Peter Rodgers

95 - Gambero Rosso, San Vincenzo (Livorno) 93 - Ambasciata, Quistello (Mantua) 93 - La Pergola dell'Hotel Cavalieri Hilton, Roma 92 - Vissani, fraz. Civitella del Lago, Baschi (Terni) 92 - Dal Pescatore, Canneto sull'Oglio (Mantua) 91 - Da Guido (closed) 91 - Don Alfonso 1890, Massa Lubrense (Napoli) 91 - Paolo Teverini, Bagno di Romagna (Forli Cesena) 91 - La Stua de Michil, Corvara in Badia (Bolzano) 90 - Antica Osteria del Teatro, Piacenza 90 - La Madonnina, Senigallia (Ancona) 90 - Enoteca Pinchiorri, Firenze 90 - La Tenda Rossa, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, (Firenze) 90 - La Siriolo de l'Hotel Ciasa Salares, Badia (Bolzano) 90 - Il Desco, Verona 90 - Da Caino, Manciano (Grosetto) I agree with the earlier comment that the best way to use this guide is to ignore everything but the food ratings. Also, if you look only at the food ratings, you can readily identify other, usually more humble places, that have great kitchens. One meal at Gambero Rosso showed us why it gets a high rating for creativity, but on the whole the food left me cold (and hungry, given the miniscule size of the portions). It is terribly hard to get to and in my opinion not worth the detour. Vissani is a pretentious place that can't decide whether it is French or Italian. Again, I'd pass. We had one dinner at Dal Pescatore. A nice meal, but I felt like they were far more interested in the rich businessmen from Milano seated all around us. I would not go back. As per other comments, we will miss Da Guido. I once detoured on a trip to Singapore just to eat there. But I am hopeful that Piero and his brother will bring us excitement in their new place near Alba. By the way does anyone know if it has opened yet. We have had many meals at Don Alfonso. They have never missed, especially when the best vegetables are coming from their garden. I still day dream about a appetiser in which they prepare eggplant three ways, one better than the other.

Must add my thanks for this great report and super photographs. We are headed for Vancouver Saturday and have a reservation at West on Monday night. I am tempted to tell David that I'll just have what you had!

I'd add Carletto in Bordighera. The kitchen focuses on classic Ligurian specialties, but has a light, refined touch. Very much a family restaurant, with excellent service to boot. Try the pasta with lobster and the perfect fritto misto di mare. And don't miss the wine list.

Thanks very much for two great reports and terrific pictures. Although we live on the East Coast, we have fallen in love with Vancouver -- for many of the reasons given in your first report. Hence, last year, we finally gave in and bought an apartment in one of those architecturally gorgeous high rise condominiums you mentioned. Not exactly down the block for a second home, but worth the hours of flying, if only we can manage to spend enough time there.

I have a reservation there in about a week, having determined that it is one of the few major restaurants in the area that is open on Sunday. Reports of any recent experiences would be appreciated.

Putting stars aside, apologies in advance, here is the way I think about eating in Manhattan: * The places I fantasize about: Daniel, Babbo (and every once in a great while, Il Mulino) * The places that are great for a big deal night out, but do not make me feel like I need to wear a blue suit: Gotham Bar and Grill, Nobu * Where I feel utterly comfortable while eating/drinking very well: Ouest, Veritas, Montrachet, Chanterelle * If I am looking for a few pretenses as possible: Piccolo Angolo, El Farro, Barney Greengrass * If I just won the lottery: Kuruma Zushi And I avoid as overated: Jean-Georges, Le Bernadin

If you don't mind that the Bush family frequents the place and that most of the customers are non-Asian, Peking Gourmet in the Va. suburbs is probably the most consistent in the area. Terrific Peking Duck and a good job with subtle, Cantonese flavoring. Mark's Duck House, also in Va. is a good Hong Kong style restaurant, complete with live seafood and a bustling, mostly Asian crowd. Robert Parker, the wine critic, is a great fan. Hollywood East in Wheaton, another Hong Kong style restaurant is also good, although it can be inconsistent. Dim sum in the area is generally poor, with the exception of Oriental East in Silver Spring, which is ok (but the lines on the weekend are endless). I've tried every Chinese Restaurant in DC and have been uniformly disappointed.

I have hated, despised, felt cheated each of the three times that my wife and I have dined at Veyrat. Others, including the Michelin inspectors apparently disagree, but if you have additonal choices, avoid it. I have not had an opportunity to dine at Pic since Sophie Pic took over the kitchen, but reports from others make this one of my top priorities for the next trip to that part of France. We love Troisgros, but be prepared to spend your life's savings -- check out the website for a menu and prices. George Blanc is still a favorite for service and the overall ambiance of his sprawling establishment, but don't expect the most creative food. Pyramide is definitely worth the detour (the rooms at Pyramide have improved, but the town of Vienne is very drab). Loisseau can hit you fabulously one night and disappoint the next. Rumor is about that he may lose his third star next time around (but he kept it this year). Last, if you don't mind a healthy drive, take in Michel Bras. A stupendous place to stay; extraordinary food (although in some respects severe) and the best part is that you can shop for knives (especially steak knives) to your heart's content in the town of Laguiole before you head on your way to the next major meal.

Without question, the best pizza in the region is to be found at Mario's, on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington (basically Balston). The pizza is made in large pans and then cut into squares. You can get each piece with it own toppings. I first started going there in 1970, and it has hardly changed at all since then. Although we live in Annapolis, we religiously take out from Marios nearly every Friday, bringing the pizza back home to reheat on a pizza stone. Go before 6 pm any day and get to know Joe, who has worked at Marios since it opened in 1957. After six, Ranvir is the pizza king. He will take care of you. If you try it, especially there where you will have to eat standing up or outside at one of the picnic tables, you will never give it up.

I almost dined at Le Cinq two weeks ago, but forwent the chance in favor of Taillevent. Now that its hit the stratosphere, I'd be interested to know of anyone's recent experience there.

Tried but failed to find the La Fornace website. Can you provide it?

As a departed Uncle once advised me, after your stomach has reached its limit, you can try rubbing it into your skin. As for the cheese, its because no matter how stupendous the French or French-based food might be outside of France (e.g. at Daniel in New York or the French Laundry in Napa Valley), you can never replicate the cheeses, given pasturization requirements, poor keeping during transportation, etc. Moreover, the likelihood of getting perfect cheeses is invariably better at the most upscale of the French starred restaurants. That's what made the cheese failure at Taillevent surprising to me.

Apologies to all who find this to be peevish. I finished a ten day business trip Wednesday, falling into the arms of the Hotel Vernay in Paris, which allowed me to give my food ambitions over to Claudio, the conciege at same, who is the principal reason why I return to this hotel over others. He indulged my ambitions by persuading Taillevant to give up its last table, despite the fact that it might have made better money by waiting for a duo. This was my first visit to this storied establishment, despite having largely covered the firmament of stars of in Paris. I was not disappointed. M. Vrinat was omnipresent, the service was impeccable without being the least bit cloying and the food was commendable, if not especially creative (the tasting menu, which I ordered consisted of a first class terrine de foie gras de canard, a ravioli in a creamy foam with abundant black truffles, an exquisite rouget served with a tomato puree, a good rack of lamb, cheese and several desserts). The wines, to order half bottles were impressive -- especially a 1995 Meursault Genvieres which had the color of a Sauterne and a taste that no California Chardonnay ever dreamed of. But when it came to the cheese, which is one of the principal reasons I allow myself to indulge in $300 meals, I was let down To the restaurant's credit, there was a large basket containing an enormous round of very good vacherin, but the rest of the chariot was meager at best. Each of the cows cheeses (livarot, Saint Nectaire and several others) tasted as if they had languished on the cheese carte for days. Several were sour or bitter. And the great palate challengers like epoisse were totally missing. I have never had a more disappointing cheese experience in a French three star restaurant. Can anyone proffer an explanation?

A belated thank you for this marvelous post. I immediately started plotting my next trip to the region. I agree entirely with your comments about Piemonte in winter. I managed 24 hours there last January at the tail end of a business trip (meals at Trattoria della Posta and San Marco) and felt like, locals aside (both restaurants were quite full), I had the area to myself. Thanks also for the latest clarification on the Alciati family. I think I had Piero at the San Maurizio. I'm betting that the place to eat will be at the new restaurant at Pollenzo -- as much as anything because I think that Piero adds so much to the experience. I have know had two meals at San Marco, both very good, but from the sound of it the future may be with L'Ennoteca -- the chef seems out to prove that he can take the local cuisine and devise something even better. That's an attitude that, though cocky, seems auspicious.

This thred triggered a childhood memory of meals taken at L'Auberge Bressane, then a one star restaurant in Bourg-en-Bresse. This would have been circa 1960. I was about 12 and I would share whatever my parents might be ordering. We dined at L'Auberge Bressane a number of times, but, through all the years, I remember most vividly a "simple" tasting menu composed of the following: (i) steamed white asparagus served with a hollandaise sauce (obviously, it must have been spring); (ii) quenelle de brochet, sauce nantua (so extraordinary I can just about taste it now); poulet de bresse with a tarragon cream sauce (about like Georges Blanc makes it now using his old family recipe); an extensive cheese platter and a chariot of dozens of different desserts. Sigh!! P.S. It could not have been the same meal, but they also turned out fabulous escargots, drowning in garlicky butter -- I still remember that the appetizer portion was 12 snails.

A note elsewhere suggests that the Fook Yuen in Richmond is gone. Anyone have any information on what happened to the chef and management?

We are heading back to Vancouver next week after an absence of seven months. Be pleased to know of any suggestions for Chinese (dim sum or the regular menu) in the City or Richmond. Our normal haunts are Fook Yuen Place (for just about anything), San Sui Wah in Richmond (dim sum and the regular menu) and Fortune (for dim sum).

Our one visit to Il Desco was too long ago to provide an accurate frame of reference. We dined (and stayed) at Locanda Solarola last year and enjoyed it. I'm a bit fuzzy on the food, although I remember an excellent pasta. The service was very charming, mostly in the person of the Signora. The highlight was her recommendation of a Pinot Nero "Sanct Valentin" from the St. Michele-Appiano coop in the Alto Aldige of which we previously were unaware. This reserve wine and several reserve whites under the same name are extraordinary (nearly worth the visit to a restaurant that stocks them). I should mention that, given the Locanda's rather remote location from the town of Castel Guelfo and lack of signage from the Autostrada, exact directions in advance are a must.

Our one meal (last year) at Dal Pescatore was singularly disappointing and other highly touted Michelin restaurants, at least when they seem to be trying to imitate the French, have left us at a loss to understand what drives the Michelin inspectors. For example, we had fussy, lost meals at both Vissani and Marchesi (although the physical plant and the rooms at Erbusco were spectacular). We always have loved Al Sorriso and were delighted when it earned its third star, but on a visit in October of this year, our meal, while excellent, was not on a par with three star experiences we have had in the best of the French examples of same. Perhaps our favorite three star food in Italy has been at Don Alfonso (when it still had three stars). While the restaurant has Michelin starred elegance and style, the food at Don Alfonso is very much a creature of its region and the ingredients in every dish are among the best we've encountered in Italy (especially anything made with eggplant in the summer or creations based upon their farm grown tomatoes).

Other than Chez Yvonne for choucroute (outstanding, always), I'd hop in a car and head for the outskirts. To my mind, Caveau d'Eguisheim in Eguisheim still makes the perfect tarte a l'onion and quintissential choucroute. I'd choose Auberge de l'Ill over its competition in Strasbourg (Buerhiesel).

While I dearly love the Napa and Sonoma Valleys -- especially the surprising number of small, family run wineries, the summer food markets and the luxury of resorts like the Auberge de Soleil, etc., our food experiences often have been as disappointing as the one you reported at the French Laundry. That said, on the one occasion in 2000 that we were been able to break through the reservation system and snag a table, we had perhaps our best meal in the U.S. (other than at Daniel in NYC) in several years. We had reservation problems (as you found, they seemed to have amnesia about our booking), which forced us to take a late (9 pm) seating. We are used to eating in Europe and did not mind; the bonus, however, was that the service was less pressed and more attentive. We stretched our consumption of the big the tasting menu to after midnight. And when we had foraged through, we were invited to the kitchen, where Tom Keller took time to chat with us at considerable length. I can't remember the details of our meal, but pearls and oysters was a marvel (much as you said), we had a perfect seared foie gras, and at one point a feathery light quennelle de brochet, sauce nantua that seemed like it had been flown straight from Lyon. Otherwise, the scene in Napa has produced repeated disappointments. Terra was good the first time, but boring since, Tra Vigna ordinary and the several Yountville bistros (including Keller's) just ok. After many meals, our favorite in the area is Mustards. Not flashy, but real food, from an Americana tradition, that is consistently well prepared.

Steve, Thoroughly enjoyed your report and found myself feeling very jealous of your winery visits (Sandrone, etc.). Unless it is a house secret, I'd be most appreciative of knowing how one arranges these things absent special connections. I've learned how to navigate Northern California wineries and had good luck in Bordeaux, but access to the Burgundy and Piemonte wine makers seems elusive -- and even though I speak reasonably decent Italian, I find the wine vocabulary in Italy daunting. I share your thoughts about lunch vs. dinners in Piemonte. I am not sure I could fully articulate why, but invariably our lunches seem better than our dinners (particularly this last trip's visits to Enoteca del Roero, I Bologna and Il Centro). As noted in my post, we thought the food at Guido came up short, but I must say I still love their antipasti and I suspect that if you were a pasta person, you would not quibble with their agnolotti. I'll bet that you would have enjoyed I Bologna and Trattoria della Posta had you found them open. They suffer from being "stuck" in the traditional mold, I suppose, but in both cases the execution is flawless. Better, I think, than the more rustic versions of similar dishes found at Camulin. If you are looking for more creativity during your next visit, I'd try Enoteca del Roero, where the chef hails from elsewhere and is trying to do different things. Il Cascinale Nuovo also is a bit more adventurous, as is La Ciau del Tornavento in Treiso. Having said this, given that we manage to get to Piemonte perhaps once or twice a year, I usually am very happy to eat the traditional dishes, leaving the leaps of creativity to places we like in New York, the Bay Area and occasionally France (e.g. Michel Bras, Maison de Briccourt and no doubt places like Gagnaire in Paris (where I've never been able to get a reservation)).

Having learned that family members will be otherwise occupied and realizing that we will be without energy to do the whole deal at homefor just the two of us, my wife and I would appreciate thoughts on where to go for Thanksgiving out in the general area (we live in Annapolis). Prefer a place that at least makes a pretense of doing a traditional meal. From initial foraging, it sounded to us like Seasons at the Four Seasons in DC might be a good bet (their is a buffet, but from Sunday brunches, we know that they do buffets well) and Charleston in Baltimore sounded promising. Comments on these and all other options welcome.

Before we planned our recent trip to France, I checked the menus on Troisgros's website and it seemed almost insanely expensive compared to other three stars we had tried recently (outside of Paris). We skipped it in favor of a different itinerary -- but with regret. How did the cost at Troisgros compare with other meals -- say Georges Blanc (which we visited again last year)?

Thanks for the intriguing review. We just came back from a wonderful, though much less extensive trip, having made stops at Maison de Bricourt in Cancale, Pattrick Jeffroy in Carantec, Michel Trama in Puymirol, Moulin de Lourmarin and l'Oasis in La Napoule. The meals at Cancale and Lourmarin were brilliant -- the latter seemed a lot like what you described (a young man, trained at Veyrat and Chapelle clearly bucking for his third star). L'Oasis much better than has been described by others on this board. I don't have your notes and therefore wouldn't try to elaborate, but I'd be interested if you encountered any of the forgoing and would provide a report.