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Simon_S

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Everything posted by Simon_S

  1. Hmmm, interesting that Bewley's would say that, I have honestly never seen anyone in Ireland using a teabag twice. Granted, the recession may change all that...
  2. I have to say, it would be pretty uncommon to do that here if making tea in a mug or cup. In fact, it would probably be considered pretty crass... Tea for a few people brewed in a teapot with a few teabags is another story, although even then most people would probably throw in another (single) fresh teabag if making another pot.
  3. If I know there's any sort of salted nut in the house (peanuts, pistachios, cashews, it's all good) I can't rest until I've eaten them all. I try to be strong, but it never works.
  4. Interesting thread. It seems that the "controversial" characters being named are, for the most part, media creations designed to be controversial. Ramsay controversial because he shouts and swears a lot? That's not my idea of controversy. To that end, I suppose I'd consider those personalities who try to expose what big business does to food as more controversial. I'm thinking of the Morgan Spurlocks, the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstalls, etc. Launching a serious campaign against cheap chicken, or McDonald's, or anything that lots and lots of people eat on a regular basis seems far more controversial than swearing, or having an annoying personality on a TV programme. Are any of the names we can come up with truly controversial on a world stage? Seems unlikely.
  5. Obviously I'm in a different land, but I think there's a tremendous inverse snobbery at play here. Those of us who shop in similar places over here are often viewed as crazy food snobs who have more money than they know what to do with. The truth is an inconvenience to this stereotype. Again, I can't speak for Whole Foods, but the interesting thing here is that the local equivalent is only really expensive for anything vaguely "ready-made". Raw ingredients are often cheaper, and of much higher quality, than the normal supermarkets. It seems likely that the complainers frequently aren't shopping for raw ingredients.
  6. On my very first trip to San Sebastian, I spent an afternoon eating octopus and drinking the local txacoli wine in the sun. I now crave it constantly, and firmly believe that wherever I go there should be an establishment offering pulpo and a glass.
  7. FWIW, I found my source and it's this paragraph that caught my eye: One of the 50 Best voting panel judges said: "It's a snapshot in time. So it tends to favour the rising stars, the guys who have a buzz about them." He added that the more established names, such as Keller's The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, "tend to slip down the list pretty quickly".
  8. LRSH keeps popping up in suggestions from friends and board members alike, so I'll definitely try to take that in. I also think Violon d'Ingres is a must at this stage, and I'd quite like to go to l'Atelier de JR. My wife has actually been there before (alone while on business), but she ordered badly for her tastes so she'd quite like to go back. I'll remind her that it's stools only, but she's a hardy sort! Now for another question: are any of the lunch deals at the 3* houses worth considering? I know I said I wasn't interested this trip, but..............
  9. Didn't the organisers (or was it the judges?) openly admit that in the pre-list merry-go-round of press releases? I'm unlikely to find the source now, but my memory is that they freely stated the list is skewed towards "hot" and that any really good restaurant that doesn't do very much differently year to year will find itself falling down the list quickly. The list is, of course, only loosely based on reality, but as mentioned above its power is amazing.
  10. Thanks all, the list is starting to take shape, although it seems that quite a few of these are closed Sunday and Monday. Still, I think we'll have enough to get by... Any thoughts about Senderens? PS I'll do my best to steer Mr. Kim in the right direction!
  11. My wife and I will be returning to Paris for a few days at the end of May, and where once upon a time I would have had a list as long as my arm of restaurants to visit, this time I'm just not feeling it. It's partly changing financial circumstances and partly changing tastes, but the days of wallet-busting 3* extravanzas are gone. The more I look at reviews and pictures, though, the more I'm not really craving hearty, rib-sticking bistrot fare either. Now it's Paris, so I'm sure there's a middle ground of beautiful, elegant-ish food with a light-ish touch that's not outrageously priced. Does anyone have any recommendations in the €100 - €150 for 2 range (wife is pregnant so only one of us will be drinking)? Also, if we decide to up the ante to €300ish for one night, does anywhere spring to mind? We're staying very near Senderens so that's an option, but reviews seem mixed. We'll be there Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights, so I know that makes things a bit awkward. As always, any advice gratefully received.
  12. But that tap IS hot left, cold right, isn't it? As you pull to the left the indicator goes further and further to the right, indicating hotter? It sounds like it's just incorrectly plumbed or am I missing something? ETA: I assumed the whole thing (including the indicator panel) moved, but on second thoughts maybe it doesn't? One way or the other, that tap would probably drive me bananas.
  13. Funny you should say this, on my recent bathroom shopping expeditions it's become apparent to me that I'm used to the idea of the hot on the left in the bathroom, but hot on the right in the kitchen. I was trying to figure out if that's normal, but it certainly doesn't make a lot of sense.
  14. We always warm plates if we have guests, although we don't always bother if it's just the 2 of us for dinner. If we're using the oven/grill to cook we'll warm them there, if not I'll probably run them under hot water for a few minutes and dry just before we're ready to serve. Obviously that approach isn't great if there are more than 2 plates needed.
  15. Hmmm, the night after el Bulli I ate at a restaurant in Roses, had some bad clams, and spent a couple of days with the worst food poisoning of my life. Drunken noodles would have been a much better choice!
  16. God help us, now we've to put up with a week of Corrigan...
  17. Absolutely fantastic FG, I'm completely jealous. I had a very enjoyable meal there in 2006 but to be honest this seems to be streets ahead. Your meal appears to have had far more "substance" than I experienced, and I would have loved something like those prawn and game dishes. I know that mixture of euphoria and sorrow you're talking about, in truth I'm feeling a touch of it right now just looking at those photos.
  18. Welcome to Europe, FG, albeit in an almost certainly zombified state.
  19. I think you mean Michelin Great Britain and Ireland...
  20. Yeah, I'm in the 10 minutes category. I have very little tolerance for waiting for meals at the best of times, and that tolerance decreases if I'm paying for the privilege. Of course, such plans go out the window in the major cities I've visited in the US, since to stick to this approach would often mean going hungry or eating badly. There's definitely a cultural difference at play here.
  21. That's a very good list, Patrick. Only one restaurant missing...!
  22. A lot depends on whether you want to eat Irish food in Dublin, or eat well in Dublin... In any case, restaurants I like include (in roughly decreeasing order of price) - Thornton's (lunch deal strongly recommended) - Chapter One - One Pico (can be hit-or-miss, but very good when it hits) - Pearl Brasserie (or their new venture, Locks) - Dax (not 100% "Irish" food per se, but a restaurant I really like) - Winding Stair (relaxed environment for the price, but good food) - Butcher Grill (I haven't been, but people I trust recommend it) - l'Gueuleton (again not really Irish, but a perennial favourite) - Juniors (excellent sandwiches at lunch, good honest food at dinner from an amazingly small kitchen) and my personal favourite: - Alexis (take the Dart to Dun Laoghaire, and try the midweek taster menu -- best value in the city for such top-drawer cooking.) Strongly recommended for those wanting something more traditionally Irish (I haven't been): - The Pig's Ear Other recommended restaurants I haven't been to: - Coppinger Row - La Maison That should get you started. Hopefully there'll be other suggestions from other posters too. I'm definitely forgetting a few newer ones, cos I don't eat out as much as I used to and a few have passed me by. You should be able to find menus for most/all of these restaurants online to get an idea of what to expect. Dublin (and Ireland in general) has some great food if you know where to find it, but beware of walking into any random restaurant, especially in tourist areas, as there's a sporting chance it will leave you underwhelmed. You're definitely doing the right thing researching before you go. If I think of anywhere else, I'll let you know. Enjoy the trip!!
  23. If you can't smoke a cigar and sup a brandy after dinner in an oak-panelled room, it's not a manly restaurant. I think that means there are no manly restaurants left, given that post-dinner cigar smoking is pretty much banned everywhere, right? Unless your definition of manliness runs to large and stodgy meat-based grub served in a location with filthy toilets and an undercurrent of imminent violence, but that's a whole other story. Eh...?!!
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