Busboy

You know, I just don’t buy that. Yes, a great writer can write about anything. I enjoy reading about Apple’s adventures eating hot dogs with his wife in Chicago, and I’m sure many writers could do a fine job writing about the ins and outs of wieners and buns. We all have food in common. But a critic -- and in this case, a restaurant critic -- is an entirely different species. In a review, the writer must pass judgment and allot stars. No one is saying “who is Johnny Apple to write about hot dogs?” But I’ll bet there are a number of chefs in Manhattan right now thinking, “who is this Bruni guy to judge ME!” You know, here's my problem with this line of reasoning. If the chef can't convince an intelligent, open individual that his food tastes good without that individual having to spend years researching, say, the peasant foods of Andalusia, that chef probably isn't any good. I didn't realize a person had to earn a right to judge a Keller or a Ducasse, I just assumed people do it every day, while they dine (without having even submitted a resume!). Granted, a writer with a deeper knowledge of the particular cuisine he's reviewing, will provide more depth and understanding in his review, and both he and his readers will find their dining pleasure moderately enhanced. And, if Bruni is good, he will continuously add to the store of knowledge he brings to his work. But, given a diner/critic with an open mind, a chef that can't succeed on the strength of the plate he puts in front of the diner deserves a poor review, no matter how many years of tradition or how many volumes of theory lie behind his work. Either it tastes good or it doesn't, and everything else is just a question of degree. A critic with excellent instincts and journalistic fundamentals -- as the Times, evidently, believes Bruni posesses -- can mature into greatness.

In addition late night music, it should be noted that, after years of trying to get a bite after the symphony lets out, I've discovered that very few DC restaurants welcome diners after 10:30, even on a Friday. BdC does, until at least midnight and BF does until until 4 AM or something (at which point you'll finally be able to find parking in Georgetown). I think there may be another place in the Dupont Circle area that does so, too, but I can't recall its name...Had some good oysters with a spicy tartar sauce there, once.

BdC-- in fact, I think I'll go there tonight! I think BdC benefits heavily from its atmosphere. There's no question that it's tremendous fun, a great place to hang out, laugh, drink and get a decent meal. I go there a lot. But the food can be uneven...limp fries, tasteless steak (get the onglet, not the steak frites), dry chicken. On the other hand, the mussles are consistently good and I like their cassoulet, and their charcuterie quite a bit. As for the service, you have to go with the flow. Control freaks will likely have a very bad time. I'd go there with a gang of friends. For a little more money, I think Bistro Francais in Georgetown delivers generally better food, a greater variety, and a little more elegance -- if that's what you're in the mood for. I'd go there on a date. No one mentioned Montmartre on the Hill. Bright, airy, family run it (like the other two) is also distinctly French not only in food but in feel, but in a more modern way. They serve bistro fair, but they also have more contemporary French food, stuff that feels French but hasn't become a household name, as, see confit de canard has. I'd go there with a business associate I liked. I went to LePic once, and thought is was overpriced for what it delivered, but yield others with more experience. Perhaps they went downhill when the two guys who opened Montmartre left the staff. Finally, can anyone comment on Bistro d'Oc? PS: Actually, I'd go to any of those places with anyone (except I don't think dad could handles the service at DdC) They're all great in their own way.

According to the Cleveland Park Historical Society, (thank you, google) their Safeway closed in 1987, so it was "Soviet" several years before Whole Foods came to town. It was dramatically dingier than the 17th St. Safeway, where I had been shopping on and off for years by then, as I moved from apartment to group house to basement in various neighborhoods. I don't know which Safeway first earned the term (the old 7th St. Safeway on Capitol Hill was pretty grim, too), but Cleveland Park certainly seemed the most deserving of it. PS. Has anyone ever gotten a date in the "Social Safeway?"

I go to the Giant on 7th every now and then, usually when I'm in that area getting wings from the Philadelphia Pizza carry out on 9th and O. I used to go there regularly back in the early 80's, and it's still occasionally jarring not to be the only white person in the store -- and to see a selection of wines for sale. The great thing about that store was the old guys that would idle out front, in middle-aged 4-door sedans, waiting to give you a ride home. It was a great service if you didn't have a car, costing three or five bucks, and the drivers were always old neighborhood types who loved to talk about the old days. In between rides, they'd hang out out front and shoot the breeze with one another. They saw their friends and picked up a little supplementary Social Security, you didn't have to schlep home 50 pounds of groceries. Sadly, I think they're gone now.

Actually, when I first started hearing these "___ Safeway" titles, the "Social Safeway" was, as it is now, in Georgetown. The "Soviet Safeway" was located across the street from the Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park. It's now an independent grocery store whose name I can't seem to pull up, even though I go there all the time. It was the Soviet Safeway not because it was evil, but because the store was so small and dingy, and the selection so small -- much worse than any of the Safeways vying for the title today. Anyone remember the Safeway on, like 9th and G? That was pretty scary, too. The Sodomy Safeway (very incorrect, and rarely ) was the one at 17th and Corcoran. You didn't hear this one in casual conversation too often, and even then mostly after you'd been drinking with people who lived out of the neighborhood. I never heard the Adams-Morgan Safeway called the Spanish Safeway, but it seems obvious, in retrospect.

babka -- I think for a large group event on a Friday evening we will need all the language support we can get. On the one hand, my brief exchange with the woman by the cash register is not conclusive proof that her English is not better than it appeared to me on a brief conversation. On the other hand, the fact that I kept asking for a banquet menu and about chef's specials, while she kept telling me to order from the carry-out menu, signalled the potential for misunderstanding if we ever entered into more detailed negotiations. We should probably look to our fearless organizer hillvalley for guidance regarding when we can get a hard count; and to all for ideas on how to balance the gleeful anarchy of free choice (in small restaurant) against the tyrannical efficiency of central pre-planning.

I don't want to dumb down this discussion now that we've elevated it beyond gastronomy and into the realms of chemistry and agronomy. I would like to suggest, however, that once you begin exploring the bread at these levels, you're moving way past general observations and into the realm of personal taste - not what you need to make great bread, but what you want in a particular loaf. You like this yeast, I like that yeast. You like this wheat, I like that one. Some hate baguettes, I love ficelles. So, let's go back to a variation original question -- "why are French breads so much better?" The answer is, in a lot of ways, they're not. As with New York Bagels, the excellence of the top few purveyors lends a cachet to lesser producers that, frankly, they don't deserve. I know from rueful experience as a tourist in New York City, that if you randomly walk into the first store claiming to sell "authentic New York Bagels" you will likely get crap. Sure, you may be only a block from some legendary bagelry, but you're a tourist (you forgot to check eGullet) and you're eating donut-shaped Wonder Bread. My experience in Paris has been better. I had Patricial Wells and, since I compulsively check out boulangeries as I walk by, I have never lacked for good bread in my few trips to that city. But, of all the bakeries I check out, maybe a third are worth looking into seriously. If you pay attention, Paris beats DC, where there are now several excellent bakeries, for sheer variations on the theme -- they surely have more breadmakers making distinctive stuff. But outside of Paris, French bread sucks. Small towns seem to have no real breadmakers left; even if you get to the market ("we're out of bread, honey, what village is having their damn market today?") at least half the bakers there are turning out pedestrian loaves, and you can forget this "fresh twice a day" routine. I can only handle that many tourists every 48 hours. Even in Courchevel, the ski resort so posh that Beckham brings his personal secretary there when he needs a good shagging, the bakers -- especial the one that called itself "artisonal," sucked. Regardless of the wheat and yeast and shape they choose, bakers who care about their product will turn out a pretty good stuff, and bakers who don't, won't. The last breadmaker to make me look back at my plate and say "holy shit" was the guy who seems to have just started baking for the (extremely fracophilic) Pentelikon Hotel in Athens. In Greece, and in the U.S., there seems to be proof that the number of bakers who love their craft are rising. I hope the reports of their repopulation of France are true, as well. There are wonderful bakers in France. But, the idea that you can just explore any corner baker and strike a worthy boule -- equal to the cheese and wine the French still seem to churn out effortlessly and affordably -- strikes me as more romance than fact.

I'm curious to know what particular stores you frequent. The quality varies tremendously, with the "Social Safeway" at one end and the many in-town stores harmed by the fact that they are old, small and serve a less-affluent customer base. On the other hand, my experience with large, suburban outlets here, in Denver and in the upscale suburbs of Atlanta leads me to believe that much of the difference between those gleeming behemoths and babka's and my little Soviet Safeway is cosmetic. For the record, I've only ever been in a Harris Teeter once, and was deeply disappointed.

This has to be a joke! Okay, now that this is established I feel better. Hey -- those are great ideas! Though I prefer Dukem to Meskerem. Ben's at 2AM is a complete freak show and the kid would love it.

Be more passionate than analytical; celebrate food, not design; help us separate the profound and timeless from the merely fashionable. And, when tempted to take yourself too seriously, remember the famous description of what it takes to be a football coach: "you have to be smart enought to do it well, and dumb enough to think it's important."

What about the 50 or so restaurants that he reviews while he's on his "learning curve"? Will it be insignificant to them? Robyn You have a credentials fetish. The New York Times, which, admittedly, has a mixed record in hiring restauarant critics, has chosen to hire someone whos resume you do not approve of. You have never met the person (nor have I, admittedly), you have never dined with them, you don't know their tastes, their passions or their ability to compellingly summaraize the abstract thinking that goes into our restaurant review. Yet you suspect, first, an "affirmative action" hire (as though pulling a gay man off the international beat and putting him on restaurants would be an advace) and then accuse the New York Times of putting a political hack on circuit court...as though being a restaurant critic were as important as holding power over people's lives. If you were coaching a football team, would you draft the player with the best proven skills, or the one with the greatest potential? I don't know how the Times makes its decisions, but attacking Bruni for not having the resume you want -- before you've read a review -- is juvenile. Hell, here in DC we've got Tom Seitsema, who has a spectacular resume and is yet as bloodless as Grimes was. Without having read your paper, I don't know if your critic at the Florida Times Union is a genius on the way up; a hack in the back pocket of every restaurant owner who can comp a meal; or a competent mid-level professional for a decent regional paper. I do know that they haven't proven they can handle an international beat at the nation's most important newspaper. Rome bureau chief is not food writing, but it allows one to demonstrate certain basic skills that every journalist or critic needs if they are to excell. And, for those 50 restaurants, better to be reviewed by someone with a passion for food and an ability to communicate, than another bureaucratic ticket puncher from the minor leagues. PS, let us note that our own Fat Guy's career in food writing -- inconsistent but trending towards brilliant (so shoot me, FG) -- was a bit of a random turn from his previous career. But like Jake Barnes, he had affecion, and he's great. Maybe Bruni will be, too. Until we have something to read, try not to sound so shrill.

Amanda and Grimes told the NYT that they needed somebody tough enough to take on an entire foreign government, to stand up to the NYC eGullet crowd. That's how Bruni got the job.

Yeah, that's really annoying, and I tell waiters off when they do that, as in: "I need change for that five." "You want change?" "Yeah, if you want a decent tip." It seems as if the servers can't win because I'm the other way. I find the automatic return of seven singles in this case to be presumptuous. In Pan's little dialogue, the server deserves a wise ass answer because, after being told that change is needed, he responds idiotically. Not IMO because he brought back a five and two ones. If you want all ones, ask for it up front. Just my 2 cents... In my day, we always brought back the small bills in hopes of picking up the extra single or two. Waiters play the percentages and they know that if the diner has a choice, the waiter is about 20 times more likely to get $3 than they are to get the five-spot on a $13 tab. A Waiter who gives back a five two singles is probably...just bringing you your change change.

One thing to recall when discussing the Bruni choice is that reporters at major newspapers routinely change beats for reasons ranging from boredom to family to a desire for a well-rounded career before being bumped up into an editor's chair. The New York Times surely feels that anybody talented, experienced and intelligent enough to hold down a major foreign bureau has the basic skills to move into a different part of the paper -- be it food, business coverage or stalking the Washington beat. If he has the fundamentals to be a good food writer -- a palate, a keyboard that can sing, curiosity about and a true lust for good food -- his lack of current experience will be insignificant a year from now.

I dropped by Full Kee today and they appear not to have a banquet menu. A significant language barrier prevent any detailed discussion of what "off the menu" specialties the kitchen might have. It seems to be a fairly compact little place, though, with one chef behind the stove, so some further attempts to at least warn them and perhaps have a few dishes prepared in advance -- soups, appetizers, maybe -- may keep us from overwhelming the kitchen.

Lots of help already on eGullety, if you just look under "France" in topics. MemberJohn Whiting has his own website on Paris bistros, which is both thoroughly researched and compellingly written. This thread has a number of suggestions and links on the subject of affordable Paris dining. And I myself am addicted to the Michelin website. Click "restaurants" up top, type the Paris arrondissement that interests you where it says "city, area," like so: Paris 07. Then you can limit the flood of restaurants that will come up by looking under the "search criteria" and clicking one or two options: children's menu, say, or starred restaurants only. I am a huge fan of the "Bib Gourmand" restaurants which offer excellent food at under 38 euros for the three-course menu.

All kids are different, but I think my 11-year-old daughter enjoyed picnicking on quais down near Nortre Dame and Ile de la Cite as much as anything. She also enjoyed just rambling through the city, with the occasional stop for ice cream or frites. We stayed in the 5th and then in the 7th, she seemed to find places like Boulevard St. Michel and the crowded areas near the bookanistes fascinating. We did almost no traditional sightseeing -- missed the Louvre again -- and nere had a moment of boredom. The Eifel Tower remains pretty cool. Perhaps, as a local, you'll know a goof time to go when the lines aren't as absurd as they were the night we climbed up.

My children are 11 and 15, and I have found Parisian restaurants wonderfully receptive to them. In fact, I think that I get better service when I bring them, and that Parisians, like everyone else, enjoy introducing well-behaved (mostly) kids to something in which they take great pride. I do make sure they are well-dressed and not too "American" -- no sneakers, shorts, or fanny packs for dinner. The biggest problem is that they are not particularly adventurous eaters, which is how we discovered that the French do a pretty good job at pizza -- if you find your children are not warming to, say, tripe sausage, there are plenty of wood-fired pizza ovens to be found on the Left Bank. If you are staying in the Invalides area, I cannot speak highly enough of Clos des Gourmets, which mixes a very graceful feel -- most male diners were in neckties and the room oozed casual elegance -- with a very reasonably priced menu, 32 euros, I believe. They were very welcoming to our family, speak enough English to get you through dinner, if need be, and the tete du couchon was the gastronomic highlight of 10 days in France last month. 16 Ave. Rapp 01 45 51 75 61

It just occurred to me, as I relive my last trip to the south through this thread, that if I were back on the Cote d'Azure, I would spend one evening watching the petanque players in Villefranche sur Mer. If you wander up the road fom the quais, in the direction of the old castle, there's a private petanque (the local version of boules or bocci) club on your right and a sheer drop, to the base of the castle, on your left. You can't get in the club, but there's plenty of space under the plane trees to spread out with a little wine or sausage or what have you, and watch the players play. It's impossibly delightful, with the castle on one side and three generations of boules pitchers on the other, and guaranteed to be a bit of Provence that has not been mucked up by tourists or development.

I have not eaten at Full Kee and don't know if this is the case, but often, at Chinese restaurants, there are "banquet menus" available only to parties ordering in advance. I am all for ordering one's own meal. However, if there is a banquet menu and that menu does offer specialties or a tasting menu not normally available, it may be worth ceding a little bit of control and putting ourselves in the chef's hands. I will try to get down there over the next week and see if there is any reason to consider making some type of prior arrangement with the restaurant.

Bruni is a lucid and intelligent writer. He has spent a good deal of time overseas developing, one assumes, an understanding and appreciation of cooking and cultures outside the U.S. Restaurant reviewing is neither as important or as nuanced as other beats, including the other food beats on a quality newspaper -- it will be wonderful if Mr. Bruni is familiar with the history of blue cheese from Auvergne, it will be more wonderful if he can taste a good cheese course from a mediocre one and describe the difference on Wednesday mornings. Even more important, it remains to be seen whether Mr. Bruni brings and true Dionysian enjoyment to dining, or operates as an ascetic with a food byline. Given his abilities and judgemnent as a journalist, if he can demonstrate the he truly approaches the table with an organic "I enjoy eating" approach, his reviews will likely be cogent and useful.

I guess i've never been there in good weather. Never noticed it.

I got into a bit of a shouting match with him myself, back at les Halles. My wife wanted to boycotte BdC when it opened, ("I'm not giving that asshole my money")but she came around. BTW, he probably spells it Michel, though the pronunciation of both names is the same. I like the way they cheese out at BdC, near the door, under a mesh dome, so you can see how nasty (in the best sense of that word) and runny it's become as you walk in. Almost looks like my fridge at home.