BigboyDan

Piege is still at Les Ambassadeurs; I talked to him yesterday by phone, he was at the Hotel Crillon when we spoke.

Tricky, always. Two different issues here, people that won't leave in general (at closing, say), and those who are lingering at a table that you need for the next group. Our rule is to never reserve a table for more than two servings each evening (three hour apart, minimum), and always have an extra two tables available, unreserved - for VIP walk-ins, and overflow. Chef's table is control by the kitchen and not the FOH.

BBQ is our high-end.

... stroller set..., too funny.

What robyn said. And, my main point, is that if Robuchon wanted to run a 3-star place again, he could very easily do it for real in France.

I don't see any justification for this statement. Care to explain yourself? ← Live in France for ten years, and work in 3-star restaurants, as I have and you'll understand. You ever eat Tex-Mex in Berlin? Silly.

Great report - I'm going to France with my 20 year-old daughter over Christmas, so for me this whole thread has been fun to read.

A French 3-star restaurant can not be replicated in Las Vegas, Tokyo, or New York - it's base cynicism for those who open them, and foolishness of those who dine there. I mean, come on Joel; you decry the French 3-star eatery as a thing of the past; you hate Ducasse for it, the globe-trotting, absentee "Executive chef"... then you do the same...

"A great restaurant is one that is there to please you." Robyn And some restaurants are there to fleece you.

"Loose meat" hamburgers, very well loved in Iowa and South Dakota, oddest thing; here. Cincinnati chili, with spaghetti as an ingredient; here. Yeeeeech! Horchata, a milky, sweet rice drink origionally from Spain, Mexican's love it. Nasty; here.

Are they going to sell La Tour D'Argent to Legendre? That's about the only way that I could see him really going there from Le Cinq. The latter restaurant has got to have the best kitchen in the city; the perfect match of place and chef. Then again, Legendre is a star getter... and Piege would be worthy...

I second the Standard Diner, always a must before going to the airport, or after attending a sporting event at the University of New Mexico - on Central.

The best way to do it is to use the spoke system. Stay in Paris at one hotel, and rent a car. From there you can visit Versaille, the Loire and the Cathedrals - all on day trips and back. Find a charming hotel that fits your needs in Champagne, and use that as your base. Again, rent a car. This area has a lot to offer in both the modern sense, and historical. Day trips can be made to Alsace, recommended highly; and you can drive straight south into the northern part of ancient Burgandy, Dijon highly recommended. Making day trips and back to the same hotel is preffered to that of packing up and moving every several days. Bordeaux is a separate trip unto itself. Take the train from Paris to Bordeaux, during the daylight hours. And, again, stay at one hotel (make sure each hotel you frequent has a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner). You'll need to rent a car to visit the whole area, and the wineries. Don't forget to make reservations with the wineries well in advance for tours, many will be open; same for the Loire, Champagne and Burgandy. Make sure that you make resevations with multi-starred restaurants well in advance. Also, from Bordeaux you can cross the border into Northern Spain and visit San Sebastian - highly recommended. You'll be visiting fairly safe places concerning petty crime, and you'll have exellent hospitals if needed; but as always, secure your personal items and papers, stay aware of your surroundings and those of whom you find yourself around. A trip of a lifetime... and congrats to you and you husband to be.

No slight to Ducasse is intended in any way. It's a traditional desert - and a difficult one at that; it has been served for many decades across France. At the Hotel de Paris in Monaco it's a daily standard, as everyone wants to try it, given the history - the Louis XV pastry team does it very well. And, yes, thanks for posting a translated recipe.

An omlette, the test; one can or one can't.

maxwellh I'll put up with weak service for good food, especially from a new place. As far as the higher-end Pesca, Las Ramblas, and Sage, these are all newly opened, but are headed by good chefs and have plenty of backing. Hopefuls for the long term... You didn't like La Frite obviously; I enjoyed my visit there, you should give it a once-more...

EW: What do you think of the Michelin rating system and of the Chefs that want to give back their stars? JR: The world changes, the customer also… The guests want more simplicity and the first thing they want is quality on the plate instead of better décor. The Michelin Guide needs to adapt itself also to address this evolution. Tell that to the diners at Le Cinq, the Plaza-Athénée, Le Grand Véfour, and the Louis XV. The death of the grand three-star is greatly exagerated, even by Joel himself, if the Mansion in Las Vegas and the self-named Toyko grandiose multi-million costing imitations are indicators. Joel making a buck, yen, pound... good for him.

Alcocer is just not a very good cook. Also, Ron & Peggy Weiss and Jeffrey Weinberger (founders and owners) are turning 60 and are coasting, they own several other restaurants as well. The thing is that Jeffery's has always had an exellent chef, Raymond Tatum in the beginning, and Garrido for the last ten years. We'll see what they do...

Use wings in place of feet if stock is to be used for clear soups.

One history: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfrenchfry.html Another history and a word translation; the Cantonese word for potato, shu: http://www.belgianfries.com/index.cfm?Module=histor3

WF used to be very uncentralzed, in every way but accounting. I know, I managed the Prepared Foods department at the WF on Research Blvd. in Austin for two years, 1992-93. I could, and did, buy from local suppliers across food catagories, it was encouraged to no end. At the size that WF is noe there is simply too much expense involved in not centralizing, in every way. It was fun while it lasted.

Otto's Brau Haus in Horsham.

maxwellh, You need to eat on the Westside for good Tex-Mex, and be sure to practice your Spanish. Also, I agree that there are only several exellent restaurants in SA, especially at the so called top-end (it could be worse, you could have to eat in Houston.) But, there are some really good places that deserve patronage: Pesca in the Watermark Hotel; Azuca in Southtown; Cafe Mariposa; The Lodge at Castle Hills; Chef Brian Montgomery's new Texas Farm to Table Café in the old Pearl Brewery; Cebu on Nacogdoches for seafood; Las Ramblas in the Hotel Contessa; La Frite on S. Alamo; Massimo Pallottelli's new Sage Ristorante in the Fairmount Hotel (as Polo's finally closed); La Paloma Blanca on Broadway; Silo, as Mark Bliss is back. And, I never go down to SA without eating at one or the other of San Antonio's standards: Schilo's, Nadler's, Chris Madrid's, La Fogata, or The Liberty Cafe.

A great desert, but not a Ducasse recipe, developed long before his time. One gets a piece of this when renting a room at the Hotel de Paris...

Here's a classic menu from a standard type BBQ restaurant in Austin, The Pit Barbeque, been around for five decades: Menu