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Help or updates for restaurants. We are staying in Acqui Terme. Will travel for great food. Can anyone provide updates on the following restaurants (Antine, Da Cesare in Albaretto della Torre), or other advice? We dined at Da Cesare about 6 years ago and loved it, but haven't seen any recent news or updates. We also dined at Della Posta and enjoyed it; though found the meal to be quite "heavy" and overwhelming....couldn't eat for two days afterwards. We are going in June. Last time we went at the end of October for white truffle season. This time it will obviously be quite different. Any advise is truly appreciated!!

← Algy, Thank you for your help....what is the way to ask in French eg, "Chaque entre entre deux personnes"? Thanks again, Mark

While there are two choices, menu or a la carte, I frequently see situations where people compose their own tasting menu from the a la carte side. Obviously this can get quite costly; however, are people often ordering 1/2 portions, or splitting 1 course between two people. Are *** such as Troisgros or Lameloise willing to do this, or is there resistance? Thanks.

I can't find the exact size of Ch Grillet, but I think that Romanée-Conti may be smaller at 1.8 hectares - don't know if that's the smallest though! ← Romanée-Conti is not an appellation. Vosne Romanee is the appellation. Re: the other place in Tain-Hermitage - are you referring to Chapoutier? Cheers! Mark

Kraft Dinner (Canada), and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (USA) are DIFFERENT products, marketed for two different markets. Canadians prefer the stronger cheese flavour and tend to eat it on its own, thus Kraft Dinner - it also has a darker yellow color. The American Version is much milder, and lighter in color. Americans tend to have it as a side dish - compared to Canadians. As "dual citizens" living in Washington State, we often bring back KD from BC when we visit. We'll have KD once every couple of months when we get a craving, are lazy, and feel especially cheap Note: I'm referring to the original; not all the white chedder, etc variations now available.

Thanks, all, for reminding me why I moved to the US!!

Bill was wondering ( and so am I) about the late summer weather. Was it a wetter than normal summer in Northern Italy which would predict a great year for the truffle? I've tried to search for weather reports, but can only get day to day - not a summary of August and Sept. PS - Bill thanks for the advise re Da Renzo. Mark

...of course, this day and age, one can simply do a google search to see a picture of Mr Bruni Bruni pics

To all that posted above Do you recall the meal cost, or more specifically, the cost of the tasting menu? Many thanks. Mark

Carpanitos (in Kent) had fresh Wasabi in September, I believe - it was fantastic. I think it was from Oregon.

Ethan seems to be well known by all of you. Where was he before? Hopefully my wife and I can stop by for dinner in the next two weeks! Mark E.

Chocomoo, I'm sorry but I'm not clear. Was Pastis or Cafe de Paris the resto that gave you trouble? I assume it wasn't Le Crocodile, since you started off your post praising it. I thank you in advance for the clarification. Mark E.

Correct. Interestingly, they have usually steered me to the black over the white truffles. They are not close in flavour compared to their European counterpart. Mark E

Ling, Quattro has always underwhelmed WRT food. I have been to both the 4th ave and Whistler locations. Havent been to Il Giardino in yrs. Hope to hit Pastis at Xmas time (or Crocodile) to check it out. It used to be called just "Pastis". Any changes, or just trying to go with a "hipper" name? Mark E

Dear friends, My wife and I are looking at dining at either of these two restaurants, and are mainly trolling for recent updates. I realize Le Croc is more elegant and refined, and Cafe de Paris is going to more closely approximate a bistro. Are they as I remember them 5 years ago? Have there been any new revelations? Getting down to basics, which one would YOU suggest. Thanks, Mark E

Coop, Although I wouldn't like the wine police to show up at my door, I've had a lot of success with BYO. Unfortunately a wink, wink, nudge, nudge "you know that's not allowed " formality ensues followed by a dinner with reasonable corkage. Unfortunately the Top Table group and La Regelade seem to be the only ones who are too rigid to bend with the times (unfortunate since West is one of the better restos in the Lower Mainland). Lets lobby the government to follow Alberta's lead!!!! Mark E.

Coop, ...maybe a tad explicit , but I wholeheartedly resent the ridiculous wine markups I have encountered at Lumiere, as well as several other B.C. restos. Even when one takes into account the Government monopoly, it is truly shameful that mediocre wine should be priced as a luxury item: wines that sell at the local BC liquor store with markups of 250-300%? The food at Lumiere is another matter - inventive, precise, technically superb, and many meals there still rank on my "all time meals" list. I agree with your assessment of Seattle restos, and my recents favs have been 1) Harvest Vine 2) Saito (for sushi; incidently I honestly feel sushi, in general, is superior in Seattle. Is that because sushi in B.C. must be previously frozen by law??) 3) Bai Tong (food, not atmosphere) 4) Eva Hopefully I'll be adding Cru and Feenies to my Vancouver list. I always appreciate your dining reviews and assessments! What's the word on Union? Mark E.

Re: unfortunately all too rare in Vancouver Are you serious? I have to say, as a Seattleite who grew up in Vancouver, we travel to Vancouver for well priced (see exchange rate) and excellent quality food. Sure, not on par with Major US. cities such as San Francisco, NY, Chicago, etc...BUT on a per capita basis, more exciting to my palate than Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Kansas, Boston, D.C., etc... Perhaps the grass is always greener... But for my money and palate, Vancouver and environs come pretty darn close to a world class food region. In fact we'll be checking out your fine city this weekend - two new spots for us; Cru and Feenie's. Also gotta try Red Onion as I haven't been there for a couple of years Now, talk about the over priced and restricted WINE LISTS in B.C, and we will have something to agree about. I'll reserve judgement about Feenies until after this weekend, but if it's anything like its bigger sibling, I'll get ready to bend over and grab my ankles!! Mark

Tony- the master of all that is hedonistic- (or anyone else), We will be in Roses in May 2004 as part of a return trip to "you know where" , and based on your decription, Rafa's is a must go. Could you provide other specifics - is it a full-on restaurant, or more like a counter setting like Cal Pep in Barcelona. Also, when is it open? Thanks again! PS when will your show on El Bulli air? ...hope we haven't missed it Mark E. Shoot!! I just realized the answer to the first part is posted above

Friends, We are in the preliminary stages of plannin a trip (5 days) to immerse ourselves in the Basque culture and food. This thread has been enlightening to say the least! May I ask the most recommended way of going from Barcelona to San Sebastian? Flights are pretty pricy ($400 USD), but it seems to be the only truly convenient option. However, do people recommend taking the train or driving? It seems driving would be 6 hrs or more, and a train would be overnight. Also, for 5 nights, would you recommend a car? Many thanks Boris

Well, El Bulli emailed me to confirm reservations for May 2004. I can start planning my trip; and thanks to the amazing input from this board will appreciatively heed the advise given. We will definitely spend the first part of the trip in Basque territory!! Mark

Friends, I grew up in Vancouver - Kerrisdale, to be precise. I now live in the Seattle area. I have eaten at Moderne Burger, and they make a solid well-made burger; however, I prefer the "White Spot" classic burger. The main purpose of this response is as follows: The circa-1985 burgers at Red Onion are the BEST I have eaten in the city, although I always preferred the Double Dog with cheese . Things had not changed the last time I went to Red Onion 3 years ago but I guess they are presently rennovating? I hope they are done by the time I make my next visit - hopefully at the end of Nov. Interesting that the fries have been so highly touted by others, as I have found they come across as near-burned, limp, and greasy in the past. Perhaps they have changed? My suggestions - Cheeseburger with fried onions and "special sauce" - which is a very mild mustard-mayo based concoction. I know your "rules" suggest a plain burger, but I suggest the following; the complete burger experience is what is important. What defines the "experience" is that individual restaurant's interpretation of THEIR unique burger. Whether those distinctive features are placed inside the patty (the DB burger with foi gras, truffles and braised rib), inside the bun (cheese or onion), or between patty and bun, is irrelevant - each burger joint should be judged based on its best burger. BUT....I really have to push the double dog with cheese, fried onions and special sauce!!! ( Insert emoticon of Homer Simpson drooling here)!! Mark E.

Pedro, I sent an email to El bulli 3 weeks ago - no response, and so I re- sent it Oct 24 and got a response this AM. Mark

Pedro and Robert, Thank you for your responses. I provided El Bulli with specific dates in May 2004. Their response was quite cryptic; due, I'm sure, to translation problems. What I am really asking is whether they are already fully booked for 2004, or whether they are just simply overwhelmed with requests and haven't yet devised a strategy for dealing with them. I will address other issues I'm sure will arise from this post: Yes, I know there are dozens of other resto's throughout Spain of high acclaim, and that I should not perseverate on one restaurant. We went to El Bulli two years ago and were truly blown-away. Since we are already planning a trip to the Basque region, I decided it would be worth a "side trip" back to Roses - hell, it will only be a two day detour Thank you for any further tidbits of advise Mark E

Someone else recently inquired about reservations at El Bulli for the next season. I have emailed them and their first response suggested I contact them after September, which I did. A recent response to specific date requests was as follows: RESERVATIONS 2004 Apreciados Señores, Due to the extraordinary demand that we are receiving for 2004 we are surpassed and without options to find a solution in most cases. We will try to give you an answer as soon as possible but we are obliged to explain you that the management of all the requests will be complicated and slow to go on with. If at the end we can not find a solution for your request you can resend it one month before of an available date for you and we will revise if there are changes that permit us to find a solution. In that case we will contact you to revise together the option again. Please accept our sincere thanks for your interest. Atentamente, Luis García P.S. For my wife and I this will be a return trip from 2 years ago. This time we will also hit Arzac in the Basque area. How far ahead should we start arranging resto reservations to avoid disappointment? Many thanks, Mark E.