Megan Blocker

I know you asked this of Megan, but after my recent visit I thought I'd add my two cents' worth ... I think in overall quality, French baking is way ahead of the game in North America. Like most things food related, bread is part of their culture. People walking home from work with a few bagettes tucked in a hand bag are a common sight. While it's true that not all the bread we ate in France was excellent, none of it was awful. The same cannot be said for the bread found around Vancouver. The best bread I've ever eaten comes from Victoria (Wildfire Bakery for those interested), but I've also some gummy crap from bakeries that shall remain nameless. A. ← I agree with Arne here...the lowest level in France is significantly higher than the lowest level in the States, but that doesn't mean all of the bread is across the board the best in the world. We have some pretty excellent bread here in New York, but you still encounter more inferior bread here than you do in Paris. As someone said on another thread, France is just a country, not the home of all things perfect.

You've got to have something to strive for in life; otherwise, why bother getting up in the morning? Dayne has his prioties straight. This is an excellent report, Wendy...cannot wait to see more!

Hmmmm...me, too. I'm not a big muffin person, but the coffee at DTUT (2nd between 84th and 85th) is pretty good. Their baked goods are iffy, though. Across the street (same block) is Andre's Cafe...they make a great cup of coffee, and their pastries are excellent, too, especially the croissants. You can get both coffee and croissant to go. Two Little Red Hens (2nd between 85th and 86th) makes a decent coffee, and their scones and muffins are very good. There's always Eli's, too - 80th and Third. Good coffee, great baked goods (muffins, coffee cake, donuts, cakes, cookies, pies, bread). Similarly, E.A.T., at 80th and Madison, is also an Eli Zabar place (the original Eli Zabar place, actually - Zabar's is owned by his family, but E.A.T. is the first shop he opened on his own) and has the same baked goods and coffee. If you have time to sit down, one of the best breakfasts on the UES is at Cafe Sabarsky, at 86th and 5th.

Oh, wow, what a treat! This blog is already off to a fantastic start. I'm planning a trip to Italy next spring, and this will be such a great help! Can't wait to see what else is in store...

Ouest is very close to your hotel (84th and Broadway), and definitely fits the chef-owned, bistro-ish model you mention. The red booths give it a clubby feel, and also make it easier to have a reasonable conversation in the bustling dining room. If you're interested in it, I'd make the reservation soon...they book up quickly on weekend nights.

What are free-range pancakes? I went to The Vinegar Factory for breakfast on Sunday with my cousin and a friend...spinach and mushroom omelet, bread basket, and COFFEE... ← Indeed, this is one meal that I don't make myself. Having moved from the West coast and left my beloved Peets Coffee and their lowfat banana bran muffin behind, I am still on the prowl in Manhattan for the perfect brew and muffin. I find Caffe Bacio the closest to the mark, and btw, I refuse to walk into a Starbucks. any suggestions? I hope this is not digressing too much from the topic at hand. ← Where in Manhattan do you live?

Went to Land last night for dinner...my friend lives in the neighborhood, and we'd heard that the food here was pretty good. We weren't disappointed...though it's certainly not the best Thai food I've ever had (my heart belongs to Sripraphai), it was a good meal, and very reasonable to boot! They now have their liquor license, and we both had a couple glasses of wine - Riseling for me, Cabernet Sauvignon for Cristin. It's a teeny, narrow space, but it's stylish and comfortable. We started with two appetrizers, the root vegetable spring rolls, which were excellent, and a special shrimp salad - shrimp with tomatoes, lemongrass, chilies, scallions, shallots, cilantro, tiny mache, and a few other things. It was delicious, very fresh and bright, and spicy. I will say that the menu and the spice levels are very Americanized - my main had three stars next to it (the spiciest on the menu), and I had no problems. Which means it's just not THAT spicy. My main was the basil beef with chilies. Not the best I've had (the meat was actually a little tough), but pretty good. We also got some sticky rice (served in a banana leaf) and an order of the pea shoots sauteed in garlic, which were delicious. Cristin had the shrimp with cashews, which was really good. Sweet and salty. With two glasses of wine each, and including tax and tip, the meal came to about $45 each, a pretty decent deal.

I was in five (yes, five) weddings in 2005, and attended 2 more where I was just a guest, so I think I'm decently versed in what's common these days for rehearsal dinners. Plus, these weddings were held in Hawaii, Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Minnesota, so I saw lots of regions in action. My opinion is that the rehearsal dinner (and the wedding) should be paid for by those throwing it (bride's family, groom's family, bride and groom by themselves, whomever). Cash bars are tacky - I'd rather have wine and beer than have to pay for my cocktail. Plus, it makes you feel like you're at a bar, not at a celebration, to have to remember to have cash on hand and to have tips ready for the bartender. That said, I don't think it's appropriate for the rehearsal dinner to be an effort to outshine the wedding (most likely this happens when one is thrown by the bride's family and the other by the groom's), nor is it right to think of the rehearsal dinner as yet another opportunity to get drunk with your buddies. I'll say it again - go with your gut on this one. You definitely do not have an obligation to have the dinner in the hotel, though I agree with the suggestions above, that having it nearby or in a central location would be ideal. Nor do you have an obligation to transport people to and from the wedding. It's a good idea for you to have the number of a local cab company on hand, just in case someone does imbibe too liberally, but you're under no obligation to rent a bus to cart people from place to place. I say throw a party that represents your family, and something that is to your son and daughter-in-law-to-be's tastes. Those should be your only guiding factors.

Lots and lots of sour cream? Milk on the side? You could freeze it in smaller Ziploc bags and use it to season new batches as you make them...rather than making one huge batch now.

Well, to be fair, that's an actual Haagen Dazs store...actually, that's where the internet cafe was. Really odd, right? Don't worry, that's not where I got my gelato!!!

Exactement! No ice, but straight from the fridge, in the can. Ooooh, baby. Thanks, guys - I'm glad you enjoyed it! I certainly enjoyed myself.

And that was it! The next morning we were up very early to catch out flight back to the States. We had pains au chocolat and Oranginas at CDG, and then boarded our plane. The first thing I consumed on American soil: Diet Coke.

Oh my god...the po' boy looks so amazing...especially that shot of the dressing and the tomatoes, peeking under the bun. Well done.

What are free-range pancakes? I went to The Vinegar Factory for breakfast on Sunday with my cousin and a friend...spinach and mushroom omelet, bread basket, and COFFEE...

After lunch, we headed back to Saint-Germain. Louisa needed to download her flight information for the next morning, so she went to the internet cafe, and I went to a little bakery place for some gelato and sorbet. I love, love, LOVE the double cornet - it's one of the things I remember most vividly, food-wise, from my first trip to France twelve years ago (the other is baguette, confitures, and hot chocolate from a bowl for breakfast at the youth hostel). I got raspberry sorbet and vanilla gelato - I really wanted raspberry and lemon sorbet, but they were out of lemon. This is the little bakery on Rue du Buci (it's also where Louisa got her palmier that morning). I loved the name - La Bonbonniere! The streets behind our hotel turned into a market on Saturday - I could have taken pictures for hours... Dinner that night was back at Camille! We received a very warm welcome from the owner, who asked us how we'd been since the other night. We were seated on the same banquette, and we knew what we wanted...another round of the same salad, the escargots, and the steak tartare. To shake things up, Lou got the lamb chops, served with yet another fantastic variation on the potato...skillet roasted, this time. For dessert, our last in France ( ), we split the mousse au chocolat... My final coffee on French soil was divine...strong, rich, and creamy. And here's Camille, the last picture I shot on the trip...it's blurry from my tears! (OK, not really, but you know what I mean.) Sigh.

Indeed! As a benchmark for eGer's to strive for, this will be hard to beat. Wonderful blog, Y! I am learning a lot. ← OMG, this blog is complete. How hilarious...those chocolates show a remarkable attention to detail.

The love of my life...if he would just show up, I'd totally make something killer.

Hmmmmm....I'm thinking maybe someone could play for you, scan the recipes, and email them to you? OR, you could do it at the library!!!!

This is how my family bonds. (To be fair, we also bond over food.) My little cousin Luke (he was a bit of a surprise, and is seven years younger than the next-youngest cousin, my 24-year-old brother), calls it "cocktail three-hour." This is why I have all sorts of booze in my house that I don't really drink - at home, it's either wine or a Manhattan for me, but I have vodka, scotch, Grand Marnier (my mom's favored after-dinner drink), beer, rum, cognac...gotta have family bonding time!!! Did they have an actual bar? Like, was it a jazzy case/specially designed picnic basket? Or a cardboard box o' booze? I think the funniest thing is that they brought their own peanuts. My mom often travels with a small bottle of vodka (she'll be gone for a week at a time, on business, and hates paying mini-bar prices for her evening cocktail), but no peanuts.

OK! I just drew (closed my eyes and ran my finger over the shelf, stopping at random), and I got Mmmmm: A Feastiary, a cookbook written by Ruth Reichl back in 1972. I bought it just because I thought it would be neat to have, and I've never cooked from it. Looks like dinner will be chicken fricassee, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and chocolate cake. Not terribly exotic, but tasty!

Yeah, we ran into that too. Fortunately I heard (and understood) the announcement before we reached Abbesses. We jumped off at Pigalle caught the Metro to Anvers. The cool thing about walking in from Anvers is that you pass all the "thrift shops" along the way to the funiculaire. The locals might not enjoy it, but there's nothing like watching middle aged women fighting over 10Euro shoes! A. ← Glad to hear another person with a more balanced opinion of Aux Lyonnais...I really was beginning to think it was me. Aaaaah, I heard and understood, too, but we were coming from the other direction. We were actually only about two blocks north of Sacre Coeur when we had lunch, but we were tired and hot and just wanted to go home. I'd actually been twice before, so Louisa was the only one missing out, and she was ok with that.

Oh my goodness, what a beautiful town! That is just gorgeous...can't wait to follow you around all week, Mei - you're off to an excellent start already. P.S. - Chufi is EVERYONE'S eGullet idol, mine included.

Oh, she knows me so well!!! You know what's funny? I don't even keep it in the house - that's how addicted I am. If I did, I'd drink six a night. ETA: Oh, man, gotta go get one from the work fridge right now. My Pavlovian reposnses kicked in.

Could it also be that we tend to eat family-style at most meals, but people often eat different foods at breakfast? You know, I'll have a bagel, you'll have cereal, mom has yogurt and fruit...they figure other meals are planned and will be the same for all, while breakfast isn't necessarily like that, unless you're going to cook a full meal.

Duh, such a good idea! That is so much better than lugging your own. Deborah is so smaht!!! To clarify mey earlier comments...I certainly don't find it weird for a host to ask. What is weird is an unsolicited or overly long, complicated list on the part of the guest. Yes, the guest saying "Anything!" is annoying, but so is the opposite...