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Do we serve/expect bread out of habit or is there a reason? When eating Asian, I do not expect nor miss bread. Eating French or Italian-the bread is there for a reason-delicious and ready for sauces, pates and cheese and to absorb the terrific wine. To eat Indian food without naan or paratha or to eat Mexican food without chips would be a sin. But I do not miss pan when eating Latin or South American food. What would Ethopian food be without the injera? With your creative menu I think that you could have fun with bread (or other starch substitute) and the 'trimmings' that may go along as Lady T suggested. Count me in as "pro-pan"!

Due to threating transport strikes we did not stay in Paris and remained in Lyon the whole time. Three of the nights were consumed with football matches so we were unable to eat dinner. On those nights we planned ahead and bought pates, terrines, cheese, smoked and cured meats and fresh baquettes. Of course a wonderful rasberry tart and chocolate mousse enterd the picture too. IMHO, I love these meals and miss the easy access of similiar delights at home (Chicago). We would wake up in the middle of the night to continue the snacking. We finished the leftovers on the plane enroute home. Again, thankyou all for the great recs. It made life easier during our visit and hope th opportuniy arises again to impose upon you all for more recs! Merci!

Just returned from a week in Lyon. As predicted, the food was the highlight and the football a bore. Everyones' recs were followed and we were NOT disappointed. We THANK YOU all!! Our first meal was at Le Garet. Showing up with a baby and without a reservation at 7:30 was not a problem. They gave us a choice of the only two available tables-one upstairs and the other by the kitchen. Of course I picked the one by the kitchen since they plated the food right across from us. The Chef kept coming out to see how we liked each course and the friendly staff explained the dishes ordered by others. It was a perfect evening for our first night back in France. We had Thursday's lunch at Oxalis-right around the corner. We made a reservation for lunch the day before and they seemed to make sure that we were going to show up. Upon arrival at noon, we had the whole place to ourselves. There is a set Menu (22 euros) and no a la carte. Everything was plated beautifully. The first course was lightly steamed tomatos over a bed of eggplant. Both husband and I are not fans of eggplant but it was delicious. The next course was Dorado over a mound of the tiniest cubed zuchinni. Despite the small sized cubes, the chef maintained a nice crunch. Dessert was simple and delicious- fresh sweetened strawberries with mango ice cream and drizzles of fresh caramel. Only one table arrived as we departed at 1:30. We never saw the place open again. Three other notable meals were served at Au Rapin Gourmand-open on Sunday and Monday. A delightful place with a friendly Chef who greets diners. Fresh food, charming atmosphere and friendly service. 41 rue Aguste Comte. Had a quick lunch at Le Nord on Monday. Very busy, a bit pricey for the fare but the food was delicious. We ate Saturday lunch at Brasserie du Park-near Cafe Cigales (which has closed). The salad with chicken livers was awesome! Again thank you for the great recommends.

July 20 NBC will air Rocco DiSpirito's pre-opening and opening of his new restaurant. It is produced by a 'Survivor" exec. I think that it will be a series. The hype seems to be more of the man than the process. Anyone know the scoop?

We tend to eat at "authentic/ethnic" so the best places typically have flourescent lights, formica table tops, a language barrier ( menu NOT in english and the servers do not speak english) bad tourist posters of the region where the owners come from and the placed crammed with locals from the home country. When it is a "hit" it is fantastic but when it is a "miss".....

Sophie'sPolish Deli (418 w. Northwest Hwy, Mount Prospect) Kaufman's in Skokie Tenuta's in Racine, WI. BlackForest Lodge in Morton Grove

I like Triscuits and Rye Crisps (with butter).

Went to Viet Nam in 1992 and remember the incredible coffee beans I purchased in the Central Market in Saigon. Ignoring the drying beans I saw on the roadways enroute to Dalat, I bought a kilo for practically nothing. They were quite black and very oily. But by far the best coffee I have ever had. Better than the Jamaican Blue Mountain, Kenya, Costa Rican (and other latin American venues) I have purchased abroad. I like my coffee black but the Vietnamese ice coffee with the condensed milk is a Sunday morning ritual. Thank God Chicago has an incredible 'Little Vietnam" where I can replenish my supply.

For example, if I order the Prix Fixe ( 3-5 dishes), and my husband orders a la carte (ie one entree with or without an appetizer) we share the Prix Fixe dishes such as the salad and dessert. We do not request an extra plate or ask the kitchen to split the dish-usually we can place the portion on a bread plate or switch plates mid meal.

In America and Canada the portions for Prix Fixe and Table'd' Hotel are huge. I know in France the portions are smaller. Is it acceptable to share my courses with my husband (I am talking about something larger than a taste). He would still order an entree and an appetizer while I would order the Prix Fixe. We always order something diffferent so we can taste/share/sample the delicious food. We will be in Lyon and will not be dining at the super top places-Bux we are using your list of recommended places as our guide. But we will have a baby (one year old) and I am pregnant so there will not be a big wine tab-I really do not want to do any more things to offend. Thank you.

I make a paste of liquid detergent (Whisk seems the best for this) and powdered detergent and pre treat the stain. Do not use soap with built in bleach. Then I put it in our front loader washer and voila! If unsuccessful, do not dry the item but rather try another paste combo.

After riding public cross country buses in Malaysia and Indonesia smelling it in the overhead cargo bins finally tried it on the Island of Nias, Indonesia. Had a local pick it out and prepare it. Took one bite and hated it. They ate it up.

Inquiring minds want to know...what did Alton say about Tony at the Beardies?

Prefer the super thin-super crisp variety but will crave deep dish (only sausage, however). Lou's, Uno's and Ricobene's are good. I think it is because of the whole crushed tomatoes on the top rather than the sauce. I think stuffed pizza has two layers of crust and the cheese and toppings are between the two crust layers and there is tomato sauce on top.

Bux, you are correct-I will be 7 mos pregnant during our Lyon visit. So being stuck at two football matches plus toting around a one year old I am counting on the food to be the highlight. Loufood, the baby has eaten everything from Vietnamese to Mexican and is amused by the activities of a restaurant. So she is well-behaved (really). Therefore the casual but delicious places are the most desired at this point. Sandra could not access your link. Thanks to everyone for responding to my post. I REALLY NEED A GOOD MEAL!

Will be in Lyon for only two days and Etienne for one day. Husband is dragging the baby (one year old) and I to the football games. So the only highlight for me will be the food. Is there a cafe, bistro or restaurant that you recommend to your friends and that you don't miss when you are in Lyon? Etienne for lunch? The number of places is frankly daunting. Merci!

Why is it so hard to buy Schweppes' Bitter Lemon and San Pellagrino's Limonada? I live in the Chicagoland area and can not find Bitter Lemon except for one liquor store. You can buy the full assortment of Schweppes products(club soda, tonic and seltzer waters and ginger-ale everywhere but not this nectar of the Gods. The same with San Pellagrino's Limonada. Both of these drinks are wonderful alternatives to sweet soda pops and lemonades.

We only do Argyle on the weekends but we typically go for Sunday morning breakfast(nothing like a big bowl of Pho and Vietnamese iced coffee to get you started). We avoid the long lines into the carwash by driving up to the front door. We find one of the towel guys and for a few extra dollars they hand wash your car and clean out the interior. We just drop off the car, eat our meal, shop at that grocery, go to the BBQ place I noted above for takeout and return to a clean car.

My husband and I eat in the Argyle area every weekend. We are regulars at Dong Ky (Vietnamese)-located on Broadway just south of Argyle in a large strip mall. (Look for the Blockbuster). The Orange Beef (listed only as orange chicken on the menu) is wonderful-almost like candy. Coupled with the spicey tray ingredients on the table it really excites the senses. It is BYOB and not at all a fancy place (AKA a dump). But we keep coming back for the food and friendly service. The portions are large and the prices are cheaper than similar places on Argyle (we have tried all of them except for Thai Pastry). Sun Wah is famous but IMHO there is a better and more friendly place just east of the El tracks on the North side of Argyle. It is new and has the same variety of meats hanging in the window as Sun Wah , but the food served is one of the better Chinese I have had in a long time. I had the Beef with Chinese broccoli with chow mein noodles and it was tasty and huge. There is also the cheapest carwash on Broadway just south of Argyle -less than $5 for a decent wash.

We like Pita Inn but love Grecian Kitchen next door (Dempster). They have a wonderful greek chicken platter complete with lemon potatos and orzo. And super cheap. IMHO that the best gyros are not from Pita Inn but from "The Works" located in Niles just east of Golf Mill. It is on Golf Rd. in the Talisman shopping center and is frankly a humble hot dog/hamburger joint with great french fries and the best gyros in the world (INMHO). It has won several readers' polls too. So despite Pita Inn's presence now in Niles, I am staying with The Works.

Roadfood.com-what a cool site to use with Metromix! Thanks. I think that great bread is hard to find in Chicago. The best rye bread is at Kaufmans Bakery/Deli on Dempster (next to the Swift) in Skokie. They bake it fresh daily and it contains no preservatives so it does spoil quickly. But for under$ 1.80 for a one pound loaf of bliss it is worth it. They have other baked goods that look yummy (rugulah, bagels and coffee cakes) but we go just for the bread (and the best corned beef ).

It seems in movies or on TV sitcoms, whenever the actors eat Chinese carry out they always eat it out of the carton with chopsticks. After polling friends and family, no one eats out of the carton but rather use plates. It is about 50-50 for the use of chopsticks at home. What do e-gulleteers do?

Pregnancy number one I ate Slim Jims. Luckily ( a miracle)my daughter turned out OK. Now, entering my second trimester, I am craving ice cream sandwiches and Drunkin Donuts' coffee rolls and double chocolate doughnuts. Do not tell my doc!

The place is one of our favorite spots for Sunday mornings. The above mentioned guisado de puerco served as an 'amuse' is one of the best things it makes. But we tried to order a full entree and the server said it was not available as such. Perhaps it was a language problem. It was featured on 'Check Please!' a couple of weeks ago and the two visiting guests panned it! We were horrified! I am glad to see e-gulleteers love it! I thought that the flour tortillas came from the tortilla factory next door to the east.

After receiving the doggie bag, both my husband and I inevitably leave it on the table. We do not realize our mistake until we are half way home! Or after we get it home, if we do not eat it within 6 hours or so, we end up tossing it out. At our budget reataurants (ethnic diners etc) I am usually asked to crate the leftovers at the table. I do not mind doing this since I take only what I want.