Carlsbad

Pim, obviously you aren't clueless at Italian because Acquerello is one of the best in the city, if not the best. The service is as good as it gets. You are also right about the Slanted Door- lunch is great there, but romantic? I respectfully submit that you are wrong about Fleur de Lys, however. And I was born after WWII, although not that long after. The vegetarian menu is wonderful and it is oh so romantic.

I should give up, but I never know when to quit. I like the Slanted Door a lot, usually for lunch, but I wouldn't think it is romantic by anyone's definition- even those who don't remember the Vietnam War, much less WWII. Delfina serves very good food (although completely different from my beloved Acquerello). From what I remember it is hard to call it romantic, unless you find a modern industrial look and wood benches romantic. As far the decibel level, I don't think you'll be whispering sweet nothings in anyone's ear there. Maybe you should just call Gary Danko your romantic night, and then you can pick something interesting and unromantic. That would open you up to a whole bunch of other choices, and we could drive you crazy with more contradictory posts.

I guess romance and "comfortable noise level" are in the eye of the beholder. I'm glad you thought they are "pretty" at least.

You may want to consider the rue Clerc area in the 7th. I stayed in this area in June, and loved it. The rue Clerc market is very nice and there are quite a few good restaurants in the area. I don't think I would recommend the hotel we stayed in, but there are a number of small hotels around there. This website has several hotels in the area. http://www.parisby.com/accommod/arr_7_paris.htm

I think the most romantic place in SF is Acquerello. No view. Just great food, one of the best Italian wine lists anywhere, perfect service, and lot's of romance. http://acquerello.com/ Fleur de Lys is a close second. http://www.fleurdelyssf.com/

Toliver, I guess "great" is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to restaurants. I thought about it quite a bit and I suggested a number of places in the area that I consider to be very good restaurants and which might qualify as "the best." I've had very good experiences at all of them, some more consistently than others. And believe me, if you compare what we have now with what we had 20 years ago, we've come a long, long way. I still don't think we have any in the area that measure up to the best places in San Francisco or Paris, for instance. That's probably true of most areas of the country.

I liked Campton Place in San Francisco when Bradley Ogden ran it a number of years ago, but I doubt he has been to Arterra much since it opened. He is basically a consultant there. It is a nice restaurant with good food in a chain hotel which isn't really in Del Mar and has nothing interesting to see or walk to around it. It is true that San Diego has no great restaurants, as I've said several times on here in tha past. On the other hand, it's not the culinary waste land it was 20 years ago. You can get quite good meals now, and some places take advantage of the weather and natural beauty you get in very few places. Moving to Chicago is a bit drastic in my opinion.

You must be staying at Le Madison, a gem of a hotel, although it has become rather expensive lately. The easy choice if you are tired is to wander across the boulevard and have something light at Les Deux Magots. I actually love the place, even if it is overpriced and overrun by tourists in the summer.

grace3, I just spend a few days in Villefranche, and loved it. Can you tell us how you arranged the apartment? Thanks.

This is fun, but I think we are losing track of the fact that it's only a restaurant. I'm still wondering where the Americans in short shorts are though.

My wife and I dined at Enoteca about 10 years ago. We had a tasting menu that was based on fish and was not quite as elaborate as the one detailed here. The details of the meal are a little hazy, but our recollections are that the food was excellent. We found the service quite pretentious. We were seated in a room with other English speakers, several tables of Japanese diners and one Italian couple who were young and underdressed. The staff was all quite young in our room, and very formal. We tried to engage them in some discussion about the menu. While they answered our specific questions, it was a little like pulling teeth to get descriptions of the various dishes. We were presented with a summary of several wine flights that were available, but they didn't bring me the actual wine list until I specifically asked for it. When they served the food, it was all very well coreographed. I recall one course was presented on a large white plate with a huge siver dome over it. The two servers set the two plates down at precisely the same moment and then removed the two domes to reveal a small piece of white fish with sauce sitting alone on the vast expanse of the plate. We chuckled, but enjoyed the fish. I recall I had an espresso served in a very tiny cup which added about $15 to the tab.

I don't think anyplace in the area requires a tie. Unfortunately, what we don't have much of around here are great, moderately-priced restaurants. The "best" places are generally expensive. You might consider the following (in no particular order): In the downtown area, The Star of the Sea Room just got a nice write-up in the local paper. It has a great setting, right on the water, and the seafood is said to be innovative. I haven't eaten there in years, but the review makes me want to go back soon. Across the bay on Coronado, Azzura Point in the Loews gets good reviews for food and view. I've never eaten there though. Le Fointainbleau at the Westgate Hotel is formal French, and I had a very good dinner there a few months ago. El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn is a pretty far drive from downtown, but certainly one of the best places in the area. Great food, wine list to die for and good service. Expensive, but worth it. In La Jolla, George's at the Cove is a long-time favorite. They have very good seafood, although not exclusively. I actually prefer the informal rooftop to the main dining room, but that is only because it's more casual, less expensive, and great for lunch. The Marine Room in La Jolla has innovative seafood and one of the best views anywhere. I've had several great meals there. The Sky Room at the La Valencia Hotel is a special occassion place of the first order, alhough there have been a lot of changes since I last ate there. The setting is one of the most romantic in the area. By the way, I love the food at Tapenade, although it can be a little cramped. Another place I haven't been that gets good reviews is A.R. Valentien at the new Lodge at the Torrey Pines Golf Course. In Rancho Santa Fe, Mille Fleurs was good before the area had many good places, although it can be a little snooty and very expensive. Rancho Valencia is also very nice in that area, and almost as expensive. If you are willing to drive up the coast to Carlsbad, Vivace is a terrific northern Italian in the Four Seasons Aviara Resort. The setting, food, and wine list are first-rate, and you shouldn't have any problem spending more than last year. Try to get a view table. Hope you enjoy your trip.

Interesting that there is so much response to this subject. Some random thoughts: I haven't see anyone in Southern California wear short shorts for at least 30 years. If this is an American mode of dress, it isn't done around here. I have a pair of black Ecco shoes that are more comfortable than any sneakers I've ever worn, and I can wear them anywhere and not look out of place. I do generally tuck my shirt in if it's made to be tucked in, although I see a lot of younger Americans who don't. The guy I saw entering the hotel in Monaco with his shirt out under his blazer was about 35 and overweight- not model material. I avoid checks and plaids at all cost. I always thought the British were big into them though. To me, it's not about trying not to look American- I dress pretty much the same way here when I go out as I do in Paris. I think it's more about just trying to be a good guest.

Mr. A's isn't what it used to be, but that isn't all bad. It was stuck in the 50's before as far as food is concerned. It is now run by the owner of none other than Mille Fleurs, Bertrand Hug, and it's now Bertrand at Mr. A's. Great view, and a whole lot better than it used to be, but I don't think it's the best place in town. Best means different things to different people. Best food? Best View? Formal? Less so? Something unique to the area? Classic French? Where will you be staying? What were some of the places you went in past years?

I was trying to avoid this, but I will wade in anyway in my usual opinionated manner. Leave the jeans and tennis shoes at home. Unless you are at the beach in the south in warm weather, also leave the shorts. If you wear the shorts, wear sandals with them. If you want to travel light, and you should, men should take a blue blazer. You can go anywhere, dressing up for any restaurant with a dress shirt and tie, or down with a knit shirt. Black is always a good alternative or, if you must pack more, an addition. Although I don't claim any knowledge of women's clothing, my wife always takes a nice black dress and a nice black pants and jacket, with different stuff that goes with it and she looks great anywhere to me. I honestly believe if you dress right, everything is better. Maybe I would have had a different opinion 25 years ago. We were in Monaco a few weeks ago, and we looked in on the Hotel de Paris. On the way out, we saw this couple coming in. He had his blue dress shirt out under his blazer. No comment. Edited to change short to shirt. Even this guy wasn't that bad.

I think some of the best seafood in San Diego can be found at Ranch 99, an Asian market on Clairmont Mesa Blvd. I get the medium sized shrimp with the heads on, which are consistently excellent. They also have a huge counter of whole fish, and big tanks of live fish, Maine and Pacific lobsters, and several types of crabs. In Hollywood, you might take a look at Musso & Frank. It's the oldest restaurant (1919) in Hollywood, and has a lot of local history behind it. The menu hasn't changed much in at least 50 years, so the food is heavy, and it's not cheap. They have great drinks- real old-time martinis and other classic cocktails from an era when everything in a stemmed glass wasn't called a martini. You might just stop by for a drink at the bar, or try it for lunch and order an omelette, the flannel cakes.

To further confuse you, let me throw in my two cents. I didn't sense you were looking for the cheapest places, only that you weren't looking for the most expensive. In San Francsico, I had a great dinner at Piperade a while back at a very reasonable price. It's a relatively new place, but I think it captures SF. Another place like that, although a little older, is the Slanted Door. Zuni may be the quintessential SF restaurant of the present, and you can eat there fairly reasonably. Chez Nous is a fun place. Clementine and Chapeau! are superior neighborhood restaurants that have a long tradition in the City. Antica Trattoria and Pesce are in the same tradition. In North Beach, L'Osteria Del Forno is a terrific bargain place. And for my money, a lunch upstairs at Chez Panisse is always wonderful. Not cheap, but not French Laundry prices either.

bleudauvergne, we took the TGV to Avignon, and then picked up a car from there. We drove to Le Baux and stayed at La Cabro d'Or. We had stayed there back in 1989, and it was as beautiful as we remembered. We had the 6 course degustation menu http://www.lacabrodor.com/decouvrir/maison.html that featured a different local olive oil with each course. Every course was outstanding, and I think that it merits its one star rating. We ate on the terrace, looking up at the rocks, with the sounds of ducks, frogs and buzzing insects in the background. We had two wines from the area, a Mas de Sainte Berthe rose and a 2000 Domaine Hauvette red. Fairly expensive, but well worth it in my opinion. In Arles, we stayed at the very charming Hotel Nord-Pinus. The women who run this hotel make it a very special place, if you can navigate the narrow one-way streets to get there. Since the restaurant at the hotel was closed because the chef had abrubtly departed, we searched those narrow streets and found a delightful small restaurant called La Gueule du Loup. The very tasty 25 euro menu was a steal. In Aix, we stayed at the Hotel Le Pigonnet http://www.hotelpigonnet.com, which is a beautiful hotel set on even more beautiful grounds. The 46 euro menu was good, but not great, although the service and setting were first-rate. In Aix, we also had a very good lunch at Le Bistro Latin. Our dinner at Amphitryon, which is also co-owned by Bruno Ungaro, was also very good despite a few service flaws. We then traveled to Villfranche, where the Hotel Welcome http://www.welcomehotel.com/welcome.html more than lived up to its name. We had a corner room with two balconies looking at the sea and the small square, and we spent hours sipping wine and watching the boats and cruise ships come and go. We decided on La Mere Germaine to try Bouillabaisse, which was good and generous, if not extraordinary. The welcome and service were outstanding, however, and we had dinner there again several days later, which repeated the same warm welcome and service, with excellent food this time. The owner ran after us to leave to wish us a good trip home. We had two great meals at l'Ane Rouge and l'Univers de Christian Plumail in Nice. At l'Univers http://www.christian-plumail.com, two of us had a degustation of four entrees, and the other Soupe de Poissons de Roche. I liked all four of the degustation entrees, and found the Salade de Langoustines et Ris de Veau aux épices the best (especially the ris de veau), and the signature Carpaccio de Poulpe de Roches to be my least favorite. My Lamb was some of the sweetest lamb I've ever had- a rack and a separate chop. The partridge and veal chop were also first-rate, as were all the vegetables. The two Bellet wines, one red and one rose, were also very good. I can't locate the check right now to see what they were, but I recall the red was Chateau de Bellet. l'Ane Rouge http://www.anerougenice.com is set on the old port, and is a bit more legant than l'Univers. We had a nice table at a window overlooking the port. We all had the delightful Baie des Anges menu, which is detailed on the website. Everything was outstanding. We drank a cassis blanc and an excellent Corsican red wine, which is listed on the check as "G di Sole Arena Rouge". It was a fine concluding dinner for the trip.

I'll miss the Compass Rose. I just hope they did a better job on this remodel than they did on the back lobby, which went from poor to horrible during the last renovation. And I hope they didn't employ the genius that reworked the Redwood Room. Herb Caen must be rolling over in his grave.

I'm back from a whirlwind trip to Paris and the South of France. My wife and I showed a friend who had not been to France around, so we wanted to see as much as we could. I think I'm too old for this type of travel, but we did have a good time. Our first dinner was supposed to be at Au Bon Accueil, but thanks to American Airlines deciding not to hold our connecting flight to Paris for 30 minutes, we had a very mediocre steak in a Hilton near the Dallas airport instead. Our actual first dinner in Paris was at La Fontaine de Mars. We were looking for a traditional bistro in the 7th, and this had been on my long list for years. We had a nice table on the terrace, perfect weather, and the welcome was very warm. The service was gracious, and the checked tablecloths were inviting. The food was respectable, especially the foie gras entree I had. The next night, Le Troquet was wonderful. Fairly comfortable and very good service. We ordered the 6 course degustation menu, which was a steal at 37 euros. The food was inspired. Nice little wine list. I will go back every chance I get while it lasts. Our friend wanted to go to lunch at La Tour d'Argent. We had a nice window table, and the view is as spectacular as expected. The 70 euro lunch menu had a supplement of 22 euros for the pressed duck, which we all ordered. There were several quite good amuses. I had the pike quenelles, and my wife and friend had the donine de pigeon et foie gras. Instead of tableside, they have one captain preparing all the pressed duck on what can only be described as a stage in the dining room. Thin slices of duck appear, with a very rich sauce, served with 3 little potato pillows that are mostly air. Next a nicely crisp leg/thigh which I enjoyed, served with a delicate frisee salad, which was the only green I saw during the meal. Desserts were lighter than I expected, especially my "tutti frutti" tarte. With three coups, a half bottle of white Nuit St. Georges "La Perriere" 1994 and a bottle of Morey St. Denis "En la Rue de Vergy" 1990, the total was 540 euros. We got a nice tour of the cellar. Overall, a once in a lifetime experience, but I don't think I need more than once. The last night in Paris, we went to Bofinger. It's stylish and the dome is beautiful. Service was very good. We had a mountain of shellfish and then our friend and I split the choucroute. My wife had a large roasted lobster, which she raved about. We couldn't decide which of the Loire whites to have with the shellfish, so we ordered halves of all three. (The Ladoucette was the best.) A half of a nice Reisling with the choucroute and a half of Meursault with the lobster. Total was 306.50 euros. I have to put in a word for the Bars at the Ritz. One night we closed the Hemingway Bar and had a marvelous time talking to the bartender. The Bar Vendome in the front of the hotel is the most beautiful, romantic bar I have ever seen. I'm not too keen on the other bar in the back of the hotel. Bring a fat wallet and have a nice time. I'll talk about the South another time.

I admit I haven't been to the north shore of Tahoe in a few years, but there is no way I would leave such a beautiful spot to go to Reno for dinner.

Certainly, Pavarotti is well past his prime, and he is almost shameful in his commercial excess, but I think he will go down as one of the great tenors in the history of opera.

I neglected to say that I have found these photos and descriptions more entertaining than any food magazine I get. And I get a lot of them.

I tasted it, and I get thyme in the beginning, but not sure about the lavendar. The marjoram in my garden is just coming back from dying out and is at a stage where the leaves are lighter green. The buds haven't yet developed, and the stems haven't turned the darker color. I think that happens later in summer. It also takes on the fuzzy quality. It is a rather strong herb, and I only use a little when I use it. Maybe yours is something else, but it looked like marjoram to me when I first saw it.

It looks a lot like the marjoram I have in my garden.