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Hang in there, Louisa. Sounds like a heavy-duty learning experience, and not for the uncoordinated. What are the staff meals like lately?

So you liked it, Ya-Roo? What cross-streets is it nearest to? I'd like to walk past and check out the menu.

Unbelievable. I simply have to get someone to take me there some time or win the lottery. (Hell, maybe I'll splurge someday. )

I'm understanding this a little better.

I made at least one suggestion: Christophe Colombe, seeing that it'll be on Columbus Circle. And for what it's worth, this is from www.m-w.com: Certainly, old French used what we'd consider "Italian-style" expressions no longer used in modern French pronunciation (and spelling), but essentially no-one is going to think "French" when they hear or see "per se," so I really doubt that went into anyone's thinking. I guess, considering the meaning of the expression, Keller may be trying to make a claim of uniqueness for his new place. But is that likely to be highly valid, given that he already has the French Laundry?

There's another possibility, Erin: They're inconsistent. I think that's the most likely possibility. Read my earlier thread on my disappointing Good Friday meal at Bouley and the responses, including from a poster who had a great meal at that same service.

Sorry, mudbug, I also vote for the "Per Se is a totally sucky name" party. And old French origins? For "per se"? It's pure Latin.

Do they shove you around too, Louisa? Where's crossing the line for you? If a teacher or conductor had ever done that to me, I would have dropped the teacher and walked out on the conductor, with complaints as appropriate (and I've never ever walked out on a rehearsal or lesson). These things are strictly out-of-bounds in the music world. But I guess cooks have some kind of hazing culture? Why is it acceptable to be literally pushed around? I'm thinking about the New Jersey high school students who were charged with sticking pine cones, some kind of sticks and other stuff up underclassmen's asses in a football hazing ritual. They may face 20 years for assault, I think. Alright; I know this isn't nearly the scale of what we're talking about here, but just when did it become acceptable for people to be physically attacked on the job? (Forever, OK, but is the only reason it's put up with that "that's the way it's always been"?)

I was going to say more or less the same thing. Aided by the flight of intellectuals and artists from Fascist and Stalinist tyranny, the U.S. has been the primary center of the art and music world since the 1940s. And that definitely included the avant garde. In terms of composers, we had Edgard Varese, Bela Bartok, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Stefan Wolpe and, during the War, Paul Hindemith. And that's only including non-American-born composers.

Who said I had to read the article to figure it out?

Beaune is beautiful, but Auxerre is closer to Paris, well worth visiting, and close to the lovely Chablis wine country. If you want to visit a larger city that's far enough out of Paris to feel different, consider Orleans. I went to no Michelin-starred restaurants in Orleans during a 2-day trip there and had nothing but good food. There's a fantastic patisserie right across the street from the Hotel Jean d'Arc, where I stayed (pleasant, economical, classy hotel, which used to be a luxury hotel in the 20s or so). Even the lunch I had in a bar was solid. If you want to go further afield, Angers has the incredible series of Tapestries of the Apocalypse in the Chateau d'Angers. That's a kind of longish trip, though. We went via Le Mans and Chartres, which both have wonderful cathedrals. I don't remember having any especially good food in Angers, but I was travelling with people with severe dietary restrictions.

Congratulations!!

Thanks, Suzanne.

That pastrami looks really fatty, with huge chunks of fat in discrete places. Would you cut off some of that fat before serving and eating? FWIW, I don't use mustard or any other condiment on my pastrami sandwiches. I do get cole slaw at Katz's, though, because though I usually dislike cole slaw, they make an excellent one.

Trio.

I wish I had suggestions, Anu, but my role in the food world is Diner. But I'd say this: You're an excellent, polished restaurant reviewer, so don't overlook that as a possible source of income. So perhaps I do have a suggestion, after all. What's the business you're running?

I went once a number of years ago. It was good but unexciting, and I found that it cost a chunk of change because after you've added a bottle of wine to the prix fixe, it ends up costing over $100 for two (I was taking a friend out for his birthday). Sure, for many of you, that's a good value, but I've never had a great hankering to go back.

I don't think sweet potato pies taste that much like pumpkin pies. They are a similar color and have similar spices, but sweet potatoes don't taste the same as pumpkins. I prefer sweet potato pies to pumpkin pies, for whatever that's worth. Elyse, if you're making good sweet potato pies by Thanksgiving, I may buy one from you.

Sounds wonderful to me! Then again, most things with maple syrup would sound great to me (short of garlic with maple syrup and such-like), especially if it's Grade B.

Anu, that read like a professional review (indeed, its structure from first to last reminds me of New York Times reviews). In fact - and no offense, please! - it crossed my mind that it could even be publicity for the restaurant, so I decided to look through all your posts on eGullet so far, and found out that you are indeed a professional food writer: Link here Are you doing restaurant consulting yet? What does that consist of, anyway? If you feel like informing an ignoramus like me, perhaps we could start a new thread.

Busboy: This was at a restaurant somewhere in LA?

Where is it? What kind of prices, and are there dishes you especially recommend there?

It was gracious of the staff to exchange the dish. Did you up your tip because of that? Just curious. For what it's worth, I probably would have.

Nice website, Chef Fowke!