elChileno

I agree. A stuffed veal breast, when done right, is hard to beat.

I'm pretty sure that's the beef hanger steak, also known as the butcher's steak. Demand for those is so high now, though, and there's only a handful of real butchers left out there, so now it's just "hanger steak, $27" at your favorite restaurant. ← Yeah. I'm an ex-lawyer working as a Garde Manger for the last week at a contemporary French restaurant in Brooklyn - in France, they call it Onglet. It is next to the diaphram (skirt) and as I understand it, it is a muscle not much used (by the cow, that is). It is amazingly underrated, or at least has been up until now in the USA. I'm experiencing a real culture shock, made a little less shocking knowing that I'll get to read ahead of time some of the things I will be experiencing as a cook. This is HARD work folks.

I agree that shrimp don't really benefit from marinating. I use oil, salt and butter (sesame oil is good on occasion). One thing I've been doing though, is to soak them in a light brine for about one hour (very cold water). I've found that this helps in making the shrimp "pop" or "snap" when you bite into them. Has anybody else tried this?

I agree that these islands, St. Martin included, have excellent French food, boulangeries and charcuteries, and very good European-style restaurants. But in terms of indigenous cuisine, I find them lacking. ← I was surprised reading the first page of posts that no one mentioned the French islands at all. I've been all over the Carribean. Actually honeymooned for an entire month visiting St. Barths, Antigua, Anguila, Martinique, Guadeloupe. I've been to St. Martens, St. Kitts, the U.S. Virgins, etc. The reference to the Supermarches is right on the money, as is, in my opinion the conclusion that overall, you can find more hits than misses on the French Islands. Another, the French influence is obvious but well incorporated into the local product.

Rene Pujol has been in its 51st St. location (yes, it's betw. 8th & 9th Aves.) for about 50 years, and the second generation of Pujols is now in charge. You are correct about the quality of the food. We have dined there off and on over the years, and the food has always been excellent. The menu, which has been updated, now includes both classics and modern/creative dishes. The prix-fixe lunch is $24 and, as you said, the dinner prix-fixe is $44. However, unlike at lunch, the dinner price is definitely not inclusive of every menu item. In fact, when we had dinner there a few months ago, I remarked to my husband that there were many appetizers and main course dishes that carried a substantial supplement. You can see the menus on Rene Pujol's new website. Note that they list a rack of lamb for two @$105. ← OOPs, I checked, you're right Rozzap. This was my first post on the board and I'm giving bad info (smacks self). I must have been drinking too much "vin" that night. I do remember that there was a lot of variety (as opposed to just the two or three choices most restaurants offer). I also thought the quality was pretty darned good. I sit corrected but stand by my recommendation. It's a lot cheaper than a lot of other French restaurants of comparable quality.

OK, this is only my second post, but I've recently been to Rene Pujol on 51st street west. I think it's between 8th and 9th avenues, but not sure. It offers only prix-fixe for lunch and dinner. I'm not sure how much lunch is, but I think the dinner is $44. As I said in another post, I don't remember any limitations on ordering. Everything on the menu is included. There may be additional charges for some desserts. I just remember remarking that a rack of lamb was the same as grey sole, so I was impressed not only by the price, but by the quality of the food. There's another old-time French restaurant on the same block, but it did not look as appealing as Pujol and I don't remember the name. I'd like to hear back on what other people that have dined at Pujol think of it.