porkpa

For classic Taillevent. For innovative Pierre Gagniere.

IMO Susur is well within walking distance from the Sheraton. It is at the most a fifteen minute walk. I have walked there several times when staying at the Eaton Centre Marriott which is a few minutes further away.

I went yesterday. I had a classic dog, a large order of fries and a limeade. The dog was okay. It would have been much better if the center had not been cold. I don't know if it had been frozen or just hadn't been been fried for long enough. The fries were excellent. The limeade was good, but didn't have enough tartness for my taste. All in all, it was a good experience which would have been much better if the dog had been properly cooked. Porkpa

Wow, What a dinner! It looks fantastic. Its none of my business, but I'm curious as to what the tab was. I'm guessing in the area of $2,000 for the three of you - maybe more. Porkpa

Jason, Your first Waffle House experience!! You have indeed led a sheltered life. Murray Brown

Suckles, You say "pastrami is always lean". Nothing could be further from the truth!! Any afficionado knows that the best pastrami always has a degree of fat - in some cases a lot more than little. Katz's delicatessen in Manhattan is more often than not considered the "ne plus ultra" of quality pastrami. You can order it lean or extra lean there, but neither the meat slicers nor the customers will recommend that you do so. Even at Katzs', a degree of fat adds to the overall taste. Porkpa

If you are in a hurry or just don't want to go to the bother of cooking your own, the canned Habitant brand is pretty good. I like it with a sliced frankfurter in it. With some great bread, it makes for a very nice mid winter lunch. Porkpa

As I said originally, the corned beef at Snowdon Deli is pretty good. I haven't had it anywhere else. Porkpa

Why eat corned beef when you can have smoked meat? The corned beef at Snowdon Deli is pretty good. But, again, why have it when smoked meat is available. Porkpa

Just a thought. Since you and your wife have already been to Versailles, which is admittedly a grand spectacle, might I suggest that you consider substituting Claude Monet's gardens at Giverny for that day. I have been to both. In my opinion, Giverny "kick's ass" in comparison. I realize its an apples vs oranges type of thing but in my opinion Giverny in bloom rivals anyplace I've ever been. Porkpa

You say that there are no decent restaurants in Exeter. What about Tim Horton's. :-)), :-)). Seriously, I actually visit Exeter(for about an hour) each year. Porkpa

Justin, Did you drink any wine? Porkpa

I heard from Justin. He is very busy with school. He has been to several other restaurants, but hasn't had the time to write and post. He will post his reviews when time permits. Porkpa

Does Katz really allow you to order a half sandwich? If so, that would be great. More often than not I will go to 2nd Avenue Deli over Katz, just because I can order their soup and half sandwich special. I hate to waste food. I find that half a humongous sandwich is quite enough. Porkpa

What, if any, is the story with Robert Parker and Clos du Val? Years ago, I read some very caustic, almost vicious, reviews by Parker on these wines. In recent years, he hasn't reviewed them at all, which I believe he said he was going to stop doing. I've enjoyed the wines several times without complaint. I'm just wondering if there is a story behind the story. Porkpa

When it first opened Les Halles was the greatest restaurant I had ever been to. The first time I was there was during the Summer of Expo '67. Its funny the things you remember. I have no idea of what we ate(except that it was delicious), but I do remember our waiter(or the somellier) remembering exactly what wine my brother in law had when he had been there for the first time several weeks previously.I had nothing to compare les Halles to, the closest being Chez Bardet. Andre Bardet's food was probably better, but the whole restaurant experience at Les Halles was extraordinary. I haven't been to les Halles for many years and had been told that they had slipped significantly. Its a shame to see such a landmark in Montreal's food history expiring. Porkpa

Petes smoked meat is excellent - as good as Schwartz, slightly below Snowdon in my opinion. Pete's fries are outstanding as good as any I've had anywhere.

Probably like with most things that are popular. It tastes good and people want it. Porkpa

Generally speaking, I eat far too quickly. For that reason I enjoy eating with chopsticks. They allow me to eat more slowly and enjoy my food a whole lot better. At home I'll often eat even western type foods with chopsticks to enhance the eating experience. Obviously that's not an option available at non Asian type restaurants. Porkpa

If I were to tell people you were rude in your reply to Fat Guy, it wouldn't make your reply rude, but it might leave those to whom I spoke, believing you were rude. The problem is that we're depending on Bruni's interpretation of his observations as well as his observations. I've been in restaurants where others have seen things I haven't seen and taken offense at what they've seen. In some cases seeing things may be more a matter of projection rather than acuity. Bux, That's why I used the word "if" in "If the experience was as Bruni describes it". Porkpa

Fat Guy, You say: "a little bit of miscommunication with a sommelier". I say "rudeness". If the experience was as Bruni describes it, it was either rudeness or arrogance, neither of which IMO is acceptable. Porkpa

I have been to Chez l'Ami Louis alone several times for lunch. I actually find the food more enjoyable for lunch than dinner because it allows time for the relatively heavy and prodigious amount of food to settle. Saturday lunch is the only time I've been able to walk into l'ami Louis without a reservation and been able to find space available. If you haven't been there before, beware that its probably the most expensive bistro in the world and that the portions are huge. The quality, although relatively simple, of what they serve is often the best of its kind anywhere. The roast chicken, frites, garlic potato cake and either the escargots or scallops as an appetizer constitutes about three days worth of food. Porkpa

Worst of all, I hate paper napkins. Our local country club uses paper for lunch and linen for dinner - for everybody but me that is. I don't consider myself to be demanding but when it comes to paper napkins I am.

I guess I'm probably one of the few who just likes a plain American type coffee such as Maxwell House. I hate Starbucks. I find it much too strong. I'll occasionally enjoy a capuccino, but my overall preference is Maxwell House black or its close equivalent. Whenever I'm in Paris I'm forced to have coffee in the morning at (dread) McDonalds. My wife feels the same way. My first trip in the morning is usually to Mickey D's returning with a sack of two containers of McDonalds coffee. Porkpa Hehe, I agree with this... My personal advice about coffee in France (and in Paris in particular) would be to pick coffee-oriented chains like Illy or Segafreddo, or places like Café de Colombie, where you'll be served only pure arabica coffee. We French have a problem with our coffee supply. Most of what you get in "troquets" (average cafes and brasseries) is brewed from robusta beans, because of our privileged commercial relationships with our former African colonies (Ivory Coast, Cameroun) that grow mostly robusta. This is a unique situation ; most European countries (with a stress on Italy) and America prefer arabica. Now, though some robustas may be drinkable, most of the time they're terribly bitter, acidic and rich in caffeine. This accounts for the characteristic (and, to me, horrid) taste of the French "petit noir". And when the espresso machine isn't properly maintained, the taste is even worse. ←

Suzanne, By heterogeneous I meant diverse which I think is correct, not homogeneous which I think means alike. I could be wrong. English was never my strongest subject. As expected the food was wonderful, especially the pickled salmon with onions and sour cream and the sturgeon from Russ. I also loved the caviar cream cheese which I had never had before. We've only had the pastrami thus far from Katz. Its the best pastrami out there by far. Its second only to the Montreal smoked meat from Snowdon Deli in my appreciation of deli meats. I'm sure the franks and dry salami will be excellent when we get around to eating them. Porkpa