robert brown

At Pinotxo I looked at all the stuff I could see and pointed. You have to go with shellfish and other sea food there. It's fun for breakfast especially with a few glasses of Cava to jump-start your day.

Mel, there is a cheese address in Le Pudlo Paris, Fromagers de France on the Rud de Bretagne in or near the Marais. I checked it out and found it inferior. Bathelemy just off Boulevard Raspail at 51 rue de Grenelle is very good. But it's real funky in the 3rd Arrondissement, great for walking. Lots of quaint and interesting small shops. Getting lost without worrying about the time is the greatest.

Every serious foodie I know has had the opportunity to dine at el Bulli. I don't know how this happens, but it does. It flies in the face that with the odds 30-1 against, people who are serious do get in. I know that some such people have their ways of getting a table and, like any other desireable restaurant, a table or two is left aside for friends or friends of friends. Maybe Louisa can tell us differently, but another way to do it is to not make el Bulli the only reason for your going to Barcelona or Catalunya. Then when you are there, keep calling Luis for a "last minute" cancellation; i.e. 2-48 hours before. Remember, if you are in the region and you don't get into el Bulli, it's not the end of the world. There are so many wonderful places to dine. Also, your odds of getting in to el Bulli are better in the shoulder season.

Is Ducasse increasing knowledge or revenues?

Boy, does that sound weird to me. I've never eaten at Giambelli, nor do I know any serious food lover who has. And why a French chef as ambassador of Piemonte truffles, although Ducasse does have a property there? What does truffle ambassador mean, anyway?

Ellen, thanks so much. I look forward to what you find out.

When did someone harvest it? What is its provenance and chain of custody? How does one know? How long before it will be gone? How long will he keep shaving it?

Eric, you really got to the heart of the matter and provided good advice and insight. Your photographs give a solid notion of what it must have been like to be there. How could one not attend the next Salone? I am sure all of us greatly anticipate your next installment.

Marc. thank you so very much for sharing your experiences at the Salone. It was better than what I read in the newspaper, your reporting I mean. I agree with docsconz; you should always remind our readers of your website.

A. Broad, where did you dine in Saluzzo? I never ate there, but I love the town. It's one of my most favorite in Piemonte. Thanks for the photos. Marco, I can tell you something about my truffle experiences at the end of the month. The Sultan of Dining and I (six of us in total) are booked at Trattoria della Posta, Cesare, and Renzo plus an Italian restaurant in Lugano that is the highest-rated in Switzerland according to one guide book. That one should be interesting. Tell us about the Salone. We need coverage!!!

I added my thoughts about the victory on the parallel thread, but just want to say that I have abandoned the Lobel's steak idea for dinner tonight at Sushi Yasuda, even though the Rede Sox have no Japanese players at the moment. But let's not forget that Hideki Nomo pitched a no-hitter in a Sox uniform.

Dale, I remember Stan Hack when he managed my hometown Springfield Cubs, a bad team in the International League. Phil Cavaretta was there on his way out as a player. I think the best young talent they could come up with were Warren Hacker and Ransom Jackson. Maybe this has been the reason for my always keeping track of the Cubs. I, too, want to see them win it all soon. It's the only long-term jinx left. At least the Red Sox got into four World Series before they won one. Oh yes, the food at Pynchon Park was pretty bad. Friendly's had just atarted as a local small chain, so I guess that's where we went before the games when my mom didn't make dinner.

Be prepared for a never-ending barrage of peons, homages, hymns and Hallelujahs about the Red Sox. This victory is special. Coming from a life-long fan who waited since as long as I began following the team as a little pisher in the days of Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Doerr, Pesky and the others, it was worth the heartbreaks. This is the baseball Gods reward for a half-century of being denied. These last eight games are the sweetest that have ever been in professional American sport; sweeter than any of the best desserts I have ever had.

We're having our little homage to Jake Wirth's and Lock-Ober's tonight with weisswurst, sauerkraut, potato salad and pretzel rolls. However, I won't feel like having a bottle of Champage if tonight is the night. I'm just hoping for the big paradigm shift from the albatross around the Red Sox neck of the Curse of the Bambino to the Yankees who, for as long as there is baseball, executed the biggest collapse the game has ever seen. Maybe the biggest one ever in the history of professional sports. But it ain't over 'til it's over.

Can you get me a reservation? I'm kidding. I have no plans for Paris. What is the new capacity versus the old? I think it's a controversial restaurant, but it often happens that moves to larger quarters often result in a negative change in quality.

Divina, would you explain further what these terms are? Thanks so much.

I haven't been to Bocuse since my one and only visit in 1976. But who's to say that if you go and have the Soupe de Truffes VGE (Valerie Giscard 'Estaing) and the loup en croute that you won't like it? In fact, has anyone been there in the recent past and had these dishes? Of course it's with the understanding that the dishes have held up and are essentiallly unchanged. The again, you can follow the train line for a bit over an hour and end up across the street from Troisgros where you won't find the cuisine as it was in 1976.

For what it's worth, the commuter train stops virtually at the restaurant's door.

jgould, there was discussion in this forum about this last year, I believe. Perhaps you can find it. One fellow know a lot, but I couldn't tell if he was cribbing from La Varenne Cookbook (out of print?) that discusses US vs. French cuts of beef.

Johnnyd, I've been discussing with my wife our menus (probably some take-out for some of them) for World Series watching. I'm thinking about going to Schaller & Weber for weisswurst, sauerkraut, ppotato salad and pretzel rolls as kind of a homage to Jake Wirth's and Lock-Obers. Last night we had a pizza delivery from Nick's on First Ave. and 93rd St. We were surprised at how good the pizza was and how it held up except for the usual sogginess. So I guess we will have another of those. A new outlet of Burger Heaven, really more a coffee shop, recently opened in the neighborhood (Third Ave. betweem 86 and 87th Streets). We might try a delivery, but burger deliveries are always problematic. They have the best in the neighborhood, although I haven't tried the little burgers next door that Fat Guy likes. My wife wouldn't go for my running out and getting franks from the Papaya King. "One with" means a dog with sauerkraut. It would be ideal, however; the closest to Fenway Franks and probably better quality. If and when the Sox win it all, then it's a trip downstairs here at 1100 Madison (home to Lobels Meat Market) for some rib-eye, which we would demolish with a great red Burgundy. Too bad, Yankee fans. You can cry in your beer.

The curse is 90 degrees reversed. JohnnyD, you're a one-man wrecking crew. Save me some chowder.

Robert, the photos may be the most technically adroit ones ever posted. Thanks for the memories, too. Menton 1, how did you know?

vmilor is out of town today, but I may meet up with him today as he came to New York from Down South. He can explain about Chez Jonathan. It's not a restaurant, however.

There's nothing more reassuring than hearing that a famous chef is chatting it up with a famous gastronomy critic.

John, thanks for saving me the effort of reading the book. I see Pudlowski on Gourmet TV. He comes across as serious and intelligent, even rather intellectual. I think, though, that he should tell the occasional joke.