docsconz

Mrs. London's is a local treasure. Their pastries are particularly enchanting. The apple tarts and cannelets are especially enchanting to me. I can't go in there without walking out with some of them. Il Forno Toscano is owned and operated by the same people who do Chiant:Il Ristorante. I found it to be very mediocre all in all, although the pizze were good. If one likes Chianti, one would probably like Il Forno Toscano. I am not a big fan of Chianti and consider it the most overrated restaurant in the region. Both restaurants are built around style rather than food substance IMO. The food is not generally bad. It just isn't particularly good, IMO.

dan., thanks for the report. This certainly isn't the world's greatest restaurant, but it doesn't pretend to be. Instead, as you described, it is very good bistro food at a very reasonable price. Dollar for dollar, I don't believe there is another restaurant in the area that can touch it. Perfect? No. Damn good? Yes. Great value? Darn tootin'!

From what I've heard from the people who have frequented the place (haven't been there myself), the biggest drawback is the neighborhood. Some have described it as seedy and unsafe looking - especially when walking back to your car after dark. I don't know how valid this is, but the owner was asked if he was considering valet parking. His answer was non-commital. This could present a problem after the track closes and there are less people in town and it will be getting dark earlier. Police presence is heavier during the race meet. ← I don't think this is much of an issue. The area is being gentrified and is now billed as "The Arts District" with a number of nice small galleries in the immediate area. I certainly haven't felt threatened and close proximity parking hasn't even been an issue now. One reason that there are fewer police in the off-season is that there is less need for them.

It will be interesting to see how they do in the winter. I am encouraged by the fact that so far most of their traffic has been of local origen given that they haven't advertized at all.

Yet another must-try dish. I am going to have to find some time to get down there!

Apparently we arrive at Terminal 2C and depart from 2F. Lizard, I won't actually be spending any time in Barcelona on this trip. We head straight up to Roses for a visit at El Bulli.

I will unfortunately have a four hour layover at Charles DeGaulle on my way to Barcelona. Is there any decent food there? Will this layover leave me enough time to eat?

John, Thanks for the tips and welcome to eGullet!

Excellent! Rich, do you know what they had?

With this in mind I have probably tripled the duration of my trip!

Thanks for the link. I know two I won't be visiting.

Yes, there are other threads about specific ice cream places in Paris and there are mentions of ice creams in other threads, but I couldn't find a topic exploring ice cream in all its glory throughout Paris. This surprised me. I felt this oversight needed to be remedied. What are some of the best flavors or concotions ? The macaroon sandwiches Louisa described at Hermes look and sound devine.

Raw milk cheeses are indeed available in the US, but they must be aged for more than 60 days. This means that there are no young raw milk cheeses like most of the best chevres, etc.

I did a search on eGullet and can't believe that there is no topic comparing Parisian ice cream places! What piqued my interest is Louisa Chu's excellent articles in her blog, A Movable Feast, on three different ice cream places. So far Berthillon is the only one I have tried, back when I was last in Paris in 1999. I loved it then. My most memorable flavor was Armagnac and Raisin. It is a must for my wife and I to revisit now and bring our children. Others mentioned by Louisa include Pierre Herme's ice cream sandwiches and gelato from Amorino. What and where are your favorites? Any good ice cream stories?

If given the opportunity, IMO it is clearly the way to go with a Tasting Menu. All I need is a couple of sips with each realtively small portion. The same is even more true for my wife.

The quality/price ratio at Jose Andres' restaurants is superb (Jaleo, Zaytinya, Cafe Atlantico) and any or all of these should be at the top of your list. You might also consider venturing a little bit further afield and visiting Corduroy. do a quick search here for comments on. The food is awesome and the price quite reasonable. A little bit further afield and also excellent is Firefly. Further afield yet, but still accessible and great for a budget is Two Amys for pizza and gelato.

Very nice, honest, well-written post. I can relate to most of what you had to say except for your opinion of Spanish reds. Oh well, diversity is what keeps the world interesting!

It may or may not be good as a dessert. Iwould have to try it to determine for myself. Although animal flesh in a dessert is not intuitive, that doesn't mean it can't or doesn't "work". I have experienced enjoyable desserts built around bacon and scallops. While not mecessarily my favorite desserts, they were fun and appropriate in the context in which they were served.

Thanks for the tips! Our minds must think alike. One thing about traveling with a 6 year old is I don't think that we will be out very late at night far from our apartment. My restaurant list is large enough so that I can pare it based upon what else we want to do. For example, I hope to have lunch at either L'Astrance or Le Bon accueil centered around a visit to the Eiffel Tower. We will most likely take a taxi home from Gagnaire, but the other evenings we will either take the Metro or walk. Carlsbad, I have very much enjoyed reading your accounts of not just this trip, but others you have made as well. They have given me much to use in my planning. Planning is good to give something to work from and I very much enjoy doing it. It should never, however, be so rigid as to miss the pleasure of spontaneity.

Two sides of a story are always good. I have yet to find or hear of a restaurant with universal praise and no criticism at all

Sounds great! Bummer about Gagnaire and photos if that is true. That may explain the dearth of them on this site. It sounds like you have quite the itinerary though. Gagnaire, El Bulli and The Fat Duck in the same itinerary - wow! I guess our itineraries are not exactly mirror images after all

Thank you for your responses. What is the difference between gunpowder and pearl teas? Are there special charactreistics for "round" teas?

Molto E, It appears we have reverse itineraries. Enjoy!

JosephB had complained about less than stellar and indeed rude service when he was there shortly after it opened. When we were there last, in July, the service was superb.

We definitely did this at Alinea and I believe Moto as well. The pours are a lttle shorter, but certainly adequate. It was a very nice way to do the dinner and much appreciated by us. It certainly encouraged my wife and I to do the pairings.