Margaret Pilgrim

I am giving a small lunch at which one guest (literallly) can swallow only completely pureed food. Rather than serve him a separate menu, I would prefer that we all enjoy the same dishes. In the late fall, I served gaspacho, cheese souffle and homemade ice cream with liquor dribble. It was a roaring success. This time I am thinking of a wild mushroom cappucino, perhaps another flavor souffle, and another ice cream. I would like help on the middle course. Interesting and substantial souffle flavors? Non souffle, non soup alternatives? Suggestions? Help please! Many thanks.

Shoot, Marlena. I grew up in Watsonville, where we picked artichokes from the back yard! I was an adult before I knew they were considered unusual. However, some thousands and thousands of artichokes later, I had one of the best of my life. In the back of The Mad Hatter bar on Geary in SF, (I can't remember if Nancy Oakes was still cooking there or if she had passed the baton to Barney Brown) I was served a giant artichoke, "stuffed" with seafood in a tomato broth: crab, scallops, calamari, perfectly seasoned broth. I can't remember how we attacked it, but I don't remember it's being particularly messy. And, maybe it was just so good I didn't care! This is a dish worth trying to duplicate.

You mean you really want to hear about cruising the main drag, turning into Pronto Pup, crusing the lot, pulling into a slot if the crowd was interesting, and ordering curly fries and a chocolate coke? The carhops were peers, and were on foot, not skates. Some newer car windows were not shaped right for the trays and you had to be careful not to lose the tray and its contents. Also, it was difficult for the driver to reach with his right hand across and out the window to bring in the order through the driver's side window. (early '50s) Marquard's in Palo Alto. Carhops not peers. You could talk them into bringing special orders that weren't on the menu, like a chocolate frost: chocolate soda run through the milkshake mixer, whipped cream and nutmeg. (mid '50s)

This thread, which started out as a "head scratcher", ie, "is this question answerable?", has been IMHO one of the most interesting and revealing of our many 3-star threads, pointing to the factors that make up a single 3-star experience, as well as the variety among different dining rooms. I don't think enough diners really ask themselves, "What do I want and/or expect from this experience?", the answer to which should dictate the reservation.

Yesterday I started a 4 litre jar of vin d'orange, thanks to this thread. I had no access to bitter oranges, so substituted tangerines. Will report on the outcome in April. Many thanks for the recipe. I can hardly wait til May for cherries and June for green walnuts!

Yes. Maison de Marius I am not sure how current all of the information is on this website. As I posted above, I read about it in a feature article in Gault Millau Magazine, probably sometime in 2002.

I trust I was clear that M. Doubesky never pushed his product at Saint Gayrand, his distillery. Although his prices were high, his product was superb. There was no pressure to buy. I was never sure if he kept opening bottles and producing new glasses out of pride in his work, or to seduce us into staying for the company. I don't know what his profit margin is, but it couldn't be much on our purchase. My memory of the afternoon was one of leaving a table the size of a cardtable absolutely full of dirty brandy snifters. It was a thoroughly hospitable afternoon, but not one for abstainers or even those who drank moderately. In no way did I mean to insinuate that your or any producer was "pushing" his wares, but rather that any one who has a passion for his work and his product will relish sharing both the product, his knowledge and his enthusiasm for both work and product. I posed your generous distiller in contrast to the CdHs we have visited where the husband had a profession outside the home or property, and therefore less energy to invest in conversation with his (or his wife's) guests.

And you, Ann, are exactly right. At the same time, there is an enormous intangible difference between an American B&B and a French chambre d'hote. I have not infrequently felt that subtle awareness of being held hostage to the grand plans of an American innkeeper to which Bux alludes. In fact, we have probably stayed at our last domestic B&B. We have never felt this tension in France, although we have always felt the security of knowing that our host was at our disposal should we have specific needs. Our French hosts seem to understand that we do not need their constant attention or entertainment. Bux does bring up the point that when you visit a producer who is interested in promoting his product, a slightly different relationship might exist.

The concept of staying in someone's home can be scary. In fact, we stayed in our first one quite by accident. We had booked the best room at Reine Sammut's La Feniere in Lourmarin for 5 days, and had made the reservation many months in advance. When we arrived, we were told that our room was not habitable because a water pipe had burst. No, no other rooms were available, but they had booked us into a chambre d'hote in the next village. I began to experience some combination of rage, dispair and terror, but it was late in the aftenoon and we had no choice but to go check out the b&b. We arrived at an attractive 18th Century country home with vineyard where we were shown to our very private suite with an independent entrance: a sitting room and bedroom, separated bathroom and commode. On an outside landing was our private deck with umbrella-table and chairs. Decor and furnishings were crisp and fresh Provençal-simple, a quality mattress and good linens. The bath was state of the art and emaculate; bath linens were new and lush. Views extended over the vineyard to Mt. Sainte Victoire in the distance. There was a sparkling swimming pool and comfortable salon. Breakfast (baguettes warm from the village baker, fruited cake, cheese, yogurt, hardboiled eggs, homemade jams, fresh orange juice, coffee and tea, hot milk) was served in the family's formal dining room. We were the only guests, and we ate alone. During our stay, Madame left several baskets of homegrown fruit at our doorstep. There was not daily maid service. The tariff was 450 ff a night or around $60. including the breakfasts. Madame actually deducted some amount from the total bill because we were not there for several breakfasts, nor did she charge for a bottle of wine from their vineyard! We enjoyed staying here tremendously, returned the next year for a week, and and will be eternally grateful to Reine's pipe (or whatever). Our second experience with a chambre d'hote was also by default. I had tried to book early in Sault for the July lavender festival in Ferrassieres, but was told to write again in April. When I faxed them on April 2, they were "complet". We found a chambre d'hote within a half mile of the festival, this time in a chateau that the owner was/is restoring stone by stone. At the time of our visit, she had two sides habitable, a Japanese cook, a Chinese pastry chef, four rooms including ours that took up an entire floor of the tour, and a thriving tour bus lunch crowd! Our room was, again, very simply furnished, with thoughtful touches like lavender-filled pillows. The bath, again, was state of the art. Breakfast was simply bread, cake, juice and coffee. The table d'hote, which we took advantage of one night, was superb: all produce from the farm, and the best braised lamb we had tasted, grown within several hundred yards of the kitchen. The charge 600 ff, b&b. I can't remember the charge for dinner. Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. By now, we were over our fear, and in addition had learned that we could find a chambre d'hote closer than a hotel to some of the events that were our travel targets. For an antique event in Barjac we lucked onto a wonderful 18thC townhouse owned by an elegant horsewoman and her ex-porche racer husband. Here we enjoyed an enormous two room suite, decorated in luxe and gorgeous fabrics, antique bed linens, sumptious duvets, ballroom-sized bathroom with whirlpool soaktub and fabulous shower. Breakfasts included warm housemade fruit tarts, fromage blanc with rose or almond syrups, peach soup, everyday something new, but everyday a selection of four homemade breads with housemade jams. Aperitifs on the terrace at 6:30 accompanied by slices of warm onion tart. We have stayed here twice, and return in April. 105 euros, b&b. Gault Millau magazine had a feature on a woman in Quezac who ran a chambre d'hote and offered extraordinary table d'hote dinners. Last summer we had the opportunity to test her hospitality: an enormous room with designer linens, sitting area with TV at one end of the room. Designer bath; separate commode and bidet. Lush bathroom linens. Dinner was an unforgettable experience, from the housemade aperitifs through the all-home-grown fruits and vegetables we were served, the best magret we had ever had, wines and housemade liquours, excellent if sometimes bi or tri lingual conversation. Our room, dinner and breakfast for two people: 115. euros. We are completely sold on the concept of this kind of lodging. It gets us close to where we want to go. More likely than not, the room size, furnishings and bath are far superior than you would get at a small hotel, where profit is an important issue. Baths particularly tend to be absolutely modern and luxe, since if one is going to redo a property with a mind to hosting guests, a new bath is imperative, and one might as well go all out with amenities. You tend to worry about being in someone's home. But usually the private and public parts of the home are well delineated. The host is usually a very busy person who has little interest in taking up your time, but at the same time will take time to instruct you on things of local interest...if you ask. Most chambre d'hotes are rated by Gites de France, and are given wheat sheaf (epis) ratings, 1 through 4. We have always stayed at 3s and 4s. 3 "epis" rooms always have private baths; furnishing range from simple to luxe. 4 "epis" facilities are supposed to be luxurious. Gites de France publishes a yearly guide of all their members (19 euros); as well, they publish departmental guides which you can get free by writing the departmental tourist office. These guides are in French, but are pretty easy to decifer. One can find tremendous information by "googling" the area you want to visit and adding chambre d'hote (eg: dordogne chambre d'hote). In addition, there are many sites that offer lodging by area. These are but a few. FrenchConnection LikHom Best of Perigord Staying in a Chambre d'Hote can offer you a feeling for the real countryside, for France Profound, that we have never found in a hotel. When we pay our tiny bills at the end of a stay, we frequently feel that we have shortchanged our hosts because of all that they have unknowingly given us.

I continue to buy (the reinvented) Gault Millau magazine for new restaurant ideas, interesting country lodging and usable food ideas and recipes. I find that Elle a Table is as good, if not better, in these areas. I buy both magazines, as well as Thuries and French Saveurs when I am in France, at ridiculous prices at newsstands here, and someday when I am rich, I'll subscribe to all of them. Of course, by then they will probably fall under the category of armchair travel. IMHO, these are seriously good and current sources of restaurant information. I am adding that some of our best and most timely information has been from Le Figaro's weekly entertainment tab, "Figaroscope". This is where we first heard about Le Clos des Gourmets, Les Magnolias, Le Pamphlet, Le Troquet, Le Bamboche, L'Agape, even L'Astrance, and most recently, Au Gourmand. At the time they were featured in Figaroscope, these restaurants were just being discovered. Some of these dining rooms have survived the test of time better than others, but all were quite good when they made their first appearance in Figaroscope. You can subscribe to Figaroscope's net version at Figaroscope. The e-mail version arrives every Thursday, and is free...at least for a while.

Also, whenever working with dry (or fresh chiles) always remove the seeds before rehydrating or proceeding with the recipe. The seeds provide heat but no flavor.

Au 35 rue Jacob. 01. 42.60.23.24 This tiny bistrot is on our rat track, so we frequently check out both their menu and seatings. They serve slightly tweaked versions of classic bistro dishes. We have never had a free night since they opened, but I can tell you that they are full at both lunch and 8:30 dinner sittings. I do get the feeling that this is more of a neighborhood than tourist supported dining room. North of Saint Germain, it is a healthy "'round the corner" from Bon Marche. Do note, that as of the printing of their recent business card, "35" is open 7/7, unusual in Paris.

Busboy, well said. Living in an area that enjoyed enormous dot.com income and expenditure, we are well aware of the extraordinary boon to local chefs, coupled with the fickle and often callow palates of these windfall diners.

In the event that you don't know the phrase "church key", this is an old fashioned beer can opener. Insert the point into the hinge, and wiggle back and forth until the shell releases. Enjoy. These look fantastic.

Patricia Wells revisits a "darling" restaurant and finds it lacking.Hirumatsu What Wells reports about Hiramatsu is not nearly so telling as her opening paragraphs: "PARIS -- One wonders if Paris is not becoming too much like New York, where trendiness and “of the moment” mean more than gastronomic quality or true fidelity to a favorite restaurant. I have many friends who have probably never visited a restaurant more than once. Or a restaurant that’s been open more than a millisecond. They play “the first to know first to go” game in restaurant land. But no matter how much they praise the place, they never go back. Who has time if one is obsessed with only the new?" I know that I am guilty. Many of us are. As often as we visit Paris, there is little time to return to more than a handful of favorites that demand our loyalty. How does a beginning chef sustain his momentum in the face of this trend? Interesting question.

Because my husband and I seek out food and lodging in the depths of France profound, I would encourage you to return to your roots. The simple and honest and sometimes extraordinary dining rooms exist. Perhaps your dissatisfaction does indeed lie in your increased expectations. At the same time, I can name several universally touted (Michelin starred) stops that left us cold when we compare them to the personal attention and on target regional food we have enjoyed at simpler stops.

Some of us have already attended the October Fermier Show in Paris. I was delighted to see that there will be a spring show April 2 through 5 at Parc Floral on the edge of Bois de Vincennes. A reminder, bring a huge carrier bag to this one. (Just this last weekend we opened a bottle of Folie, a strawberry-rhubarb aperitif, which we drizzled over homemade strawberry ice cream and chocolate sorbet. The next best thing to being there!) Click here for details. An exposition of independent vintnors will take place the same weekend at Place Champeret. Details Coulommiers, a cheese center an hour east of Paris, hosts the Foire Internationale aux Fromages et aux Vins this weekend. This requires a SCNF ride. From what I can gather, the location of the fair is about 2/3 km from the gare. The followng website still describes the 2003 event. However, I have just received a response from the Coulommiers tourist office confirming that the dates of the 2004 fair are April 2 through 5. This fair is supposed to be a biggy, with representation of the many fromage guilds as well as many cheesemakers and vintnors. Coulommiers tourist office

Nice blog work. Chez Denise - 5 rue Prouvaires, in the first, just south of the jardins, but actually I've yet to eat there. Look for this street one street west of rue du Pont Neuf. I was thrown off by the reference to St. Supplice. The church is St. Eustache. Will do a walk-by.

I always enjoy enchanging travel experiences with our Paris hotel's night deskman, who seems to travel rather nicely. Last summer (2003) he was tremendously enthusiastic about his and his wife's recent stay at Moulin de l' Abbaye. To date, some 10 years, his recommendations have been 100% on target.

Toss the rinds from Parmesan cheese into vegetable soup as it simmers. This old-time Italian practice gives the soup body and richness besides flavor. My sister-in-law's Genovese mother used to save hard cheese rinds for the grandchildren to teeth on.

YES! A friend who works at WilliamsSonoma says that this is what they use on the AllClad they use for demonstrations also. I use a minute amount on a sponge at the end of every wash, just to remove subtle stains and keep the like-new appearance. Also great on white porcelain fixtures, stainless back-splashes, enamel. If you are worried about scratching, dissolve it (maybe a teaspoon) in a bit of water to make a smooth paste before using. And, thanks, fifi. I put Dawn Power Dissolver on my shopping list for burned on grease.

"Cooking for dogs" brings back old times. At one time we had an old English sheepdog who ate cottage cheese and stewed meat over kibble. I used buy him frozen blocks of ground meat sold as pet food at a neighborhood butchershop. Because I prefered the meat at another shop, I bought our family meat from a different butcher, so the only thing that I would ever order at the first shop was our weekly 5 or so pounds of pet food. The butcher would look over the counter at my rosy-cheeked 3-year old and shake his head. I know that he was convinced that I was feeding the family pet food!

Freckles, your opinion has been voiced in this forum before. L'Epi Dupin's reputation continues, I think, because of its name recognition. It was one of the original group of value restaurants in the '90s.

Thanks for the interesting review. Chateau des Reynats and its Restaurant L'Oison is one that I have been reading about for a couple of years now. It is frequently mentioned as a dining-room to watch, ie, that it consistently serves food above its one-star rating. I'm not sure, but I think that Mrs. B mentioned it in this forum within the year.

This late. I am surprised. My love and search for this pastry began with a chocolate "cookie" we used to by at a French bakery in Los Gatos, California. It was, essentially, a single chocolate macaron. I took it for granted for years, until the bakery went out of business. It was until I found its double version in France that I understood the passion of my childhood. Still today, chocolate is my flavor. Herme et al can improvise as well they should, with this art form. I will still return to the "cookie" of my childhood. (Filling isn't all bad! )