winyang

just a follow-up: because of a harrowing run-in with one of Nice's more unsavory (pun intended) elements (that is, while at a stoplight in the northern outskirts, a kid opened the passenger door of the car, ducked in and grabbed a handbag that was sitting at my feet and took off on his friend's scooter before we even had time to react; this, plus the loss of all such important items one keeps in handbags, followed by a few hours at the police station, etc.), we were too late to have dinner in Nice and also no longer had the appetites. we also, as you had helpfullyi pointed out, realized that it was probably not going to work to go as far as the var, but we had a lovely meal in vieux vence -- restaurant la litote. not mind-blowing or worth a journey necessarily, but sincerely prepared and a little more ambitious than expected (i had duck tartare and a foie gras terrine with mango and an unmemorable roast chicken with a memorable piment sauce, and my friend had an excellent sea bass -- gauche as it is to order such a dish -- with a carefully considered spring vegetable accompaniment). the croustillant d'agrumes was a winner for dessert. the crème brulée safran was pretty sucky. restaurant la litote 5, rue de l'éveché 06140 vence 04.93.24.27.82 for anyone who's looking for a town that's not dead on a sunday (as most of italy usually is -- i can't really account for much of france), vence is really vibrant, with markets and all local shops opened. i must have gone to moulin de mougins before the changeover to llorca, as it looked totally different from the last time i went -- for one thing, vergé's name wasn't plastered everywhere (but llorca's was). the guy at the cave was very nice and helpful and i thought their wine selection pretty well-priced, considering. why is wine so expensive in restaurants in france? (not to veer off the thread. this can be considered a rhetorical question.) i don't remember it being so markedly high the last time i was there. italy is such a bargain for the oenophile in comparison.

i realize there are a couple threads about riviera-area eating, but they've not covered quite what i'm looking for. since we're going to be in and around nice this weekend, we'd like to stay well away from cannes (as the festival is on) and may perhaps head inland to check out a few of the villages perchés situated in the var or further out by grasse. any suggestions where to eat, say, in grimaud? the esterel? we're looking for anything authentic, honest, or really beautiful -- high end, low end, it doesn't matter as long as there's someone in the BOH with soul that comes through in the food. we'll have a car and would prefer not to schlep out too far (not >1.5 hrs) from nice. i'm not particularly convinced about chez bruno in lorgues, but if someone can make a case for it, maybe we'll check it out. has anyone been to maximin's restaurant near vence? does that seem feasible during film festival-season? i was also thinking of one of the under-the-radar places in mougins but that is almost certainly too close for comfort. (for the record, i found moulin de mougins fairly unimpressive, as far as the food goes -- i went in jan '03.) any takers?

I've found that moving to a small (pop. 30,000) town in Italy has helped considerably in encouraging me to cook every day. I previously lived in Brooklyn, and the five-borough dining options were just too much of a temptation most of the time (and I don't think any crispy watercress salad I could attempt would ever come close to Sripraphai's). And so much of the time, the cost of ingredients (particularly at my neighborhood Garden of Eden) for making what I wanted to eat was so exorbitant that sometimes it cost less to eat out. So now, I can't get any quasi-authentic non-italian food unless i cook it myself. And finding ginger here can be a a giant pain in the tochus. Not to mention liimes and cilantro. (Yes, I find myself craving Thai and Mexican most here). And all food shops and supermarkets are open from 8am-1pm and 3:30-7pm. but not on Sundays or Thursday afternoons. And the markets run Wednesday and Friday mornings until 1pm and then Saturday only in the afternoon. So meal planning takes considerably more thought here. If I don't plan properly, I can find myself with no real meal options. And no, there's no delivery. Also the dining options (two restaurants and two pizzerias) are limited enough that eating out totally loses its appeal. But that said, I am eating pretty well these days. For lunch: spaghettini tossed with wild fennel, cime di rape, and cipolline. lots of olive oil and lots of parm. Dinner last night: big bowl of sautéed cime di rape covered with hummus (inspired by a wolfert recipe). Lunch yesterday: couscous and tuna. not a whole lot of cooking going on with this one.

actually, sietsema is a member of the Organ Meat Society (which i think is more informal than it sounds): new yorker article about OMS (those allergic to puns should steer clear of this link. and why is it that most people that write about offal feel compelled to throw puns around unreservedly? i guess the opportunities with "innards" and "organ", not to mention "offal" itself, number to many to be ignored.) and sorry for repeating myself up there. i was momentarily overcome by the memory of the pata.

going a whole other route/continent: marinate in a combination of stock or water (whichever you have on hand, maybe 3-4 cups), 1 cup soy sauce, 1/2-1 cup black vinegar/rice vinegar/shaoxing rice wine (or combination thereof), maybe two pods of star anise, a 3-inch long cinnamon stick, a roughly chopped onion, an inch-long chunk of ginger, sliced into rounds, a couple Tbsp of brown sugar and a few cloves of garlic. overnight is best. before cooking, pat dry, then season generously with salt and pepper and brown on all sides over high heat. dump in your marinade, veg, bits and all, and put on a low, slow simmer (the rare, occasional bubble). braise for a couple of hours or until done, tasting and adjusting seasoning as needed.

ha! i think sietsema must account for most of their receipts within the last six months. i was also fortunate to dine with him there, and we had the laing -- delicious -- as well as sisig, grilled minced pork ears and liver with chopped onions and pepper; the very similar-looking kilawing kambing, or goat seasoned with tropical spices; and laing, taro leaves cooked in coconut milk. all very, very good. the best by far, however, was the crispy pata, a delicious, fatty and huge pork knuckle, breaded and deep fried with glorious, glorious crunchy, deeply porky skin. this place is definitely not for those who shy away from animal fat.