George Baugh

Try Famous Foods on Kingsway.

Anyone been to Woodfire Pizza on Gabriola?

IGA, $4.49 per pound, for whole, head-off, gutted fish. Quality excellent.

Most of the information you are looking for is covered in Michelin's Green Guide to Paris.

Are there any decent Chinese (non dim sum) restaurants in Chinatown?

From April 18, 2010 NYT: JADIS For the last year, the bargain-hungry have traveled several Métro stops (and a long walk) past the Eiffel Tower to the 15th Arrondissement, following fawning reviews for Guillaume Delage’s food at Jadis, a fine deal at 25 euros for lunch and 32 for dinner. What does it say about the state of the world that a friend who dined there last fall reported seeing an American publishing magnate at one table and a Goldman Sachs honcho at another? That the food is that good. Jadis looks unassuming enough, with cafe tables and retro posters. The menu, too, speaks bistro. Mr. Delage, 30, may have cooked with Michel Bras and Pierre Gagnaire, but he wants to reassure people who might not normally venture to a gastronomic restaurant. Once their order comes in, he gets to tweak the classics respectfully. (“We detour things,” he said at the Omnivore Food Festival in Deauville in February.) Hence, a lunchtime appetizer of rich crab mousse found the traditional pink disc quietly updated by its bed of julienned watermelon radish. Next, a bowl of jus-braised leeks and salsify was set in front of me, brown on brown on soft. “Merci, but I ordered the ... ” Just then, a narrow rectangular plate bearing classic, perfectly executed skate — brown butter, lemon, capers, a dash of piment d’Espelette chili — was placed alongside my fork. Deconstruction? Whatever. It worked, on every level. I was delighted with the lightest dessert, a citrus “minestrone” — stained-glass sections of fruit and candied kumquat enriched with tiny peaks of lemony pastry cream and a curving orange-flower marshmallow. As I was paying, Mr. Delage began putting away napkins he’d been folding. Small is beautiful. Jadis, 208, rue de la Croix Nivert; (33-1) 45-57-73-20; www.bistrot-jadis.com. Lunch, 25 euros; dinner, 32 euros.

I'm guessing he thought Mets Gusto was lousy.

Horrors! The second penne from the top is plated differently from all the others.

Worzel, I assume you are going to Victoria, British Columbia's capital city, which is located on Vancouver Island. There may already be another thread for Victoria, but here are a few suggestions: Stage Wine Bar ph: 250-388-4222 Pizzeria Prima Strada ph: 250-590-8595 Zambri's ph: 250-360-1171 Brasserie L'École ph: 250-475-6260 Paprika Bistro ph: 250-592-7424 To the north of Victoria, but well worth the drive: Deep Cove Chalet ph: 250-656-3541 Each of the above has a website if you want more info.

MG is a food fad that seems to have passed by Vancouver.

Surprisingly, the Mariage Frères in Tokyo provide a better experience than the maison mère in Paris; they are cleaner, the quality of the food is higher and the service is better.

I ate at Le Gaigne in February this year and enjoyed a simple meal in a restaurant full of locals. Everything was good, except for the desserts, which were amateurish, but I wouldn't call it cutting edge cooking by any means.

Gordon Ramsay is the David Beckham of cooking.

Parkside has morphed into L'Altro Buca, Gastropod is now Maenam and Val d'Isere in Whistler has been closed for years.

Looking for recommendations for restaurants in communities along the Crowsnest Highway in BC, from Hope to Fernie. Any style or budget.

had a 1997 Mouton What was the Mouton like?

You're definitely being unfair to French beef. Come to think of it, you probably want to keep all to yourself our delicious, properly-aged, and grass-fed tasty Normande, Simmental, Aubrac, Salers, Bazas and Coutancie bovine delights... Not to mention the taureau de Nîmes which yields some of the tastiest côte I have ever tasted. Even charolais and limousin can be good when raised and prepared the right way. ← I second ptipois with the exception of Salers. I have only had Salers once, at the Lutetia. It was tasty certainly but incredibly tough. Is it supposed to be tough?

Don't be afraid to chance it. A few years ago in December, my wife and I got into Arpège for lunch as walk-ins after spending the morning at the Rodin museum down the street. The restaurant was empty except for three other tables (government officials and journalists). Passard came into the dining room during service to taste caviar with a sales rep. We split a tasting menu and had wine by the glass. The prices were ridiculous (500 euros). The food was good but not the best I've ever had. I remember a roasted beet. I think it was 20 euros à la carte. The waiter gave us a loaf of their very good bread to take away.

There are so many options, you need to be more specific. Where are you staying, how much do you want to spend? etc. And be prepared for sticker shock. That meal that cost you 25 francs in the seventies will cost you 25 euros today (about 165 francs).

Why would a Roman food shop sell jamon iberico? Because even an Italian can admit that its better than prosciutto.

I assume you realise that the Comptoir is on the Left Bank and your hotel is on the Right Bank. That said I can recommend Goumard, 9 rue Duphot, in the 1st, especially for seafood. They are open seven days a week, till midnight and are located close to your hotel. We ate there twice in February and had very good sole meunière, quasi de veau, lobster macaroni and seafood platter.

Thanks for the suggestions. The place I was thinking of must no longer exist. At the time, it may have been the only Ethiopian restaurant in Paris, or so thought my friends who took me there. It had a chic modern decor nothing like the rooms of the restaurants whose websites I was able to visit. These seem to be more rustic and trading on a more exotic, folkloric image.

What about the projet de loi that will outlaw tastings, including in shops and at wine fairs? Imagine a wine fair where you are not allowed to taste the wine. The French government seems intent on destroying the wine business in their country through restrictions on advertising, etc.

Just got back from Cannes and can recommend La Cave and L'Affable.