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George Baugh

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Posts posted by George Baugh

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. This has evolved into an interesting and useful discussion about theory and nomenclature.  But somewhat lost have been the four places themselves.  Do they deserve the attention that Bitmann and powerful New York Times focused upon them? 

    On a recent trip in June – just before Bittman’s article came out – we independently scoped out and visited three of the four he mentions, but because of timing and scheduling issues, we could have dinner at only one:  Le Gaigne.

     

    We enjoyed this tiny purple place very much.  Mickaël Gaignon, the young chef, produces edgy and contemporary dishes.  The titles for each dish are simple -- for example, to start, “Le Petit Pois” turned out to be a chilled sweet pea velouté (a velvety cream sauce made with stock, flour and butter), mackerel tartar and chorizo chips -- wow!  “La Morille” was fresh morel mushrooms in a pearl barley risotto, topped with crispy parmesan slices -- fantastic.  Our main courses were slightly more traditional, but rendered with flair: “Le Boeuf” was skirt steak (from France) with shallots, rosemary-flavored vegetables and marrowbone; “La Raie Française” was skate (fish) stuffed with capers and grain mustard, and incredible creamy potatoes.

     

    The wine list was quite reasonable; we bought a bottle each of red and white, and (as the wine carte encourages) we simply corked the remainder to take back to our apartment. (By the way, what a lively and hopping gay scene there is on rue des Archives at about 11:00 p.m. on a warm Thursday in early June!)

    Additional notes: (1) Other listings on the carte looked great but ordering that way would have nearly doubled our bill. We were happily confined to the 39 euro menu, which offered three or four entrees, plats, and deserts, for a total bill of euros 125 (this, immediately prior to the VAT reduction of July 2009, included aperitifs, two bottles of wine, sparking water (Puits Saint Georges), and expresso for one). (2) Make sure to visit the unisex bathroom to see interesting plum-colored lighting, emanating from most unusual locations. This also allows you to use the unique sink, and to take a peek through the kitchen door’s small window to survey the cramped and bright cooking quarters.

     

    --Jake Dear ( http://parisandbeyondinfrance.blogspot.com/  )

  4. About the steak house -- the relais de l'entrecôte in rue de Marignan and la Maison de l'Aubrac are close enough to your hotel. They have decent steaks. But it still puzzles me why anyone would come to France for beef -- and why the French eat so much of theirs. That said, you'll get good steaks at Joséphine, La Rotonde, l'Ourcine, La Fonatine (closest to your hotel in that list) and, yes, le Boeuf couronné.

    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?

  5. Honestly, those days, only few places need reservations a long time ahead. Of course friday and saturday night still tend to be full more often than the other days, but in my recent experience, only places like le Chateaubriand or l'Astrance are still really hard to get.

    This is not to say that you should not reserve in advance -- just that you also have a lot of last minutes options, and it's always smarter because then you can match your meals with your actual envies rather than what you planned months ahead. Nothing worse, in my opinion, than going to a restaurant when you're not in the mood.

    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.

  6. I have been to Paris many times..........but mostly as a penniless student in the 1970s

    I have finally got enough money together to spend a week.........next week .........in Paris on a 6 day trip........ with cash at LAST !!!

    I need help to eat well

    My only memories are of Brasserie Lipp and L'Ami Louis

    I need a few bistros and a few Michelin starred recommendations

    Any thoughts ?

    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).

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. In this morning's IHT, an AP story quotes Michel Barnier as saying that France will support more wine tours "to help counter falling wine sales...." - saying that wine consumption has fallen 7% so far [emphasis mine] this year and 10% last year.  They've also created a new "Wine Tourism Board."

    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.

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