John Talbott

Well, I'm sure you've already exhausted the 19 bistro topics that already exist; it all depends on what you want in a bistro: neo, old, gastro, fusiony, wood panelled, sharp Stark tables; or a brasserie, neighborhood, Flo-like, ceilings, beer taps, etc. Give us a better idea of what your vision is of a bistro and/or brasserie. Since you live in France, tracyinfrance, I assume means Tracy in France, I suspect you have very definate ideas about where you want to wind up. More specificity and we'll plunge in. Host's Note I've merged some topics so we'd have a better resource. Please search bistros and bistrots.

Spot on. Top one is it. Thanks.

Always been to my knowledge; sure you don't mean Uitr in the 15th? Oldest reference I have in my archives here is Emmanuel Rubin's 2000 Gourmet Paris (except 1969 Gault & Millau) which shows it with an "H".

Yup, but when a young American chef comes over to an old American couple and says "What's a perdreau?" one is amazed to come up with the correct answer (even though I think Colette produced it first).

White or translucent.

I like this plan Julot and dfunghi; and one can also wolf down a dozen or two bivalves at l'Huitrier on the rue Saussier-Leroy if one is in the Bayen-Poncelet market area.

We have had discussions on translating the names of fish and péké, but little on strange menu puzzlers. My experience yesterday when Daniel Rose asked me to translate perdreau jarred my recollection of a wonderful article by Richard Pevear in the Times’ Book Review last week, discussing the translation of “tortue” and “grebeshki” in Tolstoy’s War and Peace. His tale of French turtle soup, a Paris restaurant and the Bibliotheque Nationale prompted me to start this topic on the strangest menu items we’ve faced translating. For me, in France, I think it was a dish described as a zarzuela of vegetables, which sounded like a swirling soup of Southern European (eg Spanish/Basque) products, which it was.

So far 3-0, but thanks folks. This is a green acorn sized fruit with teeny/tiny white beads of bursting beauty inside, only slightly citrus tasting. Not pink and not real caviar doctored up. Sorry. My, oh my, eGullet can't do it in 3 hours, hummmm, maybe I should switch to the Food Channel. Keep trying, (Pti, where are you when we need you?). Tmrw, only 50% strike, no rain and with France-Argentina, we'll eat beef and camembert (to keep on topic).

Yesterday, at Ze, Colette had a brochette of scallops with an intruiging bunch of beedy bubbles on top. We asked whaaaaa, and the most helpful waitfolk (cf here) produced both a cup of the teeny/tiny bursts of magnificence and the acorn-sized fruit they came from. Ok, you ask, why don't I just call Pti up and ask? Ans: 1. I'm a guy, one doesn't ask. 2. I want to get a discussion going, and 3. This is more fun. So, what is Citrus/citron caviar, where does one buy it (not in Bon Marche, les Halles de Montmartre or Monoprix, where the question is treated as if one is deranged) and is it grown in the US of A?

Daniel said he'd be shut something like Dec 22 - Jan 4 (I could have mis-remembered) but otherwise when I talked about November and January dates, he sounded cool. Call him, don't email, he'll tell you. I have no idea if and when and why he might be closed otherwise (he does need to fix his hole in the kitchen floor, but I think he's figured that out).

Hello: While searching Nancy (to which Colette is desperate to return)* *footnote, Cecilia Sarkozy is portrayed in one French daily today as a Desperate Housewife, I found only this unanswered plea from Markemorse. Does anyone have any new recs/info? Tx John

Nope, you can even find American brand peanut butter here (not sure that's a good thing though ). I know I've seen Jiff or Skippy in my market. ← Yah, I gotta walk 25 feet to get some.

While I pretend to only eat at new places, when Colette comes over, we go back to Golden Oldies and although I’ve already reported on them, I’m frequently compelled to comment. Thus, while I first ate here a year ago (and it’s a Golden Oldie even at one year), I managed to sneak in a comment when Daniel Rose started serving lunch, and today I will add to that, since he has a new sous-chef and server and the team is wonderful. When I called to reserve I said it would be game season, so……., we agreed on a date, I said it’s the day of the big strike, he said, no problem, we’re all scooterized, I said cool, we’ll walk over. I called this morning, in business?, sure, and it’s gibiers, you remembered, of course. And we trod over the mountain and the tables were full, even with no Metros, RER’s or buses running. And the meal was impeccable; a nem with pumpkin, beet puree with a spot of vanilla, a wonderfully warm but not fully cooked scallop and mustard greens; three pieces of perdreau, which we remarkably were able to translate for a loyal reader as young partridge (in which a neighbor actually found a buckshot) with its own sauce and teeny/tiny girolles, a potato baton with teeny/tiny chopped abats (I think) and chopped greens; and a pear two-ways (cooked and raw) with a pot of runny chocolate like the runny inside of a moelleux with a tad of whipped cream on top. He had two reds we’d never had before: a Portuguese and “Soleil de……” and a great Armagnac. Heaven. At 108 € for two, this is the best price/quality place in town since Eric Frechon’s 170 FF in the 19th. Plus the chef and staff are sooo nice. Happy 1st Birthday Spring!

I actually agree with my old friend Pierre. The best time to reserve a table is the day Figaroscope or A Nous Paris appears; because it will be empty, unlike in NY where people scour the trash cans outside the NYT printing facilities for what's hot tmrw.But I still insist that after a restaurant has been "found," food-inclined folks flock, even here. Today, for instance, was Spring's 1st year anniversary, and the tables were full for lunch in the midst of the most "perfect" strike since 1995. And Daniel Rose isn't accepting reservations until December. Granted, today, the place was 75% AngloSaxon or at least Anglophone, but DR says it varies. When I first went a year ago, it was all locals who followed the Pierre45 rules of: "-Word of mouth -Reasonable in terms of quality of cuisine -Friendly owner -Consistency"

The Week of October 8th, 2007 Monday/Tuesday, A Nous Paris had two reviews: Philippe Toinard gave 4/5 blocks to Le Petit Casier, 49, rue Olivier de Serres in the 15th (next to the wine-bar le Casier a Vins, 01.56.08.36.22, a la carte 36-53 € serving mainly fish that he describes as not revolutionary but modernly presented, incontestably fresh and respectful of its perfumes. Meanwhile Jerome Berger awarded 3/5 blocks to Le Look Cafe , coordinates given last week, which he describes as having a PMU (eg betting parlor café) atmosphere and serves draft beer and milk-shakes with Portuguese sardines, hot dogs and soup. For some reason, rather than regularly reviewing Afaria in the 15th, coordinates already given, they just describe its blend of tapas and Southwest food in the sidebar. Wednesday, Richard Hesse in Paris Update reviewed Astier, coordinates given before, which he liked under the new management as much as before. Wednesday, as well, Emmanuel Rubin, in Figaroscope awarded 3 hearts to the new wine (and food) place Il Vino, 13, bvd de la Tour Maubourg in the 7th, 01.44.11.72.00, closed weekends but open 7/7 starting next December, with three menus at 50, 100 and 1000 €, a la carte 40-70 where he had a lotte and rouget soup and duck with potatoes. Two hearts went to Le Vingt 2, 22 rue Desnouettes in the 15th, 01.45.33.22.22, open everyday, running one 15-30 € for cervelles de canut (brains of the silk worker, a Lyon specialty) spread on toast, tuna/wasabi, pork with sage and French toast with figs. Then came three one-heaters: Entre 2 Rives, 1, rue de Hanovre in the 2nd, 01.42.66.15.11open Mon-Fri for lunch and Thursday and Friday for dinner, a Viet Namese diner; 1T, Rue Scribe, 1, rue Scribe {duh} in the 9th, 01.44.71.24.24, open everyday from 11 AM – 8 PM for about 25 a la carte, menus 16 and 23 €, for green tea, sandwiches and other “lady food;” and Edgar, 83,rue Legendre in the 17th, 01.53.06.82.82, closed Sundays and Mondays, for about 35 a la carte and 15, 18 and 30 € menus serving foie gras on toast and chopped beef, Japanese style {for my report see here.) Figaroscope’s “Dossier” this week was all about roast chicken and where to eat it. It included a ranking from #1 l’Ami Louis, rated 17/20 to #20 Lipp, rated 9/20, as follows: A l’Ami Louis L’Assiette aka Chez Lulu Atelier de Maitre Albert Relais Plaza Rotisserie du Beaujolais Au Pere Claude Allard L’Arbuci Chez Flottes Buttes Chaillot La Gare Syderie de l’Etoile Rotisserie d’en Face Chez Clement Le 182 La Rotonde de la Muette L’AOC Le Louchebem J’Go Brasserie Lipp And Francois Simon in his ”Hache Menu” got to go to the #1, where despite the Americans, for 180 €, you won’t be disappointed. Wednesday-Thursday, in Le Monde, Jean Claude Ribaut wrote about the grand old memories at Chartier, Le Coupole + Pied de Cochon, celebrating their 111th, 80th, 60th and anniversaries respectively. Apparently, Friday, in l’Express, they reviewed Julianon in the Oise and Roberta Bar a Mozzarella in the FNAC Montparnasse, since they are listed on the “Saveurs” page, but the link is busted to the content. Saturday, Francois Simon in Le Figaro, published a nice article on two chefs and restos in Reims: Didier Elena and Les Crayères and Arnaud Lallement at l’Assiette Champenoise; he noted that both cartes had foie gras and tuna but only the latter, langoustines cooked in four ways Saturday/Sunday, in the FT Nicholas Lander described two meals he deemed representative of “Pure Paris,” Gerard Besson with its/his panoply of game (3 courses was 320 €) and Il Vino with its 5 wine/5 course (from among 15) meal for 100 €. Sunday, Margaret Kemp has an article in Bonjour Paris about the Starck redecor at the Meurice and John Talbott has a piece on “Bad Service.” Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread. Edited by John Talbott to correct rating of Le Petit Casier, in A Nous Paris from 3/5 to 4/5.

Spot on. #99 it is, great beef.

October 7ths NYT had a "36 Hours in Hamburg" article by Denny Lee that mentioned Das Weisse Haus + Tarantella.

In October 7ths NYT Evan Rail recommended Dio, Baraka + Szoda.

Oh, Margaret, you are so on target. Astier is both an authentic, "good French bistro" and possesses a great cheese spread. Indeed, except for the late-lamented Androuët resto in the 8th, there's only Montparnasse 25 in the 14th to compete, although, truth be told, if on death row and facing only one more cheese opportunity, I'd go for it - its array is even more awesome.You know, Tom, the main thing here on a honeymoon is to enjoy and not sweat the details. 46 years and counting, John

In truth, if you've been reading the topics (and thanks for the thanks, I hope we are community of help,) the moment something is written up (even here), it's known and not "frequented mostly by locals...." My solution is eat at 2-hearts in Figaroscope or 3 blocks in A Nous Paris the day of or day after publication. Even so, a place like Afaria discovered by the RFC, was blown by the day we arrived, by both the above and Amuricans were present.So maybe one sucks it up and goes to l'Ami Jean or Repaire de Cartouche which are s and if English is spoken around you, so what?

I'll try to listen at halftime.

A clarification about or a new practice at Afaria. When the RFC and I ate there two weeks ago we had tapas and a main course at a table in the main eating room. Today Colette and I were told that the practice was that one could only order from the carte there and tapas from the ardoise were only eaten at the common table in the bar, where one could also order mains, making it a perfect spot. Another feature I didn't discover until today is their "house specialty" digestif, a combination of armagnac and pulverized framboise, which I got because I asked for a Basque digestif (thinking of something like Izzara) and was informed this was their ideal - it was, ideal!

That doesn't look like this Sarah Weiner.

This is really Pti's rayon, but I'll venture that the dictionairies (Robert & Collins, A-Z of French Food, etc) are not 100% accurate when they translate fromage blanc as cottage cheese. And while the Chef’s Thesaurus says that “fresh goat cheese is like fromage blanc, only made with goat’s milk," I still frown. But why not buy the real thing? A quick search shows that in 1988, the NYT says that fromage blanc, a very smooth cottage cheese, is now being made in the US by the Vermont Butter and Cheese Company, in Brookfield, VT and Brier Run Farm in Birch River, W.Va., and both are sold at Zabar’s, so now 20 years later, they must be available elsewhere. It would appear one can order some from amazon.com and Williams & Sonoma. And, it's available, even in California. For example a San Diego writer Lynn Alley in the San Diego Union-Tribune, describes one from Laura Chenel in Sonoma and another from Emily Thomson Fromage de Chèvre in Ojai. Happy hunting.

No, gloating is off (the) topic (of food); we're into eating crow.