John Talbott

I agree; I think you're getting too much info and are suffering from info overload. Don't worry as much about gastobistros vs classic bistros, etc, nor Bon Marche vs Monoprix. Just do it. Pays de Cocagne looked pretty closed but the last time I ate at l'Auberge Pyrenees Cevennes the cassoulet was great, albeit too much. ←

There are two; the bigger one with more cooking/food guides etc is La Libreria – 89, rue du Faubourg Poissonnière 75009 Paris (tél. 01 40 22 06 94). They did not have, however, the new Gambero Rosso or Osterie guides.The second is called the Tour de Babel – an Italian bookstore and is at 10 rue du Roi de Sicile 75004 Paris (tel. 01 42 77 32 40). Edited by John Talbott to add second bookstore.

Because not everyone reads the Digest, I’ll put up this Valentines Day stuff from this weeks’ publications: February 1st, but just posted recently is an article by Véronique André and Marie-Christine Delacroix in Figaro Madame that is part of the run up for Valentine’s Day. They suggest: A deluxe cruise up the Seine on the “Don Juan II,” leaving from the Port Henri-IV in the 4th, 01.44.54.14.70, costing various amounts from 349-1499 € a couple, depending on the date, serving food (lobster, veal confit with cepes, chocolate) by yet another MOF – Guy Krenzer. Et dans mon coeur Le Partage Petrossian with champagne Astier for rabbit Un jour a Peyrassol for truffles. Monday, l’Express did its now traditional three reviews all tilted towards Valentines Day; 1st François-Régis Gaudry reviewed Flora Mikula’s place in the 8th, now called the Saveurs de Flora apparently; Pierrick Jégu doing the Chateau de Maulmont in Saint-Priest-Bramefant (Puy-de-Dôme) and Anne-Laure Quilleriet sampling the food at the Hotel Amour in the 9th, where she terms the menu nostalgic bobo in old Paris. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” covered Valentine’s Day places : Big time gambler La Table de Lancaster 140 € (all without drinks unless otherwise noted) Les Elysees du Vernet 160 € Broke Au Pied de Fouet VIe 20-25 € Chartier 30€ Improvised Nemo by Bert’s Delivery service 01.47.23.43.37 Premiere etoile Ditto but by Gilles Choukroun + Raphael Berland 01.42.71.67.78 Gourbi Palace 30 € Andy Warloo A wink of the eye Astier 39.50 € Chai 33 39 € Frozen Hotel Kube 200 € for two In vino Les Craneuses 20 € plus Oh! Bigre Women’s Special Drole d’endroit pour une rencontre (Depur) beginning at 20 € Bollywood Soft Ratn 70 € Indira 50-60 € Venitian Mori Venice Bar 70 € Madrilinian Almodobar 25-30 € 15 Cent 15 15-20 € Take Out Bread & Roses Da Rosa Granterroirs Francois Simon’s idea of the theme is the Hotel Amour, see above, where his bill was 218 € for a room, two dinners and two mojitos. Should one go? To the hotel yes but on the patio side, otherwise it’s noisy; for the food, if you like brouha ha.

The Week of February 5th, 2007 January’s WHERE had several reviews by Alexandre Lobrano, one of Le First, 234, rue de Rivoli in the 1st, 01.44.77.10.40 {Digester’s Note: that I must admit I went by today and thought too mod to even enter and look.} He describes a mix of “homey” and modern food: mussels in wine and shallots, smoked salmon, stuffed veal paupiette, langoustines in vanilla sauce, macaroni filled with fava beans, a Ladurée-created sponge cake plus, and a “pricey” wine list. He also writes an enthusiastic review of Daniel Rose’s Spring, coordinates given before. In the February edition, he describes in more detail the past history that I’ve read elsewhere of the experiences and travels of chef Samuel Cavagnis of Le Versance, coordinates given before: specifically Australia, China, Viet Nam, Malaysia, East Hampton Long Island, Beirut, Nepal, Burma, Laos and Cambodia. He also reviews two French-Italian places: Le Soleil + La Gazzetta , the Asian fish/sushi resto Yushi 16 in the 16th and a “cozy” wine bar/ bistro” Villa Monceau, 16, rue des Acacias in the 17th, 01.44.09.85.59, with an exLoiseau chef, Yvan Sternat, cooking a variety of blackboard plates such as terrines, eggs mayo, cote de boeuf, roast ham, apple tart and “giant” éclairs. February 1st, but just posted recently is an article by Véronique André and Marie-Christine Delacroix in Figaro Madame that is part of the run up for Valentine’s Day. They suggest: A deluxe cruise up the Seine on the “Don Juan II,” leaving from the Port Henri-IV in the 4th, 01.44.54.14.70, costing various amounts from 349-1499 € a couple, depending on the date, serving food (lobster, veal confit with cepes, chocolate) by yet another MOF – Guy Krenzer. Et dans mon coeur Le Partage Petrossian with champagne Astier for rabbit Un jour a Peyrassol for truffles. Monday in Le Fooding, someone wrote about the restaurant Magali et Martin in Lyon’s 1st. Monday, l’Express did its now traditional three reviews all tilted towards Valentines Day; 1st François-Régis Gaudry reviewed Flora Mikula’s place in the 8th, now called the Saveurs de Flora apparently; Pierrick Jégu doing the Chateau de Maulmont in Saint-Priest-Bramefant (Puy-de-Dôme) and Anne-Laure Quilleriet sampling the food at the Hotel Amour in the 9th, where she terms the menu nostalgic bobo in old Paris. Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, Philippe Toinard gave 3/5 blocks to Le Café de la Paix, coordinates well-known, whose new chef Laurent Delarbre is another MOF, cooking half-cooked tuna, rouget doré and a meuillfeuille. He says despite the tourists the prices of menus are OK: 25, 35 and 45 €. His compatriot, Jerome Berger also awarded 3/5 blocks to Le Moulin de la Galette, who coordinates are also well-known, where some exChamarré folk now serve up dishes such as pumpkin soup, suckling pig and a baba; carte = 45 €, lunch menus are 17 and 25 € with a discovery menu of 60 €. Tuesday as well, Richard Hesse on Parisist posted a review of a new tapas place – the Casa San Pablo in the 4th. Finally, Tuesday, from the Alps, Adrien Jaulmes wrote an article in Figaro’s travel pages about things in Val d’Isere including restos: La Savoyade, La Grande Ourse + La Table de l’Ours. Also, dated February 6th there was an article by Lucile Escourrou on food blogs, 90% of which are authored by women and have been set up relatively recently because so many blogs were in English. They include: Pascale Weeks, Mercotte, Clea who lived in Japan, Anaïk who uses frozen ingredients and Passion Fusion written by a man who uses lots of foreign ingredients. She had an article the next day as well, this on exoticly flavored pastries and suggests getting them from Le Pain de Sucre, 14, rue Rambuteau in the 3rd, 01 45 74 68 92, Dolfin and Giraudet. Also this week, in Figaro Economie, there was a notice that the Freres Blanc (owners of Chez Clement, Procope, etc.), have bought La Casa del Campo and intend to open 10 tapas places in Paris. Wednesday in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin reviewed five places, none of them truly French, except the toney snack-sandwich-salad place Boulangerie Fauchon in the 8th (one heart). He gave two hearts to an Italian resto-epicerie-cave-non-stop Caffe’Vergnano in the 7th and one heart each to the Spanish Paris Bodega in the 9th and the Lebanese A Beyrouth. Finally, a busted heart went to the Chinese Yse Yang in the 16th. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” covered Valentine’s Day places : Big time gambler La Table de Lancaster 140 € (all without drinks unless otherwise noted) Les Elysees du Vernet 160 € Broke Au Pied de Fouet VIe 20-25 € Chartier 30€ Improvised Nemo by Bert’s Delivery service 01.47.23.43.37 Premiere etoile Ditto but by Gilles Choukroun + Raphael Berland 01.42.71.67.78 Gourbi Palace 30 € Andy Warloo A wink of the eye Astier 39.50 € Chai 33 39 € Frozen Hotel Kube 200 € for two In vino Les Craneuses 20 € plus Oh! Bigre Women’s Special Drole d’endroit pour une rencontre (Depur) beginning at 20 € Bollywood Soft Ratn 70 € Indira 50-60 € Venitian Mori Venice Bar 70 € Madrilinian Almodobar 25-30 € 15 Cent 15 15-20 € Take Out Bread & Roses Da Rosa Granterroirs Francois Simon’s idea of the theme is the Hotel Amour, see above, where his bill was 218 € for a room, two dinners and two mojitos. Should one go? To the hotel yes but on the patio side, otherwise it’s noisy; for the food, if you like brouha ha. Thursday, Gilles Pudlowski, in Le Point wrote that he has been following Les Tonneaux des Halles, 28, rue Montorgueil in the 1st, 01.42.33.36.19, a la carte : 35 € with great sounding stuff like: a terrine de campagne, andouillette with mustard, entrecote and fries; and La Villa Monceau coordinates above, whose menus at lunch are 19 and 26 E, and a la carte runs one about 35 E, a good bet near the Porte Maillot he says; and he thinks two places are in good shape: the Café de la Paix + Mori Venice Bar. Outside Paris he touts Georges Blanc in Vonnas, the Manoir de la Boulaie in Haute-Goulaine and; in Clermont-Ferrand suggests getting sophisticated takeout from Picnic en ville and everything in the world from L'Atre des Bourcas in L'Alpe-d'Huez. His product of the week are macaroons from Macarons de Montmorillon in Poitiers and he gives the recipe. Jean Claude Ribaut, in Wednesday-Thursday’s Le Monde wrote an article on the best brasseries in Paris. First he states that one can easily think that the great Paris brasseries, like le Ruc have disappeared or been taken over by the Costes empire. What’s going on now may not resemble past glories for habitués of La Closerie des Lilas, La Coupole + Wepler and while each era changes the situation, they still remain open all day, 7/7. He says the staff have both tact and dignity and cites in particular "Monsieur Paul" at the Zeyer. Two big companies now control a lot of them: Albert Frere who bought the Flo group (La Coupole, Bofinger, Julien, Le Vaudeville etc.) and the Blanc brothers (Le Pied de Cochon, Le Procope, La Lorraine etc.) So far he thinks their acquisitions have preserved the quality and consistency of traditional brasserie food such as leeks vinaigrette, céleri rémoulade, andouillette, choucroute, red meat, etc. He notes that since March 31st, seven Blanc establishments are featuring oysters and wines from famous places/regions. He mentions Au Boeuf Couronné for soufflé potatoes, Chez George + Brasserie Stella for the best fries and the Closerie des Lilas for beef Hemingway (flamed with bourbon) with Pont-Neuf potatoes. In addition he likes L'Ascot, Le Gourmet des Ternes, le Coq de la Maison Blanche in Saint-Ouen, and a new place Le Petit Vanves in Vanves. He advises you to avoid Le Café des Editeurs + Le Zeyer, otherwise excellent, because of their poor fries. In the weekend Figaro, Alexandre Michot wrote a full-page article on French (and some Anglo) food blogs that starts by quoting eGullet Society member Clotilde Dusoulier and also lists another member Pim. {Digester’s Note: rather than copy down the list of the other nineteen blogs, I’ll wait and see if they post it on their website after the weekend.} In the next column is Francois Simon’s “Croque Notes” wherein he visits Brussels and writes up Bon-Bon. Saturday/Sunday, BP published an article by Margaret Kemp on cooking schools and an essay by John Talbott on “Price Quality Ratios” Sunday’s JDD has several pieces. Their Version Femina’s Astrid T’Serclaes reviewed three places: l’Assiette, Tartufo + Wadja, coordinates known for all in this paragraph unless stated; Guy Martin, famed chef at Le Grand Vefour reveals his favorite places for under 35 € as Le Radis Rose + Ribouldingue, coordinates ditto; and writer Dan Franck picks several places not so well-known, although again, their coordinates are findable: café Le Closerie des Lilas, bistrot Le Bistrot des Pingouins, 79, rue Daguerre in the 14th, tea place La Maison de la Chine, and restos l’Apollo + le QuinZe [sic], 3, pl Denfert-Rochereau in the 14th. One additional source, the freebie journal Voyage d’Affaires reviews and touts l’Orenco, Sensing + Versance. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

I did omit the website which is here.

Bon Appétit, Messieurs, by Léo Fourneau. Paris, Editions Grasset, 2006, 260 pp. 16.90 € . As most of my readers know, I revel in gossip about French chefs and food critics. And I’ve done a few book notices for the eGullet Society on books written by French critics or about them, including ones by Francois Simon, Gilles Pudlowski, ”Olivier Morteau” and ”Pascal Remy” on the Michelin Red Guide. So this one by Leo Fourneau, aka Thierry Wolton, ex-critic for Elle for 15 years, seemed right up my alley, especially after reading Richard Hesse’s tribute in Paris Update. As usual, this is not a formal book review but my notes; the comments are totally mine, the translation errors as well, and “please don’t kill me, I’m just the messenger.” The book is divided in seven very unequal parts: The amuse-bouche. He starts right out stating that: (1) he’s not a critic, that is, he didn’t see his work as Elle’s Restaurant Critic as his principal occupation, (2)he always pays his checks and (3) he goes anonymously to places. I. There is no such thing as an honest restaurant critic. Well, that pretty much sums up the chapter. His first tale (and he either has an incredible memory or kept impeccable notes) relates to going to l’Avenue in the 8th, reserving in a friend’s name and having an off-putting experience. He decided to order a club sandwich and was told that because of a private party, they had a limited menu and they could not give him that. However, they did serve one to Claude Lebey (Joly) and while Fourneau/Wolton paid his bill, Lebey/Joly did not, leaving 100 FF (about $20 in those days) for his entire table’s meal and tip. His second story is apropos of Jean-Paul and Ghislane Arabian’s Ledoyen where Christian Millau (of GaultMillau) but who had long since left the enterprise) who was eating with three others and M. Arabian and crew, who were fawning all over Millau and essentially said – “let the others eat cake.” Fourneau/Wolton says freebies to critics began with the first great critic, Curnonsky aka Maurice Edmond Sailland, 1872-1956, continued through Gault & Millau and exists to present – recounting that Helene Darroze spotted Fourneau/Wolton and so he can’t trust whether he got the average meal, since readers gave such negative reports. Ducasse insists it doesn’t matter, what the kitchen turns out, it turns out (of course, as he later explains in too much detail, Ducasse is rarely anywhere in his empire). However, the author states, as Simon also insisted that the recognized critic gets the best truffle, the best caviar and largest lobster [book noter’s note: this is shocking, since we Yanks know that they aren’t the tastiest]. When he wrote negatively in his review of La Grande Cascade, the owner called Fourneau/Wolton’s publisher’s owner to complain and presumably to get him fired; it turns out these (restaurants and publications) are all interrelated by ownership or marriage. Anyway, he returned to La Grande Cascade and had a near perfect meal; and although he had reserved under his pen name, his picture was already posted in the kitchen, so after 6 years of reviewing anonymously he was “outed.” He concludes that it’s necessary to be anonymous but not sufficient. How to become a critic? Since Fourneau/Wolton came from a foreign affairs background, he states it’s not necessary to know more than good journalism, to have cooked for one’s family and to have had experience eating out. He says it takes no special gifts to be a critic – it’s largely a matter of “repetition and comparison.” He then gives the Christian Millau story again about not being able to differentiate fish types; bolstering it by quoting a study that showed that 90% of wine critics can’t tell the difference between white and red wine if blindfolded. He digresses to quote a story by Paul Bocuse about what makes a good or bad restaurant experience, saying that after a couple spends an hour squabbling during their one-hour drive from Lyon, there’s no way he can give them a meal that will make it up. He then talks of the PR that restaurants undertake, noting that one group, Costes, undertakes no PR, invites no critics to its openings and presumably comps no critic – and does just fine - thank you. He notes there are only 150 critics registered by the APCIG (Association Professionnelle des Chroniqueurs et Informateurs de la Gastronomie), their trade group. He groups critics into three types: 1. Seniors like Claude Lebey/Joly, 80+ years old, a textile industrialist in origin, who came to gastronomy late (1970), who has published every notable chef or critic, who is a fixer (getting Bocuse his Legion d’Honneur and Senderens control of Lucas-Carton, and who never pays for his meals and Philippe Couderc of NouvelObs who on the one hand was the only critic to ever invite Fourneau/Wolton to lunch and on the other is so irascible he terrorizes staffs. 2. The 50 year olds like Jean-Claude Ribault, an architect by training, an intellectual at Le Monde by inclination; Jean-Luc Petitrenaud, the opposite, e.g. a passionate eater; Francois Simon of Figaro who is the knight on the white horse, guarding his anonymity (it’s perhaps fitting that the cover photo of Fourneau/Wolton covering his face with a plate is an homage to M. Simon whose last photo in Departures had a similar plate covering his face for the article “Could This Be the Most Feared Food Critic in the World?”) and paying his additions; Gilles Pudlowski, who at a conference of young chefs Fourneau/Wolton attended talked only of his own accomplishments not of the future of gastronomy and who, when reviewing in the UK, doesn’t remember the word for “room” in English, only “suite” [obviously at this point you’ve figured out that the author settles quite a few scores with this book] and who was presented with a check by Chef Nico at the Grosvenor Hotel, who was settling a score of his own and who beat a hasty retreat. 3. The juniors like the “le Fooding”’s (Food+Feeling e.g. Fun=Fooding) founders, Alexandre Cammas and Emmanuel Rubin and “Olivier Morteau” (the pen name for Luc Dubanchet of Omnivore, Aymeric Mantoux & Emmanuel Rubin) who wrote “Food Business.” He then tells a story about the Chez Clement group, who agreed to pay for publicity for his book “Les Meilleures Tables de Paris” until they read the copy which was not glowing about their chain’s industrial food. The moral apparently is that in this biz you can’t trust anyone. II. There’s no such thing as a reliable food guide. He takes as his first example all the guides’ treatment of Lasserre which is says gets good ratings but where everything is tired and worn-out, e.g. the décor, service and food. He then says his opinions are closer to Simon and Rubin than Couderc or Pudlo. He reveals that his readers are not the type who will spend lots on a meal, thus he began the series of books of restaurants under 200 FF – now 35 Euros. He describes how it is physically impossible to eat at all 400 restaurants evaluated and he admits to sending out letters to ascertain current hours, prices, etc., but he does add 50 new places a year and presumably eats at these. He then, however, says that Lebey, Pudlo + Champerard are not the persons judging the food in the books they are listed as authors of, but that their staffs do it and one must thus multiply the number of different palates involved. He applauds Lebey for listing the date, price and plates consumed; however, he notes that doing the math, it would take sales of 14,000 to pay for the meals listed (and they only sell 10,000 copies), that some days 10 meals were consumed and some dates listed are for days the restos are closed. He notes that while Pudlo takes the advice of readers and incorporates it apparently without acknowledging such, Zagat, whose method is unpopular with the French, thus making it much less reliable than in the US, at least says that’s what it does. In discussing Lebey’s habit of getting chefs to cook up big meals (free of course) to celebrate their awards, he notes that few chefs refuse to play the game, Nicolas Vagnon of the now closed but well-reviewed Lucullus in the 17th, being the one famous exception. [Note: I should add that Vagnon is now cooking quite successfully on the Ile de Yeu.] He talks about the dependence of the big guides on both local experts and some national ones and there is the implication that these folks are but cogs in big wheels and that blogs may be more reliable. As an example of the incestuousness in the industry he notes that Ducasse (who has a position in Relais & Chateau) quite “generously” put the “Le Fooding” and Omnivore folk up in these hotels and paid for their automobiles (and presumably that’s why Europcar’s locations are mentioned on every page.) As for the Michelin, Fourneau/Wolton thinks it’s way overrated. As an example, he overheard a conversation at Alice Bardet’s Point Bar, where Michel Trama (Puymerol), who was about to be awarded a third star, and family and companions, disparaged those who already had three stars. On the other hand, Fourneau/Wolton says that Michelin’s inspectors are the best trained, pay their additions and stay in unfancy places; but thinks that ten men are too few for France. He retells the stories about Bocuse getting his third star only after being told in his yearly meeting with the powers that be to get new toilets, Loiseau’s obsession with stars and Senderens giving up his stars. He also thinks Michelin is on terribly shaky ground when evaluating foreign restaurants in France and all restaurants outside France, giving as an example that three of the four 3-star places in NY went to Frenchmen (Cocorico, says he). He is very dismissive of the French ignorance, indeed arrogance, about the quality of product and creativity of chefs in the US, but more on that much later. Finally, he retells the story of the egg on Michelin’s face after they rated a place in the Benelux edition that hadn’t yet opened. III. The myth of the great chef. Fourneau/Wolton starts by talking about the “aquarium” in which the great chef stands and supervises his domain; the staff is like an orchestra and each knows his place and role. He says all good chefs are in control whether they exercise it by tyrannical behavior or precise mastering of techniques, etc. He notes that it’s grueling work – 10 hours at a stretch with temperatures approaching 50 degrees (e.g. 120° F.) and that there are, at any one time, 100,000 posts open in France. Kitchens must turn out the same thing every day but there are no play-backs. Like the New York Times article recently, he notes that we don’t eat proteins, glucides, etc. but plates of real food. And then he adds that he had this fantasy of Marc Veyrat like we all do, in his nutty Savoie hat, but he turned out to be charming and surprisingly fragile – but more about that later. Haute Cuisine He says that there’s a waltz that goes on between chefs and critics; the higher the pedestal critics place chefs on, the higher up the critics appear. Then he gets into one of his major questions in the book: are the current great chefs just masters of reproduction (e.g. of Escoffier) and is this how the MOF (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France) are selected/elected? The GaultMillau tried and maybe did change all that and then (e.g. circa 1960’s-70’s) the chefs’ personality rather than technique became central. But Fourneau/Wolton repeats the ridiculous excesses of the era; such as serving one 3 petits pois and 2 haricots verts on a huge plate for a pricey price. Then the Gulf War killed haute gastronomy, France was in a recession and rescue came in the form of financing that put chefs more into salaried positions and food became less and less an art and more and more a sort of merchandise. Ducasse, in particular, went off to NYC where his name alone brought in money. But soon after, Gagnaire, the Pourcels, Robuchon and Savoy got on the boat, so to speak. Fourneau/Wolton categorizes chefs as (1) instinctual (e.g. Jacques Maximim of Vence) or (2) cerebral (Roellinger of Cancale), the latter folks who are more chemists, using good technique and spices and whose shell cannot easily be pierced. He thinks that Jacques Thorel in the Moriban best combines the two. Now he drops his historian’s role and talks about himself (Fourneau/Wolton); saying that he doesn’t go out to eat stuff he can make at home; that he sees two chefs representing polar positions today: he admires both Gagnaire’s constant research and combinations of tastes, textures, etc., and (l’Ambroisie’s) Pacaud stripping things down closer to the product. He appreciates generosity and hates leaving a meal hungry. He attacks Pascal Barbot of l’Astrance, wondering if other critics actually ate the same meal he, Fourneau/Wolton, did. It’s “chiche” food and reminds him of a first class funeral. [book noter's note: Yeah!”] He says ditto for le Pre Catalan with its 140 FF hit (then about $29) for 6 carrots. Such a dish mocks the customer, he says. PS - after he wrote this, he was invited back and refused to go. He says the biggest (“gargantuan”) servings around are at l’Ami Louis, that justifies their inflated prices but he deplores the Americans who fill the place thinking this is Parisian food. He then gets into trickery: saying it’s easier to astonish a guest with turbot than a sardine, with ortolans than turkey, etc., implying that chefs who do the latter choose a harder road and should be applauded. He then gets into money once again, quoting Veyrat, who said his father taught him to always sell something at a higher price than he bought it for but that for him, Fourneau/Wolton, the price-quality ratio is key and he wants to know to whom he’s paying the inflated prices – the staff or the bank. Ego Games He notes that chefs and critics are one big (unhappy) family that they never knock one another in public, but under the table it’s another matter. He says that what goes on in reality is closer to “Dallas” than “The Love Boat” and the rivalries play out in a Cold War between the two Masonic lodges of which Ducasse and Robuchon are heads. When the Crillion’s Dominique Bouchet (allied with Robuchon) lost a star, the owner replaced him with a chef (Piege) from Ducasse’s group. At this point he recounts several tales about the thin skins of the great chefs. He tells a story of writing Veyrat a letter of thanks after two meals and a night’s lodging in which he commented on the poor bread and overcharge for a digestif (both knew that Elle was paying) and Veyrat wrote back that his daughter made the bread and enclosing a check for the digestif. Next story: when he criticized Ducasse’s 59 Poincaré, Ducasse went straight to Fourneau/Wolton’s boss and so then Fourneau/Wolton went to Ducasse’s Plaza where he spent more than his readers possibly could (1000 FF= $200) and was bombarded by Ducasse’s PR machine. He gleefully notes that he has twice been with the great man at awards and never been recognized. Next he explores Ducasse’s famous statement that no chef has cooked in 20 years and says that the chefs at Ducasse’s three big places are well-known and why aren’t they, rather than Ducasse, credited as the chef. He says that when Lorin Mazel isn’t conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, he doesn’t get credited with the performance. Contrast Ducasse with Fredy Giradet who would place a notice in the Lausanne newspaper when he wasn’t at the piano. “Other times, other mores” he says. He wryly comments that with 30 establishments in 11 countries, the sun never sets on Ducasse’s empire. [in what I think is a nasty swipe] he notes that Ducasse’s book was published by the same firm that published Kim Jong Il’s; suggesting that the house must be into printing books about cult of personality folks. He goes on to give Ducasse a back-handed complement saying he’s a chameleon, adapting to everything, creating nothing: if he opened a restaurant in the Basque country or Tuscany or Paris it would adapt the food perfectly to the terroir but also be the most expensive place around. The little chefs A great story: Fourneau/Wolton ate at Chez Michel and after he had paid for the nice meal he went to congratulate Thierry Breton – only to find him all alone in a four square meter space cooking everything. As he has before, F/W attributes all the recent changes in French cuisine to what happened in the aftermath of the (first) Gulf War (e.g. 1991-); saying that those new French chefs turned French cuisine upside-down. He attributes much of the change to Christian Constant, who, while at the Crillion, trained Mssrs Camdeborde, Faucher, Breton and Frechon and influenced Chefs Pasteau, Ajuelos, Detourbe and Paquin and indirectly Jego; all of whom started putting out good chow at ¼ the price. IV. The ongoing quarrel between the old elephants and the new tigers, e.g. ancients vs. modernists In 1996, Mssrs Veyrat, Gagnaire, Bras, Roellinger, Troisgros, Passard, Chibois and Lorrain resigned from the club (the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Cuisine Française). But then Ducasse opened Spoon and Robuchon opened l’Atelier de Joel R. – so who’s new and who’s old? Now Fourneau/Wolton retells the history of spices and sauces from the middle ages to present, the arrival of the nouvelle cuisine (displacing tournedos Rossini, etc., with exotic stuff like kiwis), the flight of chefs from servitude to chef-ownership, the publication by G/M of the 10 Commandments, etc., up to the discovery of “world food” in 2000. Then he reminds us that Curnonsky [whom many of us regard as a has-been from a bygone era] as having said something like “Good cooking is when things taste like what they are” - so what goes around comes around. What’s new? Robert Courtine, long time critic for Le Monde is quoted as saying that of the first 150 recipes in Bocuse’s book, 120 came from Guerot’s without the change of a comma. Fourneau/Wolton says his grandmother cooked nouvelle cuisine without knowing it. Industrialization For the top guns to finance their starred places, they have developed several strategies: 1. Creating subsidiaries, e.g. off-shoots, vide Blanc, Bocuse, Lacombe, Loiseau, Rostang, Savoy, etc. – the equivalent of prêt a porter clothing lines. 2. Making alliances with financiers, etc, by essentially selling their savoir-faire (again like famous couturiers,) see Ducasse, Legendre, Le Squer, Martin. 3. Turning to “agroalimention”, such as Bocuse, Guerard, Loiseau, Robuchon, Senderens, Troisgros, Martin, Veyrat, that is, using their names and prestige to market products. This has resulted in the manufacture of sous vide and other products that has resulted in chefs changing from cooks of all the food to assembly-line masters, e.g. opening packets of sauces etc., to place on their dishes. At its extreme, it has resulted in the development of synthetic aromas, that, for instance, are used in the 150 Relais and Chateau establishments. V. The end of the dominance of French Gastronomy Fourneau/Wolton recounts the story of the “Best Chef/Restaurant” survey published in the British publication Restaurant where the French chefs were buried in the middle of the 50 top ones; a follow-up poll caused Jacques Chirac to denounce British cuisine which had outranked French places in the surveys. Then he retells the story of Arthur Lubow of the New York Times that said French cuisine hadn’t changed in 20 years. He then says that Escoffier said French cuisine was the best because of its French products, a position the author takes issue with. A la recherché des bons produits perdus (Looking for products now unavailable) Fourneau/Wolton says that two things have led to the decline of French cuisine; first, the diminishing quality of products and second, the decline in creativity of French chefs. He notes that Jean-Francois Revel said that a major problem was that the French had created a national cuisine to the detriment of local cuisines that thrived, for example, in Italy and together contributed to an international cuisine. Regarding lost products, he cites the tomato and apple, where the former is industrialized and the latter available all year. He notes that only 10% of veal is raised traditionally and 2% of pork; that the “noble” fish are being fished out; and that raising cattle properly is doubly expensive. He bemoans the loss of the peasant class in 1960 with the beginning of industrial farming. As an example, he cites the making of Cantal cheese, which used to be made from milk of Salers cattle, feeding in the mountains, but that Holsteins are two times more productive, so their milk is used, but they feed on silage on the flat and thus we’ve lost true Cantal, although it’s still labeled AOC, which turns out only to certify where it comes from, says he, not its artisinal vs. industrial origin. He does applaud the “Food France” movement of which Ducasse and Champerard are god-fathers, a movement like the Italian “Slow Food” effort, that among other things, brings promising young chefs to Paris to cook in Ducasse’s venue utilizing their regional products. From post to hypermodernism Fourneau/Wolton says that a huge 2005 survey in the Wall Street Journal showed that respondents thought French food was over-valued and he thinks that’s partly because French chefs are prisoners of the rules. He then lists the stages in the history of French cuisine: 1. The cuisine of the peasants in the Middle Ages, 2. The cuisine of the aristocrats when the monarchy was ascendant. 3. Modern cuisine that came into being with the Industrial Revolution 4. Post-modern cuisine in the form of nouvelle, fusion and world food. 5. Hypermodernism, championed by Francois Ascher [see publications like “Hypermodernité et éclectisme”] that seeks to liberate the taste from the product. He compares classic painting to modern cuisine, impressionism to post-modern cuisine and abstract art to hypermodern cooking. Fourneau/Wolton gives Blumenthal, Keller, Cedroni and Aduriz (respectively English, America, Italian and Spanish) as exemplars of this trend, giving as a prime example Adria’s deconstruction of a tortilla into a liquid that can be consumed from a glass or melon “caviar” that bursts forth flavors on eating; saying he “morphs” one thing into another, like cinematographers morphing a man into a woman’s image. He asks why this is not going on the France and says that it is, but in small ways, with Gagnaire and Herve This, Veyrat’s syringing ingredients, Decoret’s (Vichy) oyster and the Generation “C” stars – Thierry Marx and David Zuddas. He notes that they have a tough job in that French cuisine is like a formal garden with straight rows, etc. which are hard to deconstruct. He now attacks his fellow critics, saying that change only occurs when critics promote change like Gault & Millau did; he bemoans the paucity of critics in France, contrasting it with the existence of 30 food commentators alone on the BBC. He says except for Luc Dubanchet (Omnivore[/i) and Francois Simon (Figaro, nobody’s pushing and chefs don’t want to change. Instead of dessert – here’s his idea of the ideal restaurant. After an introduction that talks about eating together versus alone, he gets down to brass tacks, saying that the ideal restaurant is one where they: 1. Provide a short menu, ensuing freshness, seasonality (e.g. nothing frozen) and quality. And please avoid cutesy descriptions – such as osso bucco of monkfish, carpaccio of tomatoes and a tartare of bananas. 2. Don’t have supplements (e.g. added prices for certain products); all that is, is the resto trapping the client. 3. Provide a genuine kids’ menu that tempts the palates of your future customers – rather than steak and fries. 4. Let you reserve at the hour of your choice rather than fixed seatings like the cinema. 5. Let you choose your table, except for regulars who have their places. 6. Have no smoking so you’re not forced to breathe smoke nor seated in the worst (e.g. no smoking) section. 7. Have no background music; the hum of distant conversations, clinking of glasses and pouring of bottles is background music enough. 8. Don’t make you wait ½ hour for your menu or the same time to take your order. 9. Respect the tastes of the clients and gladly substitute say green beans for potatoes without penalizing you timewise or financially. 10. Have no pedantic, boring sommelier and let you choose your wine. 11. Start the festivities quickly without interposing an inconsequential amuse bouche to buy themselves time. 12. Serve good bread: better good bought bread from the local boulangerie than warmed up frozen bread made “in the house.” 13. Have minimalist servers who don’t constantly ask “How was it” and “Did it please you” after every course. 14. Hold some food back for second servings for the hungry, like you do at home [and I might add the restaurants in Zurich do]. 15. Let you take your time and enjoy the meal according to your own rhythm. 16. Ban the chef from the dining room; no one ever complains to him/her directly anyway. He ends by supplying his email, encouraging you to write if you’ve found a place that meets these wishes.

I will not be posting my notes for some time on another Basque resto, but two of us ate yesterday at Au Bascou in the 3rd where Bertrand Gueneron, ex-Lucas Carton/Senderens has been for almost a year. I think he has a lighter touch than Stephane Jego, the ex-Regalade dude at l'Ami Jean and if you're going to do Basque - I'd pump for Au Bascou, although everyone else, led by Felice and Sebastien Demorand ex of Zurban, both of whom I respect enormously, loves l'Ami Jean. And recall that little food in Spain will be Basque like these two places, especially in Madrid or Barcelona if that's where you're going.

I have resisted commenting on PC since the last time I ate there must be seven years ago, and who knows how many commis and souschefs have gone through since, but my recent reading of Bon Appétit, Messieurs, by Léo Fourneau, resto critic for Elle for 15 years reminded me that not all of us have had consistently great, through the entire meal, Wow experiences there. And yes, I should be posting my Book Notes on this terrific book soon.

FYI - Spring, 28, rue de la Tour d'Auvergne in the 9th, 01.45.96.05.72 will be closing on Saturday nights and open for lunch Thursdays and Fridays henceforth as well as still serving Tuesday-Friday nights. The one dinner seating is at 8:30-9:00 PM; there are only 16 covers; and with his reviews from everyone from Simon, hidden camera et al, to Michelin, he's really getting booked.

Most of us who know Paris's new and old restaurants assume everyone else knows where they are too, but several recent experiences have led me to recommend that unless restaurants are in the guidebooks, popular websites such as RestoaParis or the Digest we should try to give full name, address, arrondissement and telephone number. Thanks

Pierre is absolutely correct and I should mention that the coordinates are Chaumette, 7, rue Gros in the 16th, 01.42.88.29.27, closed Sundays.I'll be posting all my February eating experiences in a while.

I am someone who has "boosted" Le Troquet in past years and am extremely sensitive to salt, although I love it. However, my last visit with Pierre45 and my wife Colette resulted in all of us agreeing the food really was oversalted.

In Paris anyway a "menu" usually constitutes a 1st, main and dessert without liquid whereas a "formule" is usually a 1st and main or main and dessert or main and wine. The least expensive option (often posted on a blackboard outside and/or inside) is the plat du jour, ie the daily special. Our pinned Essentials for a first time visitor thread has sections on Translation and Dictionaries.

I second going to both Bon Marche and Galeries Lafayette for their food halls, both different and wonderful, as well as the outdoor market near where you stay, we have a number of threads running on markets and once you know where you're staying you can look here.

I'd like to get this thread back on the track of food so I'll respond to Bryan by PM about transportation to Les M.Thanks all, John

The Week of January 29th, 2007 Francois Simon, instead of his “Croque-Notes” this week, devoted a whole page to a tribute to and interview with Paul Bocuse on the occasion of his 81st birthday. An accompanying article by Alexandra Michot, announced that the 20th “Nobel Prize of Gastronomy” had been awarded to Fabrice Desvignes, 2nd in command at the presidency of the Senate. I missed digesting Simon's “Croque-Notes” of 13-14 January wherein he recounted a meal at Arpege for two; bill=1,097 €, which while mostly perfect (speck, turbot and scallops), seemed a bit over the top and with not chilled enough champagne, mignardises they had to ask for and a disappearing voiturier; the director of the salle pointed to their car sitting at the end of the street in the pouring rain. He contrasts this with a dinner at the Bistrot Paul Bert for {would you believe it?} the same price – but for 16 persons. Finally he loved a lunch (scallops and veggies and a coffee with heart-clogging Chantilly at the brasserie at Printemps open 9 AM – 7 PM, now run by the Bertrand Group (Lipp, Angelina etc), chef’d by Alain Cirelli who cooks evenings at Natasha. Also there was a sidebar “En Bref” noting that Marc Veyrat had indeed sold La Ferme to the Z Group and they refused comment on its future. Monday, Elvira Masson and Alexandra Cammus, using a visit to Bonpoint’s new restaurant that they liked as a jumping off point, they listed the “Best of undergastground” places that included: Azxabu, Chez Michel, Les Papilles, Le Pre Verre, Le Water Bar de Colette + Cojean. Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, Philippe Toinard gave 3/5 blocks to La Table d’Anvers, 2, place d’Anvers in the 9th, 01.48.78.35.21, closed Sundays, formulas from 16.50 to 28 € where this old favorite of my gangs evidently has a new chef; the service and music sound dreadful but the food (pied de porc, sautéed kidneys and a chocolate mousse) sounds good. Meanwhile, his partner, Jerome Berger gave 3/5 blocks to the wine cantine A Cote, 14, rue de l’Amiral Mouchez in the 14th, 01.53.80.02.45, open for lunch Tuesday-Saturday and dinner Thursday to Saturday, closed Sundays and Mondays, a la carte about 15 € for fish soup, rabbit with cepes and 20 wines by the glass. On the sidebar they announced the opening of two shops dedicated to chocolate – Cho’room, 5, rue Jean Baptiste Pigalle in the 9th, open afternoons Tuesday-Saturday and Chocolatitudes, 57, rue Daguerre in the 14th, 01.42.18.49.02 Wednesday in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin awarded 2 hearts to three places: the “chic dinette,” not really a restaurant, in the children’s clothing boutique Bonpoint, 6, rue de Tournon in the 6th, 01.56.24.05.79, open everyday but Sunday from 11 AM – 6:30 PM that runs one about 25-40 €; the North African place La Table Algeroise in the 7th; and the Bengali resto: Village du Bengale in Asnieres. In addition, he gave one star each to a Lebanese “resto-snack” Fakra in the 11th and the franco-world jazz brasserie l’Esquisse, 73, ave de Suffren in the 7th, 01.47.34.90.56, open everyday, running one 30-40 € for Chilian chicken, Salers entrecote and mascarpone. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” covered fish at different restaurants: Merlan Colbert at La Table de Joel Robuchon Salmon Tartare at Seafood Bar Prunier Fish Soup at La Fontaine de Gaillon Sole Meuniere at Garnier Line caught bass at Le 21 Wild turbot at La Grille Cod brandade at Le Soleil Solettes des Sables at La Maree Passy Rougets Barbets at La Cagouille And also: Ray at Cameleon, eel at Nodaiwa, lamprey at Carre des Feuillants, bouillabaisse at Charlot, fera and omble chevalier at Why Not and swordfish at l’Espadon bleu. Naturally, Francois Simon went along with the game and ate raw bass, bass with thyme and classic desserts, which he calls “Gstaad food” at Le Duc, coordinates in the guides, for 183 € for two. Should one go? More than once he suggests. Also, in Wednesday’s Figaro Lucile Escourrou wrote about making good bread by hand, in other words not by machine. Thursday, Richard Hesse in Paris Update wrote a tribute to Fils de la Ferme, coordinates in the guidebooks, where, despite the annoying supplements to an otherwise well-priced (28 E) menu and edgy décor, he had an almost perfect risotto with pieces of melting garlic, carrots and apricots, sea bass and a brochette de banane et pain d’épices poêlée au beurre de clémentine. Thursday as well, Adrian Moore of GoGoParis wrote up Le Cantine de Quentin coordinates given before, where he liked the lunch menu at 14 €, which in his case consisted of starters of charcuterie and millefeuille of beetroot with crab and balsamic vinegar as well as his main – a lobster risotto but raved about an “amazing” 'tarte tatin’ of duck breast with thyme and rosemary whipped cream as well as a 8 € pichet of Cote de Rhone. Also Thursday, the freebie newspaper ParuVendu covered Jarrasse in Neuilly, coordinates given before. Thursday, Gilles Pudlowski, in Le Point wrote that he considers Unico + Au Bascou promising and thinks Carre des Feuillants + l’Entregeu to be in good shape. In the suburbs he features Mohamed Fedal’s second restaurant outside Marrakech, this called Dar Moha in Boulogne-Billancourt. Outside the city he touts Tantris in Munich. His product of the week is/are beets for their nutritional value and of course he gives a recipe for Borscht from the Café de la Paix. His shops of the week include a Breton “country store” [sic] like one finds in Vermont – Ty Pot in Carantec and a pastis store that carries 95 brands – La Maison du Pastis in Marseille. Friday, in Les Echos, Jean Louis Galesne went eating in St Gervais in the mountains and recommended: Le Sérac, 4 Epices, La Ferme du Cuquelin, L'O à la bouche + La Vieille Auberge. Anne Deguy wrote an article in Liberation on the flowering in the 19th; she focused on places within a couple hundred meters of or on the Rue Rebeval that have opened in the last two years, including: Le Café Chéri(e), 44, bd de la Villette, 01 42 02 02 05, which sounds like a tequila sunrise, chips and popcorn and music place; Le KD, 1, rue Pradier, 01 44 84 76 59, lunch menu = 12 €, which also sounds like a hip bar; Valentin, 64, rue Rébeval, 01 42 08 12 34, which serves Thai-Agentinian-Auvergnat fare; Mon Oncle Vigneron, 2, rue Pradier, 01 42 00 43 30, serving Southwest cuisiune with Southern wines; Zoé Bouillon, 66, rue Rébeval, 01 42 02 02 83 that considers itself a boutique of soups and Chapeau Melon, 92, rue Rébeval, 01 42 02 68 60, a wine bar serving decent food. And in the same issue, Vincent Noce confirmed Michelin’s award to Anne-Sophie Pic of a new star. In the weekend Figaro Madame Olivier Hachon-Bueb wrote about a black truffle sandwich from the Restaurant Michel Rostang in his Miam section, this Number 5. Saturday/Sunday, BP published an article by Margaret Kemp on about Valentine’s possibilities and an essay by John Talbott on “What on Earth Do Two Hearts Mean?” Sunday in JDD’s Version Femina Astrid T’Serclaes reviewed three places: Unico, the Argentinian beef place in the 11th, Partage in the 5th and Le Bizen in the 2nd. In addition, in the main paper, Aurelie Chaigneau has an article on where Nicolas Magie, chef at Le Cape in Cenon, just outside Bordeaux, considers good well-priced restos in Paris – l’Affriole + l’Os a Moelle. I just got my February-March Gault Millau and they’re now giving headers like Pudlo does in Le Point. Thus restaurants they think are good new ones are: Hier et Aujourd’hui Champion of quality-price Carmine Chic Italian Places to follow (largely because they are under new management/ownership, excepting Bath’s that simply moved) include: Le Jules Verne, La Maree, Chez Georges, Chez Bath + Le Rech Places in good shape are: Drouant + Buisson Ardent. Others: Citrus Etoile for a rendez-vous Violin d’Ingres got it right (eg the renovation and new menu) Cameleon’s comeback succeeded Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

I'm due to go to Italy in a couple of weeks and am curious if anyone knows if Plotkin's book (which I loved and trusted) is available now in France or Italy; and are the 2007 GR and Osterie books out yet. I'll do plan to buy what I can at the Italian book store in Paris tmrw. Thanks. John

I’m sure you’ve already checked them out but the reason why we worked on the thread on Essentials for 1st Time Vistors was exactly with you in mind. In addition, the thread on where to stay, eat, etc is constantly updated despite it’s seeming to be a year old. I would second Bu Pun Su's advice, almost every hotel, no matter how humble, has front desk folk who speak multiple languages and will make reservations. I used to give them a list and say make them in whatever order you can, not insisting on which place what day.You may try to concentrate on food ignoring culture, etc., but it's pretty hard to miss spotting Monsieur Eiffel's contribution to the skyline or Sacre Coeur; I often say one can walk out of almost any Metro spot in the city and see something interesting, which is not true of many other places. As for which of the places you've listed to go to, as you've gathered, opinions vary, I don't think you can go wrong at any you've listed. It's my understanding Gagnaire still has both a 90 and 235 menu at lunch (the bar menu, however, is gone). I want to warn you about looking for "modern food." It depends on whose definition you're using. The current Bible of the French modernists, Omnivore, and their "Le Fooding" (Food+Feeling=Fooding) events look more now towards Catalonia and Japan than Lyon. You can get a sense of who they admire by using the Find function on the 2004, 2005 & 2006 Digest's. But I'm not worried about you, any person who likes Eleven Madison Park, Jean-Georges (I assume you refer to Perry Street), Katz's Deli + Alkimia does his homework.

Well, this year's suggestions have begun; these from Margaret Kemp at Bonjour Paris: Villa Corse - Valentine Dinner: 40-50€ + wine Petrossian - Valentine Dinner 160€ including champagne Beauvilliers - Valentine dinner 85€ per person Le Saut du Loup -Valentine dinner 100€ + wine includes mineral water Restaurant Le Club – Maison des Polytechnicians - Valentine Dinner 85€ with champagne + mineral water

That'a a great tip; I come in and out of Dulles and will recall it if I have a layover. While it's usually safe to assume that upscale restaurants have one waiter who speaks English, in the case of Violin, it's Madame (Catherine) herself and perhaps the others are used to depending on her. In any case carry a small dictionary like the "A-Z of French Food" Scribo Editions, available at Brentano or Editions Scribo, BP 467, Paris Cedex 11. I'm not sure it's fair to expect anyone to translate every dish for you. Although an amusing cultural difference is that on weekends it is not infrequent to see one member of an elderly (that means my age) couple read the entire menu aloud to her sighted spouse. ←

A vote from the hinterlands or center of the universe, depending on where you stand/sit/live. This is the sort of food that makes New York great; as our own William Ledeuil's makes us glow. Good product, nicely prepared, attentive waitstaff and reasonably priced. Can you ask for more?

As jaded as I am coming from the center of the universe, I have to say that downtown Seattle has the greatest concentration of great food places I've ever experienced. Stumble out of the movie house, enter any place and you'll be delighted. I don't know what they smoke, what's in the water or what, but you can't have a bad meal there (and folks, you can here). Trust Tighe, too. Eat well, and post afterwards.John

Well, I just picked up a book that's right up the valley of this search; 365 restaurants whose menus run 7-12 euros. It's Le Guide des Restaurants a moins de 12 euros, Author Guy le Vavasseur, Publisher de l'If, 12 euros at FNAC. While I'm familiar with very few of them, I have eaten at one nearby and it wasn't disgraceful.

French Food Guides Chapter 4 - Le Petit Lebey The Le Petit Lebey 2007 des Bistrots Parisiens has appeared. It boasts 347 places, of which 48 are new. Their prizes went to: Le Cameleon for best classic bistrot Le Violin d'Ingres best modern bostrot Le Chateaubriand best creative bistrot and Special mention: Au Bascou + Chez Christophe

Poking thru the Resto Guide section at FNAC I came up with a book that one should consult if interested in places that accommodate large groups - it's the Guide des Salles de Réception Paris Ile de France et Departements Limitrophes published by Broché on July 6, 2006 and selling on Amazon.fr for 17.10 E.