Busboy

That would be the owner, wouldn't it?

IMHO it should be a sin to even mention these two restaurants together. For those of us who have missed one or the other, why? Minerva is vegetarian only, right? Heritage & Indique are on top of the pyramid, serving very good food in a wonderful ambience and charging for it. Minerva on the other hand serves average quality at popular prices. They are simply in differrent categories. Minerva is not vegetarian though. Call me old school, but in certain moods I prefer the extraordinary graciousness of dining at the Bombay Club near the White House. I think the food is nearly as good as Heritage and as good as Indique, the martinis are stupendous (made with Bombay gin, of course) and both the room and the service elegant and relaxing. And on a temperate evening, it is the only one of the three restaurants to offer outdoor seating.

Last summer in Vacqueyras we could see the village bell-tower -- the clocher -- from our bedroom window. The same clocher was on the lable of pink stuff that became our primary cooling medium during the record-breaking heat, at 15 euros a half-case or something ridiculously cheap. Alas, Vacqueyras La Clocher is unavailable in the U.S. But, after throwing away uncounted dollars trying to find out where good rose came from, I finally learned that Cote du Provence, Cote du Ventoux (Tavel and Bandol always seem a little pricy, to me) and anything from the villages around Vacqueyras generally do a proper job balancing fruit and acidity, and produce a great, crisp, summer wine that does not taste like white zinfandel. Looking forward to the arriveal of the rose season -- and to checking out the pinks from Puglia et al. Edited to add the word "crisp", because balmagowry got it right.

I hope he can change the place -- I've been going there pretty much since it opened and, while the competition has improved, the quality has declined, the selection has narrowed, and the prices have risen. And the people who work there often seem neither to know about the food or care about the customers. Kind of sad, given how groundbreaking their performance once was.

Clearly, you are a man of wealth and taste.

One of our local DC boys has been poking around your neck of the woods (bayou?) and come up with an article that raises the question of whether all this chatter about crawfish -- which even we Yankees have at least heard of and probably eaten -- just a cynical ploy to distract us from the existence of Ponchatoula strawberries, and keep local prices low? "the product of one of those exquisite unions of botany and geography that have made famous the Vidalia onions of Georgia, the Hanover tomatoes of Virginia and the wine grapes of Burgundy:"

Hey- another member of the DC caucus. Welcome. Regarding the car, you will need one if you want to go exploring the countryside, but pretty much not for staying on the coast. I'm sure you can pick up a rental at the Nice airport so it may behoove you to just rent one for a day or two, and devote the money you saved to more food and wine. Just think -- abstaining for three days might cover a 3-star lunch with Ducasse in Monaco, and you can roll into the hills on day 4. My limited experience in France is that reservations are relatively easy on a couple of days notice. (Though, again, I yield to Menton1) The cult-ish (and deservedly so) La Merinda doesn't even take them more than a day in advance or over the phone at all. There's a small cafe with a view of the front door a block towards the sea, where you can stake out a table and wait for someone to unlock the front door and take your name. It's a hell of a lot more fun and a lot less time-consuming than trying to get into Babbo or the French Laundry. And don't forget, you'll be off-season, and you'l be able to make reservations mid-week. Eating unfashionably early -- 7-ish, or so -- works well and frees up your evenings for strolls along the Med or impromptu pastisse tasings. As a Washingtonian, it may take a day or two to get into the Nicoise flow of things, I know it did me. But once you do, you'll find that weeks-in-advance reservations are a lot less important there than here.

nashman1975 I am overwhelmed with envy. One morning two Septembers ago I woke up in a hotel room in Beaulieu-sur-Mere (the aptly-name "beautiful place by the sea") to see the morning sun illuminating the tile roofs below and the hills rising up from behind the village, and instantly "got" the Cote d'Azure. I walked up to the town square for coffee and bought two bottles of olive oil from the market there, the only souvenirs that seemed appropriate. Then, last September, my wife and I spent four days in Nice and found the city to be utterly charming, filled with color and food and energy. We are going back. You can spend a fortune on excellent food on the Cote d'Azure -- as anywhere in France -- although two major restaurants lost stars in the last Micheline Guide, Chantelclair, in Nice's Hotel negresco, and Reserve de Beaulieu, in the Metropole in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. The Michelin Guide online is a great resource, you can search restaurants by a variety of factors, including "macaroons" if you're in the mood for star-grazing. Maybe more fun, though, the street food and cafes are delightful. I hope you'll have the opportunity to sample both starred food and street food while you are there. We've also found the Michelin "Bib Gourmand" (look for listings with a picture of the Michelin Man's head next to them) restaurants to be consistently good, as well as good bargains. You can search them on the Michelin site, as well. This thread has my full report, as well as great advice from others who know the area far better than I (Note that Menton is the name of a small town on the Italian border, the last stop on the French train that runs up and down the coast...Menton1 knows this area well). Note that, if you are staying in town, a car is not necessary. At least between the Nice and Monaco, the trains are cheap and run regularly. If you are a walker, you could probably walk from Nice to Cap d'Ail (if not further) in day, encountering a new town and new dining opportunities about once an hour, and take the train back. This an excellent way to work up an appetite and see the sea. Have fun.

Mark Furstenberg wrote extensively about the trials in Slate last year. Note that there are five entries, to the "Diary" click through all the days of the week to get the whole piece. Babka -- I wonder if I've bumped into you waiting in the bread line at the Mt. P market.

So, what is the proper way to crumble?

Excellent. This has my vote too. The picky eater is in as long as: 1. Someone agrees to be my tour guide, and 2. That someone doesn't try to sneak in any stuff they know I won't eat. Come on...a little shredded jellyfish or tree fungus never hurt anyone.

FDR was evidently a serial crumbler. One of the lesser-know facets of the political rivalry between FDR and Huey Long was debate over the proper method of crumbling corn bread into pot-likker, the water left if the pot after cooking up a batch of greens. Perhaps one of our Cajun crew can fill in the details, but the jist of the story is that FDR brought up his love of cornbread and pot-likker to embellish his populist credentials, while the Kingfish ribbed the president for crumbling in the wrong, essentially snobbish, fashion.

American etiquette considers both the use of either the "American" style and of the "European" style of knife and fork-handling correct. I don't, however, know if we have a reciprocal agreement with the EU in this regard.

It's a Rijsttafel This site has some background on it towards the bottom of an interesting article on Indonesian cooking.

We had a kind of middle ground for this when I was little; of course I was taught NEVER to call grown-ups by their first names, but there were quite a few people who were such close family friends that being Mr. and Mrs. seemed awkward to them. Many years later I was surprised to learn that I didn't really have quite as many aunts and uncles as I thought.... Of course all this "courtesy" nomenclature was discussed and agreed to beforehand by the adults involved - I just called people what I was told to call them. People should be addressed -- by peers as well as children -- as they wish to be addressed. I ask my children to address adults by their honorifics (?) but if Mr. Steitz prefers to be called Paul, that's his decision, not mine. I have a weakness for Victorian-era novels in which a gentleman's asking a lady for permission to address her by her first name is tantamount to a marriage proposal. That may be a little much; what would I have called Mrs. Busboy in the years before I asked for her hand but after we had moved in together? But any movement away from 9-year-olds and telemarketers calling me "Charles" on first meeting would be appreciated.

If I met a four- or six-year-old with perfect manners, I'd be afraid, very afraid. It does take quite a while for good manners to become automatic, so keep plugging and don't worry. And (in my experience) boys take longer.

Amen. I called my in-laws Mr. and Mrs. for years after my marriage. Finally, one of them said, "why do you always call me 'Mrs. Schehr'?" I said "Because you never asked me to call you 'Audrey'." I was probably 35 at this point. I'm not usually that formal, but I knew she had a very strict sense of propriety. She claimed that they'd asked me to address them by their first name some years before and that I'd forgotton, which happens sometimes when your father-in-law is in the liquor business and most meetings come during the holiday season. I knew if I couldn't be rich, being (as Miss Manners puts it) "excruciatingly correct" would make me at least partially acceptable as a son-in-law. I expect if I'd ever called her "mom," she would have knifed me with one of those razor-sharp Sabatiers she kept in the kitchen. No first names from kids in my house.

OK, we're definitely sticking around for this one, no matter how many seats (or how few) are available. It was good meeting so many folks last night, and we would certainly have loved to stick around last night, but we couldn't see inconveniencing 14 other people in a crowded restaurant when we had helped cause the problem by making only a tentative commitment ourselves, and screwing up the count. One thought for this and future gatherings: A few restaurants around town have "pre-theater" dinners that might offer budget chance to sample a good place. Bistro d'Oc at $19.95 and Marcels at around $50 (Bargains being relative things) come to mind. Another thought, on the Chines line -- all my life I've been eating in Chinese places that offer and "Emporer's feast" or some such thing on the first page of their menu, available only for groups and only when ordered in advance, the implication being that this is the chef at their best. Might be worth looking into.

Ready for their return: Baked potatoes with sour cream (not in foil) Crinkle cut french fries Hot dog buns with flat sides for grilling in butter Classic sauces Meat, salad and two sides for a reasonable price Caraffes of drinkable wine for $10 Jacket and tie required (only at some places) Ready for their demise: Brining Tableside suggestion selling, especially water and desserts Martinis made with anything other than gin or vermouth California wines Marketing department "hip" Salads

I'm not much of a brunch person but tend to book at Old Ebbit when forced to set something up for a Saturday. The brunch can be much more pricey than the breakfast (from what I hear of the breakfast) if you stray from the basics or knock back a couple of glasses of wine, but there's a good selection of basic food (burgers, oysters, salad) and it's a nice room in a good location, especially for out-of-towners. Let me take this opportunity also to re-second the notion of heading up to the Hill to check out Eastern Market to check out the food and the flea market, and lunch at Montmartre. One final thing: If you end up strolling by the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial, check out the Einstein statue on the North side of Independence avenue. He's usually surrounded by blooming gardens this time of year, and you can sit in his lap.

If you can work the timing, my trick is to hit the area at 6:20, find a spot, and park at 6:30 exactly (ok, 6:25. Shoot Me). There's a garage on Floriday Avenue just off Connecticut that's about 2 blocks from the place. Look for the Vision's Cinema.

Away from food for a minute -- if you can rouse the crew, get to the cherry blossoms early. Like, cop a Starbucks and be there at 7AM. The Post is reporting that the blossoms will peak this weekend, the sun will come out for the first time since Monday, the Parade is Saturday, the 10-miler on sunday. The Tidal Basin will likely not be a scene of zen-like tranquility. This should come in handy. The guide and schedule can be reached by clicking on the link in the upper left hand article. Note also the "How to beat the crowds" tips. As for food, just to pile on: I prefer Pesce to Johnny's as a little more raffish and less crowded, but both are great. Though I don't like the place myself, a lot of people swear by the pizza at Pizzaria Paradiso, and a recent review of Sette, while praising the restaurant otherwise, called its pizza inferior to Paradiso's. Also on that P Street strip is my favorite Thai in DC, Sala Thai. Ask for the nam sod and the drunken noodles. And, if you crave Chinese, Mei Wah, on New Hampshire and M, is just a few minutes walk. If you need to get away from mom and the sis, I recommend martinis with the swells at the Palm, on 19th Street between M and N, or brews with the riff-raff at the Lucky Bar, Connecticut Avenue and 18th. If you can make it over to 17th and Q, Trio's (diner), Trio's Sub Shop and The Fox and Hounds share an owner and offer a trifecta of low-rent repasts: Trio's diner for, well, diner food; The Fox, for onion rings and a great dive atmosphere; and the Sub Shop for a great cheesesteak or a decent pizza, after a few hours at the Fox. Have fun, see you early Sunday morning. Edited to recommend that you go to Eastern Market on Saturday, but avoid Tunnicliff's -- crowded and forgettable -- and consider spending the dinner money on an invariabley delightful and well-priced lunch/brunch at Montmartre. You will look like a star for bringing the crew there (assuming they like French). Then you can gat a BLT at Trios for dinner, and make the 16-year-old happy.

You're kind of creating a false dichotomy, though. One can certainly teach one's children to use a fish fork and, at the same time, to understand the environmental impact of overfishing. Teaching manners is not restricting, in fact it's liberating in that gives people guidelines for behavior outside familiar settings. As a former waiter in a formal restaurant, I can assure you that tonight, across this great land of ours, hundreds, if not thousands of witty and delightful individuals will be failing to make fine conversation because they are angst-ridden over which fork to use and where to put their napkin. Teaching that manners exist, even in the kitchen, also alerts children to watch for cues when travelling in other cultures who dine more formally that we do.

You can do that (normally) by searching via Entertainment Page, but currently that portion of website is unavailable. The Bush Administration is partially responsible for this. I'm usually happy to blame anything from bad weather to flat champagne on the Bush administration, but am unsure how he's interfering with restaurant reviews. Do tell.

There are over 2,500 stations in France; how could they get x ray machines and the staff necessary to accomplish this? You can't stop a suicide bomber anywhere; but closing the luggage bins may discourage the use of unattended time bombs like the ones used in Spain.... I'm unconviced. It's just as easy to throw a backpack in the overhead bin and get off at the next stop, or head down to the bar car, as it is to leave it in the main bins by the door. My family was fortunate to be travelling at relatively slow times: tt does not appear to me that there is nearly enough space for a full car of serious travellers to stow their luggage in a reasonable way.