Busboy

Here in DC, we're in the second week of cheap and plentiful non-hothouse, farmer's market strawberries. At the same time, the Hatian mangoes -- provacative green things sculpted like a middleweight's biceps, with pulp the color of a volcano sunset -- have arrived. Some weekends I make strawberry sorbet with mango sauce. Others, I make mango sorbet with strawberry sauce. It's an extraordinary moment, one I look forward to every year. I put a little lime in the mango puree, along with the syrup, and sprinkle a bit of balsamic in the well-strained strawberries -- and a pinch of salt in both. The missus asked for it for Mother's Day. And the adolescent boy, as he was eating it, gasped in delight. The pints of berries devoured. Worth every dime and every second of work, just for the smiles. The point of this, by the way, is not (just) to brag, but to send you in search of those green Haitian mangoes (or the little yellow "champagne mangos") but to suggest another rite of Spring to follow your first embrace of asparagus and ramps.

Odd construct, implying that less (apparently) sanitary markets reflect a passionate and desireable embrace of roots. I suspect that we're dealing instead with affluence, distance from the farm, bureaucracy and a certain Northern European passion for order. To wit, "Americanized" markets have the cash flow to support can-dusting operations and we are detached enough from the places our food comes from to forget that dirt and manure are often involved in food production. We have a health bureaucracy that does many important things -- it's much safer to eat food in America than in many places in the world -- but they also have time on their hands to craft ridiculously specific and demanding regulations. Note that cheesemakers in the EU are under threat from the bureaucrats in Brussels, who have taken their mandate to make food production sanitary to the point where traditional and delicious production methods are in jeapardy. And, let's face it...the dominant culture in the U.S. is still largely Northern European and we/they tend to be relatively ordered. Plus...not the best food region, so imposing strict hygine standards, regardless of the culinary side effects, makes sense.

As a card-carrying leftist and communications consultant, I can assure you that you are not actually, officially "prejudiced" when you don't feel like buying food from an ethnic market with substandard (by gringon standards) hygine. As a resident of a neighborhood where most of the grocery stores are heavily Latin and vaguely grungy, I understand your hesitance. But I would say, trust your instincts and the local health department, not because it will make you a better person but because you will get your hands on better food. Certainly, even the most obscure market gets the occasional inspection these days. And you can tell most truly skeevy stuff from the edible just by looking and smelling. We have a market nearby that sells fresh fish, most of which, on most days, do not look happy to be on sale. But we keep our eyes open and occasionally land something swell for half the price we'd pay in an upscale joint. So, don't feel guilty, but maybe feel a little more adventurous.

These are the sammies we had. I think the pork cheeks are on the right. Fortunately the kids lacked the sense of adventure and the wife lacked the stomach capacity to finish off theirs, so I had Salumi buffet for two days on the leftovers. If you're training, I recommend picking up a bottle of the best wine that still tastes good in a plastic cup, and swilling and snacking the whole way home. BTW, if you are indeed "soon to be" in Portland, you should know that you will be within driving distance of one of the most kick-ass farmer's markets on earth.

Oregon or Maine? 'bout three hours as I recall.

We only ate there once, after a long drive up from Southern Oregon. Apparently we'd hit the jackpot: pig cheek day. We sat in the cramped back room and drank the serve-yourself wine from juice glasses and fell into a conversation with an older gentleman with a law degree and one eye on the register who seemed please to talk liberal politics with folks from the other Washington, in between tending to the last trickle of the lunch rush. Altogether charming and delicious,

George Clinton and P-funk are playing at the Nice Jazz Festival Saturday the 22. I can't think of too many things that would be more glorious than working up an appetite/thirst by funking out in a Roman arena, and then catching the bus back to the Old City for cheap wine and great street food. (Sadly, we're leaving town the 21st)

You can just go to www.viamichelin.com and, after registering, search. It appears to be relatively useless, however. Of the three one-stars in Athens, I liked Spondi quite a bit. Remeber: when taking a cab anywhere in Athens remotely off the beaten track, bring either a map with the restaurant's location or a the phone # and a working cell. Cabbies got completely lost on trips to three of the rstaurants on this list, and we made it to others only because we had Greek speakers in the cab. This is a fun informal guide to tavernas, fish places, good souvlaki shops etc. This site can be useful, as well. If I were going back, I'd be tempted to return to: GEFSEIS ME ONMASIA PROELFSIS for excellent modern/continental takes on traditional Greek food. Proprietor speeks French, btw. up in kiffissia. Kifisias 317; 210 6202 158 ARISTERA-DEXIA; very modern takes on classic Greek mezze-type dishes. Excellent and unique flavor combinations. B. Tzaferi 11 & P. Ralli, Gazi, 210 342 2606 HYTRA: Athens by way of el Bulli. 7 Navarhou Apostoli, 210 331 6767; Classic Fish Taverna: KOLLIAS FISH TAVERNA, Kalokerinou & Dramas, Pireaus; 210 46 29 620; www.kollias.gr (Your cabbie will likely not know where this is. Tell him or her to head towards Piraeus Harbor, and then take Agios Dimitriou into the Tampouria section of town. Odos Dramas is about 14 small, dark blocks down Agios Dimitriou from the harbor. Take a left and Odos Kalokerinou is five blocks down.) If you are in the neighborhood of the National Archeological Museum and are hankering for an informal bite, Alexandria, which serves excellent Greek/Egyption food and Patcute which is all roast meat, all the time (try the grilled pancetta) are both just around the corner, though I believe Alexandria opens too late to be convenient for an immediately post-museum bite. Patcute: Plattia Victoria (Victoria Square) 14 at Aristtelous 90; 8836355, 8836326. Alexandria: Metsovou 13 - Mouseio (Museum) Tel. 30 1 8210004. CAFÉ AVISINIA is fun for for the sheer glee of eating there and hearing the music, if not necessarily for the food. Also convenient to antiquing and the Acropolis 7 Kinetou St. at Avisinia Square 210 32 17 047; There's also this topic thread, best and worst Greek Dining Experience, and this one, which is largely Athens-centric.

Bought and ate ramps for the first time last Sunday, a very good soup with cream, potatoes and bacon. Anybody feel a little odd paying five bucks for a scrawny little hank of weeds? You'd think hillbilly sould food would be a little less pricey -- something along the lines of cress, which comes in nice size bags for a few bucks.

Regarding the "too much liquid" motif, at Thomas Kellers suggestion I cover mine with liqid and cook, under one of his paper hats, for about four hours at 250. Generally we have tie them to the bone with twine to keep them from melting away, which leads me to believe that, from a tenderness standpoint, there's no such thing as too much liquid.

You may also want to consider timing your trips to SC to concide with the (Wednesday?) farmer's market. Based on my experience there I'd say it's well worth the hassle of filling an empty beer case with extraordinary produce and tucking it gently into the the overhead bin, even if you have a pretty good market back home. Good bread, too.

A false dichotomy. Most of us are just looking for a decent meal, and have a good idea what that entails. Don't let people who think Chili's is a big night out define the terms. Any moron (myself among them) call tell good food from bad if they care to.

I wonder why Spurrier doesn't just pull the needed bottles from his cellar and do it without the owners around. Maybe he could fly in Mr. Grgich (I have a soft spot for him because my first "holy shit" moment with a Cali chard was with a Grgich) just to thumb his talented nose at the hesitant owners.

I once attended a speech/cookbook signing/dinner/press hit for a noted New York chef who, maybe a dozen times before dinner, said "I just want you to know that the great food were having tonight came from my cookbook, but it was Chef X and his incredibly talented team that did the cooking tonight. He said it so often it started to become oddly irritating. Only when the dinner was served did we understand the true meaning of the many complements: "I am in no way responsible for the shit you're eating tonight." Apparently pros can screw up a good recipe as quickly and profoundly as the various aunts, nieghbors and co-workers populating this thread.

Actually, there's a fundamental difference between, banning cigs, big macs, Lebanese blonde hash and so on, and banning foie gras. In the former cases, the government is forcing you what's good for you -- inherently suspect, even though, like your mom, they are often right. In the latter case, the government is acting to protect the weaker entity from being arbitrarily deprived of life, liberty and pursuit of hapiness by the stronger entity. Not inherently suspect -- in fact, a fundamental job of government -- though, perhaps, not applicable to ducks, who have no legal standing.

I'd ask those who recommend Normandy/Brittany what the beach scene is, as I assume your girlfriend's not looking for a rustic beach and a chill drizzle coming off The Channel. I am aching to spend time again in Normandy myself, but would not go there -- based on my admittedly limited experience -- expecting to hang on the beach as you would in, say California or the East Coast. On the other hand, one assumes that the Cote d'Azure is too crowded and expensive. What about near the Spanish border? Either on the Med side or the Atlantic? No experience but that's my best guess. PS: If you like music, look into the festivals. We have rented a place in Nice in July (only 300 euros for the week -- maybe you can afford the Cote d'Azure) and it happens to coincide with a Jazz Festival. And then we got another apartment in small town a couple hours inland -- a classical music festival! who knew? Anyway, once you narrow down the search, it's probably worth googling the tourist boards and seeing what's in the 'hood. And if you want to know about the apartment in Nice -- which I assume is brutally small but is in one hell of a location -- PM.

Nothing makes me crazy like the wine not arriving in time. Once I was on my own and on an expense account (dangerous combo) in South Beach, at the Blue Door in the Delano Hotel. When I ordered what turned out to be an excellent lobster, I specifically asked that the order not be put in until my bottle (of white burgundy -- told you I was dangerous) had been brought. When the lobster scuttled in before the wine steward I gave the server (not my waiter, but another member of the team) a look half-way between confusion and daggers and he asked me was something wrong? I told him about the wine and he swept my lobster away very dramatically. Moments later the manager showed up with my wine, and a few moments after that the lobster -- or what appeared to be a new lobster, as it had not deteriorated in the slightest for being back in the kitchen -- reappeared. The apologies were numerous and almost painfully sincere. Dessert and a glass of sauternes were comped. I tipped well.

This thread may be of some help, though the information we've gleaned is a little up the road from Montpellier. On the other hand, if you get a day off and want to know a swell spot to dring pink wine on the riverbank and jump of cliffs into the Ardeche, we can tuen you on to a spot, and you can go to one of the places in the thread afterwards for dinner. If you find any good holes-in-the-wall between the Rhone and the Pyrenees please post. And, while you're on the coast, find a shellfish joint and tell them that you want to eat "violettes." Here's another thread that may have daytrip sugestions to Gard and Alpes-Maritime, and which is definitley a place to post any discoveries you make.

Crackers beat me to the punch but Friday night, with a friend in town, at the end of a hellish workweek -- not the end actually, as both the Mrs. and I worked all weekend -- we decided that it would be cheaper and easier to Raydiate than to cook at home, where we routinely spend $20 a head anyway. Boy did we make the right move. The steaks were great but, oddly, coming from a nice boy who speaks such good Hebrew, and made his bones with red meat, the uber-traife crab bisque may have been the best thing I've eaten in months. We washed it back with a Rully that proved that white Burgundy can actually be affordable and delish. And, when my Washington-snob buddy demanded a wine from the Pacific Northwest ("you're as close to Europe as you are to the Walla Walla, get out of the rut," I suggested, but she wanted a wine that shared the same Husky purple hue as her blood and alma mater), Senior Landrum came up with a Washington Cabernet would blow the doors off a good number of Bordeaux and Calis costing twice as much. Service was a delight, my friends had a wonderful time and I may go back this week to get irRaydiated again. Work is still hell.

What bothers you about it? ← There are no unhealthy foods, just unhealthy eating habits. ← I'm not persuaded that Twinkies are not unhealthy foods, in a deep and profound fashion but I dislike the phrase as well, as it somehow seems to take the hint of moralism that I like to see in the public discourse, out of it.

Mark Bittman in the New York Times on some less expensive but -- to his palate-- quite delicious spots, including a place in much-discussed Villefranche.

I would love to have a new kitchen but I don't think a new kitchen would cook better food than the old one, so I'm not sure how much happier a new kitchen would make me. A maid to clean the damn thing? That would make me happy.

Dumb questions: Gin, being a distilled spirit, doesn't age, does it? Is somebody barreling gin? Has the style of gin -- being that it's a neutral spirit flavored with aromatics -- changed since the 30's, so that an old gin would taste different from modern styles?

Hey -- I'm always in for a good food fight, and I hope and believe Denver is serving better food than since I lived there. But when I see places like Mel's, Le Central, Vespa, and The Palace Arms on top lists, it makes me think that the progress is, at best, incremental. The thought that Denver can be mentioned in the same breath as New York or San Francisco as a dining destination is ludicrous. That being said, I am strong with Denver for Mexican, Vietnamese and --though here in DC we probably have the best of it in the country -- Ethiopian, and I said so. I think Potager is a treasure and I think Barolo is a fine restaurant. It's not snobbery to expect the food to live up to its hype - though it is snobbery to dismiss Colorado's green chili because it doesn't comport with your New Mexico memories -- and eating in blue jeans doesn't necessarily make the food taste better.

Looks like Citronelle is backdrop to a minor political fluff-up: a $2800 dinner -- the defense contractor and the Congressperson now seeking a Senate seat. Story here. It's always harder to connect with the common man when he's asking himself how the hell can you spend a month's salary (his salary, anyway) on dinner two. "It is not clear what the cost of each meal was, but the fixed-price menu at Citronelle ranges from $85 to $150 per person. The restaurant carries wines that range in price from $30 to $5,500 per bottle. Wade's favorite wine, according to a restaurant employee who knows him, was a $1,000 a bottle French Bordeaux." C'mon Mark, dish: what's the Bordeaux that's worth a thousand dollars and a Senate seat? Also, is "French Bordeaux" more expensive than the other kinds?