menton1

Haven't been to Kratiem yet, but every time I pass the place, even on a weekend evening, they only have one or 2 tables going... atmosphere of the place looks quite spartan, even the chairs look uncomfortable-- wonder if this place will be able to stay-- I have been to the sister restaurant, Thai Chef, around the corner, and it is a beautiful place, lots of glass, plants, and a sleek design with lots of spacing between the tables. I also have had some wonderful dishes at TC even though the service can be variable at times. They do apologize for any mistakes, and do seem to try hard. I wish Thai Chef would open for lunch, though....

Not a destination place, but I remember SaladAlley-- one of the first "fill your own plate" places with a wonderful salad bar full of fresh and unusual veggies. I seem to remember a soup bar there as well, but I could be wrong. I remember the one in the Bourse building before that became like a mall "food court". (and quite forgettable!)

I have a 3rd choice which is my favorite: Paris Pratique, a wonderful booklet with all the maps of every arrondisement with the fold running down the middle of each arr. Small enough to fit in a handbag, has some bus and metro maps as well. Also, importantly, it has EVERY street and little alley included. I've seen some maps that eliminate the smaller streets.

About 7 km from St Tropez is the movie-set perched village of Grimaud (Not to be mixed up with Port Grimaud!) with a lovely medieval center and a fair number of restaurants. We had a nice meal at a bistro-type restaurant, Le St-Joseph, right in the center of town. Very comfortable, reasonable, mostly locals, and local cuisine "de terroir". Note: La Garde Freinet is right in the middle of the Massif des Maures, and they had big problems with forest fires last year-- I think, though, it's still too early in the season to be worried about that...

I didn't know I was in a restaurant to save time. They could bring out every course all at once to save time; And as far as being part of the wait staff's salary, that may be true, but it is also voluntary-- I'm in the school that thinks that the best way to get generous gratuities it to give GREAT service! (something rather rare today). Usually if a patron is wowed by the service they will tip accordingly. I definitely feel that it is rude, off-putting and a little sleazy to be asked "do you need change".

Robert, your mention of the Chateau de la Chèvre d'Or in Èze reminded me of a couple of highly favorable writeups it has received recently in a couple of French periodicals I subscribe to. Would anyone who has been recently care to say how this compares to the Louis XV in that the setting of the Chèvre d'Or is unbelievably magnificent-- the views of Cap Ferrat from 400 feet up on the side of a cliff is enough to make you think you are really in heaven!!

In the local ShopRite today, located the last 8 boxes of Mallomars... But they weren't on sale!! (They probably should charge more!)

As soon as the warm weather is imminent, Mallomars cookies disappear from the grocery shelves. It is really amazing, but I guess even modern technology can't keep these beauties in good condition in the warmer weather. I know there are other chocolate cookies, but these seem to be the only ones that disappear until October. Is this true in all parts of the country? I am speaking about the Northeast US here-- What do you do for a replacement?

I think, Louisa, you might mean La Zucca Magica right on the old port-- a pure vegetarian without a menu, they just bring out 6 courses of whatever the chef prepared; usually pretty quirky, lots of hanging plants, and organic wines. The owner, Marco, is a transplant from Rome. And, keeping true to the name, there are all sorts of citrouilles decorating the walls. menton, that is it! Thanks! No menu, no reservations - no phone for that matter. You can kind of reserve by stopping in the day of - good food, good vibes - good strong flavours. I think you really mean La Mérenda; this one is on everyone's list, all the tour books, quite famous. But the only thing you had wrong is that it isn't on the port. It's right off the Cours Saleya. The chef left the Negresco's 2 star, Le Chantecler, and opened this very quirky place. Only about 10 tables, chairs without backs, closed Sat and Sunday and for 6 weeks in the summer, no phone, just bop in the day before or late; not as good as it used to be, but still fun, and he still makes a very good Beef Daube. (Provencal Stew).

The owners are currently consulting with Tommy to find out what the sign really means!!

No, these folks in Connecticut have no affiliation with any restaurants in NYC. The food really is way-above average Asian; But perhaps you could convince them that they would do very well if they opened a restaurant in Ridgewood, NJ!!

On the way to the Camargue, there is another organic restaurant in Arles, Vitamine I think, Louisa, you might mean La Zucca Magica right on the old port-- a pure vegetarian without a menu, they just bring out 6 courses of whatever the chef prepared; usually pretty quirky, lots of hanging plants, and organic wines. The owner, Marco, is a transplant from Rome. And, keeping true to the name, there are all sorts of citrouilles decorating the walls.

Wow....what's your regular hourly rate?

Yes, but your neighbor has to face you for a while--- the restaurant owner could be thousands of miles away and never see any of the customers again... How about a new sign--"May or may not reopen one of these days."

Sounds fabulous. But why only in the winter? Would it easily melt on the shelves in the warm weather? I know they do that in the US with "Mallomars" cookies-- by May, they are gone from the shelves until October!

Joining Jerry's Osteria in Tenafly on the "Closed for Renovations" list is the long-established Saints Café on Teaneck Road in Teaneck. I think this place had a face lift about 6-7 years ago. Some have said that the food was decent. Why do restaurants invariably say "Closed for Renovations" when they never intend to open again-- this in apparently the case here. Can't they either say nothing or just say "Closed"? I remember the last incarnation of the Railroad Café in Englewood in that nice historic RR Station on the park (Don't remember what name it had)-- we went there and had a terrific Sunday brunch, the place was quite nice inside as well. When we went back a month later, they had a sign "closed for renovations". After being closed for 6 months, it was purchased by Tony Bennett (the singer) and is now used for his sound studios!!

I find Gourdon to be very ticky-tacky-- much more desirable are the towns closer to Italy-- Peillon, Peille, St Agnès, and, if you are not tired of all the switchbacks and hairpins, Sospel. These perched villages are quite dreamy and gorgeous, with a minimum of tourist traps. Just park and walk around and soak up the quiet countryside. You can lunch in the town bistro which is usually on the main square, or have an upscale meal at the previously mentioned Auberge de la Madone in Peillon.

Haven't been to this hotel, but I love the Dordogne! We always stay at a Chambre d'Hote and have had such good rooms and great meals with the families. Do not miss the grottes with the ancient cave drawings-- the best of these is the Grotte de Font de Gaume, and the Grotte des Combarelles. Make sure to reserve well in advance, as they only allow about 150 people/day, because the CO2 we exhale is deleterious to the drawings! You can skip Lascaux II, it's a replica, but the 2 I mentioned are the real thing. You may also want to try dinner at a Ferme Auberge, where everything served is grown or raised on the premises, by French law. Also don't miss the dreamy town of Sarlat-le-Caneda, and its great Saturday market.

Make sure you use the REAL sour cream (the really unctuous one with all that fat!) For an extra treat, use egg & onion flavored matzo (although it won't be Kosher for Pasover)

Just got a postcard saying that the sale this month will be on April 17th. Too bad, I got a tremendous craving for their Serrano Ham!!

I like Matzo Brei in a more savory flavor, mainly because that's how my grandmother served it. We used salt, and a giant dollop of sour cream on the side for dipping--- fabulous!! I guess sour cream is still available even though it is out of favor in recent years-- (about 50% fat content) Anybody else grow up with sour cream on Matzo Brei?

Well, you do face some decisions as far as a car-- you might split your time with and without a car-- it is a hindrance in Nice and Monaco, for sure. There is a great coastal train service for all the towns along the coast. But, as Busboy said, you will need a car to explore all the little villages in the back countryside... Good luck, this is some great place to begin your European experience-- you will surely be smitten, and will devote yourself to returning often (like many of us!). Nice is a terrific, lively city, lots of history, museums, and the beautiful bay to walk along. Don't miss the street food, Socca, Pissaladiere, and don't miss the market on Cours Saleya every day but Mondays. A great restaurant in Nice, not talked about much, is La Petite Maison, rue St Francois de Paule, very near the market, introduced to us by Robert Brown and where we had a great meal together with him. Incidentally, the best guide for restaurants in the Southeast of France is the Guide Gantié. Here, unlike Michelin, you will get several paragraphs describing in detail the atmosphere, food, and history of the proprietors so that is is much easier to make a choice. And, as we have discussed here recently, Michelin only goes back about every 3 years to the restaurants so their advice can be old news. Guide Gantie Web Site I'm not a fan of Monaco, and you will miss the Grand Prix, it seems. There is no sign of F1 other than that weekend there, and it is a place of 70-story monstrous luxury buildings, really unappealing after all the other beautiful towns on the coast. But of course, the Louis XV is perennially highly acclaimed there. Most restaurants in France like you to reserve, but it's not necessary to book more than the day before or even in the afternoon for the evening. Mainly a courtesy, except in the more popular places on Sat night. For atmosphere (and if it's warm enough) go to Villefranche and eat at one of the seafood places on the quay. My favorite is Le Nautic. Also Beaulieu has a boat port with about a dozen good restaurants there. (Not right on the water like in Villefranche.) This is such a large and varied area-- please let us know when you have a better idea of your itinerary-- then we can zero in on some specific choices for you... Bon voyage!

You've covered about 70 miles of coast between St Trop and the Italian border, literally hundreds of great restaurants here, impossible to list them all-- Provence is more than a day trip away from the Cote, so if you are also staying in Provence, please indicate where you will be. I will instead tell you my favorite towns on the littoral, and if you can narrow your criteria down, then I could start to recommend some restaurants. Also, if you have a car, Nice, Monaco and St Trop will be especially difficult to deal with in your car. Just east of Nice is a movie-set setting of Villefranche-sur-Mer, with many good restaurants wrapped around the quaiside. Nice runs the gamut of restaurants from 2 star to casual with great regional Nicois cuisine, including Pissaladiere, Pan Bagnat, and Socca. Menton is a dreamy atmospheric town just before Italy. Cannes can be a little snooty and over-touristed, head into the hills for Mougins and St Paul; And St Trop you might want to skip altogether, it is very overrated IMHO, the wonderful perched town of Grimaud is 5 minutes away and worlds away in atmosphere with some great restaurants in the town. Just some of my opinions on the area, can be more specific with restaurants if you can narrow down your geography.

A call to Jerry's deli in Englewood about the closing gets the response "We don't know if it will ever open again". I don't know the exact stats, but it seems that 98% of the time when you see a sign "Closed for renovation" it usually indicates "Closed forever".

In addition to their Snackmasters Beef Jerky without ANY chemicals or preservatives, I also love their jarred Artichoke hearts in water. Their canned Tongol Tuna is wonderful as well.