Margaret Pilgrim

Because the water isn't muddy enough, I'll add our two cents. While the setting is extraordinary, we were terribly disappointed with our evening at Le Vieux Pont. The welcome, in fact the entire staff, was more professional than warm. While our room was the largest they offered, it was small and equipped with only one chair, so only one person could read in comfort. Dinner was ordinary at best. A minimal breakfast was served in a perfunctory manner on the ground floor of the hotel building. Our visit was memorable only because of its lack of highpoints. It was one of those rare experiences when my husband looked as me and asked, "Why did you say that we came here? Whose recommendation?"

G. Detou 58 rue Tiquetonne - 75002 Paris Tel : 01 42 36 54 67 Open 8-19h. Closed Sundays

Having just returned from Paris, I was just about to post that Paris certainly has a festive air at this time of year. I am not much of a shopper/buyer of quintessential holiday crafts, although I can be had for seasonal foods which are well displayed at all levels from Champion through Bon Marche and Galleries Lafayette. And don't forget G. Detou on Tiquetonne for wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling holiday foods for pennies.

The gold standard.

While you're in the 'hood, don't forget to stop in at Detou, #58, where you can pick up vanilla beans, Valrhona chocolate, candied violets, griottes in kirsch and other luxuries for next to nothing. Lovely service, too.

As I originally wrote...

I get to you blog easily enough. I find your Biarritz header showing six photos and the following lead-in text: "Can you imagine I've been living for more than a decade in France, and that I've never been to the Basque region ,and that I've been missing out on this?....." But regardless of what else I do I can't seem to access the rest of your test. Help, please?

Adrian, I'm unable to pull up any significant text re Biarritz. What am I doing wrong? I'm looking for the address you have pictured. (This is one of our favorite areas.)

I can guarantee you that it would not be one of our big name splurges but rather some small room where we enjoy(ed) a personal relationship with the house. I have no doubt that my husband would choose the Bistrot du Paradou. I might join him.

Yes, we are very lucky. It's rather easy at most levels of dining rooms in France to interact with one's server to get across one's wants and needs. I've never encountered/entertained a server I would consider patronizing. Maybe the superior level of professional waiters in France is why we continue to return.

Pti's analysis, as a Frenchperson, is telling: the Anglo press has made (and continues to make) such a mecca of this place that it is booked far beyond its merit. When you finally get your reservation, you can be sure that you will be dining with your stateside next-door neighbors rather than locals who tried it early and moved on. If this is your goal, the frustration and wait may be worth it to you. That said, a friend has just returned and had good things to say about the lunch she enjoyed there: excellent roast chicken, no wait for a table. Will that suffice?

FWIW, Lena et Mimile is purported to serve two menus, one traditional, one molecular. It would be an interesting low end take on the movement. I think John has info on this.

It's the French way. Come back next week, and the week after and, voilla! You are a regular.

Question: does anyone have a simple and reliable avenue to subscribe to "Elle a Table", Saveurs" (please note that this is the French periodical, not our 'Saveur'), "Regal", "Vin et Cuisine"? Many thanks in advance. These mags are super expensive at my international mag dealer, and super heavy (to hear my husband's rants but worth every effort) to suitcase home from France.

I didn't realize it was that approachable, pierre. What is your take on an average out-the-door for two people, 3 courses, modest bottle of wine, coffees?

Well, er, I like either supermarket wheat or, as an interesting but not everyday alternative, supermarket rye. But then, I'm from California. That said, poached eggs on toast are one of my favorite comfort meals. Edited to add that I also love poached egg on salad, poached egg in soup, poached egg on ratatouille, poached egg on...

Friends and hotel staff speak well of Vin et Maree, Palais Royale location. We haven't been there.

This event really can't be described. I have heard it mistakingly described in a food group by someone who hadn't attended as being a collection of middling producers. Nothing can be further from the truth. Note also that the array includes difficult to find wines and liquors: premium vin jaune, extraordinary calvados, bugey de cerdon, unique local aperitifs and digestive as well as fine cognac and armagnac. We actually plan one of our trips around the dates.

This "King's cake" ring scam was tried on us on rue Francs Bourgeois last spring. It is almost amusing because the ring is enormous, a brilliant brass color and has 18K stamped on the inside in almost 1/2 cm. tall letters! And yes, the woman put a curse on us when we wouldn't play. We later saw her on Quai d'Orsay, still pushing the ring.

Please. ← Your suggestion? ← Me? I'd like to know the base menu price, beverage charges and the total. e.g., one menu at 30€, one at 35€, 3 wines by the glass, 2 coffees, totally 99€; or 65€ for food, 6€ for coffee, 28€ for wine. Rough estimates would be fine as long as we got a sense of how the diner ordered in order to arrive at his stated total.

Please.

Or...

Would the cheese service at Astier suit?

Unless accompanied with text, it is often difficult to get any sense of a plate. Picture this: a deep pink thick fluid in a soupplate with a white island in it. Tell me, is it sweet or savory? Is it a puree of beets or of red fruits? Have herbs or spices played a role? Is the island creme fraiche or sour cream or mascarpone or whipped cheese or gelato or sorbet? Are there any intreguing buried treasures under the surface? With all of the "fun" and "faux" food presentations that are the vogue, one could carry this to all kinds of extremes. IMHO, verbal descriptions of food are far more seductive than photos.

Okay, here's another question? Breakfast (25€ per person) in your room at a three star restaurant/hotel includes cheese. Lots and lots and lots of cheese. Several small goats, maybe 1/4 pound each of several aged cheeses. More cheese than you (or at least I) would eat in a week, and remember that this is after an extraordinary dinner the night before. . How tacky is it to take (in ziplocs) what you can't consume? It might begin to look good around 4pm on the train. They couldn't possibly introduce any remaining pieces back into the kitchen, could they? Thoughts?