menton1

I do not agree. Ironically, the France Magazine November Issue has just arrived in my mailbox and has a small article " Bercy Reborn" where it talks about Bercy now being one of " the hippest and trendiest neighborhoods of Paris." On the web site there is a brief summary of the article here. Another restaurant well spoken of is Le Petit Plat, 49 av. Emile Zola. And I'm sure a stroll around the quayside and the neighborhood will uncover many gastronomic delights. There are also many architectural delights in Bercy as well, including the French National Library, a project of Mitterand. I think you are actually lucky to be staying in Bercy; please report back to us after your trip!! Bon séjour!!

One of my favorites is Astral Plane, 1706 Lombard Street. A great place with an eclectic menu and crowd. Fabulous look inside-- You might even be able to get a res for that early hour.... Check out their web site: Astral Plane Have fun!!

Bercy is now considered to be one of the most exciting neighborhoods in Paris. Newly gentrified, it is full of activity, including restaurants and nightlife. I think there is a new Sofitel in Bercy-- will you be staying there? One of the highly touted places in Bercy is L'Oulette, 15 Place Lachambeaudie. Patricia Wells has raved about the place in her discussions about Bercy, and the Pudlo loved the place as well. An emphasis on Southwest (France) cuisine, including tiny calamari, haricots blancs, foie gras, goat cheese, and indigenous wines. Pudlo raves about his millefeuille de sardines, which gets my mouth watering just describing it. There should be many other good choices on the beautiful avenue Emile Zola, the main drag in Bercy. Enjoy!

Well, of course these vignobles want to sell their wine, but you hardly realize that. Their hospitality is so sincere, and, if you choose not to buy anything, they treat you the same way as if you bought 12 cases. I've always found that while shopping in France, unlike here, being cordial and polite is more important than buying the products. I have even encountered a French customs agent who was nonplussed because I asked him a question before saying the pro forma "Bonjour Monsieur!" to him!!

We were just in this area in September.... There are literally dozens of little "Caves" every thousand yards along the highway. No need to make any particular one your destination. What you do is pull over, go in and they will let you taste all of their wines. Buy the one you like. Some even give you bread and cheese to really get a sense of the wines--- Some of these "Caves" have been in the same family for hundreds of years! These vignobles are always friendly and, if you speak a little French, are very interesting as well. Enjoy!

Bux, I just love that Smart Car!! It's probably NG for tourists because you can't fit your luggage, nor conceal it well. I have many photos of that car, I just love it!! I have researched it on the web, and It looks like they will try to bring it in to the US late 2004.... gets about 65 MPG, and has a good safety record. It would be a real eye-catcher if you could somehow bring it here!!

Do you mind telling the price you are paying at Easycar? I would just like to compare it to Nova. I'm not rubbing it in, but Nova allows cancellations as little as 24 hours before pick-up. As I had mentioned, I highly recommend Nova-- not only was it the cheapest, it included the CDW, they quoted in Euros, and everything was very straightforward, not the usual hassles you get from the typically slick "locations de vehicules" agencies!

Bux, I have talked about Nova Car Rental on the Italy forums, but based on personal experience, they have far and away the best deals on car rentals in France. They were about 33% lower than the lowest quote from Auto Europe. They work just like AE, going through the major companies. My deal was through Europcar. You reserve on the Nova website, all quotes are in Euros (AE quotes in dollars, so there is a chance for a hassle) and they charge you 10% online. You print your voucher, and bring it to the agency. In addition to having the lowest price, amazingly enough the rate includes the Collision Damage!! I have had a terrific experience with Nova in France, and I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to rent a car there. Nova Car Rental

Actually, there was a show on Thirsty Traveler on Fine Living Network devoted to grappa. Even though I find the host of the show obnoxious, this piece was very interesting and informative. The Grappa producers he showed just used the skins, seeds and stems after the grapes were pressed for wine-- I think it will be shown again on Fine Living-- look up fineliving.com, check the "Thirsty Traveler" show for broadcast times.

I agree that Ciao Bella is fairly ordinary-- but so are 98% of the Italian restaurants in NJ as well... The thing CB has going for it is a pleasant ambience, pleasant food (Actually the chicken grilled in the Pizza oven is VERY good), and reasonable prices. This is also one of the last restos on earth to actually INCLUDE a salad with their entrees. I think if you go Mon-Thurs you will not have any lines. Weekends in the burbs make for crowded restaurants.

Peek-a-boo, Andrea??

Link, ce sont plusieurs forums francais gastronomiques; Un forum tres bon est: Espaces-Saveurs Bon chance!! N.B. Est-ce que "Link" est un nom francais? Ou habitez-vous?

This topic has come up here many times, and the Italian restaurant that gets recommended in all of them is La Locanda dei Vini, 9th Ave and 50th street. An authentic bistro-type environment with VERY good food.

1/ How did you find this website if they are not open yet? (Pretty impressive surfing job) 2/ Is this where that little Italian Bistro with Pizza was? Or is it something called Baja Cafe? 3/ Don't forget Joel's Malibu!! (Right across the street).

There is a nice restaurant in Fort Lee, right on the Cliffside border, called Cafe Boulevard. A beautiful looking place, very comfortable, with interesting eclectic food. Something for everyone on the menu. Not a 3 star event, but a nice dining experience. Check their web site: Cafe Boulevard

Yes, we all have to go into 7-11 or stores of that ilk from time to time.... The proprietors will explain away the high prices by claiming that they can't buy like the supermarkets, they have high overhead, and they don't do the volume the big stores do-- And we all pay it from time to time, for convenience, to save time, to avoid those supermarket lines, etc. Don't feel bad, FG. I just paid 99 cents for a can of cat food! (Also, the coffee is usually undrinkable in these places-- who's drinking it??)

Le Rendez-Vous here

Amazing, everything I hear about this place makes it seem as if it is at least as authentic as Babbo, but a lot better food, and a better value as well. But Babbo gets 12 pages on eG, and Peasant gets 3 responses..... I guess when you have celebrity it makes up for a lot....

Would you be going by train or by car? With the TGV, nothing is really far away-- Orleans or Tours are only 1 hour away, even a city seemingly distant on the map, Lyon, is only 2 hours away by TGV. Of course, anywhere you go in France will have wonderful food, so that shouldn't be an issue. If you rent a car, you might consider the Loire Valley or Mont St Michel, although I have never been to these places in the wintertime, take warm clothing!

How come Karli isn't in the picture?

Just heard about this event, the Beaux Arts Ball Philly, on Saturday Oct. 25, at the Seaplane Hangar at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. A Halloween party, with costumes, and copious amounts of food and drink! Anybody know if this is a worthwhile event? Thanks.

JT, you said I was wrong, and then you proceeded to agree with me! I did say that there are restaurants with copious quantities of "comfort food" that abound in Lancaster County; If anyone knows of an Amish family that serves dinners in their house, could you kindly provide the name and address here-- I think these are very unique and worthwhile... Thanks.

Not for gourmands, but M & M/Mars, one of the largest candy makers in the US is made in New Jersey; I don't know if having 8 giant pharmaceutical houses in NJ qualifies as eGullet worthy (?)(!!)

Don't know what part of Sussex you are in-- big place; In the Northwest, there is a place in the middle of nowhere called Walpack Inn, Walpack Center, right in the middle of the state forest, a great view, pleasant if unspectacular food-- In the Southwest, right over the border in Warren County, is the Inn at Millrace Pond, in Hope, perennially acclaimed for it's beautiful setting and very good cuisine. As previously mentioned, Andre's in Newton, probably the closest thing to top notch cuisine west of Morristown....

I don't think disallowing smoking in an enclosed space alongside non-smokers is a loss of personal freedom. No more than is having to use a rest room instead of a quiet little corner of the restaurant, or no more than not allowing spitting in your adjacent table's food.... If you want to smoke, you are allowed to-- just not next to me!!