Louisa Chu

The Pacojet is totally worth it. We use it at El Bulli of course all the time. The only thing I´d say is that it´s UNDER-utilized in most kitchens - usually in pastry - whereas it´s killer in cuisine preps too. It´s like a nuclear-powered food processor. We were just talking the other night about it - saying we´re not sure if you´d put rocks into it that you might just get sand. It´s amazing. And seriously - find a friend and get the multiple unit discount - if they still have it. I don´t know why people don´t have one at home.

Chef, congratulations on your Molteni and the CookTeks. I used them at Ducasse in Paris and they worked hard but cleaned up beautifully.

Here´s a story they tell us here - Oriol Castro - one of the sous chefs and the partner with Albert Adria at El Taller - has a girlfriend of nine years. He asked for a reservation for her - his fiancee - and was denied. You need to start calling, faxing, emailing starting in October. BUT having said all that, the rare cancellations open up at 15:00. So if you happen to be in the area, check every day at that time.

A friend who works at Atelier de Robuchon went to LeNotre and was very happy with it. Great facilities and connections. And she´s got good skills.

Chez Clovis for lunch and Chez Denise for dinner. The rabbit in braised in mustard sauce at the former and the beef cut special for 2 at the latter. Both amongst the last survivors of the old, true Les Halles bistros. Where the market workers would attack a tete de veau while the rest of Paris thought about their first cafe.

Last year my sister actually got to chat with Lance right after the first leg of the race. The American caravan was parked right below a friend's balcony in our neighborhood around the corner from the Eiffel Tower. They'd blocked off the street so it was surprisingly quiet. The funny thing was that the friend was out of town - so was I - as were most of the neighbors who'd fled to their country houses - so it was just Lance, my sister, and two dogs. I'd looked up Lance's diet last year - it's still up on his website - the riders eat baked potatoes the way we eat apples.

Sadly there is no GREAT Mexican restaurant in Paris - this is the constant quest of American and Mexican expats. Anahuacalli is accepted as the best in town right now. That Indiana Cafe is disgusting - for the undiscriminating tourists and drunken students - redundant - in the 5th. And that Cafe Pacifico is gone. Here's a link to Anahuacalli's website - in French. Allez les americains!

Here's a link to the original article - Vive la Révolution, et le bistro Américain! by Ian Kelly.

You may order a la carte at lunch. And good to hear the wine list noted. M. Piege is a serious connoisseur of the Great Wines - and our sommelier - 2004 MOF - was originally trained as a chef himself.

I was JUST thinking Ann Taylor/Talbot's for the average American woman. A fall version of this from Ann Taylor would be good - just add a cover. Or this from Talbot's. Dining at three-stars in Paris is not a business meeting - but it's not the prom either. And once you've picked what you're wearing then you'll know what your husband can too.

HEY - that's MONSIEUR Piège. How about a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T for my chef?? And yes, M. Piège is at Les Ambassadeurs - and actually oversees all of the kitchens at the Crillon - and YES - I think VERY highly of him. And Bux is right - go NOW. Moby, for your party there are a few considerations. A party of 16 will probably have to be seated at 3 tables - that's true of Les Ambassadeurs, Ducasse, and Gagnaire. Synchronized service will NOT be an issue at Les Ambassadeurs or Ducasse - I can assure you of that. The food only, "No Limit" price limit is fine at all the three-stars - even L'Arpege tops out at 320E for the Pleine Mer, Pleine Terre tasting menu - unless they go crazy ordering a la carte. Relaxed/not too stuffy - I think is so much more of a function of how well the dining room staff performs than interior style - I've had more relaxed and relaxing service at Ducasse than I've had at most bistros. Ditto on not too stuffy - more than a few pretentious brasseries could take a lesson. My suggestion - still firmly Les Ambassadeurs. Beautiful classic room - marble, crystal, silk - but just recently COMPLETELY modernized and refurbished. Plates and plating - refreshingly minimalist - pure, clean, white. The food - impeccable ingredients, perfect preparation - there are NO lapses in cooking technique here - subtly inventive - and ultimately luxurious AND delicious. See the Chef's Philosophy and the Summer 2004 menu here.

FUSAC is THE source in Paris for tourist rentals. Lots of individual listings and agencies.

Lunch 11:30, last seating around 15:30, closed around 16:30. Dinner 18:30, last seating around 00:30, closed around 01:30, but they have been known to stay as late as 02:30. Brutal hours.

Here's the Amorino website - but they don't have the location in the Marais listed. Chocolate & Zucchini's Clotilde lists five locations on her post about Amorino - I love her site - it's so darn pretty. Now - and this is important - you only get as many flavours as you want with a MEDIUM size and up. It's good for what it is - and made that much better going with friends - but best with your gelato-loving dog. For me it's a treat to have that kind of abbondanza in Paris - have you seen the miserly "scoops" meted out at Berthillon? BUT the gelato itself - it's only OK. If they don't make it with that gelato mix I'd be very surprised - and if they don't that's pretty sad because that's what it tastes and feels like - stabilizer city. It's pretty much the Baskin-Robbins of the gelato world but it does serve its purpose.

I'm planning a visit there - and ran across this on their official website about their potatoes Five different varieties grow here, two soft-bodied, the Almaria and the Starlette, while the Roseval, Charlotte and Amandine have a firmer texture. I don't think I've tried them but can't wait - I LOVE potatoes. A meal of those potatoes, a sprinkle of their local salt, a plateau of local oysters - I cannot wait. And the pineau - got to start with some pineau.

Hey Jennifer! Told ya. Of course my suspicions are always raised about any dining establishment that cannot accomodate my dog. I mean they're a BISTRO. And yes - in the 14th at that.

A good place to try a variety - and I mean a HUGE variety of andouillette is at the December Saveurs Salon in Paris. There's another Saveurs Salon in the Spring but not nearly as much andouillette - or much at all comparatively for that matter. Lots of little vendors serving samples up - sliced cold but a few taking the time to fry them hot. The only trick is that you need to fight off the grandmothers with their carts. BUT the good thing is that then you know you've found some good andouillette - the grandmeres ALWAYS know. Plus you can engage them in heated discussions about the best way to prepare andouillette - talk about how they used to make them back in the day - and their secret source out in the country - French only of course. I found some great ones last year - nice snappy casings; dense, well-seasoned, and pleasantly fragrant filling. The grandmeres taught me to slice them a bit on the thick side and then fry them up nice and crispy in butter. The sides get good and golden with the inside still tender and chewy. I like mine that way. If I get them out I'll order the frites or puree - but at home I like them with just some butter sauteed apple or pears. And mustard - a coarse whole-grain or the crock of hand-pulled from the Maille shop at Madeleine. Doesn't really matter - what matters is the andouillette.

I have. If you're worried - don't. I thought that my experience would be diminished because I knew the mechanics behind the tricks - but it wasn't - it was still magic. Classic dishes like the Langoustines and Caviar are still on the menu. Pim, thanks - good to know my boys are holding down the fort at Les Ambassadeurs until I get there. M. Piege would not have it any other way.

Does anyone have any idea if Passard's vegetable dishes are entirely vegetarian. Bux, they're not. And John, that's not really true - as far as L'Arpege trying to make it with just vegetables - their menu still features the caviar, langoustines, and foie gras, etc.

You may not want to advertise the fat wallet around Belleville.

Rue Cler - my market street in the 7th - metro Ecole Militaire - is open on Sundays - most places closing around 12:00. La Sablaise is the fishmonger there - they also have some prepared seafood. They've been my local fish guys for two years - very good quality - great live shrimp.

I LOVE Chamonix. I've had a few life-threatening and life-affirming adventures there - sometimes one in the same. Definitely on the affirming side - one of my top ten places to breathe my last breath - Le Hameau Albert 1er- on their La Ferme side. The main hotel is just over a hundred years old, but out back they took reclaimed local farm building wood and created within a modern, minimalist, and indulgent retreat - indoor/outdoor pool with a glass-enclosed fireplace, mustard-coloured Mies armchairs, and a view of the Mont-Blanc ridge - if you're into that kind of thing. Food - two restaurants - a fine, traditional gastronomic restaurant - and La Maison Carrier. To continue a theme - the latter's a modern/rustic mountain food room - where they smoke their own meats high up in a chimney - visible within the dining room. I think they're open for lunch - but I'm not sure. My lunches in Cham have usually consisted of baguette sandwiches out on some ice. God I love it there.

A waiter does not tell a chef how to cook - they'd risk too much responsibility - in terms of ingredients, time, and the wrath of the chef. They might though inform the chef as to the nationality of a diner. The chef might in fact decide to go for a longer cuisson from matter of experience - but this should never happen above the brasserie level. In a starred restaurant if you order it a point it sure as hell should come out a point. If you want your steak rare - order it a point. Regardless of the cut. Regardless of the quality. A point. Period.

Bravo.

I've looked through both books pretty thoroughly and plan on buying my own eventually. They're really professional books - but breathtakingly beautiful too. I have cooked from them in the sense in that we continued to make some of the dishes and absolutely quite a few of the components of the various dishes at the Plaza - and it's still mind-boggling. The level of detail and amount of work borders on the insane. Most of us who have cooked in those kitchens acquire them as a document to part of our professional lives - a really crazy kind of thing if you think about it too much. I did not know about the English translations - maybe they will give these volumes the spotlight they deserve.