BigboyDan

I noticed this disclaimer, seen at the end credits: "Some elimination decisions were made in consultaion with the Food Network".

Now that's humour... Paris.

Hey, I love the stuff... took a butter making course once myself.

Oooooh, butter snobs... My US source: http://www.gourmetfoodstore.com/buttersand...-and-creams.asp

It's up to 70 euros, review in French, includes menu: http://veryeasykitchen.blogspot.com/2006/1...au-crillon.html

Three and a half years-ago they were ...

Every person in the kitchen, except maybe the Executive Chef, is always looking for his next job - we all know it, we all support it.

Well, again, we are talking about few in number - demi-gods pastry chefs that is. And savory demi-gods like Keller, Guy Savoy, Robuchon, Mina, etc. are flocking to Vegas, and elsewhere, for the money, and the exposure. Exposure of one product becomes really important at a certain time... no less for pastry. But hey, I'm all for pastry demi-gods slaving away in a tiny kitchen in a mid-50's restaurant for little money... love the food.

Local farmers can compete better if their market prices become similar to that of commercial farms. If general market prices rise to the level that local farmers need to make their mortgages and put their kids through college..., well, there might be more of them. Here in Austin, we've been buying locally grown produce for decades, I'd like to see that done in more places.

As said elsewhere re. restaurants, high quaity food in less expensive surroundings. Organic foods are just starting to get a real foothold, and due to high prices of commercial products ($4.50 fo a gallon of milk), we may see a larger return to local artisan foods in retail and resturants.

The fact is that the best pastry people tend towards hotels/casinos, or large pastry outfits, because of scale. If I were a pastry demi-god, I would not work in a high-end restaurant that only offers six desert choices per evening to a hundred patrons. I would want work at the Winn...

I have a flat in the 5eme, the two that I frequent: Maubert Market in Place Maubert on Tuesday, Thursday, 7am. to 2.30 pm., Saturday, 7am. to 3pm. Metro: Maubert-Mutualite. Monge Market in Place Monge on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, 7am. to 3pm. Metro: Place Monge.

There is a God!

Here's one that I received as a gift (jokingly given): "Endangered Species Cookbook", by Buck Peterson.

Traditional cuisine is local cuisine. That's it.

Depends on the ingredients and whether the bread is toasted. Peanut butter and jelly on bread, half cut; grilled ham and cheese, diagonal cut; BLT, four-square, etc.

Nope. But, I've heard stories. I love this line from a bio (soooo damn funny): "Jason particularly appreciated his time with Chef Corky Clark—an exacting teacher who taught him everything he knows about fish butchery." http://www.ciachef.edu/admissions/spotligh...asp?iSpotID=540

For the most part, no matter where you eat, you'll eat well. You will need to get a handle on what's available and reasonable for your travel itinerary. Budget for each day's meals: choose a specific restaurant for each day's dinner, reservations may be required. You can be flexible about where to lunch and snack. And, don't waste belly space on non-French food, you can eat pizza and tacos back home...

The banquet department is its own thing, still under the F&B, but with their own kitchen, personnel, and budget.

The era of "novelle cuisine" was an effort to realign caloric needs with that which was necessary for its patrons, meaning that the 1970's revolution of French fare had a purpose behind the fashion. The Chez Panisse "lead" revolt of processed food served in restaurants (adding a local product sensibilty as well), had value beyond its cultural message. But, I do not really see WD-50, The Fat Duck, Pierre Gagniere, El Bulli, etc. offering their patrons, past the sustenance, much more than novelty.

Any of the schools will do you fine - especially if you want to work for a place that requires a culinary degree - one curicullum is not necessarily better than another. One concern that does make a difference is where you go to school. Attending a school in San Francisco, New York, or here in Austin does allow you to live in a "foodie" area with lots of local culinary assets, much better than doing it in Cincinnati or Fort Lauderdale... By the way, I have a Cuisine diploma from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, 1979.

OK, I'll ask the question for all of us non-NYers: where is the "douchebagging district", and why is it so named?

Getting more help in the kitchen had better be an option, or I'm quitting. But, the most obvious way is to slow down the seating.

Sure. Austin.