last hotel (First) of this trip and had one knife and fork in the Michelin whereas the First’s Eagle had zip. Mistake. In brief: great owner/staff, wonderful fishy menu, fine wines but poor food. They gave us two amuse bouches - both fried: cheese balls and fish balls. OK. Then we split a risotto Milanese and pasta with tough seafood – blah at best. Then I had rocket salad and Colette had rocket with tomatoes. OK. Then I had roasted calamaretti which were OK, no more; getting the picture? Finally, we shared a flan – best dish there. The bill with two pastas, two salads, one main, wine and water but no coffee was 60 €. Go again? On my death bed.

At Washington-Dulles IAD itself Vino Volo, @ Dulles itself, Terminal C, 703-661-1999, open daily 11am - 10pm (no reservations but they’ll accommodate you quickly). For complicated reasons we had to get to Dulles at about dinner time although our plane left at 10 PM. A couple of weeks ago we’d scoped this place out and asked if at 8 PM they’d have seats – “sure!” The welcome and service were exemplary, especially in a place that cannot see many regular customers. The setting is minimalist and stark but they have yet to figure out how to configure it to accommodate folks more quickly - too many tables are occupied by one person (at a two-some) or two (at the four-some). The food was quite tasty but huge portions for those used to European-sized dishes; we had lentils, salads and a pork mole taco; the duck confit is available only in the Baltimore location which disappointed me. Also a bit silly is their corkage fee of $12 per bottle, which added to their cheapest offering ($18) really is too much for a fast-food, tapas/wine bar-type place but truth be known, the wines are intelligently chosen (but annoyingly described in winetalk) and of a broad variety. The bill with one bottle of wine and no coffee = $65.65. Go again? Probably if stuck under similar circumstances.

Kuffler & Bucher Terminal 1B. We had a forced 5-hour layover in Frankfurt due to a 24-hour all-transport strike in Italy so I had to have lunch again in the airport and getting downtown and back through security at this grossly-mismanaged airport was an impossibility. I didn’t see Käfer's Bistro when I went to the food area this time, but I spotted its sister place Kuffler & Bucher so I entered without Colette who was off her feed. I had a quite nice plate of wurst and sauerkraut with ham bits as well as a half-bottle of red wine that came to 31.80 €. For airport food it was quite OK. Go back? If under similar circumstances, sure. Just Don't do-it. FRA as been transmuting into a very finicky place w.r.t to security checks. BTW - I agree with the above comment from anil that this place is the most unpleasant airport in the world – they still haven’t figured out how to move you from one secure (eg after going through security) area to another and all United/Lufthansa flights, at least, require a change of gates, arms, etc. Last trip we went through security/etc. four times. In addition, sometime between 2 and 3:30 PM you are forced out of wherever you are, in our case the club, and marched through security yet again.

Sorry I'm a week late and thus it's pay-per-view, but Jean-Claude Ribaut of Le Monde had an article last week on Christmas eating in Alsace.

Mutton, I think is one of those hot-button issues that divides the culinary world in two - to mix a few metaphores. I hate mutton in any form and indeed when visiting my daughter in New Zealand insisted on buying only export-quality young lamb (which was tough to get in provincial cities). My best eating companion in Paris (aside from Colette) though loves it in all forms. Funny.

You know, Pierre, you usually credit others with generosity of spirit, but here I think it's you who are too forgiving. I've not had these experiences at l'Ambroisie, of course, I'm hardly a regular, but I think we have to respect what ajgnet encountered. No matter how good, how busy, how upset - a great place is flexible.Written with some envy of missing the scene in Paris, from Piedmont/Lombardy, John

I'd agree about Afaria, Fresh, as I've stated here, but 6 months ago, on that side of the stream, Le Grand Pan twasn't bad.

Randy - this is terrific; thanks so much. John

While we are still in the midst of a trip in Italy, I must note that the Italians have taken the No Smoking anywhere ban quite in stride. New York and French smokers put up the argument that no one will go there anymore, but as Yogi should have said "That is because they are so popular."

This certainly comports neither with my experience there nor anywhere for that matter. Forever, faggedit!

Maybe you could give us a few parameters to narrow your search beyond 50 € pp traditional non-Adria - for instance small large, brasserie bistro restaurant, trendy classic, new old, etc. I assume you have already checked out all the compendia by what is open on holidays, by arrondissement, inexpensive eats, and recent finds by members etc.

The last one I had for one (I've since made it at home with Galerie Lafayette confit, Grand Epicerie sausages and Monoprix beans once a month about with great success) was at the Auberge Pyrenees Cevennes in the 11th and it was much too much for one to eat but not half-bad.

Well know that you mention such, are cooked peeled beets really necessary?

I overheard a conversation among six people in a club at Roissy-CdG discussing food that brought home to me how what I think are great experiences are seen by other eaters to be absolutely insupportable French dishes, for example: raw scallops, scallops served in a shell, undercooked beef, carrots with their tops on and a sauce so exotic that it needed to be scraped off the fish. At first I thought "Oh well, they've never been outside their home states before," but no, one also complained about crunchy bird's-nest soup in Asia. And then I got on the plane and saw Christian Bale eating maggots and snake in "Rescue Dawn" and recalled what the markets in Viet Nam had and concluded that while I consider travel broadening, not everyone agrees.

Oh my goodness, that's too bad. Well, 2008 can't come soon enough I guess. Let us know the results of your dash once you make it though.

The Week of November 19th, 2007 Monday, Le Fooding, there was a sort of a manifesto concerning le Fooding’s “war” over its name, already summarized on the Pinned Topic: Restaurant, Food and Chef News. Tuesday, A Nous Paris’s critics reviewed two places: Philippe Toinard reviewed and gave 3/5 blocks to l’Oxalis, consistently misspelled l’Oxalys, coordinates given before where he liked the fricassee of mushrooms & escargots, scallops and a crumble, while Jerome Berger awarded 4/5 to the glorified wine-bar Racines, coordinates also given before, run by the ex-patron of La Cremerie and featuring natural wines and name-brand butter, cheese, rabbit, etc. In the side-bar, they feature two mini-reviews of the new wine-bar-light food resto, le Vingt 2 {my report on it is here} and l’Arome, ditto for coordinates, that has a new chef, ex from the Royal Monceau. {It’s interesting that just a year ago I reported on it and felt the then chef hadn’t quite “got it.” Time to try it again, I guess.} Wednesday, Richard Hesse in Paris Update reviewed L’Entêtée, 4, rue Danville in the 14th, 01 40 47 56 81, closed Sundays and Mondays with a 30 € menu serving fusiony food such as eggplant tart, tuna with seseme and salad and tart Tatin of endive and goat cheese. Wednesday, as well, Emmanuel Rubin, in Figaroscope had a tough go; awarding 4 one-heart ratings to: Le Pantheon on the second floor of the cinema of that name, 13, rue Victor-Cousin in the 5th, 01.40.46.01.21, closed weekends, costing 15-30 € for "snacking" food; an old place with the same chef but a new sign outside - the Villa Victoria, exVelly, {which I too had found velly bad}; the third a Lebanese place Assanabel, in the 6th and finally Lamfe, 7 rue des Prouvaires in the 1st, 01.45.08.04.10, open 7/7 costing 35-50 € for what sounds like 2-heart food – endives, honorable pleurottes and a classic entrecote. The broken heart went to Le 50-Zinc, 55, rue de Bretagne in the 3rd, serving forgettable food in the exChineurs space. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” this week was concerned with wine bars. They included: The new CaveSteve Quedubon Les Domaines qui montent Aux Anges La Cave du Daron The classics Chapeau Melon Cremerie-CavesMiard Lavinia Verre vole Caves Legrand And also Nicolas Nono Le Chemin des Vignes La Garde Robe Les Papilles Caves Petrissans Cave a l’Os a moelle And Francois Simon in his ”Hache Menu” got to go to Racines, coordinates already given, where for 60 € for two he felt he did OK, especially with the “little plates.” Jean Claude Ribault in this Wednesday-Thursday’s Le Monde wrote about what birds to serve during the holidays: poularde from Bresse at 45 €, chapon of Bresse @ 18-25 €; turkey from Loué, only 11,50 €; pigeon from Miéral – Ain at 26 €; and chicken, Loué label rouge, costing 6,70 €. Thursday, Les Chroniques du Plaisir accompanied "in" chef Daniel Rose of Spring as he shopped. Friday, Sibylle Vincedon had an article in Libe about the difficulty in eating “bio” for a week. Saturday-Sunday in Le Figaro, Francois Simon had a Croque Notes piece on creating rather than copying dishes, as most chefs seem to be doing these days. Also in the weekend edition, Francois Simon and Alexandra Michot gave essentially the same information as Phyllis did elsewhere, in a much longer version. Finally, in an article I can only find in the pdf version, Bertrand Saint Vincent has a tribute on La Coupole’s 80th birthday - the 20th of December. October’s Optimum had it’s Good and Bad of the New Restos: Best Brunch Coco & Co Best come-back La Marlotte Best bistrot Afaria Best 16th Victor Best Pigalle La Nouvelle Athenes Best Marais Le Carre des Vosges Best flop Sydr December’s Food & Wine has a blurb about Marc Veyrat’s 3-volume “Encyclopedie Culinaire du XXIe Siecle” and Jean Francois Abert’s bio of Pierre Gagnaire “Lucide & Ludiquie.” Jay Chesnes in Saveur has an article on the Pied de Cochon which eventually will be on line. In addition, Travel & Leisure had Christopher Petkanas’ chronicle through the workingman’s zinc cafes including: Melac, Le Pur Café, Bihan Café, Le Temps des Cerises, Le Laffitte, Chez Gladines, Le Bearn, + Le Café des Deux Moulins. Sunday November 18th, the NYT had a “Foraging” article by Elaine Sciolino on Goumanyat & Son Royaume's spice plus emporium (where you have to buzz to get in) in the 3rd. Sunday, the 25th, Philippe Toinard (of ANP fame) posted the first mention I’ve seen of Marguerite, 50, rue de Clignancourt in the 18th, 01-42-51-66-18, the menu with coffee is 15 €; a la carte 25-35 €, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays. He gave it 3/5 Miams and appreciated the quenelles of sandre and game terrine, but also admired the next table’s risotto with mushrooms. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

The weekend, FT had an article on Alain Ducasse’s new place in London, in which, in addition to revealing his affection for Chicken McNuggets with curry sauce and his recent marriage to Gwénaëlle Gueguen, he discusses his opening of a “’bar and boeuf’ restaurant in Monaco, which serves only sea bass and beef” and a “’boulangépiciers’ – a combination of bakery and grocery” in Paris. Also, according to the Crest panel (NPD Group) Web Radio du Gout says that only 1 in 4 customers take wine with meals and then, more at dinner than at lunch.

The new Saveur suggests the Kurfalz-Weinstuben, Restaurant 44 Im Swissotel + Weinstein.

The recent France-Amerique has an article on the Beaujolais region that suggests one eat at Le Buffet de la Gare in Belleville or the Auberge Vigneronne in Regnie-Durette.

A student - Jean-Baptiste Bourgeon - in Web Radio du Gout has written of branche, exotic, inexpensive restos suitable for students that include: Le New Nioulaville in the 11th, La Galerie, Le Bazar Egyptien and other places along the Rue de Lappe, in the 11th, and Tang Freres in the 13th.

As usual, Phyllis beat everyone to the punch. In the weekend edition of Le Figaro, Francois Simon and Alexandra Michot gave essentially the same information as she did, in a much longer version.