John Talbott

emsny on another topic said I cannot list or recall the number of times I've said the equivalent of "so, what wines do you make around here that are interesting?" and received a great bottle (which sometimes leads to ordering up a case.) Sure, in the great regions, including now Languedoc-Roussillon, one expects good stuff, but try it in outposts. My most revealing was in Andorra. Your experience, folks?

What I love is watching the truck A. from Les Moulins de......B. discharge its formula into a huge pipe which in turn goes into the cellar of artisanal baker C., not unlike gasoline.But you're spot on, Pti, even chain franchises turn out different products; in our area Brand D. has three bakeries, all of whose end-products (despite the piped-in stuff) are different.

So, first check out this topic; then see if the Bernard Group has reopened Les Grandes Marches, under the steps natch, never great but OK before the opera, find out when Entre les Vignes opens and if all fails, go to Bofinger or that great Irish bar adjacent. And please report back; this is a FAQ.

Host's Note I've fleshed out the title a bit with cities/etc mentioned above so that members doing searches can search more easily.

That's interesting. Do they have older vintages? ← No, quite right, you'll have to go to the older cellars to find those.

I'm very interested as well, since we'll be coming down in a while, and your prices sans truffles, sound good.Thanks for the suggestions and report.

While this is not my beat; or beats; either high end or wine lists, I think Taillevent is the champion; I still have my circa 1968 wine list enshrined. But oddly enough, in this era Baratin for a low-end has great stuff.

Please folks; illumine me; what was so wonderful about it? I missed that boat.

The last time we went to Chantilly, we took a picnic lunch. I've always considered the area between the Porte de la Chapelle and Rethondes to be kind of bleak.

Expatica/AFP announced last Thursday that the Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower will reopen in December and as noted before it will be under the purview of Alain Ducasse and Co. Meanwhile Web Radio du Gout noted that while some clementines are sweet and others are acidic, Corsican ones are both.

At the recent Salon of Chocolate, the Chocolate awards for 2007 went to: Chocolat Chapon, Jean-Paul Hévin, Jacques Bockel, Morand Chocolats, Cinagra + Estaëlle in St Maur. Jean-Paul Hévin is in Paris and Cinagra in Madagascar; the rest are outside Paris.

According to Gayot.com, for Christmas this year, Pierre Hermé will introduce several new flavors of macaroon: white truffle-hazelnut, fig-elgantine rose-foie gras and chocolate-foie gras. “A black truffle Yule Log” will also be featured.

A somewhat related question: Where can I get a decent deli sandwich in or just outside Penn Station at 10:30 AM Saturday to take and eat on the train? Thanks.

Well this is what I said in Sept 05

Agreed Pierre, it's very nice. Also emsny, note Laidback's topic in which he reports on Le Winch.

Granted, but if one is in the neighborhood, like you and me, it's a fine spot.And despite my curmudgeonly attitude, I think the pictures really add a lot.

Tram Tram is a really fun place. My report on it is way upstream.

November's Style had an article on 10 Latino sit-down places and other juice/taco/bakery/etc ones and I've only tried two (Pollo Latino + Santa Ana); thus am interested if others have tried them: El Trovador, Arcos, Michelle's Cafe, La Guadalupana Tienda y Restaurante, El Taquito Mexicano, La Cazuela, Tortilleria Sinaloa + Latin Palace. Thanks

The Week of October 22nd, 2007 Monday, Alexandre Cammas of Le Fooding wrote up the Japanese resto l’Umami, coordinates already given. Monday the 15th, in l’Express, François-Régis Gaudry reviewed Il Vino, coordinates given before, where he thinks the prices are a “bit prohibitive;” and Pierrick Jégu reviewed the Italianate R-Wan in the 15th. Then posted Tuesday the 30th, François-Régis Gaudry reviewed the Asiatic/Japanese Umami in Strasbourg and Yves Nespoulous reviewed the Japanese place Momonoki in Paris in the 2nd. Monday/Tuesday, A Nous Paris had two reviews: Philippe Toinard gave 3/5 blocks to Le J’Go Rive Gauce, 3, rue Clement in the 6th, 01.43.26.19.02, running one 28-40 €, serving much the same fare as in their Southwestern oriented places in Toulose and opposite Drouot, except this offshoot is described more as a bodega than a bar or restaurant. His colleague, Jerome Berger gave 4/5 blocks to Il Vino, coordinates given before, which he appears to have really liked, especially the wine, wine and wine. Their sidebar also mentions the winebar Vingt 2 coordinates given before as well where they liked the wines and fine gueules too. Wednesday, as well, Emmanuel Rubin, in Figaroscope awarded two hearts each to the very night-clubby looking Le Lup, 2-4, rue du Sabot in the 6th, 01.45.48.86.47, open from 10 PM to 5 AM except Sunday-Tuesday, serving duck terrines, crunchy calamari, beef tartare and lemon/vodka sorbet for 50-60 € and Le Petit Casier, coordinates given before, the fish-inclined offshoot of the wine store nearby, where for 30-40 €, one can get a millefeuille of salmon, tuna in a tagine preparation and a little pot of chocolate. Two restos got one heart: Le Bistrot de Neuilly, 16, rue Commandant Pilot, in Neuilly, 01.46.24.72.36, closed Sundays where one gets an ouef mayo, cassoulet and fromage blanc for about 35 € (formulas at 12.50 and 14 €); and Vapeur Gourmande, 49, rue Balard in the 15th, 01.45.57.71.90, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, where they serve Joel Thibault-type veggies, a veal chop and chestnut for 30 € (there’s also a formula for 15 €). Finally Rubin awarded a busted heart to the Georgian resto La Maison Georgienne in the 6th. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” this week was all about casserole-dish places that included: Le Cameleon Coco & Co Les Cocottes de Christian Constant Mon Vieil Ami Aux Lyonnais Le Versance L’Arome Without forgetting: Le Dauphin, La Ferrandaise, La Table Lauriston, Le Clou + Moussa l’Africain. Francois Simon in his ”Hache Menu” visited Afaria coordinates given before, which he calls one of the best deals of the rentree and ate tapas, spare-ribs and a tart, plus wine for 121 €. Wednesday-Thursday Jean Claude Ribaut in Le Monde wrote an article on Game and its new methods of preparation: at Jacques Cagna grouse with an acidic airelle sauce, Auguste, grouse with a black whisky (Loch Dhu) sauce, Restaurant Jean-Marie Amat, civet de lievre with “deaf and pregnant odors,” La Grande Cascade, with a rable de lievre with cocoa, cooked in clay, chestnuts and celery with mustard, with a cherry reduction, the Plaza Athénée, a large plate of game with pastry of partridge, foie gras and a Périgueux sauce, Citrus Etoile, with lièvre with a civet sauce Mère Jean, based on blood, tempura onions, liver galettes and fresh pasta, La Marlotte, serving the lièvre as a pie, Sénateur Couteaux fashion, cooked in wine with garlic and shallots and a blood-based sauce and Les Glaneurs, that serves a neighborly plain civet of lièvre. Saturday, Francois Simon in Le Figaro, published several pieces concerning 2008 French Restaurant Guides that are posted on the 2008 Food Guide topic. This weekend’s IHT had a snippet by Katrin Bennhold on Hidden Kitchen and “code-named” hosts, Laura and Braden. Sunday, Margaret Kemp had an article in Bonjour Paris about Cyril Lignac of the Quinzieme and John Talbott had an essay on “Good service or good service.” My oMni aka Omnivore just showed up this week and had a fascinating rating of chefs in France by an international “jury” of two French folk: Marc Bretillot the designer and Philippe Regol, former chef; three Italians: Andrea Petrini of Gambero Rosso, Enzo Vizzai of La Republica + L’Espresso and Paolo Marchi of the Italian version of the Omnivore Food Festival; Jorg Zipprick of Der Feinschmekere and the American Michael Steinberger of FT + Slate/Washington Post website. It was apparently published by Liberation + Omnivore in September as a supplement Next. In any case, there are a few surprises {to me anyway}, I’ll give the restaurants not the chefs to be consistent from 1-23: #1 l’Astrance Bras Chateaubriand Cordellian-Bages Les Crayeres Le Crillion Le Grenouillere Sa.Qua.Na Youpala Bistro #10 Ze Kitchen Galerie #11 Pierre Gagnaire {See what I mean?} Troisgros Le Bristol Mirazur Decoret Pic Auberge du Prieure Auberge en Gascogne La Mare aux Oiseaux #20 L’Arpege Maison de Bricourt L’Assiette Champenoise Auberge des Glazicks There was also a delightful article by Jorg Zipprick on places he ate at from 1987-1990 that included addition slips and descriptions of; Jamin, Chantecler, Giradet, l’Arpege, Louis XV, Lucas Carton, Les Pres d’Eugenie, l’Aubergade, Taillevent + Alain Chapel. Unfortunately the article is not posted on their website so you have to subscribe to read it. November’s Travel & Leisure had an article on Languedoc-Roussillon by Sarah Wildman that listed the following: le Pain d’Elices + O Bontemps. November’s Conde Naste Traveler had a “Grand Challenge” “Word of Mouth” piece on Paris where the un-named author recommended: Eat me, Cave de l’Os a Moelle, Le Petit Pontoise bis, Chez Germaine, l’As du Falafel + La Ferrandaise. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

I'll weigh in; do what you want.

Sunday's NYT had an article on "36 Hours in Riga, Latvia" that recommended: Akhtamar, Osiris + Vincents.

Hi, I couldn't find anything on Station 9 searching, so if it's there, please merge this. But I'm curious about it after a little blurb appeared in the Conde Naste Traveler. Thanks

2008 French Food Guides Chapter 2 This weekend's Figaro had a full page spread devoted to Francois Simon's evaluation of the five guides appearing soon. First he rates them thusly: Gault/Millau + Omnivore Yes Pudlo France + Bottin Gourmand Bof Guide Champerard No Of definite note though is a tiny add-on that says that where it's really happening is on the websites/blogs: eg les restos.com, lefigaro.fr, lefooding.com, les Gourmandises de Philippe, Table a decouvert, Simon Says, Adrian Moore, les chroniques du plaisir, foodgeek, le Bouche a Oreille, la Radio du Gout, le Miam....... Finally, Simon noters that there's much yet to come: the Guide des Bistrots de Paris, Michelin, le Fooding, Guide Lebey, Routard, Time Out, Zagat + Gantier for the south.

Since we're brainstorming, there are a couple of other places about which I've reported in the past year that I like: specifically Jarrasse + Maree de Passy the latter of which C. dislikes for reasons that elude me as well as Fables.... under its new sort-of management. As for old, I'd agree about the Bistrot du Dome. I'd guess, I sort of assume unless I spot the magic words - petit bateau or ligne or sauvage it's farm grown. Not for lunch; dinner I canna say.

We've blown hot and cold on La Cagouille, currently cold. This week, though, we had another fine meal at Rech, now under Alain Ducasse's flag, whose 34 Euro lunch menu with its enormous eclairs and what they call pain perdu, which are meals in themselves, is a terrific buy. Jarasse, also now part of an Empire (Rostang, Caroline), is kinda fun too.