raisab

We are all crawling out of the woodworks to payout respect, I wish we had done it sooner. Thank you Steven and Jason for this site...it opened up a new world for me.

Trout, those pictures are really beautiful! I just bought the book and am amassing claypots . I have all of Paula's other books and this one looks even better as the recipe's are simpler...either that or I am just used to her awesome methods by now!

I have friends that are going to Paris over the New Years holidays. I have been there quite a few times at New Years but always with friends and family. They are a couple. Can someone recommend somewhere they can go as a couple that will not be touristy, yet give them that festive Parisian feel? They want to try and keep the evening at 200-225 euros...so my suggestion of Le Meurice is out.... Residents...any sugestions, svp? Merci bien!

John, Thank you! You have been so helpful to me everytime I am in Paris! (and I am here now!). Your service has been so appreciated! Please tell that you will still be posting though! Thank you again friend! Raisa

Well I think I can answer my own question! It was La Fontaine de Mars, owner Jacques Boudon! I wonder if the restaurant will get the same business (at least from Americans) that follows the Obamas here in the US?

Decidedly, I have gone un petite peu romantique, (je pense?), I will be at Chez Lena et Mimile. A certain moderator on this board raved about it earlier in the year....and he has not let me down yet. I do not know if they have a special menu that night or not...I can certainly ask the question and be understood, but then the person thinks I comprehend as well and it is all down hill from there! If anyone knows...please pass on the information to me...

John, do you mean Le Clocher Pereire or Au Clocher Montmartre? I imagine Ze is Kitchen Galerie....

You know what, I am in the same dilemna. I will be in Paris for Valentine but I do not want an inflated menu. I think it would be foolish to inflate it too much with the economy the way it is! I will try a few bistros, make a reservation and then advise you where I called.

We eat this meal often at our house on Sundays...It is a result of being too busy and yet too tired to plan a formal meal...It can include wines, juices coffee, tea,and sodas. Breads, pancakes, pasta, cheeses, filet mignon, fruits, sausages, eggs, tarts, salads....and every dessert under the sun. We have been calling it "brelunner" at my place. It is easier than saying "Be quiet I kow you had no beakfast and lunch is a few hours past and it is too early for dinner, so eat and eat hearty as that is your meal for the day!

Thank you all.... Felice. I went to Les Papilles on my last trip. The menu is 32 euros, but even at the dismal exchange rate is a great value. It had been too long since I had a dinner like that. The only dissapointing part is that you have to purchase an entire bottle of wine. I had him choose for me after giving him a price (25 euro). The wine was a decent Cote du Rhone, but the nice gentlemen at the table next to mine also shared their wine with me, the name was Chateau Talbot. Besides the very appropo name (though ahem ... mispelled), THAT wine was very, very good.

Thanks for all the advice! I am in Paris right now...staying an extra night due to flight cancellation. Last nights dinner was horrendous, it was Day of the Ascension and every restaurant I tried was closed. I ended up eating at some non-descript place on Edgar Quinet...... I do not have the ability to go out of town when I am here, and there is no "expense" account,, just a poor per diem. Thank you for the names Mr. Talbott, there are some new ones on there I must try.

As I head back to my travels to Paris, how I wish I had bought Euros 2 years ago! The meals which were such a bargain at $30-35 plus wine ($15-20) may not taste as good at $44-52 ($23-30). Are there any restaurants which offer great price/value? Any menus at 20-25 euros? Am I destined to eat only at the occasional restaurant, supping in my room with cheese and bread? (I know there are worse things! ) Any suggestions?

Hello! I haven't been there since December, but you should not be dissapointed. We were a table of 5 and had the 90 euro menu and it was pretty fantastic. No, what you see online is not what you will get. Their menu changes with the market, so it will be great regardless!

Bump! With the ETA announcing the end of their cease fire as of today, does this change anything for the Basque region? I am arriving on Sunday, (Bilbao), what is the significance? Do they still bomb their own? Do they announce what areas to avoid? I have been to Spain a few times and have never let it influence me before, but reading this thread makes me wonder! Edited to add, I just noticed this thread was in the wines section, maybe it should be in Spain section?

Though Felice and John are more knowledgable than I am, I think a fun place, that won't be too intimidating is Fish. A small restaurant on Rue de Seine owned and run by a charming New Zealander (Drew), and a handsome Cuban-American (Juan) who also owns the wineshop around the corner, La Dernier Goute. Any of the wines on the menu you can buy at the wineshop dutyfree and have delivered to your hotel, packed for shipping. You can sit at the bar and sample, they will give you tastes, and have a wonderful evening with great food to boot.

Kaia/Kai-Pe looks great as El Rincon de Emilio. Then so does Alameda and Mendi Goika. Can someone suggest a stop between Laguardia and San Sebastian? I am staying in Bilboa on the last night, which is a Sunday, so my options are probably limited. Do Spaniards still take the big meal during the day (Almuerzo)? I remember living with my grandfather as a small child who was from Tenerife. We would eat our big meal at around 2PM, have a merienda about 6PM and Cena at 10PM. Is this still common? My family's customs changed when we moved to the US.

El Lobo is a brand. What you have is Turron Jijona. A sweet almond paste meant to be eaten as such. We usually eat it at Christmas time. I have never had it any other way, though I imagine it might be good crumbled into an ice cream.

We are stayiong at Posada Mayor de Migueloa! What wine tastings do you recommend? I know the Posada has some, but I haven't heard wonderful things about theirs.

I have been reading these threads, some quite a few years old, in search of restaurants for my upcoming trip in June. We will be staying in Laguardia a couple of days, San Sebastian an undertermined number as of yet, and are open to sggestions for another stopover or two. I realize there is quite a bit of avant garde cooking going on in this area, but that is not what I am interested in. I like more traditional cooking. So far the only restaurant I have decided I need to go to is Etxeberri. Can those of you who are more familiar with this area help me out with suggestions? For both restaurants and possible a city I should stop in and spend a night or two? I will be there a total of 8 niights arriving June 10th. All your help is so kindly appreciated.

Your wish is their pleasure.WineKaddy I have had one about 4 years and can vouch that it is pretty much indestrutable.

This is for an Austrian magazine. It deals with the food industry but not recipes. The French magazine is published bi-monthly if I am not mistaken.

I have a whole Serrano ham I just keep on my counter and slice pieces off as we need them. You may want to ask Turner Hams about theirs. This is their website. They will ship the hams to you. Remember to ask for hams that have been aged for one year.Turner Hams

Checkout this article from the Washington Post. I believe it ansers your question.Down Home Prosciutto

Hi Felice, I reread my post as I was pretty harsh, but I was so angered. I used to waitress also, and I can tell you she was not "in the weeds". At first I thought that may have been the case, but then I saw her leaning against the bar a few times. There was only 5 tables when we walked in and two servers. I am sure she thought of us as tourists who did not know the difference. It is a shame for the owner and chef who work so hard to put out a good food product but they suffer at the expense of their service.

I went to Ferrandaise tonight with another couple. The food was wonderful. Amuse Bouches of Creme de Chataigne, Entre was a vary classical Foie Gras Poele with Grapes, Plat was Veal a la Ferrandaise, basically a seared veal with some sort of brown sauce reduction, served with Puree de Pomme and petite onions and mushrooms. Dessert was a roasted Ananas with Vanilla Glace. This was good but not great. The wines, a 1993 Fixin and a Chateauaneuf were outstanding. The service? I do not believe I have a chip on my shoulder. I try my best to speak the French language, even with my awful Spanish accent. I know we all have stereotypes about each other, but being in a service business myself, I never let it interfere with the person and their comfort. So when I come to any restaurant I would like to be treated just as the person next to me. Why were we not greeted for over 15 minutes? Why were our coats the only ones not taken? Why when our waitress finally came to the table did she not ask us what would we like as aperatifs as she did the other tables? When I told her that we did want them , why did she only take three of our orders and leave out the fourth person, bringing him a random drink? Why did she not come back to take our meal order, instead motioning to another server to take care of us in a loud enough whisper that I fully understood? She asked if we wanted coffees and again walked away before we were finished speaking, of course not getting the order right. Then she did not bring any sugar until my husband got up about 5 minutes later and asked for it. She finally smiled when we paid our check. I looked for the young man who helped us for a while to tip him personally, but I refused to give her any encouragement for her service or lack of it. She was truly pathetic. She was a disservice to La Ferrandaise.