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Carlsbad

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Posts posted by Carlsbad

    Cool bars in Paris

    in France: Dining

    Posted

    I had a long list of bars to try on our last trip, but only made it to the same places: the Ritz Bars, Harry's and the Hotel Lutetia. Le Forum was on my list, and I will definitely try it next time. Other bars that looked interesting were The Duke's Bar, The Polo Club, Le Bristol, The Meurice, Le Rosebud, and the American Bar at La Closerie des Lilas. Any feedback is appreciated.

    It is inexcusable that you had to wait that long at the Vendome Bar. I hope you give it another try.

    Cool bars in Paris

    in France: Dining

    Posted

    The Ritz Hotel has two of my favorite bars anywhere. The Hemingway Bar is a small, clubby place, with background music played on an old Victrola. Colin Field's take on the French 75 is the best I've had, and the Champagne cocktail with a hint of ginger is one of my wife's favorites. The ladies get a rose draped over the edge of their cocktails. We avoid the nights when cigars are featured.

    The Vendome Bar in the front of the hotel is the most romantic bar I've seen anywhere. If you go there after dinner, they always have someone playing the piano magnificently. Both places have perfect service and ridiculous prices. I can't wait to go back.

    San Francisco to San Diego

    in California: Dining

    Posted

    San Francisco has so many good restaurants, finding the right one is really a matter of individual taste. A good resource is The SF Chronicle's Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants, which was recently updated. I'll give my very opinionated opinions for what they are worth. My favorite "fine" dining places would be:

    Acquerello, which I think is very romantic. I believe it has the best upscale Italian food in the city, and a very fine wine list. Giancarlo gives great advice on wine, and the service is tops. A favorite for anniversary dinners over the years. The tabs are not as high here either.

    Chez Panisse, which is really still quite unique after all these years. I also love the cafe for a long lunch. As I have said many times, some people don't get get what Chez Panisse is about though. I like it more than ever.

    Fleur de Lys, which I think is still the best French restaurant in the city, despite what you hear on here. The prices have become a little more gentle lately, too. I do admit that it might not appeal to younger people.

    La Folie, although I haven't been since the remodel. The food has always been excellent, and it doesn't look quite as playful as before, but this is a class act.

    I like Jardiniere, but not quite as much. I haven't tried Gary Danko, although only because it never quite worked out. I think it would be great. I wouldn't be caught dead at Michael Mina, although a lot of that has to do with the fact he took over the Compass Rose Space and ruined the frnt lobby of the St. Francis. I would try the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton, but for various reasons never have.

    San Francisco to San Diego

    in California: Dining

    Posted

    In San Diego, there are more than enough restaurants for three free nights. In addition to the Asian restaurants noted above, I like Phuong Trang, 4170 Convoy St., for Vietnamese food. It's nothing fancy, and ordering can be a bit of a challenge, but the food is very good.

    The Downtown/Gaslamp has a lot of restaurants. Many cater to the the crowds generated generated by the convention center. It's not difficult to get a good meal at many of the places that have sprouted up in recent years, although most are not particularly distinguished. They can be fun, and many have a younger crowd. We have our share of steakhouses and too many Italian places to count, many serving the same dishes. There are a few places that come to mind that are less tourist oriented and slightly off the beaten path: Athens Market, 109 W. F St.; Cafe Chloe, 721 9th Avenue; La Gran Tapa, 611 B St.; Cafe Cerise, 1125 6th Ave. I think Region, 3671 5th Ave., is one of the better places in town these days. If you are looking for one fine dining restaurant in San Diego, I think you can do better away from the downtown area: George's at the Cove, Tapenade, The Marine Room in La Jolla; The Rancho Bernardo Inn in Rancho Bernardo, but those are a good drive from downtown. Most of these places have websites or at least reviews on signonsandiego.com.

    In San Francisco, I think the Union Square area is the best place to stay. If you check websites, you can usually find a deal at one of the big hotels or one of the smaller boutique places. The Orchard Hotel is well-located and comfortable, and The Kimpton Group has a number of hotels in the area, and you can often get deals at the big chains like Westin, Hyatt, and Starwood.

    Anaheim / Disneyland Restaurant Recs

    in California: Dining

    Posted

    I agree that Napa Rose is (suprisingly) very good. It is fairly expensive and depending on the time of the year, reservations need to be made a little in advance. They have a limited but good bar menu, also a bit expensive, but you don't need a reservation there. The bar is a very pleasant space, and when we have been there, they have had good live jazz.

    We have had good luck at Catal in Downtown Disney. The informal outdoor bar and downstairs Cafe serve good informal food, and the outdoor area is very pleasant in good weather. The upstairs dining room is a more serious restaurant.

    We have had two disasters at the Jazz Kitchen, separated by a couple years, and I swore I wouldn't go back after each visit.

    Doris Muscatine,Writer on California Wine & Food

    in California: Dining

    Posted

    I have her book, A Cook's Tour of San Francisco, which a friend gave me back in 1974. It was originally published in 1963, but I have the 1969 edition. It gives a good history for the restaurant scene in San Francisco from the Gold Rush days to the publication date. Few of the restaurants described remain (Tadich Grill, New Joe's, and the places on the Wharf for instance) and the recipes are dated, but it's always fun to bring it out and go back to the time of Ernie's, The Blue Fox, and La Bourgogne, Trader Vic's, Des Alpes and the Restaurant de France.

    The state of Paris wine lists

    in France: Dining

    Posted

    I've never been there, nor to Fish, although I tried one time, but they had stopped serving. We went across the street to Cosi, which I think is great. :smile: The ownership is pretty well known. It's a wine store in Paris owned by an American. Is it a surprise they cater to English speakers? If they aren't hiking the prices, who cares?

    San Francisco to San Diego

    in California: Dining

    Posted

    On a nice day, you can't beat the open-air rooftop Ocean Terrace Bistro of George's at the Cove in La Jolla for a lazy, casual lunch. It's what Southern California is all about, and relatively inexpensive. The website has menus. I also agree that George's fine dining restaurant is one of the best in the area, and walking around La Jolla is very pleasant.

    Côte d'Azur Riviera

    in France: Dining

    Posted

    Some meals are indeed more than the food. I was very wary of dining in Villefranche before our trip there two summers ago, especially after reading some reviews here. Since we were staying in Villefranche, we decided to try it one night. To my surprise, we enjoyed our dinner at La Mere Germaine so much that we returned several nights later, and enjoyed it even more. The setting was magical and the service was extremely attentive and gracious. The food was very good, if not spectacular- certainly very solid, especially the simple fish dishes. Of course we paid more than we would at a bistro on a side street, but then we were paying for more than the food.

    Chez Panisse

    in California: Dining

    Posted

    I think ingridsf was referring to the crostini that comes with the aperitif. She also makes a very good point about simplicity, which is the point of Chez Panisse. Some people find the place too simple, comparing it to TFL or similar places. It's an apples and oranges thing.

    Tourists make restos touristy?

    in France: Dining

    Posted

    I consider wine to be very important, and I have to say I haven't noticed the sad condition of Paris wine lists. Some places are better than others, of course, but in two weeks of dining last summer for instance, ordering anywhere from 2 to 5 bottles of wine with dinner each night (depending on how many we were), we were never without something interesting to order. I don't remember any clunkers, and many of the wines were excellent for the price. I mentioned a couple of examples previously, but there were other examples. For full disclosure, I have to confess to ordering Sancerre (and even Muscadet) with cold shellfish at Bofinger, and Moulin-a-Vent at Aux Lyonnais.

    I think it would be worthwhile if we could hear some examples of wine lists that have disappointed, those that have not disappointed but were not that great, and those that were great.

    Chez Panisse

    in California: Dining

    Posted

    I apologize for my poorly-worded post. I only meant that if you decide to go to the cafe, make a reservation. I certainly didn't mean to discourage you from going to the downstairs restaurant.

    The Monday night dinners downstairs are three-courses and the food is a little more casual. My experience is that the four-course dinners the rest of the week are about the same, but they throw in an aperitif and charge $20 more for Friday and Saturday. Maybe the food is more sophisticated those nights, but I haven't noticed it.

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