John Talbott

Monday, June 25th Les Cocottes opened next door (eg Eastward) to the Violin. It has the same decoration as the new Fables, faux-informal lettering on faux-slate walls, and serves breakfast (at 9 E), tapas (2 E apiece), wines by the glass and bottle and a range of food from salads (9 E), soups (7 E), verrines (8 E), quiche/etc's (7 E), cocottes with daurade, cod, etc. (12 E), desserts (6 E) and a daily special (today's was a contre filet a la plancha with mixed salad for 24 E.)I did NOT eat at Les Cocottes , having already dejeuned at the Violin with French pals (203 well spent Euros for 4 great meals, Disclosure: we were comp'd the dessert, a souffle, for complicated reasons, including abominable service.) But M. Constant was installed, as it were, at Les Cocottes at the bar by the entrance (as he had at the Cafe Constant in the beginning) eating a "sandwich" of what looked to be very fine Spanish or Basque ham and indicated he still had no cards and reservations were not taken; he wants folks to drop in at all hours. The place was packed. I'll be back as soon as I get rid of these pesky friends, pals and Colette.

I was imprecise and apologize for conflating Americans cooking and American cooking. Of course Singer and Rose cook good rather than American food but one has to admit they are influenced by their past history.

Never been disappointed by him.

Hummm. Seems I saw something in Le Figaro a while back but the Alzheimer's has grabbed it away. What do/does our version of the Baker Street irregulars have to respond to Fat Guy's intelligence?

A reminder that we have another American chef Jonathan Frost, doing private soirees in Paris.

I will be posting my new reviews en bloc later in July but an alert on Au Gourmand - it's terrific, better than before in my book.

None of us ordered it today but it looked marvellous and the veggies we had from M. Thiebault were just great.

A funny thing happened on the way to France. Colette read a piece in FRANCE magazine (the UK one) four days ago that featured this great hotel/restaurant, Les Tourelles, in le Crotoy on the estuary of the Somme (you're all too young to remember your grandfathers' stories, but the Battle of the Somme was awful), where we're going for two days next week with two other loyal eGullet members. On our flight, we met Margaret Pilgrim, another loyal eGullet member, who is going to the brocante in Grand Villiers, around Amiens and we gotta eat - right. So get to the OT point Dad. Does anyone know of places in the Grand Villiers/Amiens/Le Crotoy/St Valery/St Fermin/Rue/Favieres/Abbeyville/etc. area to eat? Thanks. John

Philip - Thanks for doing the research before asking the question; unfortunately, though, I think you're correct. There aren't a lot of choices. However, we found, that in this area, we could count on our local B&B or hotel person to recommend good eats. It's not Ducasse/Robuchon/etc but it's not bad grub.Start a topic, tho', after you've gone, we'll be listening. John

The Week of June 18th, 2007 Monday, in Le Fooding, there was an article about the June 24 Le Fooding event to Lyon. Monday-Tuesday, A Nous Paris, courtesy of Phyllis, had two 3/5 block reviews; the first by Philippe Toinard, was of l’Escapade Mere-Grand, 68 bis, ave Jean Moulin in the 14th, 01.45.42.02.02, lunch formula at 15 €, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays; the fish, meat, vegetable and fruits’ purveyors’/sources are all identified but it’s not clear from his description of the lentil soup, foie gras, carrot soup and veal scallop, what he actually ate or saw go by and how he appraised the dishes, and the second, by Jerome Berger, of the Fontaine de Mars, coordinates well-known, where he starts by questioning whether the check starting at 50 € is merited or driven by its classy Constant neighbors and goes on the relate that the best part was the baba but that the thick piece of fish and tete de veau were OK too (in the summary he states one should count on 65 € a la carte, noting that it’s open every day, that is weekends as well.) Tuesday, l’Express printed its usual three reviews: the first by François-Régis Gaudry of the Cristal de Sel, 13, rue Mademoiselle in the 15th, 01-42-50-35-29 where there is no menu and the carte runs one between 30 (if one slaloms down the chalkboard) to 80 € (if one schusses), closed Sundays and Mondays, where Karil Lopez, the ex-second/etc. to Eric Frechon at the Bristol for five years, serves food that he describes as like a Maserati engine on top of a Twingo chassis, that is, while there are simple things (charcuteries from the Camdeborde family, sardines, a mushroom omelet and a cote de boeuf) it’s largely and divinely Escoffier-era buttered raviolis, veal scallop, langoustines, crepes, etc; meanwhile Yves Nespoulous reviewed the Viet Namese place Entre 2 Rives, in the 2nd, and Pierrick Jégu reviewed La Marine in Noirmoutier. Wednesday, Richard Hesse in Paris Update reviewed La Maison du Jardin, coordinates in the guidebooks, where despite a chilly reception by the waitress, he was wowed by the carpaccio of tuna, pastilla and cheese. Wednesday, as well, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin found only one place meriting two hearts: an archetypal neo-bistrot run by two exBristol folk, the Cristal de Sel, 13, rue Mademoiselle in the 15th, 01.42.50.35.29, closed Sundays, that costs one 35-40 € for fare such as charcuteries, a casserole of veggies, chicken stock and parmesan and wiener schnitzel with capers; then he rated three places with one heart only: Chez Julien, 1 rue du Pont Louis Philippe in the 4th, 01.42.78.31.64, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, which has been taken over by the Costes and still is a beautiful 1900 bistro on appearance, serving ham and melon and veal chops for about 35-40 €; the Italian Caffe Vito in the 4th; and the French menu at lunch (12 €) serving and Cameroon carte (35-40 €) at dinner serving Le Balafon in the 10th; and finally a busted heart to l’Auberge Montparnasse, 124 bvd du Montparnasse in the 14th, 01.56.54.01.55, open everyday, regretfully {I agree} replacing l’O a la Bouche with a meat-oriented brasserie, not unlike a train station buffet, serving a goat cheese salad and a brochette of beef with fries for 30-35 €. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” this week was devoted to all things picnicky: Where to go Every city place is now supposed to be fair game, but they recommend the Monsouris Park, Bois de Boulogne, Passerelle des Arts, Villemin Garden and Champ de Mars but not the Palais Royal for sitting. How to equip yourself Apparently the swankest stuff comes from Le Cèdre Rouge du Prince Jardinier, 116, rue du Bac in the 7th, T : 01 42 84 84 00 and website And Sonia Ezgulian, Lyonnaise chef and author, teaches picnic cooking classes : here Where to get food La Cave de l’Os a Moelle l’Avant-Gout Chez Michel Astier Le Fitout, 23 ave Simon Bolivar in the 19th, 01.42.08.07.09 Where to shop Kit a Bien Manger Fauchon La Cantine de Quentin. And Francois Simon, going along in his Haché menu, went to the Café Very in the midst of the Tuileries, where he spent 75 € on the tartare and desserts; he says to go. Wednesday too, the New York Times finally reported, what the French press had covered in early April and was discussed soon afterwards on the France Forum; the camembert pasteurization story. Jean Claude Ribaut in Wednesday-Thursday’s Le Monde has an inquiry on entrecotes, using Le Relais de Venise aka Le Restaurant de l’Entrecote as his peg. He talks of the sauce as "miraculous" and says they'd never reveal its components but folks have speculated that it consists of anchovies, a Swiss potion, chicken liver, fresh and flower of thyme, la crème fleurette, white mustard, water, butter, salt and pepper. For its preparation, I'll refer you to the article. In Friday’s Liberation, Sophie Marcais reviewed a tea salon/boutique with kids’ menus and storage space for strollers and high chairs called La Pousette Café, 6, rue Pierre-Sémard in the 9th, open Monday-Saturday only 10:30-6:30 PM, serving light fare such as salads and coffee. Jean Louis Galesne, in Friday’s Les Echos reviewed several places in Bordeaux – Amat, Le Saint-James, Le Grill du Bouchon, Auberge' Inn, Au Bonheur du Palais + Elio’s. May 31-June 14’s France-Amerique had an article by Anne de Ravel about Clotilde Dusoulier’s “Chocolate & Zucchini” with her recipe for a tarte tatin of tomatoes. On Sunday, in the New York Times Travel section, Mark Bittman wrote about going with Dorie Greenspan to Huitrerie Regis, 3, rue de Montfaucon in the 6th, 01.44.41.10.07, where one dozen belons were 30 €, one dozen fines de claire (size not specified) = 10 €. In addition, Sarah Wildman wrote about the new Hotel K in Baerenthal, run by Jean Georges Klein of the three star l’Arnsbourg which serves a 105 € “menu saveur.” Saturday/Sunday, BP published an article by Margaret Kemp entitled “Piece of Cake Buzz” and one by John Talbott on "Food Allergies, Aversions and Adversities." Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread. Host's Note: The Digest of the week of June 25th appears after that of July 16th; apologies.

Nishla: Two more questions: 1. I don't find Giovanni's in any guide altho Il Latini where I've eaten before, is in all. Is it new? Open in August? (that you know)2. How many more days will you be posting for and will you give us your top-bottom choices at the end? I'm loving this. John

Tonight's FR2 news at 20h00 had an segment on a new insurance offered to restaurants in case they lose a Michelin star.

To answer the question of cost; from 12-195 Euros (but that's at Bocuse); and I suspect she'll do fine in places where the daily special runs 10-16 Euros or two courses (a formule=formula) for 20-25 or so. A quick look at the Michelin Red Guide shows several smiley face Bibs in Lyon that are reasonable. Since she's staying with a family, tho', they may eat very well at home, I certainly did on my family stay.

I had it there two years ago - disappointing. Never seen it on the menu at the BDD in my 17 years eating there.

I'm not quite clear about your question.Do you want more or other types of places than are listed upthread? Are you looking for the elegant Gagnaire, Meurice, Bristol, Lancaster, Astrance, Ambrosie-level experience; or the step-down in decor but sidestep in cuisine Dominique Bouchet, Violin d'Ingres, Thierry Burlot-one; or the more informal Cerisaie, Comptoir, Villaret-sort? All could be "don't miss" experiences. Finally, if you're looking for a place to stop for a glass of wine, check out our compendium and its topics; in my book, Cremerie, Enfants Rouges, Fines Gueules are all nice.

Welcome and please do write more reviews. The only thing I might suggest is to note the amount of the check, since people seem to appreciate that.

Believe me, I’m no expert, but this website says that white is the least pungent and used in American ballpark and English mustard, brown or Indian is next most pungent and used in curries and pastes, and black is most pungent and used in Bordeaux, Dijon and Meaux mustard.

Funny you should ask. It just occurred to me that two places that were classic bouillabaise places have closed and I was wondering why? Is it no longer popular or was the rent too high? In any case the only place I can recommend is the Brasserie Lorraine aka La Lorraine in the 8th, which has a nice soup, sadly no longer a volonté since the Freres Blanc took over.

Agreed. But as the French say "Oui, mais" - "Yes, but." I usually find myself in Tuscany, etc., with a car, but this time I'm tied down to a hotel and a Congress. So I will make the best of it, probably not even venturing up to Fiesole.I've tended to think of Florence Food as the worst (per big place) in the country, but even in August, I'm determined to eat well. We'll see. Nishla's account has given me new hope.

This is one of the (many) wonderful things about eGullet and esp the France Forum. We're not at all part of a unified force field.My one and only meal there was some 16 years ago and it was terrific. But there are lots of other reports/reviews and you should definitely check them out before making (what I agree is) a big schlep. Whatever you decide, please report on it here. Thanks. John

Whadever. But Pti or Margaret, we need a devotee to test the Le Monde semi-hemi-quasi-recipe.

Maybe I'm repeating what's been said before but there are several who claim to be the original; old time New Yorkers may recall the "Original Ray's Pizza" Wars.

Jean Claude Ribaut in Wednesday-Thursday’s Le Monde has an inquiry on entrecotes, using Le Relais de Venise aka Le Restaurant de l’Entrecote as his peg and deals with the specifics of the steak, its secret sauce and how to cook the fries. I'll refer you to the article for the specifics, but if you're interested, you should download or copy it soon, as it passes into the pay archives after a few days.

Irony? Coincidence? Jean Claude Ribaut in Wednesday-Thursday’s Le Monde has an inquiry on entrecotes, using Le Relais de Venise aka Le Restaurant de l’Entrecote as his peg. He talks of the sauce as "miraculous" and says they'd never reveal its components but folks have speculated that it consists of anchovies, a Swiss potion, chicken liver, fresh and flower of thyme, la crème fleurette, white mustard, water, butter, salt and pepper. For its preparation, I'll refer you to the article which you should download or copy soon, as it passes into the pay archives after a few days. Let us know how it turns out.

Host's Note Just a reminder that we should keep the boundary between the France Forum and the Wine Forum clear and only discuss here issues, subjects etc that are specific to say buying/tasting/drinking French wines in France. If you'll look at the Wine Forum I think you'll agree that most topics are better off discussed there. Thanks. John