Bartow

Hi, Chris and all: Our two local farmers' markets in Hillsborough, NC (they are not on speaking terms, which is another tale)generally charge more for a comparable item than the local supermarkets. However, as some posters have pointed out, a FM tomato is not a supermarket tomato in terms of taste, ripeness, etc., so it sometimes comes down to intangibles - how much extra will I pay for something that tastes good? I'm presently in France, where the local marché volant is a fixture almost everywhere; here, the "Atlantic proposition" is true: The produce in the markets is generally cheaper and better than in the supermarkets. I haven't been here long enough (and can't speak French well enough)to solve the mystery of how an enterprise that has to build and tear down its stalls on a given day, and move to another location and do it all over again the next day, can possibly break even. This is possibly a digression from Chris's topic, for which I apologize. Bartow

Hello, and Merry Christmas (the best time for making cheese straws). I have successfully used a Mirro "16 pc. Cookie Pastry Press" for a number of years for my cheese straws. It has an aluminum barrel and a big knurled knob to facilitate extruding the dough. I also use the star shape die. After a few dozen cranks, my hand gets a little sore, but the press holds up just fine! I believe I bought mine at Bridge Kitchenware in NYC, but I could be wrong... Good luck! Bartow

Take the train from Gare St. Lazare (or drive - it's about 2 hours) to Honfleur, a delightful and relatively unspoiled seaport near the mouth of the Seine.The Michelin 1-star resto, Sa Qua Na, there has gotten some good (and also bad) reviews. However, just walk down the street r. L'Homme de Bois to the resto at 30-32 (also called L'Homme de Bois) for a fantastic meal among the locals and friendly service at about 1/5 the price.You won't regret it!

Hello, all- I just stumbled onto this thread, and would like to add a few comments: I agree with kayb about Dreamland; a unidimensional sauce covering 2nd rate "Q". Having just moved to HIllsborough, NC, which is not far from some historic epicenters of fine BBQ, I tend to agree with the natives. There are two transcendental BBQ purveyors within 5 miles of my house, and they are only a sample.I would suggest to nathanm that he classify his findings into the separate but perhaps equal vinegar/tomato (sauce) and pork/beef (meat) categories; otherwisw we have the apples vs. oranges arguments... Bartow

Hello, Parigi (and Margaret)- We rushed off on our trip before I saw your post, Parigi, but we will definitely try it on our next trip to Fontainebleu. As it turned out, we didn't even get to stop there, as it was too late to tour the chateau; therefore we will certainly follow your advice sooner rather than later. For others reading this thread, there is one restaurant in this area to avoid: The hotel/resto Aux Vieux Remparts in Provins. There was much napkin-snapping and many pseudo-gourmet touches: pieces of slate for plates, little sweeps of foam around the food, and vegetables served in cute little pots w/lids, etc. However, the foie gras was liquid in its interior, having probably just been brought out of the freezer and thrown into the pan; the spring lamb chop was mostly fat, and the small bits of veal, coquettishly decorated with what looked like Pringle's potato chips, were dry and tasteless. And on and on...We had had a much better meal at 1/3 the cost the previous evening at a tiny roadside place called Chez Nanou near Verneuil. A bientot, Bartow

Hello, all- After a long silence, I am happy to be back reading the eG pages. Having retired (like John) and having met the femme de mon coeur (in CDG Terminal 2!), I'm happily living part time in Paris. Life is good, indeed. But enough about me - Having had our trip to Greece washed out (more exactly, "ashed out") by that unpronounceable volcano in Iceland, Jo and I are consoling ourselves with a trip all around Paris - sort of a Grande Peripherique - and would really like some hint for good restos in or near the places mentioned above. Many thanks. Bartow

...and if pigs had wings, there'd be pork in the treetops. Gentle people, please continue this thread. I am in Paris (well, L'Etang-la-Ville, just west of Paris) with la femme de mon coeur, and am looking for a good place for a Monday evening grande bouffe. All the best, Bartow

Hello, all! I'm returning to eGullet after a long silent spell (the run-up to retirement can be very busy), and am overjoyed to see John, Margaret, et al. still anticipating my questions. As a statement of sorts to myself - yes, Bartow, old sock, you're *really* retiring! - I decided to spend 2 months meandering around France & Switzerland, and will be spending a few weeks in the Dordogne/Perigord/Lot regions, where I've never before been. I'll be coming in from the coast (La Rochelle?) and staying at a gite near Brive-le-Gaillard for a week. I read Carlux's entry on "Chez Jeanne", plus the ensuing thread, and ended up drooling on my keyboard. Any more suggestions for dining in the area? Also, if you have any thoughts/suggestions on restos in the Guerande area, I'd appreciate hearing them. Best regards, Bartow (and I promise to take good notes and report on my own trip)

Hello, Jamie- Many thanks for updating your '04 list. I'll be going to Paris in 3 weeks with some vegetarian friends (but hope to sneak in a steak frites when they aren't looking). I notice that you omitted the Violon d'Ingres from your new list - Any reason? I was thinking of reserving there, and asking the Constants to create a veggie-friendly menu for my friends. Regards, Bartow

Hello, all- I gotta say - coming back to the eG site after a few months is like walking into your favorite bar: Hi, John (neat beard!), hi Bux, hi, Ptipois, whazzup? I'm headed back to Paris for a long wkend with my daughter to meet some old friends. The routine will be similar to the previous time I queried the eG gang: "Forced marches" through art museums (daughter Molly is an art history grad student at Hahvard) interspersed with food-centered forays. We're staying in an apartment on r. Lacepede near the Jardin des Plantes, around the corner from Mme Herve's boulangerie and a few blocks from Kayser. BIG question: I've been mooching around the outside of L'Ambroisie for about 30 years, and may finally be ready to try for reservations, BUT Daughter Molly is a vegetarian (not one of those tiresome preachy religious ones - she just doesn't eat things with faces, even shrimp faces). Would a dinner at m. Pacaud's place be wasted? Can his menu accommodate someone who doesn't eat all of the things for which that this master is famous? I would very much appreciate guidance here, and thanks in advance BTW: I've read the Ambroisie/"Ambrosie" threads on eG, and have enjoyed them immensely (especially the one re "fun vs. reverence" at fancy restos - I'll have to relate sometime our meal at Recamier when we reduced our very serious waiter to gales of helpless, shrieking laughter). Many thanks, Bartow

Jennifer, I know this is too late for your wkend, but I just wanted to give another second to the previous remarks about Paule Caillat's cooking classes & tours - She is a true force of nature: energetic, knowledgeable, and an absolute hoot. Her afternoon tour took us to Lionel Poilane's basement ovens, a 5th generation saffron establishment, and (of course) Dehillerin. One of the best Paris days I can remember, and I've had lots. Bartow

Hello, all- Weighing in late but briefly on LAb #2, since I'm having to cover for a missing staff member today. Executive summary: Lighter wine is better (I used a not-so-nouveau beaujolais), but I preferred the veggie braise overall. Re the drowned meat thread - I can't imagine a totally submerged piece to develop the flavor that comes from air oxidation! Sorry for the telegram, guys - times like these, I yearn for retirement. Bartow

Hello, you-all: As a true Charlestonian, I'm happy to claim that shrimp & hominy (hwwilson was right about us calling it "hominy") originated there. If it didn't, it *should* have. THere are a number of prettified S&H recipes (the best one IMHO can be found at the Web site for the Hominy Grill, a fantastic Charleston restaurant (http://www.hominygrill.com/ - look under "recipes"). My S&H memories are much more personal: My father was a professor at the Medical University there, but he was an avid outdoorsman. Somewhere he learned how to knit shrimp nets - 12-foot circular nets with a weighted periphery that were thrown from the bow of a small rowboat (I got to row) in a kind of vast Frisbee-like motion. We used to go shrimping in the small tidal creeks around Charleston, and rarely did we come back with less than a bushel basket full of tiny, little-finger-sized creek shrimp. We would peel them raw (much easier than peeling cooked shrimp) and either freeze them, or just boil & eat them. Father didn't cook much, but he had a magical way with shrimp & hominy. I suspect that he used equal parts of shrimp, hominy & butter. Alas, the shrimp have long since chosen other places to breed, so I rely on those South American tame shrimp now. But they still make a breakfast fit for kings! Damn, I'm hungry! Regards, Bartow

Steven- Re #2 Two questions: 1. For the braising liquid testing, I have 4 ceramic onion soup pots w/lids, each of which would hold only 1 shortrib. Thier advantage is that they are absolutely uniform in size. Otherwise I can go with loaf pans. 2. My shortribs from #1 rendered a lot of fat during the braising. Can I remove it before proceeding to reheat the samples, or should I leave them greasy?

Reading Stven's reply ("It's always humbling...") concerning radiation, et al., I forgot to mention that all of my braising took place on an oven shelf that has a floor of terra cotta tiles, thereby increasing the radiation from beneath, and also steadying the oven temperature. Generally, I think that the results pretty much parallel the relative efficiencies of the internal radiative surfaces of the pots: the Le Creuset has not only the iron sides but also a heavy lid, while the copper lid of my fait tout was relatively light. The ceramic and clay pots are relatively inefficient radiators. Just my 2-cent ex post facto explanation.

Hello, fellow Braisettes- Because I'm still a 9-5er, I started Lab#1 yesterday evening and wrote down the last observation at midnight. Here's the Executive Summary: Le Creuset wins. Detailed notes: Pots used: Le Creuset (hereafter LC) 5 qt "french" oven 4.5 qt Culinair copper fait tout (hereafter FT) 3 qt glazed stoneware casserole (SC) 3 qt terra cotta tagine TCT) Aluminum foil brownie pan (aborted - see below) I allotted 2 short ribs to each pot, & used 1T of olive oil to brown each pair for 1 min per side I only did 2 pots in the oven at a time, necessitating 2 shifts (hence the midnight hour) I used some homemade veal stock, augmented by 1 can of chicken stock, brought to simmer on top of the stove, hence minimal time to bring the braising meats to simmer in their pots. The brownie pan sprung a leak at the beginning of its run, dripping juice onto the stove top (deleted expletives), so I switched its pair of ribs to the aforesaid glazed casserole. General temperature notes: the LC and the FT brought the pieces up to their max of 190-195 deg the fastest; after 1/2 hour the temps read 180 and 185, resp. The meats in the TCT and SC pots were 175 and 170 deg. respectively after 1/2 hr. I kept the oven at 310 deg for the entire test. Doneness notes: Probably because of the differential in the temp rise and the greater radiation from the 2 metal pots, the LC and FT meats were the same degree of doneness 1/2 hr before the TCT and SC meats, about 1:45 vs. 2:15. I declared that "done" meant that I could twist a piece of meat off of a rib after sticking a fork in it. Appearance & taste: In order, high to low: The LC meat was tender, nicely browned, but moist inside and the braising liquid was a nice caramel color; the FT was also browned nicely, moist, but chewier and the liqid was paler; the tagine meats were on the dry side, brown and crunchy (I admit I like this), and the liquid was reduced by about half, all probably due to the loose fit of the lid; the stoneware casserole meats were chewier, less brown, and the liquid was a good deal lighter than those in the other pots. Incidental notes: After cooking, the pieces of meat all lost about 25-28% of their initial pre-cooked masses. The greatest weight loss was by the tagine meats, again due to the loose-fitting lid. Morning after note: Damn! the place smelled good!

Hello, Steve, Re the vessels to be used: I'd like to use a terra cotta tagine that I picked up in Aix-en-Provence a few years ago, and have been using (nonscientifically) since. It would fall into the "corningware" category, to be used after a preliminary browning of the meat (or turnip). I'm curious to know whether it imparts anything different to the outcome than a "regular" pot. When/where do you suggest that I put it into the, um, curriculum? Many thanks for running this seminar. Bartow

Hello, all- Having received some great advice from you-all on restos - Flora (maybe yes for lunch) and Helene Darroze (not bloody likely) - I'll risk another double query: I recently used up the last of the ras el hanout that I bought in Aix-en-P a while back. Have those of you who haunt the Paris Marches Volantes ever seen this Moroccan spice mixture for sale there? I've become addicted to it in tagines & such. (Non-food question) Does anyone know of a store in Paris that sells old maps? Not antique, just old (like me). I'm looking for a nice big '60s-vintage map of the Metro system that I can hang in my office. Unfortunately, on this 3-day trip, I don't have the time to schlepp up to Pte Clignancourt. Encore, Merci! Bartow

Greetings- As this is my first post, please visualize me standing just inside the door, nervously gazing at the linoleum as I ask this question: I'm taking my daughter to Paris for a long museum (her) and food (me) weekend on the 20th of this month. I've had several good meals at Flora Mikula's previous restaurant, Les Olivades. Do any of you know how her new place (Flora, near the George V hotel in the 8th A) is? Also (don't know if I can do this on an academic's salary), I've heard good things about Helene Darroze's restaurant. Does anyone have first hand info? Hm! I must have a thing about female chefs - I think Susan Spicer walks on water... Merci beaucoup! Bartow