John Talbott

Question: The title of this thread mixes a few references and metaphors but the title belies several serious questions, I believe. Specifically, is what we’ve experienced on one minor market street in Paris over the past two decades reflective of broader changes?; is it progress or not?; and why the deuce do we need more frilly female things and trendy eyeglasses at the expense of artisinal food shops? Data: As best I can recall (not always an exact science, mind you), there used to be five green grocers, five regular butchers, three horsemeat stores, two coffee roasters, two fish mongers, one bagel shop, one cremerie, one store selling products from the Auvergne and a coal shop. Two of the green grocers and one each of the regular butchers, horsemeat guys, coffee roasters and fish mongers are gone and well as the coal shop, bagel shop, cremerie and store selling products from the Auvergne. However, we now have three Chinese, two Italian and one Greek-Cypriot takeout places as well as several new bra and panty stores, two new wine shops, another eyeglasserie, a FNAC photoshop, a “bio” store, a luxury chocolate store, another flower store and a new bakery. Options: Putting the best face on it, we’ve had some mergers and acquisitions which reduce the overlap; we have more takeout for the working two-careerers; and we’re more international and biological. Putting a pessimistic spin on it, however, we’re going from beau-beau to Bobo; artisinal to industrial; and simple to fashionable. Conclusion: The glass is either half-full or half-empty.

Well, Francois Simon says in another article on the subject entitled “Tempest in a glass of water,” that 2007 is a warm-up for 2008 when they're going to get tougher. The rest of the piece really just tells of the reactions of the whinners and losers.

Other than ordering them I'm not aware they are on line.

As with so many others, Bux was the person who drew me into eGullet activities. I had been lurking for a while, then posting largely about news items concerning new restaurants in Paris and he quickly invited me to do a Digest saying he was lousy at delegating and I'd be helpful to him and the Forum. It's strange that I didn't meet or dine with him until long after, indeed until the period he was diagnosed with cancer but even then, he insisted that we concentrate on food and didn't want to talk about his health. Bux was one of a kind, he certainly had his rough edges and strong opinions - but he was also an incredible repository of historical memories about meals at places I've long since forgotten the details of. His warm welcome to new members, his fierce adherence to copyright laws and his 3-5 paragraph long posts on meals in France, Spain and Italy in the distant past will all be missed. Rest in Peace, Bux, we'll miss you - the whole you. John

As some of you already know, the founding father of the France Forum and a co-founder of the eGullet Society, Robert “Bux” Buxbaum died Thursday. Steve Shaw’s announcement is here and remembrances should be posted here.

Magnificent; I'm drooling.

I'll bet you're right (my memory is that there are no tables) but fear not, just up on St Dominique is the Patisserie Millet, 103 Rue St.-Dominique, tel 01.45.51.49.80 and my memory is good on that one; they do have tables and chairs, serve great tarte tatin and other pastries, coffee and tea, etc. The lady who runs it is terrific.

Cote d’Azur, Riviera, Cap d’Antibes, Nice, Cannes, etc A compendium of existing threads This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Cannes & Nice B&B’s Cannes Dining Festivals New Year’s Eve Nice Nice, Mougins, Cannes Paris and the Cote d’Azur Southern Provence and the Cote d’Azur

Cannes A compendium of existing threads This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Good eating Marché Forville Sunday lunch Mougins, Cannes, Nice

Interesting. We've been using a recipe for "perfect rice" which came from a source now long-forgotten but in which Epicurious suggests using bay and thyme but our daughter insists was originally written to include parsley as well, thus making a bouquet garni.

Lyon A compendium of existing threads This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Lyon dining Surimi Lyon, Cavalaire and the South Tourtiller, chocolatier Cuisine battery shopping Bouchons Offal Non-red meat Sunday and Monday Reveillon in Lyon Food shops and producers Bocuse and Lyon

I was just composing the following for the Digest: "The big news Thursday was revealed by Adrian Moore in his blog who wrote that “Le Cinq and Taillevent go from three to two, and Astrance, Le Meurice, Pre Catelan and Helene Darroze get three stars, with Constant's Les Fables de la Fontaine getting one star. Pic looks like the first woman chef to get three stars after Darroze..” He also noted that as already announced, Marc Meneau is in bankruptcy. Francois Simon in Figaro went farther afield outside Paris, stating in his article “The waltz of the stars” that Nicholas Le Bec in Lyon, also went to two stars, Marc Veyrat and Marc Westermann gave up their stars, the latter to start over again, and Jacques Lameloise in Chagny recovered his three stars." It's not clear how much is true or deduction or partial leakage from the December decisions.

Host's Note Thanks for the new input. I will be incorporating your suggestions and won't thank each of you each time, so consider this as very grateful thanks before the fact. John

Today's NYT had an article by John Tagliabue on the center of feve-making in France, Clamecy, and the pressure on it from feves made in Thailand, Viet Nam and China.

The Week of January 8, 2007 I just plain missed digesting an article in Expatica by Sophie Nicholson on the innovations shown at the Salon Paris Fermier in October that included chocolate foie gras, kiwi liqueur, black current mustard and catsup. Over the weekend, Sophie Grézaud in Figaro Madame told of truffles, several ways, and where to buy them: specifically olive oil with truffle at La Maison de la Truffe, mustard at Fauchon, vinegar at Hédiard and mayonnaise at the Caviar House Prunier.. Monday, in A Nous Paris, courtesy of co-host Felice, several restos were featured. Top billing (4/5 blocks) went to Spring, 28, rue de la Tour d’Auvergne in the 9th, 01.45.96.05.72, closed Sundays, evening (only for the present) menu for 4 courses for 36 €, where they loved the pintade lightly minted with a gratin of leeks. They also gave 3/5 to the old-fashioned bistrot, La Cantine de Quentin, 52, rue Bichat in the 10th, 01.42.02.40.32, lunch formula 14 €, brunch 16, a la carte 30 €, closed Mondays, where they liked the ½ liter Cotes du Rhone, lamb with thyme and rosemary and chocolate/praline dessert. In the “in-places” section, they wrote of another old (1930’s style) bistrot Mosca Libre, 3, rue Victor Masse in the 9th, 01.48.78.55.60, closed Sundays, menu = 25 €, cooking French food with a Sicilian twist, Palestinian olive oil, Indian spices, Laotian and Sri Lankan tea, South American chocolate and Ethiopian coffee; serving items such as polenta with spinach and grilled swordfish. Wednesday, Emmanuel Rubin was back in Figaroscope with his “C’est nouveau” that awarded 2 hearts to Les Fougeres, 10, rue Villebois-Mareuil in the 17th, closed weekends, menu-carte at 32 €, lunch formula at 22 € {where it sounds like he had a better experience than I did} eating eggs with mushrooms, tete de veau and pear with anise ice. He also gave one heart each to the Louvre Ripaille, 1, rue Perrault in the 1st, 01.42.97.49.91, closed Sundays at about 35 € a la carte for what sounds like pretty good food: Royan raviolis, sautéed petoncles and baba; La Bastringue, 67, quai de Seine in the 19th, no telephone, closed Sundays, lunch formula 10 €, a l carte 15-20 € for runny (not cooked enough) eggs and filet de sandre; the Italian Impro’vista in the 9th and the Japanese Meiji in the 8th. In their Dossier, the Figaroscope crew listed chestnuts every which way: Veloute Cappucino fashion La Villa Corse Sausage Thoumieux Veloute chestnuts with foie gras La Cerisaie Purée Chez les Anges Cake Maison de la Lozere Mont Blanc Angelina Mont Blanc and Trifle Pinxo Cold Soufflé Bistrot d’a Cote Flaubert Ice cream Martine Lambert Bread Maison Kayser And also: sausage with chestnuts and apples at Le Clou, veloute of chestnuts at Bath’s, scallops with chestnut polenta at Jardinier and pannacotta with chestnuts at the Rose Bakery. On his part Francois Simon, ever the imp, got a 2 € cornet of chestnuts for his ”Hache Menu.” Wednesday, the English language GoGo Paris featured a nice review of the Argentinian beef place Unico in the 11th. Also Wednesday, Paris Update’s Richard Hesse wrote a nice review of the pseudonymous Leo Fourneau’s book “Bon Appetit, Messieurs!” (Paris, Editions Grasset, 260 pp., 16.90 €) that Margaret Kemp talked of in November in Bonjour Paris but since one must be a Premium member to read that piece, this article gives Americans a nice idea of what Thierry Wolton, ex-Elle food critic’s gripes and goodies are. And on Wednesday, Jean-Claude Ribaut in Le Monde wrote about the judicial/financial trouble encountered by Marc Meneau, famed chef of l'Espérance in Vézelay. It recounts his rise and fall and seeming recovery due to a more reasonably-priced menu of 85 euros with wines and coffee but indebtedness in the millions of euros. Inevitably, Francois Simon in Saturday’s Figaro used Marc Meneau as an example of the perils of the 3-star places and how even the best (Ducasse, Legendre, Martin) must ally themselves with big groups or renovate, make tunnels and heliports and go through all sorts of contortions to stay alive. Thursday, Gilles Pudlowski returned to the lists with his usual melange of items in Le Point. He says he’s following two places recently taken over by big groups: La Maree in the 8th by the Groupe Blanc and the Brasserrie du Theatre in Versailles (NB - menu at 21 €, everyone going out there) by the Flo group as well as the Cantine de Quentin in the 10th run by two ex’s of the Savoy stable and also thinks that Diane in the 8th is in good shape. Outside town he touts the auberge with restaurant La Ferme Ostalapia in Ahetze, brunch at the Carlton in Cannes, Une cuisine en ville in Dax, the cheese (and its restaurant) at La Fromagerie in Meribel, the bread at the Tourte de Besse in l'Oisans and the rillette and other butcher products at A la rouelle de veau in Le Mans. Friday in Liberation, Vincent Noce wrote an article on Pierre au Palais-Royal, 10, rue de Richelieu in the 1st, 01.42.96.09.17, menu-cartes from 31 à 38 €, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays. {Since Jean Paul Arabian has departed for his justly acclaimed Cameleon}, a new young couple (Nadia and David Frémondière) has fully taken over this spacious, 60 cover place with tables widely-spaced and doors on each end, making it perfect for spies or lovers. Noce mentions tons of dishes they serve, but it’s the gutsy stuff (great simplicity but very pleasurable) that’s best: pork and game, blanc-manger and moist cake with tea, and wine starting at 4 € a glass and 21 € a bottle. Friday, Jean Louis Galesne covered places to go for light or snack-type food and included: Cojean Le Bon Marché Rive gauche, Baramaki Printemps de la mode, Bar à Soupes et Quenelles Giraudet-Lafayette Gourmet, Seafood Bar Caviar House & Prunier + Senderens. Friday as well, in Figaro, as Menton1 has already summarized, the gang taste-tested 64 croissants and found Pierre Herme 1st, Le Triomphe 2nd, Duchene 3rd, Mulot 4th and Poilane 10th. Saturday/Sunday, BP published an article by Margaret Kemp on La Tradition and an essay by John Talbott on “Eating at lunch.” Sunday December 31st, the New York Times published one of Mark Bittman’s “Bites,” this on the As du Fallafel and a letter this Sunday suggested that one can eat the sandwiches at the little square of Charles V Langlois on the rue des Blancs Manteaux in the 4th as well. In the January-February issue of the American Saveur they had their 100 Best Of’s that included: #21 a tribute to ‘The French Chef”and Julia Child, #46 Romain Corbiere’s success at the Relais du Parc in the footsteps of Robuchon and Ducasse, and #97 the best ice cream in Nice at Glacier Fenocchio. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Essentials for the first time visitor to Paris: What you always wanted to know, but were too…… Publications about restos: Books Patricia Wells’ Food Lover’s Guide to Paris – dated (1999) but still valuable Emmanuel Rubin Gourmet Paris: What to Eat Where, Dish by Dish Guides Michelin Pudlo Lebey Lebey Bistro Gault Millau. “A great guidebook to restaurants & hotels, but you can’t really get any of it over the net you have to buy it for 29 Euro. My advice – don’t bother.” Dave Hatfield Monthlies: Saveur Regal oMni/Omnivore – for cutting edge stuff Weeklies: Figaroscope in Wednesday’s Figaro also much is online A Nous Paris available Tuesday AM in the subway only Dailies Figaro, Saturday regularly, other days sporadically Other, web-based Best Restaurants of Paris – “incomplete, but you can make reservations online” hshiau List of dining resources FoodMuse General information: Via Michelin “The first place to turn; The famous restaurant reviews are just the start. Both red & Green guides are on the site as well as maps and route planning.” Dave Hatfield Bonjour Paris for “great Paris articles and great overview of all that Paris has to offer” FoodMuse SlowTravel for “trip reports, hotel reviews, and how to order in a cafe.” hughw SlowTravel User Forum (“like this one”) hughw Paris e-guide “which is both a book and a website” – “There's a lot of info on restaurants, streetlife, art and architecture, hotels, bars, clubs, etc. I found it very helpful.” PatyGirl TimeOut Paris guide another on line and as a book – “but found that the information isn't always that accurate” PatyGirl The Paris convention and business bureau – “incomplete but some great links and a good place to start” hshiau The Wine Geek's Guide to Paris Vinotas's 32 pages on everything from hotels to transportation (see right column). Heather's Secrets of Paris! hshiau Provence Beyond – “Great info for traveling all around France, not just Paris. I use it mainly for the maps and dictionary.” hshiau Lodging Paris apartments Small, romantic, centrally located, quiet, inexpensive hotels Paris Net – “cheap apartments & hotels” hshiau Craig’s List – “I found a lovely girl in paris who was willing to swap her little studio for my apartment in New York. I was able to spend the money I might have spent on a hotel on food!” FoodMuse See also the compendium (below) Gites de France publishes both regional (eg Brittany, Normandy) guides as well as national guides in French called Chambres et Tables d'hôtes + Chambres d'Hôtes de Charme (charm and character are code words = nice) each December; the last one, published by Federation Nationale des Gites de France in English is called French Country Welcome is quite dated (1992). Logis de France. “Lots & lots of mid range hotels with restaurants all over the country. Their ‘chimney’ rating system is accurate in my experience. If they say the food is good you can pretty much count on it. A couple of tips; be careful when trying to book online directly with the hotel.” Dave Hatfield Silence hotels. “This excellent guide to an association of small independently owned restaurant/hotels is our favorite.” Dave Hatfield Relais et Chateau guide “of top places. Expect to pay, but mostly you do get what you are paying for. The majority of these establishments have upscale restaurants.” Dave Hatfield Weather The weather bureau. Dave Hatfield Shopping Chic shopping blog hshiau Markets Description of a few Paris markets FoodMuse See also the compendium (below) Walking and eating Paris Access Slow Walks in Paris Paris Walks Frommer's Walking Tours Michelin Green Guide The French national walking club “France is one of the world’s great countries for walking. What better way to settle all of the wonderful food.” Dave Hatfield Museums, Exhibitions, Sites, Music, Theater etc (1st two have times) Figaroscope with much online Pariscope GoGo Paris In English, each week, “edgy” stuff Paris Notes – In English. Some things are free but to get the Calendar of Events (which is the best there is) one must subscribe Bonjour Paris – In English, again some information is free. Museums of Paris Great if you know where you want to go. Discover France Museums, Parks, Gardens Discover Paris Sightseeing plus the official websites of tourism offices – see below Official Office of Tourism sites Paris Ile de France TripAdvisor – “lots of information and reviews. Take all reviews with a grain of salt.” hshiau France Trips Outside Paris Beyond "Another good site and not just for Provence. Good restaurant reviews and other useful information. Especially useful is their pretty comprehensive food dictionary both French to English & English to French." Dave Hatfield Michelin Green Guides Virtual Tourist. “Lots of information from individuals. Many restaurant reviews. The quality varies a lot, but the write ups have the advantage of being from real people many of whom can be contacted for follow up.” Dave Hatfield Slow travel “Lots of user contributed restaurant reviews as well as other information. Read the reviews with care, they’re not all by eGullet type of folks. There is also a useful forum on the site.” Dave Hatfield Provence-Cote d'Azur Planning a Gastronomic Tour Dave Hatfield See also our compendium on Cities, Towns and areas outside Paris below Festivals France Festivals “all over the country. Not comprehensive, but a good overall guide.” Dave Hatfield See also our compendium on Fetes/Festivals below Holidays you might not expect Check restaurants and transportation and other services’ schedules Restaurants usually adhere to their weekly openings and closings Date varies - Good Friday & Easter Monday – some folks may take a long weekend May 1 – May Day, eg Labor Day May 8 - Victory (WWII) Day May 17 in 2007 (check each year) - Ascension Day May 27 in 2007 – Pentacost - supposedly given up to support the care of the elderly July 14 - the fete nationale – known in the US as Bastille Day August 15 - Assumption Day August 25 – Paris liberated (WWII) “by itself” – nice little reinactments November 11 - Armistice Day – nice little commemorations, esp in the country Transportation SNCF trains RATP – Paris metro/bus in English – “Door to Door directions for Paris. Type in your starting and ending address and get detailed metro and bus directions. This was invaluable on my trip.” FoodMuse To buy Paris metro cards at JFK airport before your trip. FoodMuse Night time bus info FoodMuse Michelin Route Planner Maps #11 Michelin Paris Atlas 1 cm:100 m – the “old version” is currently out of print but the new version, longer and thinner must suffice Paris Par Arrondissement – many swear by this, I do not like the splits, however, it’s very useful for the suburbs #2 RATP Grand Plan de Paris – has big maps of Metros/RERs and (on the other side) buses Mappy – “Great for planning your walking or driving route through Paris and France. On the left side of the page enter starting address and where you'd like go.” FoodMuse Michelin FRANCE Atlas Routier All of the maps of France “you would ever want. Their service for ordering via the internet works very well.” Dave Hatfield Maps of restaurants or food be found in certain areas (eg the Canal St Martin), or of certain types (steak frites, cheese), or in certain venues (museums, dept stores). Adrian Moore A map of the city locating restaurants. Adrian Moore Map of Paris restos, esp budget ones. Joe Knox Restaurant location map Budget places mjoeknox, initiator Yellow and white pages Yellow and White pages for France “type in your address and see photos of the street. Click A proximité under the listing to find nearby restaurants, boulangeries, patisseries. Fantastic resource!! It was so much fun to see photos of the street I'd be staying on.” FoodMuse French Yellow pages. “Fear not if your French is not that great. The English version is amazingly good and easy to navigate once you get used to it. Here you have addresses & phone numbers for all of the restaurants, hotels, gites & chambre d’Hôtes in a given area. This is not to mention maps and in most cases aerial photographs.” Dave Hatfield Yellow pages with photos of buildings in French Locations, directions, photos in English Translation French-English Slow Travel Glossary French Culinary terms Patricia Wells’ Food Glossary Chocolate & Zuccini's glossary France Beyond Food Dictionary A-Z of French Food: Dictionnaire Gastronomique: Francais-Anglais outrageously priced on Amazon.com, reasonable at Brentano’s Food and Menu Pocket Translator Food translation “a very useful site. I’ve pointed you at the food translation pages which are very useful, but there is much else of interest once you are on this site.” Dave Hatfield Babel Fish Free translation Nice translation site. Dave Hatfield Other dictionaries Le Robert & Collins – best overall non-pocket dictionary Le Petit Robert French-French Le Robert Pour Tous – a French-French dictionary Le Robert Dictionnaire de Synonymes et Contraires synonymes and antonyms French spelling How the critics work English notes on French critics’ books Francois Simon Gilles Pudlowski Leo Fourneau aka Thierry Wolton Michelin Money Money converter FoodMuse Learning French Free videos to help you learn to speak French FoodMuse Eating, Shopping, Staying see compendia here August open closed Bars Bars at which to eat Bistros Boulangeries Bakeries Brasseries Brunch and breakfast Charcuteries Cheap eats Children Christmas, New Year's, holidays, fetes, etc. open/closed Cities, towns and areas outside Paris Confiseries Chocolatiers Cooking Schools/Classes Creperies Dining/Eating Alone/Solo Fetes Festivals Fromageries Cheese shops Game, Gibiers Gifts and Food - US-France France-US Holiday eating Housing, Rentals, Hotels Inexpensive, student places Late dinner & shopping Lunch places Marches markets Mondays open closed Paris Food by Arrondissement Patisseries Pastry shops Picnics in Paris Private Rooms, Large Groups Reservations Romantic meals, dinners and restaurants in Paris Saturday openings Stages, Stagiaires Starred restaurants Sunday Dining Terrace Dining Thé/tea Salons/Ceremonies/Purchase Trip planning to France Vegetarian, vegan, veggie friendly, etc. Wine bars Wine pronounciation Wine tours and tasting Acknowledgements: Dave Hatfield, Food Muse (Grace Piper), Felice (Phyllis Flick), Patygirl (Patricia), hughw and hshiau (Howard), Adrian Moore, Joe Knox as well as others. Please post comments and suggestions for additions here. Thank you.

Several of us have been working on a First Timer's Guide: a sort of "What you always wanted to know, but were too……" etc. If you have any comments or additions, please post them here. Thank you. The Direction

My reviews (and eating) are almost exclusively for lunch for reasons of cost, ease, walking it off, geezertude and habit (Tradition here being the exception.)

Thank you for recyling rather than starting a new thread. You may already have checked, but we have several compendia of existing threads that may help, one on the 7th, one on eating with kids, one on picnics and our Index by Arr's with reviews since January 2006. I hope you'll report back on this because by then Ducasse et Cie should have taken over the Tower's food. Well it's a great time of year and you'll have a ball - guaranteed.

Loire This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Saumur/Loire Three months – Azay le Rideau Loire, Blois Loire wineries Restaurants in August Loire Valley, Blois

I had two amazing meals at Chateaubriand, then one not so amazing. ← And I had a most unamazing lunch.

My wife Colette and I have driven just about every road in France at least once in our tender years and I'd like to put in a word for Brittany and Normandy. They may not have as many starred places and certainly not the vineyards of Bordeaux or Burgundy (or even Languedoc) but for sheer beauty, convenience and warmth, I'll take them any day.

Wonderful idea, but you may want to check here too.

Try trips to France, Bordeaux, and other regions. No Loire yet, I'll work on that ASAP but in the meantime do a search. John

Thanks to all, especially Ptit who, as usual, blends historical/sociological/culinary info. I resonate with the connection of horsemeat to hard times; indeed, my first experience with it was during WWII when the Harvard Faculty Club famously continued to have it on their menu while not having other meats, a conceit that lasted until 1983 according to Wikipedia. Other trivia from the Wikipedia piece – in Switzerland, horsemeat can be used in fondue bourgignon, it’s “taboo” in the UK, US, Australia and Brazil and among gypsies and Jews, and, this doesn’t come from Borat – it’s popular in Kazakhstan. However, my question was not why it’s unpopular, infradig, taboo, etc., but why it represents (or did until recently) 43% of shops butchering meat in my area but is unrepresented on resto menus, even in places like Aux Zingots + Ribouldingue. It is this discrepancy between "eating in and eating out" habits that interests me. As for I have something to say on that but it’s better left to the Asian Forum.Finally to turkey. The reason my friend (referred to above) and I got into this discussion was because he’d seen turkey Saturday on the menu of the Repaire de Cartouche and thought that this was more or less a first versus seeing cuisse de dinde daily at our rotisserie shop and again I was puzzled about the difference eating in and eating out. I don’t want to put money on it, but I’d guess that in upscale delis and at catered meeting lunches in the US, sliced turkey, especially in sandwiches, is as popular as tuna or deli meats.