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At the front end and back end of a one week villa rental near Montepulciano in late June, we would like to find two places, for a night each, about 60-90 minutes drive above Rome/FCO Airport. Thinking of NW Lazio and La Maremma, but we don't know those areas. We tend to think of finding restaurants first, and then nearby hotels. Our budget is relatively modest (150-250 euros/night for hotel, 60-100 euros/person for dinner), and we delight in restaurants which favor local cuisine over splash. Any suggestions or points to links would be appreciated! We will post a report when we return, as we have with previous trips assembled from suggestions from friends on eG.

We will be visiting in Palo Alto a week from Saturday, and we would like to make a few winery stops built around a delightful lunch. Areas, as I understand them, would be Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Gatos, and the Santa Cruz mountains. Most of the resto posts here appear to be for dinners, such as Manressa in Los Gatos. Ideally we would like to find a place with excellent food and an outside table. Suggestions, including a small number of winery visits, would be appreciated!

We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Southern Tuscany (and Rome). Food highlights: An extraordinary day of exploring Brunello and Vino Nobile Montepulciano under the care of Pamela Sheldon Johns, the prolific author on various aspects of Italian food. Pamela, who posts on this Forum, organized a tasting at Biondi Santi (just south of Montalcino), and then a very special lunch at Ost. La Porta in Monticchiello (about 10K SW from Montepulciano). to pair the local wines with food of the region. Pamela's deep knowledge of the food was equaled by the wine knowledge of Daria at La Porta. We have traveled widely in Europe using recommendations from eGullet, and this day was one of the best! Pamela also has a B&B which looked very attractive. While in Montepulciano, we had dinner at Rist. Cittino. A true local find, with the owner/chef preparing and serving her handmade picci. Not fancy (and very quiet on a cold early November evening), but a rare chance to enjoy homestyle cooking. We stayed at Hotel Dionora, which we highly recommend. Dionara is just outside Montepulciano. Splendid property in the country, with beautiful views from our room overlooking hills (and sheep) to the west toward Pienza. Giulio is the manager, and is gracious and accomodating. Breakfast is served by Giulio in a glass enclosed "winter garden." .

During the course of a trip to Paris in mid-December, we would like to make a short trip to the countryside for lunch. We will not have a rental car, so proximity to train service (out in the morning, back in the afternoon) would be helpful. We could also hire a car service. We are very interested in the food, but for an excursion like this we would also value a warm and inviting setting. Suggestions are appreciated!

Three youg graduate student friends are taking a day trip from London to Paris and back in mid-August. Aside from the fact that Paris empties during that period, any advice on where they could get a low to mid price point dinner around the Gare du Nord, on the early side before they take the late train back to London? I have enjoyed Chez Michel, but I believe that it is outside their price range. Thanks!

Any suggestions for lunch in Chamonix? I am planning a day trip from Geneva sometime next week, possibly on Saturday. I vaguely recall a small inn with an elegantly limited menu (poached river fish) on the north side of town near the ski lifts, but I can't remember the name of it. Thanks!

Several years ago I had a delightful lunch at Pere Bise in Talloires, outside Annecy. I have not been able to find a recent posting here, and I note that this restaurant is now a one star from Michelin. Any recent experience? Much appreciated!

My daughter, who chose from the brunch menu, had a granola/yogurt/fresh fruit parfait, following by cinnamon French toast liberally garnished with berries and served with lightly smoked maple syrup.

A familiar debate in this forum is about "brunch." We found a good answer yesterday (Sunday) at Eleven Madison Park based on other recommendations from this forum. I had already had a business breakfast in the morning, but our daughter and son-in-law were scheduled to meet us at noon for what turned out to be their first meal of the day. Eleven Madison Park offered two relatively reasonably priced menus ($25) -- one brunch oriented and one as a more traditional lunch. Both were superb: well conceived, prepared and presented. Even more choices were offered a la carte. Mimosas (in three natural fruit juice flavors) were a little pricey, but they were prepared with Billecart Salmon nv champagne. An excellent selection of wines by the glass, including a well balanced Sancerre at $7. The room is perfect for this kind of meal -- very high ceiling with lots of windows, making the room light and welcoming, with the effect reinforced by forced blooms. We were among the first to arrive at noon, but the room was quite full by 12:30, so plan accordingly.

Try L'Estrapade in the 5th -- at the top of the hill, about one block behind (south) of the Pantheon. Very small, so reservations are essential. I suggest that you call ahead and confer with Madame to ensure that they will have a menu that night in your price range. I agree with the suggestions as Ecurie and Polydor. At least the latter did not take credit cards as of a year ago, so don't get caught "short" :)

Guy Savoy's new venture is L'Atelier Maitre Albert. 1, rue Maître-Albert, 75005 Paris. Tél. : 01.56.81.30.01. Ouvert tous les soirs. Lundi, mardi, mercredi, de 18 h 30 à 23 h 30. Jeudi, vendredi, samedi, de 18 h 30 à 1 h. Fermé le dimanche. Privatisable à midi. Carte : 30-60 €. Voiturier. The restaurant is just off the quai across from Notre Dame. Metro Maubert is about three short blocks away (take a map, because the streets are old and narrow). We had a fabulous Saturday evening dinner there in late November (see my earlier post). I recommend a late reservation. Patricia Wells gave it a glowing review in December. P Wells IHT L'Atelier Maitre Albert

This also responds in part to Margaret's separate posting about Rodez. Twenty years ago (!) we took a gite adjacent to a farm house outside Rignac (about 10K from Rodez as I recall). Our children were small and our budget was smaller. The patron and his wife were wonderfully welcoming -- teaching our children how to milk the cows, haying in the meadow, etc. We took day drives throughout the Aveyron and over to Cahors, where we started a relationship with the unfiltered vin noir from that region. We also encountered a true local fair along the banks of Le Lot, with an extraordinary variety of homemade pate, bread, saucissions, pastry and cakes, and even some backyard wine. One day we stumbled on Le Vieux Pont. In those days you could find a decent menu touristique at a price affordable by a young family. Our children soon were released from the table to play near the water and chase the ducks. Perhaps to show their appreciation for our good sense to dismiss the children from the dining room, the restaurant subtly upgraded the rest of our courses ("Si monsieur pourrait nous aider" etc.) and wine. Mme and I flipped a coin to decide who would drive and who would have a digestif. A quiet drive back to the farm then followed, with two children asleep in the back and Mme asleep beside me. We have traveled extensively throughout France since then, and we have enjoyed hotels and meals de luxe, but our Aveyron gite experience was wonderful!

We had a wonderful late lunch at Le Pre Verre on a Saturday at the end of November. A small and carefully selected menu is chalked on blackboards. Great selection of reasonably priced wines by the glass. Very cosmopolitan crowd (table of six ladies who lunch involved in a deep discussion of kids' and friends' love lives, next to two young couples who were recovering from a night in the clubs, etc.). Only negative is sparse service.

I am a cork traditionalist, but I need some some suggestions about "everyday" wine ($7-$10/bottle), preferably white, in screwtop bottles. I have an elderly parent who loves a daily glass of wine, but muscle problems defeat use of corkscrews. We have tried at least 10 different models of corkscrews, but to no avail. A screwtop would be easier to manage, so recommendations are sought eagerly. Thanks!

We are just back from Thanksgiving week in Paris. Our restaurant interests this time were to find mid-price restaurants in the neighborhood of our rental apartment in the 5th, or within a reasonable walking distance. We had some very enjoyable meals, with several good suggestions taken from contributors to this forum. Le Pré Verre, 5e, 8 rue Thenard (Maubert Mutalité) 01-43-54-59-47. Saturday lunch. New style bistro food, offered only as daily specials with an extensive and interesting list of wines by the glass. L’Estrapade, 5e, 15 rue de l’Estrapade, one block to the south of the Pantheon. 01-43-25-72-58. Monday dinner. (Only open Monday – Friday). Tiny (20 people max) bistro owned and run by a young couple – she is in the front and he is in the kitchen. Very good bistro food offered only as daily specials, with a particular feature on products from a family farm to the north of Paris. 68 Euros for two, including a good Cote Roannaise. Le Reminet, 5e, 3 rue des Grands Degres, (Maubert Mutalité). 01-44-07-04-24. Sunday evening dinner. Bustling bistro, with a reasonably good cotellette d’agneau. 100 Euros. Relatively full of tourists. L’Epi Dupin, 6e, 11 rue Dupin, close to Sèvres-Babylone, 01-42-22-64-56. Tuesday evening dinner, with 7:00 reservation (other choice was for 9:30). Very popular bistro, with primary focus on daily specials. As explained to us by French regular customers at the next table, the chef cooked in Greenwich Conn. for several years and thus knows the American way to make sure that the restaurant is always full and tables turn over quickly. Further, there was a large contingent of Americans scattered throughout. Nevertheless, the French couple continue to come back because of the quality of the food. 92 Euros including a half bottle of wine. Le Dome due Marais, 4e, 53 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 01-42-74-54-17. Located in the Marais at the corner of the rue de Francs-Bourgeois and the rue des Archives. Wednesday evening dinner at 9:15. The main dining room (be sure to reserve) is under a cupola in what used to be church. A mix of Breton and other dishes. For example, an entrée of coquilles St. Jacques done in the style of tripe à la mode de Caen. A wonderfully diverse French crowd, ranging from an office party dinner of 14 to a couple of tables of young lovers enjoying romantic dinners together. Old standards played at discrete volume on a piano at the edge of the circular dining room added to the atmosphere. 112 Euros for two, including aperitifs and half a bottle of Santenay Le Vieux Bistro, 4e, 14 rue du Cloître Notre-Dame, 01-43-54-18-95. Located across the street from the north side of Notre Dame. Lunch at 1:30 on a cold and damp Saturday in late November. A real gem in the midst of a tourist area. Make a reservation and request the dining room on the Notre Dame side – a period piece. A small room mostly full of French regulars enjoying a bistro lunch on a Saturday. Coquilles St. Jacques ordered from the blackboard and a glass of Sancerre. 67 Euros for two. l’Atelier Maitre Albert, 5e, 1 rue Maitre Albert, 01-56-81-30-01. Located just off the Quai Montebello to the south of Notre Dame. A Guy Savoy off-shoot with an extensive rotisserie. We had a late reservation (9:30), and while the restaurant was bustling the service was very good. Excellent food done in the Guy Savoy spare style (supreme de volaille with fois gras, followed by grilled tuna). A well chosen wine list at relatively moderate prices. 160 Euros for two.

We had an excellent dinner there in February. From my notes: Menu Degustation Capuccino celery soup with truffle Rouget planche with bouillabaisse sauce wine: Languedoc Cuvée Aurelles Braised lamb shank wine: Gevrey Chambertin (Melpin) 1999 Chocolate croustillade One added "plus" is that they draw on Taillevent's wine cellar, and since we ordered the menu degustation they were able to give us a number of very thoughtful suggestions about wine at relatively reasonable prices.

Any experience with L'Atelier Maitre Albert in 5e? As I understand it, this has been redone by Guy Savoy. We leave for Paris in about two weeks, so I want to make a reservation if the reviews are good.

We will be spending the last 10 days of November in Paris. Having gone relatively high end in February (see my earlier post for the report), we would like to explore some bistros/new emerging restaurants. We are staying in an apartment next to the Sorbonne, so 5th/6th (walking distance) would be preferred. Has anyone had recent experience with: -- Le Pre Verre (5th, Maubert Mutualite) -- L'Estrapade (5th, Cardinal-Lemoine) -- Le Cosi (5th, Cluny-la-Sorbonne) Also, we're going to try Cafe Constant (7th, Ecole Militaire). Finally, I have heard a report about a new resto in Neuilly. Any leads? This would be for dinner with elderly parents who live in Neuilly, so ambiance is a factor. Thanks!

We are just back from 10+ days in Paris, with several meals at restaurants selected from comments in this forum (plus some other sources). I have also included some brief descriptions of meals at the homes of French friends. Some overall notes: Our three best meals: Taillevent (M. Solivérès has obviously earned the confidence of Parisians, and M. Vrinat was constantly attentive in the dining room); Claude Colliot (the French food press has been questioning why he does not have at least one star, and now we have the same question); Spoon Food and Wine (I know that this recommendation will be controversial in view of earlier posts, but we had a wonderful lunch). Trends: whipped/frothed sauces are very "in" Best courses: Colliot: Foie gras tiède et crémeux, caramel de truffes (soup/mousse of foie gras, served lukewarm in a froth of cream and truffle) Taillevent: Ravioli of langoustines and a sauce of shellfish in a basil reduction Spoon Food and Wine: served as an amuse -- consommé of langoustine en gelé, with cream of Rocquefort and minced vegetables Lower rated (in our view): Balzar, Le Train Bleu (unremarkable food, but in an extraordinary room overlooking the trains, which made it a good spot to entertain elderly family for Sunday lunch) Following comments are chronological (that's how I kept my notes). Please bear in mind that we are simply travelers who love good food and we are not food professionals (thus translations and spelling, to say nothing of judgment, are probably uneven). Thursday lunch: Georges (Centre Pompidou), 4e Salade mache For R: Shrimp and vegetable tempura; for K: smoked salmon with blini; for E: ziti with sautéed morels in creamed mushroom sauce Wine: Sancerre Thursday dinner: Brasserie Balzar, 5e Saucisse Petit salade For R:Roast lamb; for K: cassoulet; for E: steak au poivre Wine: Brouilly Friday lunch: café off the Rue de Rivoli, memorable for outside table on the sidewalk with southern exposure in full sun. Crottin with frisée, salade compagnarde Friday dinner: L’Angle du Faubourg, 8e Menu Degustation Capuccino celery soup with truffle Rouget planche with bouillabaisse sauce wine: Languedoc Cuvée Aurelles Braised lamb shank wine: Gevrey Chambertin (Melpin) 1999 Chocolate croustillade Sunday lunch: Le Train Bleu (Gare de Lyon) Saucissions chauds de Lyons; K: braised endive Filet of duck breast; K: poached salmon fromages Monday lunch: Spoon Food and Wine, 8e Amuses: consommé of langoustine en gelé, with cream of Rocquefort and minced vegetables Steamed shrimp and pork “ravioli” served with steamed vegetables and red pepper sauce, in a Bento box Pan seared tuna, satay sauce and wok sautéed vegetables wine: Reserve Monnier (Burgundy) Desert: for R: nougat ice cream “Toblo” (covered in chocolate and served in the shape of a Toblerone bar); K: pear Belle Helene Wednesday lunch: Taillevent – Menu Degustation Foie gras with fig marmalade – Sauternes Ravioli of langoustines and a sauce of shellfish in a basil reduction – white from Languedoc (Hérault) Viennoise of scallops with foamy sauce of watercress Roasted milk fed lamb with pepper from Espelette, served with potato gnocchi and artichokes in a pepper sauce – red from Pyrénées-Atlantiques Chevre breaded à la ciboulette (chives), served with reduction of balsamic vinegar sauce and red onion Layered crispy crepe with lime cream sauce Chocolate cream egg with pistachio crème anglaise Thursday dinner – Chez Michel, 10e (Gare du Nord) Traditional regional dishes from Britanny: fish soup, oysters, stewed sweetbreads Friday dinner Restaurant Claude Cholliot – “Le Bamboche”, 7e Menu Découverte Velouté de potimarron (chestnut flavored pumpkin soup) Foie gras tiède et crémeux, caramel de truffes (soup/mousse of foie gras, served lukewarm in a froth of cream and truffle) Filet de Saint-Pierre poêle et graines quinoa (pan-cooked filet of John Dorry served with puffed grains of quinoa) Côte de veau, abricots secs et épices (roast veal, served with dried apricots and spices) Wine: St. Nicolas De Bourgeuil-"les Malgagnes" Larme de chocolat Samana, sirop d’olive noir (chocolate tear drop with a trace of black olive syrup) Armagnac ************* Meals at the homes of friends: Tuesday night, with M. & Mme. _____ in the Sixth: Champagne, crackers with tapinade and fish roe Smoked duck filet, mache salad Roast venison (chevreuil), chestnuts, home-gathered mushrooms du bois in wine sauce Fromages Tarte citron Saturday lunch with M. & Mme ____ in their country house outside Paris Smoked salmon, spinach and Boursin roll Braised rabbit with roast potato Fromages Chocolate cake Thursday lunch with Mme. ______ at her apartment on the Champs de Mars Cold green bean salad with foie gras Poached salmon with cold cream sauce and tomato Tarte douceur

I have a wonderful series of lunches/dinners booked in Paris later this month (Taillevent, Bamboche, Train Bleu, Chez Michel (10e)), but I need advice on ordering wine. Specifically, will the various "menus" (edited to answer Bux's question: I meant menu rather than a la carte) typically have accompanying wines by the glass, or will I need to order a bottle or two to spread over the courses? At Taillevent (lunch) and Bamboche (dinner) there will just be two of us, so I would prefer to order by the glass. But, even though I am fluent in French, I don't want to be tagged as the "fou Americain." Any advice would be welcomed!

Here is what the critic from Le Figaro had to say two days ago about the promotions and demotions. http://www.lefigaro.com/dossiers/adv/figar...imon_070203.htm Edited to remove long string requiring morizontal scrolling to read page. Clickable link remains --Bux

On short notice I am leaving for Paris, with a lunch date on Sunday 23 February with elderly in laws who are retired in Neuilly sur Seine. Suggestions for lunch at a restaurant with parking (valet or otherwise) available or a garage very near the restaurant? I would hope to find something in the range of 30-60 Euros per person. By the way, other restaurants planned during my stay (sans in laws) include l'Angle du Faubourg, Ze Kitchen Galerie, l'Astrance and possibly Violon D'Ingres. Bux: I will report via a separate post when I get back.

These are wonderful and useful suggestions. Merci bien! RPD

In response to earlier posts: (i) I am interested in "baby" bistros only to see what the ownership is offering, but (ii) I am really interested in finding the best bistros, regardless of famous affilations. Again, if there is a good thread on this already, please point me to it! Thanks, RPD

For a lengthy stay in Paris in Feb, I am looking for reviews or lists of the "baby" bistros. If they are already on a thread here, I apologize, and please point me the right way. Thanks! RPDKPD