menton1

Last time I was at Le Me Toujours, I got off at Exit 4. That puts you right on Rte 73 South. It took about 2 1/2 minutes to get to Le Me Toujours, on the same side of the road. I guess it will take about 3 1/2 minutes to get back to the Turnpike because you have to make a U Turn at the next jughandle. I guess "Just off the Turnpike" might mean IN the toll booths!

That reminds me of a takeout place I passed once in Queens called "Dum Luck". Don't know if it's still there, but that really is funny!

I hope by "efficient" you don't mean wearing the same clothing every day; we usually take 3 week+ vacations, and no matter how efficient you are, it still means a larger bag than can fit overhead on those narrow racks on the SNCF; I am not against this policy, I think it's necessary, I just think it will prove daunting for travelers like us; for the 20-somethings with a backpack it won't be as difficult. A sad commentary for our life and times.

Wow, this is a good idea, but for those with larger luggage pieces (like us) this can be a daunting issue-- some won't fit overhead, and the aisles are quite narrow, maybe they will have to go on those "table-like" fixtures of which there are about 4-6 per car!! (What a world this has become!)

It's only another 80 miles to your destination, but in NJ right off Exit 4 of the Turnpike is the wonderful French/Vietnamese fusion place, Le Me Toujours. Here is some discussion along with directions: Le Me Toujours Thread Places off I-85 can probably be answered on the Southeast Forum.

Wow, what an eating trip.... what diet are you on now?

He is also an artist, creating unbelievable works of art with spun sugar. They are displayed all over the hotel and restaurant, and, a few doors away is the Museum of Sugar, with more fabulous creations. Thuriès is quite accomplished in many areas. Here are some pix of the sugar creations: Musée de Sucre

I'ms sure it's OK, but I doubt if you can get these Fromages or Saucissons!

Passing throught Westwood, I see that this place has finally opened after a long wait... Has anybody been here yet, are they anything like the ones in NYC in the 60s and 70s, with their feature Walnut Cream Cheese on dark raisin bread? (Yum, yum!) I guess the coffee is good (?) Is this place owned by the coffee company or is it by license arrangement?

I have found La Mère Germaine to be about the same level as the 2 places I mentioned, but more touristy and more expensive. All the restaurants wrapped around the bay on the quayside are fun. Bouillabaisse is another matter. Frankly, I think it will be hard to find a really good bouillabaisse around here-- it will be very expensive and really generally not up to snuff. For great bouillabaisse you need to head 2 hours west toward Marseille-- several threads here discussing restos in and around Marseille with the famous dish-- The niçois influence is wonderful in this area, great dishes with lots of veggies and lots of olive oil, in a simple style. A lot of Italian influences. We had a wonderful Niçois meal at La Petite Maison in Nice. (Rue St François de Paule) Don't miss the Niçois fast food for a snack, either-- Socca, Pissaladière, and a Pan Bagnat. All unique and indigenous to this area. If you have a car, and are here on a Friday, drive 35 minutes over the border to Ventimiglia, Italy. One of the best street markets ever, with about 400 vendors.

Sarlat-le-Canéda is truly one of the most beautiful villages in France, at any time of year. The pedestrianised area retains most of the medieval structures from hundreds of years ago, with beautiful shops and beautifully and tastefully restored walkways. Just wandering around Sarlat among the alleyways of this district is dreamy. You will probably buy some paté or rillettes from the endless arrays of the stores run by the farmers, although prices are better at the Saturday market. Another great find in the countryside around Sarlat is the Fermes Auberges, where you will get a wonderful meal at a farm, and where by regulation they must grow and raise everything you are served on the property. A great, unique experience!

Some French friends of ours have made us aware that the ubiquitous (in the US) (and Italy) liqueur Sambucca is mysteriously unavailable anywhere in France; a different taste than Pastis, this would be a nice gift if you want to give an alcoholic product; The maple syrup gifts we have given have always been excitedly received, and while they might not know what to do with it (because they never had it) they can learn quickly.

My favorite restaurant in Old City is Fork, Market Street off 3rd. Great room, banquettes are quite nice if you can get one-- open kitchen is interesting. Food is excellent, service also excellent, and prices moderate. No name on the door, just a pix of a fork! Fork Restaurant 306 Market St Philadelphia, PA 19106-2709 Phone: (215) 625-9425

If you are American, a gift the French usually crave is Vermont maple syrup. These can be gotten is a glass maple-leaf shaped vessel (Or other attractive packaging). The French love sweet things, and maple syrup is certainly a unique sweet taste and unavailable in Europe.

If you are going to Carcassonne, try to stay overnight inside the walls-- Carcassonne is another of those places inundated by day-trippers that takes on a different atmosphere at night when all the buses are gone. The Cité Hotel is inside, if it is over your budget the Hotel Donjon is quite nice at a more reasonable price. Make sure to have the famous Carcassonne version of Cassoulet, best eaten at a bistro-- there is strong competition between Carcassonne, Toulouse, and Castelnaudary for the ultimate cassoulet, and this will put one notch in your belt. You might also consider Albi, a 90 minute drive from Carcassonne. (Officially in Midi-Pyrenées, but just over the border of Languedoc). A massive church from the 15th century is there, as well as the Toulouse-Lautrec museum, with a giant collection of his paintings, much more than in the Louvre! 10 miles from Albi is the dreamy village of Cordes-sur-Ciel, where the great restaurant Le Grand Ecuyer resides. A great value as a 1 star, it really deserves 2; fabulous environment as well, very beautiful room-- and the chef-owner, Yves Thuriès, is a local celebrity also famous for his spun sugar artistic creations. They adorn the dining room, and are for sale as well. Very unique!

The Languedoc covers a vast region, distances can be great.... it seems from the town you mentioned above that you will be near Narbonne. I would mention a place in Nimes but that is far, far away even though it is still the Languedoc. In Narbonne, a terrific restaurant is La Table St-Crescent in a gorgeous ancient building. In good weather the terrace is heavenly. Local specialties prevail here, lots of dishes with the local olives, truffles from Corbieres, and even desserts with olives. A great destination place. La Table Saint-Crescent Domaine Saint-Crescent leViel Route de Perpignan 11100 Narbonne Tél.: 04 68 41 37 37

I don't know if you will be able to combine dinner and jazz, but on the left bank the oldest and most respected club for serious jazz is La Villa. They start late in the evening and go until the wee hours. A really intimate setting, great acoustics, a great, fun experience. The French love their jazz, and this is a great place to hear it! La Villa 29 rue Jacob 6th Arr.

Sounds like a whirlwind trip-- Villefranche is a dreamy town, very picturesque, with restaurants draped on the quay looking at the beautiful bay. If you are looking for the top of the line, the best in the area is La Réserve, in Beaulieu, 5 minutes away. For a more sublime experience with great seafood on the quayside, go for La Calypso or L'Oursin Bleu on the Quai Courbet-- In June, the sun won't set until after 9, so you will have a great shift from light to dark during the meal. Enjoy!

Anybody have some good ideas for places to go "after the movies" or when it's late and you just want to have a light something and coffee-- Starbucks is predictable and boring, I prefer it much more in the AM hours. One of our favorites is the Coffee Tree Cafe on Palisade Avenue in Fort Lee. Nice environment, bustling but not noisy, good coffee, and they have burgers if you're hungry as well as nice pastries and cakes, and a terrific frozen yogurt that they can swirl in many flavors. Where's your favorite coffee bar at night?

I think they could spend 40 hours/week finding illegal boardinghouses in Pal Park and Leonia; Interesting that the Health Inspectors uncovered this-- I did not think it was their ballywick-- thought this was more of a building inspector's function...

I've heard that this resto has a terrific Early Bird Special for $12/PP. But I also heard that the smoking is still a problem, very foggy. Also, does anybody know if they allow you to bring wine for a corkage fee? Wouldn't a good ventilation system eliminate the fog? Anybody been to this place recently?

The misuse of a possessive apostrophe is more and more common in American English usage these days. Signs announcing "Open Sunday's" proliferate, and one on a store I pass proclaims "New shipment of shoe's has arrived". We have forgotten what plural means.

For eggs, there is nothing in this world like the Egg Platter in Paterson/Clifton. A stainless steel dining car throwback place, it is immaculately clean inside and serves up perfectly cooked eggs and the best-ever home fries. They now do other stuff, sandwiches, burgers and the like, but eggs is their forte. And they have crazy hours, they CLOSE from 3PM to 10PM, so don't go there at dinnertime-- But do try their eggs!! The Egg Platter 159 Crooks Avenue Paterson/Clifton, NJ (Near Paterson Market & Corrado's)

These Grease Trucks are also in Bergen County, they patrol Route 17 in Paramus, going up and down the strip malls, and also Route 46 in Little Falls-Wayne-Fairfield. Except up here we affectionately call them "Roach Coaches"

You have to remember, that this is a memoir, not a biography. A memoir usually devotes itself to one aspect of life or one period of time. This book says right on the cover "My Life in the Kitchen", so Jacques probably felt that intimate details about Claudine or Gloria are probably not germaine. In a world of peeping-tom scenarios, this book was most refreshing! And thanks, Phlawless, for that little anecdote-- it's nice to know that JP is really the lovely person he seems to be-- I heard another story of him rescuing a dog while on vacation in the carribbean and going through all of the red tape to bring him back to the US and restore him to perfect health. What a terrific person!!