AlexNoir

Oh, by the way...99 Ranch Market in Irvine is just off Jeffrey on the 5.

Last time I was at that particular 99 Ranch Market in Irvine they had trotters. They usually have livers and other offal, but I've been too meek to try my hand because as savvysearch said the meat section isn't immaculate. Their seafood section on the other hand is actually really great. Most times I've gone they've had prawns, lobster, crab and various fish (I believe I saw tilapia, catfish, etc.) that were all live and in tanks. The prices are insanely low.

I second that motion.

I was in Newport earlier today and decided to look for Pearson's (unfortunately they're closed on Tuesdays). Your directions were great, Jason. The spot is definitely inconspicuous to say the least, but I guess that's a good thing in many ways. I couldn't be more excited to go by again and check out their stuff. Thanks again!

Thanks Jason - this info is awesome. I can't tell you how frustrated I've become with living so close to the ocean and not having really fresh fish. After buying my seafood from local butchers and "fishmongers", I've just gotten fed up with the lack of good product and the insanely high prices they command ($25 a lb. for BROWN Ahi Tuna). I've been going to Santa Monica Fish Market in Costa Mesa and 99 Ranch Market thinking that was the best I could find, so needless to say I'm excited about the possibility of REALLY FRESH LOCAL FISH!!

Jason, I know you're going to tell me who you got the spot prawns from, right?? C'mon, give me the Southern California hook-up. Sweet sassy molassey, did you make all that in one day or space it out over the weekend?

That's great to hear the positive reviews from both of you, Russ and Russell. Would you say that the wine pairings have improved since your post from about a year ago, Russ ("but to tell the truth, i didn't find their wine pairings to be particularly revelatory")? If so, what would you think contributed to this? I assume they still have the same tasting menu set-up (5 or 9 courses). Can anyone speak on their experience with the tasting menu? I've had tasting menus where 5 courses seems too much and others where more than that is not. How does Providence's tasting menu's stack up? I'm really looking forward to this one!

I was going to post this in the Providence thread, but it seems a little dead... Anyways, anybody been to Providence lately? I'm going in a few weeks and just curious to hear any comments. Thanks!

Thanks Swicks! If you do get the charcuterie, make sure the duck terrine is on it. I'm trying to figure out how to make my own, it's that good. As far as the wine list, I agree with you 100%, sisefromm. I did like the fact that even though there were very few bottles on the list, about half were offered by the glass. As far as the dilemma of picking a bottle without knowing what you're eating it can be difficult bringing a wine without knowing what you're eating. It seems like I usually end up picking the food based on the wine I bring. It was hard for me to pass up the veal cheek the first time around, so that may be the go-to dish next time.

It took me a few days, but here's my report for Marche Moderne... Even though Marche Moderne is not doing anything new, they are certainly doing something original in Orange County - and doing it amazingly well. I'll start off by saying that MM far exceeded my expectations - not sure what my expectations were exactly, but I was definitely blown away by the meal. We arrived at Marche Moderne (after walking through Nordstrom's and having to pry my wife away from some crazy-ass sale they were having) and were quickly seated. They had seating both inside and out and my wife felt more comfortable outside. She thought it was a little warm and cramped inside and based on some of the previous posts, outside seemed better. The outdoor seating is very cool with several "booths" set against the back wall. While we didn't get a booth, it was still nice to be outside on a nice night. OK...the food! We started off with a nice amuse bouche of chopped haricot verts and buffalo mozzarella. A tasty yet non-descript little warm-up to the meal that we were about to have. We decided to go for a couple app/first courses since there were so many that were screaming out at me to try. We settled for the charcuterie and the scallops. First off, the charcuterie. I definitely wouldn't call myself a charcuterie expert, but this has got to be one of the tastiest char plates I've ever had and they owe it all to that magical duck terrine. The freakin thing was perfect on so many levels. It had an amazing depth of flavor and wonderfully fatty quality to it. Even my wife, an admitted duck detractor couldn't keep her mitts of the stuff. We also had some prosciutto (good) and duck salami (very good). This was combined with some cornichons, olives, cauliflower and what I assumed was hearts of palm along with "mustard cream", fleur de sel and a pepper mill. This was so delicious that I'm definitely going for the full 5 item charcuterie next time. Much like the meal itself, this dish was nothing new, but simply executed perfectly. The scallops have been previously mentioned by sisefromm and instead of trying to put my own spin on the dish, I'll be lazy and simply say "ditto". OK, I'll elaborate a litte. I was actually skeptical because on paper the idea of scallops cooked in a tagine did not seem to work - I was envisioning overcooked, rubbery mounds of shellfish blandness. While I prefer my scallops more on the medium-rare side, these were perfect. Paired with the amazing combo of harissa, sultanas, almonds and eggplant (which I usually hate), this dish was a total success. I wasn't sure what the "broth" was - after reading sisefromm's post, could this be the chermoula? By the way, with the wine situation we decided to go with a few glasses instead of a bottle. For both apps we shared a glass of Sancerre - which worked nicely with both dishes. For our mains I had the Braised Pork Belly with Red Cabbage and Cherries and Barbara had the Kona Kampachi with Yuzu broth and foie gras. I'll speak briefly on hers since I only had a few bites. While I felt this dish was good (not great) I wasn't neccessarily blown away (calm down, read on - you'll see why). My wife on the other hand absolutely loved the dish. The Kampachi was done tataki style - just BARELY seared on the outside, virtually raw. The fish itself was pristine. The foie gras was good (isn't it always?), but not "make your head explode in a million tiny pieces a la Hyper-Cerebral Electrosis" good. The ponzu broth was tasty and was my wifes absolute favorite component of the dish. The "theme" of this dish, which was expressed beautifully in all the dishes we had this night was BALANCE. In the Kampachi dish, the lean fish melded with the fatty, umami flavor of the foie gras with the acidic ponzu broth. The marriage of these three components is what made this dish what it was. Regrettably, since I didn't get to taste the dish in this manner I didn't get to experience the "fireworks" - which is not to say it was good. Barbara had a glass of Viognier, which didn't really work with this dish. I guess I was grasping at straws on that pairing. We really love Viognier, but in this case no es bueno. Now for my dish. Remember that whole balance thing I was talking about earlier? Yeah, this dish had balance in spades. Let me break it down for y'all. Cripsy, fatty, tender pork belly in all it's pork-glory sitting atop a fuschia-colored vinegary/acidic bed of red cabbage, along with some sweet and yet tart cherries with cherry sauce/reduction contraption. Ahhhh...I get misty just thinking about it now. I can't help but think that THIS IS WHAT FOOD IS SUPPOSED TO TASTE LIKE. All the elements of this dish worked in amazing harmony. Almost as great as the dish itself was the glass of Talley Pinot Noir that I had with it. As great a pairing as I've had for some time, if I do say so myself. I can go on with a million cheesy descriptions on this dish (insert your favorite cliche here), but I'll spare you. Just look at that freaking picture! Finally came dessert. I had the much lauded peach gateau and let me tell ya', this thing needs it's own National Holiday. How about Columbus Day? That one's on it's way out, right? Yeah, it was good. Sorry no picture, it started to get really dark (as evidenced on the next picture), but needless to say it was amazing. The peach gateau was served with a peach ice cream and what I can only assume was a mascarpone creme anglaise (maybe swicks and sisefromm can remember what the sauce was). The wife's dessert was also awesome. Not sure exactly what it was called, but I think it went something like "Chocolate Gateau with Espresso Ice Cream" and some other stuff dealing with chocolate. We usually skip the dessert or share one, but this was not the place to 86 the dessert. Sorry about this picture, but I think you can still kinda make out some of the assorted chocolate goodness. End result? About $150 out the door, full and happy bellies. I'm certainly not qualified to give the "best in Orange County" tag, but if I could, I would. Really. Stonehill Tavern and Studio are great (if not overly expensive), but I feel their aim is different than Marche Moderne. Even though MM is a few short feet away from shops that I could never imagine shopping in, they serve traditional bistro food not over-priced, over-fussed-with, predictable food. My only complaint is that we had to wait about 3-5 minutes for our wine to be brought out after our mains were brought to the table. Our waiter immediately saw that we were without wine and hurried to get it. Marche Moderne also seems like the perfect place to byo wine as the $15 corkage and the limited wine list seem perfect for this. Would I go back to Marche Moderne? You bet your sweet Virginia Ham I would.

Thanks for the replies, DRC and Michael. Sounds like the 2-top should be no problem, then. I think I might try to have the hotel make a res. How did you like the Yountville Inn, DRC? I've heard good things, but never been myself. I love Yountville and I think this may be a good way to go. I think the "one 2-seat table at lunch" comment was based on OpenTable booking only. Thanks for the help!

Thanks Max and snekse. I saw the Sandersons site and while they mention that no reservations are given for 2 through opentable (even though a user states that they were able to get a res for 2 through opentable - not sure which is true), nothing seems to be mentioned about the possibility of a reservation for 2 by calling. I've been checking all the "Tips on Getting into French Laundry" sites and couldn't see anything. Any advice would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

Just curious if anyone has experience with getting a reservation for only 2 people at TFL. From what I've read this seems almost impossible. I read somewhere that there is typically only 1 table open that seats two during the lunch service, but nothing regarding the 5:30 or 9:30 service.

I saw that review in the OC weekly and the description of the meal sounded great, but the reviewer didn't seem to like it so much. Anyone been to Mesa yet? Went to Marche Moderne and it was fantastic. I'll post the report with some photos once I get 'em downloaded.

I absolutely love the blog, Diner Girl! I've made a few of the dishes from the FL cookbook here and there, but nothing on the level with what you are doing. Your dedication to this project is awesome. You deserve a big pat on the back - keep up the good work and witty banter.

Jose Andres?!?! I wonder if we'll get the traditional Spanish Jose Andres or the Minibar Andres (or some new incarnation). Either way, count me in!

That's good to hear that you were able to travel with a rental car, nyokie. I've been hearing that driving around in Italy can be a nightmare, although it seems like the general consensus is that staying outside of the major Cities helps. I would imagine that renting a car seems like the best way to get around vs. taxi or train. Anyone else have any advice on this subject?

Alright, I've finally got my act together and made reservations for Marche Moderne this upcoming Friday. I'll be sure to report on the meal (maybe some photos?).

Again, you guys rock - keep it comin'! I think from the advice gleaned form eG and from my own research, 5 days in Piedmont and 5 in Tuscany should be my best bet. I've been researching villa rentals and it seems like most show weekly rates. Are there typically minimum stays at most villas (it seems like there is a one-week min. on most)? Jean, I'd love to find out more about the Villa you stayed at. Please PM me with any info - much appreciated! Thanks again everyone!!

Wow - you guys are awesome! Thanks for all the feedback. This will be our first time to Italy so we're really going at it blind at this point. I checked out a few villa rentals and that seems like a good way to go. Doc, any particular villa rentals that you'd recommend? It looks like I'll have to give some more thought to Piedmont...Thanks for all the reference sites, Swiss chef. That all looks like good info. Hathor, I'm leaning towards your suggestion of 5 days in Piedmont and 5 in Tuscany. Do you think this will give me enough time to get a good feel for these areas? I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the sites in Italy, but we are more interested in the food, the wine and the culture. Food and wine are definitely our main reasons for going. I would love any info you might have on Piedmont, pedalaforte. Like I said, I was really excited to go to the home of Barolos and Barbarescos, but I just couldn't find enough info on the region. Do you think 3 days will be enough? I'm almost thinking that spending the full time in just one region might be nice, but I also would like to experience a couple different areas. It's a tough problem to have to choose which areas to dedicate our trip, but what a great problem to have! Thanks again guys - any more feedback is appreciated!

My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy for Spring '08 and we're trying to decide where to go. We want to experience more of the "rustic / country" side of Italy as opposed to the big cities. I'm leaning more towards Tuscany and possibly Umbria. I was originally thinking the Peidmont region might be nice, but I haven't heard enough about it. We're planning on about 9-10 days total. I've heard that it's best to try and spend as much time in each area that you visit, so I'm trying to decide if we should spend the entire time in Tuscany or break it up between Tuscany and Umbria or Tuscany and Piedmont. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

We just got back from Hi-Time - we got a couple Burgs, a couple Rieslings, a Babcock Chard, the Rubicon Edizione Pennino Zin and a couple pinots (GoldenEye and Alma Rosa). Damn, it's hard to go into that place and not go friggin crazy with all the amazing wine they have. While I was there I compared the prices on a couple different bottles and even though their prices were very fair, they seemed to be between 10-20% more than Amazing Grapes. The real difference between the two in my opinion is the selection. Amazing Grapes claims that they now have a larger stock than Hi-Time since expanding the store, but I doubt the variety is there. If I'm going for the familiar California Chard or Pinot I'll go to AG, but if I want to try a good Barolo or Riesling, Hi-Time is the place. I've never been to Bacchus in Irvine - but I've heard of it. I'll have to check them out.

If Mina does team up with DuMol that should be really exciting. If the Pinot is anything like the Champagne we were served as far as quality for the price, it'll be a knock-out.

I like Hi-Time in Costa Mesa and Wine Exchange for their selection, but I'd have to say my favorite wine shop in Orange County is Amazing Grapes. It's close (Rancho Santa Margarita), friendly and best of all: they have the best prices I've found in OC. Most of their stuff sells for cheaper than if you were to get it directly from the winery. They specialize in California wines but they've expanded the store and are supposedly getting a lot more old world stuff in.

I would recommend Fandango for sure. Good grub (I had the Osso Buco), pretty good wine list, good service and great environment. It's not Manresa or TFL, but it's a solid place.