Forest

I went to Gaya a few months back and was disappointed with it - and while it's reasonable in price for the quality of food expected, it's not cheap and I remember not being happy with the enjoyment/price ratio. (I think we spent about 100 Euros/pp for starters, mains, a few desserts and wine) I was with 4 others and they, too, felt the same way, so it's not just a question of my order. i should have posted immediately at the time when things were fresh in my mind, so now I don't remember the specifics on why I wasn't impressed. Let's try: I found the amuse-bouche to taste way too fishy (yes, I know it's a fish restaurant, but I don't expect it to taste so strong it's not enjoyable). As an entree they recommended a tuna dish and my fellow diner didn't like it. We all tasted it and were nonplussed so it was sent back practically uneaten. (Good note: they comped this entree - which we didn't ask for or expect). And, sure, maybe a dish is just okay and no one loves it, but our thought was if it's a recommended dish that's not on the menu, don't you want those to kind of shine, rather than get sent back almost untouched!? I started with the gruyere toasts topped with razorback clams and a slice of chorizo. It was fine, good, even - but not something I would rave about. And, the deserts were very mediocre. I didn't order one - but I tasted all of them at the table and nothing was outstanding. The one I recall was something with a rather dry chocolate tarte?, a pate de fruit and a bit of whipped cream (not piled on top of each other but in a little line on the plate). On the plus side, the service was very good. All five of us left with a pretty bland impression of the food and a general "not going there again attitude". But I've heard good reviews of it, so maybe we just hit a bad night? I'm interested in any other reviews to the contrary.

Recently there was this one on freezing cheese & this one in the past this. And one more on storing here. hope something in there helps...it's shame to see cheese go to waste!

Sheena: I'm not by any stretch a kimchi expert, but everytime I make it, I usually just look up a really easy recipe on the web, like this one. It's usually just a matter of soaking the cabbage in salt water (i do over night, not three of four hours like this recipe says), pack everything in tight and then let sit outside for 2-3 days before I start eating it. Once, open I put in the fridge. Again, I'm no expert, but I'm perfectly happy with this basic kimchi. but, let me know if you come up with something basic but better. good luck.

Thanks all. Incidentally, I tried calling Spring and there's no space available for something like that until Dec. So, if anyone's thinking of booking out the whole restaurant - do so early! My friend has decided to go with Chalet des Iles (the one at Bois Boulogne). I haven't eaten there so I have no idea what the food will be like. But, the location sounds really pleasant. I'll report back if it's good.

Thanks Felice. I haven't been to the Cremerie, but will suggest it to my friend. Any idea what the minimum number to reserve the entire place would be? And, is it the type of place where they could take a large reservation even if they didn't want to reserve the entire place (sorry about the questions - i've never been there so I have no idea of the size of the place & want to get an idea before I start calling them and bugging them about reservations.) And, final question - I assuming the food was good? Thanks!

Thanks John - I was thinking about Spring, but wasn't sure how he'd feel about booking the whole place out. And, this is just my (unasked for!) suggestion on the names of these threads - maybe it should be changed to say "Places for group of 12" - because when searching for restos where you can fit a large number of people in the France forum, "group" is the first thing I think to search for (and 'place' or '16' didn't even cross my mind) just a suggestion, of course.... or maybe even "large parties" "Party of 12" ETA: maybe it's a pointless suggestion as I see that they are all compiled in the compendium that does have "groups" in the title.

I'm looking for a restaurant for a birthday dinner for a group of 12 to 15 people. Any suggestions on restaurants that would work well for the following: -ability to sit large groups at one table -lively/fun atmosphere -midrange price (menu at 30 to 40 Euros maybe? before alcohol) Location is less of an issue, although something in the 8th, 9th, 17th or 18th would work well for most of the guests. Hours/dates are less of an issue because it will be either a Thursday or Friday night in October so I imagine most restaurants will be open those days. I did a quick search through the France forum and didn't see anything for this - but if there's already a topic, feel free to direct me there. Thanks!

thanks to you guys for another fun tasting! My fav was the Moutard au Miel (Champ's). It's basic, but I found it a nice balance between the mustard & honey, a nice consistency and it wasn't overpoweringly hot. On the otherhand, i didn't care for the maille Verjus et Miel - not sure why, but I see on my tasting notes I just put "no" for that one. Otherwise, all were good (and hard to compare with each other given the variety) with the exception of the truffe or the flowery one. And, while I liked the Meaux, I wasn't as wowed by it as everyone else. The consistency wasn't my preference for pretzels (you know it was kind of hard to really dip and get a lot on the bread...the little seeds would kind of stick, but sort of just wiggle around on the plate.). I liked the aftertaste and I think I'd prefer that one in a salad dressing or on something other then pretzels. (which by the way were excellent, thanks Braden!)

My thought would be emmental for "swiss" cheese in the U.S. (When americans say 'swiss cheese' they mean the stuff with holes in it.) But, emmental should be just as easy to get as gruyere. For chedder here, I will usually substitute gouda, as well - or mimolette.

There are several threads that discuss lunch options in Paris. It depends on if you have any special requirements. Some discuss recommendations if you only have one lunch, others good value, others high end. If nothing there fits the bill, can you give us a better idea of what you're looking for - typically french? location? price range? etc.

By the way, for the past several days NPR Talk of the Nation has been running an interview with the author, Trevor Corson. They mention eating it with your fingers, along with various other tips and advice. (don't rub your wooden chopsticks together after seperating them, don't smother your sushi in wasabi and soy sauce, etc.) I'm not sure if they will still be running it on air, but I think you can here it on their website.

I'm with Dave - my understanding has always been that the host starts first (although I'm talking non-business dinners, so I don't know if there's some different etiquette for business lunches)

very cool! thanks for the info! good thinkin'!

Yes, good pics, both of you! Looks like a lot of fun! Wendy, does that mean cocktail hour at your place is even better now?! I want to hear more about the absinthe seminar - was it just an absinthe tasting or did they talk about any cocktails using absinthe?

(Apologies as I’m a little behind on posting this, but I’ve been on holiday and had no access to the internet during my break!) In “A Moveable Thirst: Tales and Tastes from a Season in Napa Wine Country” the two authors, Hank Beal and Rick Kushman, embark on a “Quest” to visit every public tasting room in Napa Valley and the resulting book comprises two parts. The first two thirds recount tales from this journey and the last third offers detailed reviews of all the tasting rooms. The first part reads like it’s been written by a syndicated columnist (which it has). It’s divided by geographic area into chapters which are made up of smaller essay-like sections. Each of these sections/essays reads like an amusing newspaper column with its own beginning, middle and end. These are digestible little pieces which highlight a wine or tasting room while teaching the reader a little something more about wine. This format makes it an easy book to pick up and read just a bit here and there when the mood strikes. Kushman effectively uses these “pieces” as a vehicle to deliver interesting, informative facts about the history of wine (such as Mondavi’s role in the wine world, phylloxera ravaging Napa Valley, the ‘76 blind tasting between French and American wines in Paris) and the technical aspects of winemaking (such as Brix levels or how elements such as weather, soil, timing of seasons, dropping fruit in response to weather all affect the final product.) But, these morsels of information are delivered in a phrase - or a few paragraphs at most - scattered throughout the bigger story of their adventure. So, they are easy to absorb (and probably a more enjoyable way to take in the info than an academic study on winemaking) but you don’t get anything really in-depth. Depending on the level of interest of the reader, this is not necessarily a drawback, but there were definitely times when I wanted more. For example, he touches on the differences between old and new world wines in terms of production, consumption, pairing and serving. But, again, not in a very comprehensive way and I would have liked a little more insight into the differences he mentions. He also scatters names of winemakers, restaurants, and bars throughout the first section, which make for interesting reading but without structure to the insertions it would be difficult to use this portion of the book as a reference or guide for eating or tastings (unless you make notes as you are reading.) In general, I don’t feel like I learned a great deal more than I already knew about wine. There were times when it refreshed my memory and a few new pieces of information here and there. But for having read close to 200 pages, I didn’t really gain that much knowledge. Perhaps teaching the reader about wine was not Kushman’s intention. But, if you are at my wine level (nowhere close to being an expert but with a healthy interest in and a bit more wine knowledge than the regular guy), don’t expect any great revelations. In terms of writing style, the first two thirds are packed with of self-effacing humor, which I found somewhat simple and even slightly lame and annoying from time to time. Quoting him from the book: “Bad self-effacing humor. It’s all I’ve got.” And, there are times when you find yourself agreeing. It’s not that he’s entirely unentertaining – in fact, if his jokes came up in spontaneous conversation or blogs rather than a published novel, he’d probably get a good chuckle from me. But, when an author puts in the extreme effort necessary to write a book and has plenty of time to think about what he’s putting down on the page, I expect something a bit more polished and witty instead of stale and predictable banter. Additionally, he uses words like “cool” and “it rocked” to describe wines and/or wineries. I think this style of writing (which tries to convey a sense of fun-loving, youthful hipness??) has the potential to divide readers as some will find it fun and lighthearted, while others find it flip and grating. The second section, written by Hank Beal who works in the wine industry, is a very detailed description of each of the tasting rooms visited by the duo. I think this would be useful for anyone planning a serious tasting spree through Napa. For each tasting room Beal provides the coordinates, hours, a description of the place, information on atmosphere, service, tasting tools, intangibles and extras, wine availability, picnic prospects, cost, directions and what type of wine drinker this is geared towards. So, my overall opinion is that I didn’t learn much and didn’t find myself doubled over in laughter. However, I would say it was a fun book. At no point in time did I feel an overpowering urge to give up on it and think it would be an enjoyable read for those who are not expecting it to provide more than it does. What I did get from it was a real itch to go to Napa and visit the tasting rooms. In fact it even incited a short daydream that involved my moving to Napa, opening a winery and taking up bocce ball. (Although, I am in no way qualified to make wine – or play bocce ball.) It would be a great book to take along on a tour of Napa with its short essay format that makes for quick reading in between wine stops & puts you in a Napa mindset and the information in the back which would be particularly useful for mapping out your tasting rooms plans. (I believe Kushman indicated that there is no other compilation of all the tasting rooms in this area) This is, of course, only just my opinion on it and if anyone has any particular questions about it, feel free to ask. ETA: Thanks for sending it off and giving me the chance to read it.

I recently saw an Austrian documentary, We Feed the World, about globalization and the production of food. I don’t know when/if it will have a major release in the US - looking on IMDB I don’t see any indication that it was released there yet (but it I think it was at the Seattle Film Festival last year.) Some of the information is not entirely new, but it definitely reconfirmed my thoughts about free-range chicken. And, it reminds you to really think about where your food comes from. If you’re interested in that kind of thing, it’s worth a watch. However, while I thought it was good, there were parts where I would have liked to see them link the segments to a bigger message or talk about alternative purchasing options or actions. I’m not a complete film idiot and while a lot of information wasn’t new to me and I don’t have to have messages completely spelled out, I can only assume that it’s new or un-thought-about (yes I know that’s not a real word) to a lot of people. I think when you have a captive audience like that it’s a good opportunity to suggest more sustainable, healthier and better options (when they’re more open to it having just been moved by the horrors of the chicken farms or the razing of Brazilian forests.) Obviously that wasn’t their intention and they did do well with the points they covered. So, that’s just my thought… I’m interested in hearing what other people thought of it. (maybe there’s already been comments on it?? But, I did a quick search and didn’t find anything…) ETA link.

I'm not 100% sure but my experience from working in a bar from time to time here (in Paris but serving lots of English people) and living with someone from the UK is that is that lemonade is basically 7-up in UK speak. I'll confirm that and get back to you on it though.

I had a similar experience, but in the other direction. A friend sent some mustard to me from the states and it just never arrived. I don't know if it was a problem in the US or here or just a coincidence and had nothing to do with it being mustard, but I always suspected it had something to do with the alimentary products rules. It's too bad because at prices like that and with all the extra effort it hardly seems worth it - and you can buy so many speciality products online these days - she could probably find the same (or similar mustard) and have it shipped to herself for a lot less. (which I know isn't the same, but...) Good luck with it.

I like haloumi and I'm glad to see this topic because I've been meaning to post to find out what others do with it. I dust it with a bit of flour, fry & drizzle with a caper, lime vinagrette over greens. Recipe here. (I add a lot more greens underneath than shown in this recipe) I've seen halloumi cut up in small, thin squares, fried and then topped with things and served as appetizers (so the halloumi takes the place of a cracker or bread) Here's a page with several different halloumi recipes. Also does anyone have any favorite brands - I like it, but sometimes I find it can be almost too salty or rubbery and am thinking mabye expirementing with different brands could be good.

wow, that's a shame! ever since we went I've been dreaming about more of those! did they say why they're not carrying them anymore??

According to this article (which is, actually, a few months old) he's not saying where, but it's scheduled for spring of 2008. I haven't seen much else about it (including nothing on his website that I saw right off). So, curious to see if anyone else comes up with any other new and interesting info about it.

When I first saw the topic I thought I’d feel terrible complaining about someone else’s food – I think anytime someone offers to make you food, it’s a nice offering, but I do remember… A couple of years ago a friend came out from the US to visit me with his girlfriend. As a nice gesture, she wanted to cook dinner for me one night – and since I was busy working I really appreciated it. The lights were dimmed, candles lit, table set – all very nice. She brought out the plates – she’d made chicken cordon bleu. I took a few bites and it tasted kind of strange. Because it was dim, I couldn’t really tell if something was wrong by looking at it, so I didn’t say anything. I’ve known her boyfriend for many years and only met her, so I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by “criticizing” her cooking. So, I took a few more bites until she brought up the subject of how different it is to cook here with Celsius versus Fahrenheit. “Oh, incidentally, how did you know what temperature to cook it at in Celsius?” Apparently, she’d just made a guess – and that guess was about ½ of the temperature she should have cooked it at. I immediately took it into the kitchen under the lights and saw that the chicken was raw on the inside. Oops. I only recount this because I know this person is actually a good cook and it was just a silly mistake. Like the time I decided to make handmade gnocchi for the first time for a dinner party of eight and ended up serving my guests plates of lumpy starch with some really yummy sauce on top. I’ve learned since then. Well, I haven’t learned to make good gnocchi but I’ve learned not to try anything too new or difficult for a bunch of guests for the first time! I guess we all make mistakes. And (maybe this is karma) as I just finished typing this I can smell that I have completely burned the English muffins I was toasting for my breakfast!

No problem - but I'm still interested in hearing members' thoughts, too. The list is a good starting point, but nice to get some specific feedback on the members' favorites!

You might get some ideas from John's compendium here.

What a shame...don't let it fade away if you've still got more reports and photos to share with us! I'd like to read them.