Busboy

Let me be clear: if you have to even ask this question, have not had a proper crab cake. Come 'round my place about mid-July when the tomatoes are at their best and the local corn's coming in, and I'll give you a little crab cake lesson -- everything from Old Bay and tartar sauce to that 90's-era mango salsa stuff you had in Washington (a great state, and Dungeness crabs are wonderful, but they ain't the stuff of proper crab cakes). It's what summer tastes like. (You may have a problem in that the cost of crabs is so ridiculous now, that yer local shack can't really afford to put out a decent cake for a reasonable price, so they're selling fare that would not equal the cakes of yesteryear. Think about that next time you fertilize your lawn.) PS: Grilled crab cakes are for wimps.

See, that's what I don't understand. He did describe it as a "foodie Disneyland." Rancho's take seems spot on...he was clearly charmed. I still thing the $8 eggs, even at $7, are a little absurd, though. Off to my own market! Sadly, no pancakes.

glad i could fulfill the stereotype! seriously, i didn't have so much of a problem with it. it's just lazy and glib. i mean really, setting the ferry plaza building up as a representative of what's typical and then parading through it as some kind of "everyman." it's like interviewing the taxi driver ... a cliche. might have been more interesting to compare it to a similar place in NYC ... let me tell you about my breakfast at the Regency Hotel--$8 for a dozen eggs would have been cheap. Try $50 for a bowl of yogurt, a corn muffin and a cup of coffee. did see geraldo rivera and al sharpton shaking hands in the men's room, though. ha! those new yorkers. insert a couple of laugh lines and you've got an alan richman column. ← I'll grant that he breaks no new ground here but, at this point, I'll take "lazy and glib" over lazy and fawning any day. I was walking home from work and trying to think how one would take a different look at the Ferry Building culture without sounding like either a) a shill writing for an airline magazine or b) a breathless acolyte of whatever left-ish sounding food movement has caught your eye at the moment. Which, in turn, reminded me that, even though I still don't like restaurant reviews as a genre, I'm liking reviewers more and more because they seem to be the only food writers with any critical faculties left (present company, and a few others, excepted). Anyways, given that he liked the place, should we expect another gushing thousand words of praise for something that we've all already agreed we like in advance? I mean, San Francisco, local, orgainc, hand-hewn -- what's not to like? So why not have a little fun with the place -- a touch of vinegar and cayenne to give the butter sauce a little zing? It might have been cliched, but it was hardly mean-spirited. And, Russ, I'm totally behind you on the New York Hotel breakfasts and the plutocrats who eat them. Go for it, I'll defend you to the death!

See, not to stereotype, but that's the kind of crunchy, sensitive, natural-fiber response that we East Coasters expect whenever your subject to what is by our standards gentle ribbing. I read the piece as an affectionate look at a place where Richman found some really good food. It contains an embarrassment of praise -- including for eG member Rancho Gordo. I don't think that he feels that the focus on natural foods is naive and unrealistic, I think what he finds amusing the kind of hush-voiced reaction that people have to what is, in the end, just dinner. And there's a certainly a strain of self-satisfaction that infects the artisanal food world that deserves a bit of mockery every now and again. Against the backdrop of (pick your favorite global crisis), selling expensive food to affluent people only moves us so far towards a better world. And yes, the $8 eggs are ridiculous. I mean, get real. The description of the pancake breakfast is priceless: One of the reasons I like Richman is that he'll step in and take a shot at a sacred cow. Now Orleans food. The artificial ecology of the Vegas dining scene. A bunch of people in $400 sweaters thinking that they're saving the world with their olive oil selection. To my mind, there's way too little of that going on these days.

My immediate thought would be to have a drink or two, get a little attitude about my tab from one of the bartenders and give a whole lot of attitude back in return, beginning with a rant about all the money I'd dropped in the past year and ending by stomping out while loudly vowing never to return. Sadly, as much fun as this is, experience teaches that it rarely leads to a successful resolution of the problem. And, in addition, I've found that friends, posters on eGullet, bartenders and my own self often get our knickers disproportionately twisted over minor communication lapses or slights that are more perceived than real. If there's a compelling reason to favor that particular bar with your regular custom, rather than asking strangers to determine who's "right" and who's "wrong", why don't you go in early one night, talk to one of the owner-bartenders before it get loud, explain what you think you know and see what they say? Good tips for them, a friendly local with the occasional free round -- this could be a win-win. Of course, they could be thin-skinned dicks, you could be being wrongly blamed for another's sins, or you may have committed real sins yourself that you may not even be aware of, but which have earned you justifiable enmity from the bar's staff. But you'll never find out by asking here.

Interesting piece about a delicious Mumbai tradition. Once again a "slow food" tradition trumps McD's and even expense account cooking. A trade that seems almost as outmoded as the buggywhip business is actually growing 5-10% a year. This strikes me as good news.

You can book for any number (up to six).

Well, I have little sympathy for those who complain about the expense of pre-cut fruit (welcome back to the light side) and don't eat much prepared food except for Vace pizza, but I concur with you in that the fish I saw being served at Izakaya was a bit frightening, and the fish department as a whole seems to have deteriorated of late, in terms of quality and freshness. I wonder if they're finding that the hard-working, hard-partying (time-pressed, money-flushed?) yuppies that run that particular zip code are more willing to slap down big bucks for mediocre prepared food than for excellent fresh fish, and have adjusted their marketing and displays accordingly.

The mini-bar is a prix fixe (do we still use that phrase?) degustation. In for a dime in for $120, as the saying goes. Six folks sit down at the bar and two hours and 30-odd courses later you walk away, menu in hand, pondering. The price, unfortunately just went up this month. Regarding drink, btw, matching courses is more or less impossible, friends of mine and I decided (FWIW) that a bottle of fizz -- preferably the sparkling wine from New Mexico -- works best.

Why? Because I think Clyde's has one of the best burgers in DC... True, it's not "the best", but there's nothing wrong with it... It's definitely very good! But I guess I am in the minority in thinking this... ← Actually, not only do I like Clyde's burgers, I let my son work for the place. But, the Chinatown/Gallery Place location is out of control. Too big and too crazy and the few times I've been there, the service has been awful. If you want a good burger, go to the Chevy Chase location and ask for... (heck, I don't want to get him fired, he owes me money )

OK, the one time I ever went to a pick-your-own place the strawberries, frankly, sucked. It would have been almost as cheap and a lot easier to pick up a few pints in the grocery store and the taste would have been just as good. So the Washington Post has a guide out today, here. Anyone been to any of these places? Any of them any good? And what are the savings -- since I don't can, is it worth it to drive out and do the work myself? And, has anyone seen peas yet? All comments welcomed.

I agree with most of what you're saying, including more good wines from Languedoc showing up on the shelves. But, whether you're talking local farmers bringing organic lettuce to my neighborhood market or sixth-generation small growers in Gard trying to improve quality, I don't think that the few who emerge in the new economy will balance the many forced out by change. As a city kid -- whether looking at Iowa or Gard -- I vacillate between "screw 'em, they're just a bunch of backcountry welfare queens," and "jeez, this is pretty cool; what's a few bucks (or euros) to keep this place alive." We'll see. And in the mean time, I think I'll knock back some local pork with a bracing Costieres de Nimes this weekend.

That's because I'm way too old and way too frequent establishments where the hook-up potential is the main draw. From what I can remember of those days, nobody went to those bars for the food, either. Did they even serve food? (Personally, I just went to them to have my ego bruised again and again, but I was stupid then).

I went to the Languedoc last summer and, in preparation, tried to make my way through the local paper Midi Libre a few times a week. The crisis in the countryside was a continuing issue and protests, demonstrations and the occasional act of vandalism were common. Whatever you think of the wine (and most of it is plonk, though relatively tasty and cheap) there is a real feeling that a way of life is under fire -- much as, in the U.S., we're treated many stories of disappearing small farm/small town America. The quality of the wine is not the only issue -- there is also the production cost and marketing budget advantages that large corporations in and out of France enjoy compared to France's rural cooperatives, while French wine consumption falls significantly. The locals are trying to respond by increasing quality, branding (Red Bicyclette wine is from the Languedoc and considered a major triumph over there) and cutting production, in addition to trying to hold their subsidies. Whether it will be enough remains to be seen.

.... Frankly, a brilliant bar that serves only potato chips and pickled eggs is not the kind of place we're talking about here. It is honest about what it is, and if the potato chips are tasty and the pickled eggs decent, then it doesn't belong in this discussion, for the food it does serve doesn't suck. But if you're going to bother to serve anything more than that, is it really that much costlier to pay some attention to what you're serving? ← If one calculates the potential future revenue loss impact caused by sloppy practices such as using old dirty oil in the fryolator - it makes good business sense to spend the couple extra dollars (literally) and a few extra minutes of time to engage in sound kitchen management practices. That's true even if the kitchen is the size of the closet and your pantry consists of a freezer full of basic Sysco products or stuff purchased at a wholesale club. When I lived in the NYC area I went on a semi-regular basis to the BB King Club on 42nd Street for live music. There was a $10 food or drink minimum per person and as a non-drinker I was always looking for a reasonable food choice. But the fact is that I'd typically have either a couple of sodas and then a dessert with coffee - a tab of about $20. Better revenue for the owners. Then on one visit I finally ordered "real" food - a fruit and cheese platter. I can live with the fact that the platter was pre-assembled and pulled from a walk-in cooler immediately before serving. But couldn't they at least have used crackers that weren't ice cold? And... worst of all... the ball of "fried brie cheese" was pre-fried and ice cold - it too had come straight from the walk-in cooler! I never ordered food there again despite continuing to visit for music shows. It's not rocket science and the food doesn't need to be great for me to spend extra money when I visit a nightclub.Bbut I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that it at least meet the standards of food I could buy at the corner gas station convenience store. At least once every year when I'm in the DC area I have dinner from the Birchmere Menu before seeeing a show there. It's always basic stuff - a club sandwich with chips or a some pulled pork with fries and coleslaw. It's never great but it's always acceptable - and that's good enough because I like the convenience. In a typical crowd of 500 peopel for a show they usually have about 150 - 200 who eat dinner and another 100 or so who at leasts order snacks (nachos, wings or the like). If they did a really crappy job with the food those numbers would be cut in half or more over time because they rely on lots of repeat business. When I do the math I think any smart business person (and even plenty of dumb ones) would want that extra revenue. ← But you're hardly representative of the target audience (btw, the Birchmere was the club I was talking about when I mentioned the crappy hamburger up-thread). And, as for the general economics of hiring a better cook, hiring more cooks, changing the oil more often, renting a larger space and buying better produce versus the increased revenue from additional food (in an establishment whose main draw is something other than the food) I'd question your economics. People who make a success out of a club usually know their stuff -- it's a tough business to succeed in. And, as for the Birchmere, I'll bet there not one diner in five made the decision to eat there based on the quality of the food. Instead, the did what I did -- got off work, made a quick calculation as to how far from the stage they'd have to sit if they stopped somewhere else to eat, and said "screw it, let's get there early and just order a burger and a pitcher of beer." (Next time either of us are there, btw, we should explore the many Salvadoran offerings in the neighborhood).

I cannot under any circumstances see the White House employing a full-time sommelier. First, even the White House has a limited budget. Second, they most likely don't have dozens or hundreds of different wines in the cellar that have to mixed and matched based on the dinner that night. Third, any competent chef can recommend a pairing for the menu she is preparing; no need to have someone one the payroll. Fourth, since we are not French, the likelihood of any President caring enough about wine parings to employ someone is low -- successful politicians in this country have notoriously little interest in fine dining (Check out the restaurant scene on Capitol Hill). Finally, the politics would be ridiculous: can you imagine the fun the Daily Show and any number of blogs would have with the White House retaining a full-time sommelier?

Too bad about Duffy's. I had a friend of a friend who dated one of the "girls" at the Diamond Cabaret (serious mid-life crisis). Turn out that the dancers hated working the steak room -- the steaks were good enough that the girls were ignored and the tips were low. Must have been a heck of a steak. Is Chipultapec's still the best and possibly the only Mexican Restaurant/Jazz Club in town?

(All walking distance from your hotel) Is Duffy's still open (a Google indicates that it might have moved or closed)? If so, a great place for breakfast (think of waitresses setting their cigarette at the end of the bar before delivering your pancakes to your table) or to close out the night. Not knowing its reputation, I found myself asking directions to Duffy's at 8AM -- I got a few odd looks. My wife still hoes to the Rocky Mountain Diner when she's in Denver for work. A good ol' hangout spot. And I like the Brown Palace, because it's old, because it's lobby is great place for a cocktail and because the Ship's Bar puts out a decent burger with a little local charm. Do they still have that combination Steakhouse/strip club downtown?

You know, there are a lot of places that serve food that people don't go to for the food. No one ever joined a country club for the food (though we hope Steverino can win some fans and converts ). People go to bars for the music or the sex or the extraordinary coolness of the place -- there are brilliant bars that don't serve anything besides potato chips and pickled eggs. Cooking good food always costs more and takes more time than cooking bad food. Why would we expect an establishment whose success turns on the quality of its fairways or its bands or its attitude to spend that extra money on something that its clients aren't there to care about? Given that this whole topic began with a post about about going to hear music, it sounds like people are looking for food in all the wrong places. I went to a local club the other night and had a cruddy burger and indifferent barbecue. Well, they have to serve 500 people who didn't come for the food in the hour before the opening act comes on -- what did I expect? Cassoulet?

Wasn't Jose, whom I know. In fact, I brought up the issue when he stopped at my table. He basically shrugged. ← Read the account in the link. "After my meal, I was getting up. The father, holding the baby in the narrow aisle, met my eyes with a smile and asked how my dinner was." Talk about leading with your chin.... Speaking as a pleased parent of two children (now teenagers -- one a waiter) I still don't understand the parental urge to share the joy of their offspring with strangers and casual acquaintances. And I have been called a bad father on this board for suggesting that dining with my children is not the world's greatest joy, but I would have sooner slashed my wrists than hauled my 9-month-old monster to a nice dinner when I had a chance to spend the night alone with my wife.

What you just described is a popular French market. They're all over the country. You just have to be careful about the Provençal handicrafts but basically it's at those markets that you will find the best stuff. It will take some picking and browsing, but that's what market shopping is about, and those markets are where the locals shop. I'd be suspicious of a provincial market that wouldn't have the bootleg African music, cheap clothes and acrylic blouses, hardware and knives, roast chickens, cut-price china stalls, with all the interesting stalls mixed in, and would put on an "authentic" or "artisanal" look (I am not mentioning the "marchés biologiques" which are a different matter), for that one would be more likely to be the tourist trap. And, as has also been discussed elsewhere, not all stalls at markets have to be owned by producers. Stuff bought from local wholesalers can be perfectly decent. ← I love every kind of French market -- the only point I was making is that in a market like Isle Sur la Sorge (where I bought a nice pair of shorts but passed on the CDs), it can be harder to zero in on the local growers with the best cherries and melons among the zillions of other stalls surrounding them.

I have a philosophical objection to your list. Two, actually, neither of which are unique to your plans so I'm not picking on just you. First, since you have an apartment, I think you should pick one day to go to one of the markets cook your own dinner. Seems a shame to go all the way to France and not enjoy that part of its culinary culture (assuming you like to cook) and, with all the charcouterie, pastry, cheeses and so on available you can concentrate on a couple of dishes and still knock out a multi-course feast with only a modest effort. On my too-rare trips to France, I can't wait for my day in the kitchen. The Rue Cler market is right there in the 7th and I'm sure there are other, possibly better spots nearby if you know which day to look. And, second, I think you should cancel one of your reservations and spend an afternoon/evening wandering around town drinking wine or aperos and waiting for the magic to happen, in the form of some charming side-street bistro that no guidebook lists (if there are any left that someone hasn't cataloged ) which won't serve the best food you eat on this trip but which will somehow be one of you favorite memories when you return home. I notice you have Au Petite Tonneau on your list -- I found that restaurant completely by accident (though it is in a guidebook or two) and consider it one of the great moments of my last trip through the City of Lights. Sure make some reservations. But also set aside time to let Paris happen.

My experience as a waiter is that there needs to be a certain level of activity for everyone to get into the swing of things -- there's a rhythm you get into and service will almost always be best when a place is noticeably busy but not overwhelmed. On a slow Sunday night you can also get a situation where the people are charged with doing two or three things at once, not all of which are their specialties. I worked at one place where on a slow night I both waited tables and cooked, because there wasn't enough business (or the owners were to cheap) to pay a cook. And, although they claimed deliveries were coming in, I've hit some Sunday nights where there clearly weren't going to be many menu selections until the deliveries came in the next day. It's amazing how many times a waiter can say "sorry we're out of that" before they finally say, "let me tell you what we do have."

It seems counterintuitive to get training as a professional so that you can test recipes being prepared for amateurs to use -- you won't catch the mistakes because you're too good to screw up the way we will. FWIW, the restaurant critic for the Washington Post got his start as a glorified intern/gopher testing recipes for the Post food section years ago. Might be worth your while to explore a route towards your chosen field that pays (if not exorbitantly) rather than charges $20K a year.

One minor note to add on this: As has been discussed elsewhere, French Markets can be a mixed bag, with small local farmers often obscured by larger commercial enterprises that buy produce from a wholesaler or the many stalls selling bootleg African pop music, provencal "hancrafts" and so on. Uzes -- whose Saturday market isn't bad at all -- also has a Wednesday market open only to local producers and with a heavy emphasis on organic or "bio" produce. Worth knowing about if you're in the area. Another thought that just occurred: staying somewhere in truffle country might help the long winter months pass quickly -- a few moments of googling "truffle market" might pay off if you're thinking Provence, Languedoc or the Southwest.