bushey

Jujubes rule. They were my favorite movie candies because they lasted so long. Mary Janes and Squirrel Nut Caramels are still favorites, and the gift shop at the hospital where I work has them 2 for $.15. Guess who takes a walk to the store every afternoon..............They also have the Lik-M-Aid packets, individually wrapped sour patch kids, Swedish fish and Bit-o-Honey. And teeny, tiny packets of Haribo gummi bears .

This is essentially the same market we visited on a Sunday in L'Isle Sur Sorgue. We loved it! The market wound in and around the little side streets, so it felt like everywhere we turned was a new surprise. My greatest regret was not having measured our tables for linens. Even though we'd read lots of recommendations to do just that, I had the (mistaken) assumption that all of the linens would be brightly colored and patterned. instead, we found a fabulous vendor of natural linens that were just gorgeous. Oh, well. Just another reason to go back.

Sad to say, we've been disappointed in most of our Northampton eating experiences lately..........so we've been sticking to our casual favorites: Jake's for breakfast/brunch and Caminito for their fantastic skirt steak and Argentinean wines. We used to go to Del Raye for the occasional Saturday night dinner and some of the Wine dinners, but even the quality there has been slowly slipping, We've never been huge Green Street Cafe fans, but the Wine and Cheese bar does sound like something we'd enjoy. Will report back if we end up going there.

Here's a simple salad that's delicious: Shred or thinly slice brussel sprouts and toss with lemon juice (about half a lemon's worth) and salt and pepper. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes, then toss with some good extra-virgin olive oil and grated hard cheese (manchego, parmesan or romano work well). Add a couple of handfuls of toasted walnuts or pecans. Voila!

What about adding a little orange blossom water in addition to the zest? It might add another layer of flavor will certainly add to the aroma.

I'm happy I saw this thread. We'll be in Provence for a few days next month and were thinking of having lunch in Les Beaux on our way to L'Isle sur la Sorgue from the airport in Marseille. A couple of questions: (a) is it even doable to take that route or is it more out-of-the-way than it looks on a map and (b) can anyone recommend a place for lunch in Les Beaux? Chez Serge and Les Florets look like great options for lunch on some of our other days -- when we head L'Isle up to Vaison la Romaine.

One of our best meals on a recent trip to Spain was a seafood dinner in San Sebastian, in the old part of the city, near the Aquarium. Our youngest daughter wanted to eat beside the water, so we let her choose the place one night. There are several restaurants near the fishing boats, all with outdoor seating. It was a cool and rainy evening, but just as we neared the restaurants we looked up into the sky and saw a huge double rainbow. She chose the place she wanted to try and we sat down outside. It was chilly but we wrapped up. In the doorway near the kitchen was a display of fresh fish and seafood on ice: dinner. Simply prepared in olive oil and garlic, it was fantastic. We had sole, hake and monkfish. The monkfish was hands-down the best I've ever tasted.

What a great report! A couple of years ago I took a VBT* bike trip with some friends, "Tuscan Coast" and we spent a day in Castiliiogne della Pescaia -- what a beautiful place! We also visited an olive oil mill and stayed at an agriturismo that made their own wines. But I can't imagine how utterly fantastic it would be to actually live there................... We spent a couple of days in Firenze also. While David did not make me cry, he did make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was as though the marble was alive. Gelato every day, and for some reason my favorite flavor turned out to be fior di latte, which really does taste like good, sweet milk. One of the highlights of our trip was stopping for gelato every afternoon and the guides were always very specific about which place had the best gelato and which places to avoid. * Vermont Bike Tours

Andy, I read your report with great interest, and some trepidation. We have reservations for dinner at Troisgros in November. It's a very special dinner, prompted by a certain milestone birthday (which shall remain unidentified ). My husband said he would take me to dinner anywhere, knowing that I very much wanted to experience a *** meal. It was not an easy choice, and of course "anywhere" didn't actually mean absolutely anywhere in the world, since we decided to only stay away 4-5 nights, and we're flying from the Northeast. After much deliberation, menu comparison, travel-arrangement-figuring, etc. I chose Maison Troisgros. Perhaps not the most exciting or cutting-edge or over the top restaurant I could have selected, but I have long wanted to dine there, and I wanted to stay outside of Paris. So, assuming that my choice is a fait accompli, what can we do to maximize our experience at Troisgros? Note: we will be staying overnight, but we opted not to reserve the special package for dinner-and-lodging so as not to limit our dinner or wine selections.

I use milk or a combination of milk-and-water to cook the oatmeal. I love any kind of rough cut or steel cut oats -- the Silver Palate brand is actually my new favorite. Tried the McCann's steel-cut oatmeal but don't exactly love the texture of the pinpoint grains. Favorite toppings are a bit of dark brown sugar and some toasted pecans.

As a Morningside Heights college student in the mid '70s, I used to walk down to the Fairway even couple of weeks to pick up some fruit and cheese. I loved the prodcue display and all of the fresh flowers. Zabars was another frequent stop on my walks, and of course, a nice hot bagel from H&H.

The last few times we were there, the front of the house seemed very disorganized and all of the faces were new. As my husband put it, when the average age of the front of the house appears to be 22 (no age discrimination intended!), you can pretty much guess that an establishment is in trouble.

I recently heard that Verdura closed. Does anyone have any further information? That was our favorite place in Great Barrington, followed by Pearl's.

IIRC, Hispania is closed on Mondays.

We had some great tapas at a place in Plaza Nou, near the cathedral: Bilbao Berria. Really fresh, interesting tapas and some excellent dessert selections in small portions as well. No sidra, but great beer. We spent a wonderful late Saturday afternoon there, and then stepped into the plaza to enjoy the traditional Catalan dance, the sardana. There were several large circles of dancers and a woodwind orchestra playing on the bandstand.

My mother had a great waffle iron that made 4 square waffles, and it also had flat surface plates that she'd use to make excellent grilled cheese sandwiches. I wish I still had it.........................

Points and suggestions all well taken, but as we were hosting several friends, and up to a party of 18, over the weekend, the bottom line was definitely a factor. We ended up having a wonderful time in Barcelona, and a fantastic family celebration. Sometimes, hard as it is to swallow (so to speak), it's not always just about the food.......

Now I am majorly disappointed that Cinc Sentits is closed on Mondays, as that will be our only un-accounted for dinner in Barcelona on our rapdily approaching trip. Should anyone care to chime in about other places we should definitely try, please feel free................ On other other evenings we'll be dining at Loidi, Cal Pep, and a private dinner party at El Principal.

We'll be in San Sebastian for a few days in June and would love to eat at Etxebarri, but I'm having a hard time figuring out whether to go for lunch or dinner. We'll have a car and plan to spend some time in Bilbao at the Guggenheim. Would it make more sense to do morning at the museum, followed by lunch in Axpe and then drive home, or to aim for an early dinner?

When I called several weeks ago, they indicated that they are still closed on Saturdays. They also indicated that they were fully booked as far out as they take reservations..................

Thanks for the recco. We'll be in Girona on a Monday in June, an unfortunately El Celler is closed on Mondays :~(. Not sure if we'll be looking for a long, leisurely lunch or a quick bit. It's a day trip from Barcelona, so we'll have a car. It's also possible we'll try to hit Figueres and the Dali Museum on our way back.

Restaurant Gaig is not open on Sundays. We're trying to find a venue to hold a nice celebratory dinner in June, and via email with the restaurant they informed us that they are not open. We'll be a group of about 18-22 people and it's been a real challenge to find someplace. Our likely choice will be El Principal, which is part of the Tragaluz group (Aqua, Tenorio, etc.). They have a separate facility in L'Eixample, and the rooms look lovely. Menu choices look appealing, also.

The roads are paved now, and there's a new "superhighway" named after Jeremiah Gumbs.

Sharing is, indeed, what it's all about. We discovered Gattinara last month in the North End of Boston and just loved it. It was a Traviglini and the bottle has a rather interesting shape, which is supposed to be a woman's back. I think of it as a "baby" Barolo -- thought poor-man's is just as apt a nickname. I found a couple of bottles this past weekend, and look forward to drinking them soon.

I found these at Whole Foods, near the cheese section, individually wrapped in wax paper, about 4 or 5 to the packages. They were absolutely delicious and made a great accompaniment to soft chevre.