Chanterelle

The way someone talks about food or cooking gives a good idea of whether they have enough interest and discernment to cook well. Of course, that doesn't eliminate the armchair gourmand who can't boil water. The tell-tale kitchen signs have been enumerated above (antique spices, dull knives, flimsy pans, etc...). Another giveaway is the person who volunteers for a potluck his "to die for" Kahlua brownies, which turn out to be better suited to paving a patio than actually eating.

I can understand the thinking. The organic produce department is very cramped, and the layout upstairs makes the cafe the logical space to expand into. But what a shame that would be -- it's my favorite hidden gem, my go-to place before Lincoln Center. I suppose the empty afternoon hours don't bring adequate return per square foot.

Chopsticks from take-out are useful in the garden as plant stakes, row markers, support for mesh bed covers, etc. Nylon mesh onion bags filled with soap bits make a good scrubber in the shower (my grandmother did this). Plastic clamshell containers, like the berry/cherry-tomato sizes, are perfect for packing a sandwich for the plane. You weren't actually going to buy on board, were you? Cardboard wine bottle shipping inserts are great for packing fragile things like Christmas ornaments. Really cheapo department (and not exactly kitchen): some restaurant bathrooms have very sturdy single-use hand-towels. Somehow one of those always makes its way to my car for quick wipe-ups.

Hie thee to the discussion: The Tater Tot Topic 175 posts??? Guess it's not THAT weird to like them. Oh, and Crispy Crowns are more blandly seasoned than Tater Tots. Of course, if you're dipping them into Sriracha sauce that would matter less.

Don't do it!!! Crispy Crowns are NOT the same, as I wrote at length to Ore-Ida (they sent me a bunch of coupons). Wrong shape and proportion of crunchy surface to soft middle. And I always bake them way longer than the instructions say, for extra crispiness.

I love Tater Tots, with ketchup. Most of the time I don't even bother to haul home brick packs of chicken broth but use chicken base, that salty yellow goo in a jar. I just can't warm up to beans and lentils. Have never attempted cassoulet. Never eat dal in Indian restaurants. I have 2 lbs of Rancho Gordo beans that have been sitting here for over a year, waiting for inspiration.

Le Marcab pleased three of us very much. Make that four if you include the 9-year-old, who cleaned his plate and then fidgeted till mom lent him her phone to play video games -- but I was impressed at how kindly the staff accommodated him. Food was delicious and service was most welcoming. A really nice evening. I've had very good luck with your suggestions on frequent trips to Paris over the last six months. Now my friends here always want me to pick the resto!

Finding this older thread I have perhaps found the answer to why my last bottle of Campari seemed a bit lacking. I'm now spending a lot of time in Paris and would be happy to bring back a bottle of "real" Campari, but I can't tell from the labels whether or not the local version is beetle-based. In the Monoprix/Casino/etc. the label only refers to vegetable coloring (if I'm remembering right), and the bottles at the duty free have NO indication of ingredients at all. If the "new formula" was created for import into the US under new FDA requirements it should be possible to find the old style outside of the US -- or not? Anyone have insight into this?

On the strength of this thread I stayed at Mama Shelter in early January, though I did not try the restaurant, not even for breakfast (which at 22 euros cost about 28% of my internet room rate, no thanks!). For two nights it was a fun adventure, including discovering the neighborhood and the trendier-than-thou hotel experience, though some of the good-looking design elements are impractical and the property is already showing wear. On a frigid Thursday night the restaurant was fully booked and many clients seemed known to the staff so there's definitely something that brings people back.

Based on recommendations here I tried Au Gout Dujour last night with three friends (one a charming but slightly antsy 9 year old). We enjoyed our meal, though it perhaps didn't come up to others at similar price points (136 for 3 menus, 2 aperos, 1 bottle wine + 1 entree and rice for the kid) e.g. Bon Acceuil. I particularly enjoyed some incredibly succulent scallops, and the Coteaux d'Aix was really delicious; on the other hand the intense chocolate cake was more like a hard brownie, not quite successful. But what concerned me was the empty room and a slightly sad feeling. The food wasn't quite what I expected from reports here, perhaps lacking a touch of enthusiasm in the execution? Maybe it was the day of the week, the chilly weather, but the place was only 1/4 full by 9:30. Last Weds. they had a 35 euro 5-course degustation -- they're trying hard but maybe in this economy that's not enough. The neighborhood seems right for this kind of restaurant but maybe it's one of those jinxed locations. My stake is low because I'm rarely in that neighborhood when I visit Paris, but I hate to see a lovely and sympa place fail. Or maybe I simply haven't been there at the right time. Comments?

Obviously you're not keeping her sufficiently supplied with home-made bonbons!

Only slightly OT: For anyone in NYC who's in the market for a panning attachment, Williams-Sonoma at Columbus Circle had the Kitchen Aid, minus the stand to prop up the mixer, marked down to $145 (floor model). This was on Sunday evening at 7:30. I had bought the other one about 10 days earlier, with the stand--twice the price but still a decent deal--and wondered who would shop for such specialized equipment at such a chi-chi location. Not the kind of impulse buy most tourists who shop there would snap up.

Having gone thru customs/TSA/etc the other way last night, I overheard a conversation between agents where voices were raised about what was allowed/not allowed, and it was clear that the rules are (to be generous and no pun intended) fluid. That said, as a host I cannot encourage anything that borders on the illegal, but better than zip-locking 3 x's is shrink-wrapping, then zip-locking cheese (my Quatrehomme shop will do it free.) ← I always declare whatever I bring in -- not that I dig out the goods and insist upon the agent examining everything closely, but I've been randomly chosen for full scrutiny in the past and have no wish to get busted for smuggling. It seems that once an agent has discovered something "exciting" he's happy. Bringing in cheese hasn't aroused interest in the last few years (touch wood). It's nice to know that most good merchants will at least shrink wrap. When I used to travel to France more often I would simply pick industrial cheese in hermetic packaging to take home. But I've finally figured out that life's too short to waste calories on President Camembert...

I've done two loaves so far; with a broken thermostat (two temps: Off or Inferno) I'm still trying to outsmart the oven. First loaf had an overthick crust, too dark on the bottom with a damp crumb. The second rose better and had a thinner "musical" crust which quickly lost its crackle and became leathery, crumb still damp. I've been playing with hydration, pre-heat time, using a pizza stone, and removing bread from the LC pot halfway through baking. My third batch of dough, now 4 hours old, is destined to become a foccaccia. Has anyone tried this yet?

Just two weeks ago, on return to JFK from Paris, I had a can of bloc de foie gras d'oie confiscated. The agent showed me the Matrix print-out from May, but the November edition confirms it: France is considered to harbor bird flu, though only in certain areas. The guidelines vaguely instruct agents to "Contact your local PPQ-VRS-AQI Veterinarian or a PPQ-VRS-HQ Staff Veterinarian for current information on VS-defined areas for regionalized countries." But obviously a harried agent isn't about to do that when it's so much easier just to toss the can in the bin. That said, the amazing Epoisses, aged Comte, and Roquefort I triple Ziplocked and stowed in my suitcase almost made up for losing the foie gras.