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June 8-13 is FRENCH CULINARY INSTITUTE MASTERS WEEK including not only Jacques Pepin, but Alain Sailhac and Andre Soltner as well. If this show is a success they might be hot tickets. Other potentially interesting appearances by Rick Moonen and Michael Romano. They must be paying the Chef's top dollar. Many of them have already been involved with theater as the list includes a number of chef's with experience from TFN or PBS. My question is when will Emeril be on?

This restaurant from Dan Barber of Blue Hill in NYC is according to The Zagat Wire set to open in Pocantico hills on May 1. 630 Bedford Road; 914-366-9600

Now this is interesting news. The North Country has arrived. Next thing you know, we'll get a restaurant by Jean-george or mario

There clearly is much more to this story than meets the eye. I just wonder what it is.

I wish I could help, but that is too far south (but not south enough) for me to know enough about. I didn't even know that Xavier's had closed!

Nice report, Rich. Now I feel even more bummed that I have to reschedule my reservation! Did the pomelo cells contribute in any noticeable way to the rabbit dish?

I was just starting to get my hopes up, when I got my call this morning. Oh well.

Sam, How was the whiskey? Was it good enough that this really would be something special. I must admit it has intriguing, though costly possibilities.

You beat me to it! Actually, I will never eat another McDonald's hamburger (Istill like the BK doubleCB)

This Topic on Farmer's Markets already exists and would be a good repository for what you are suggesting. This is certainly a gray area. My initial feeling is that this particular topic was best situated on the French board, however, I can see the argument of a more global Markets Topic on the General Board. I have previously posted reports and photos of markets in Italy and Spain. I think it would be kind of fun to compare markets globally.

Does anyone know if Michael Anthony is still with Blue Hill? The only mention of his name that I can see on their website is with the mention of Food & Wine's America's best New Chefs.

Is the Chambre d'Hote the French equivalent to an Italian agriturismo? I am certainly sold on agriturismi. I would think a French counterpart would be equally fun. I find that they are a great way to get a sense of the land, people and culture that one simply cannot get in a regular hotel.

What I find interesting about the reception of Spice (at least in these threads) is that it is ho-hum even though he has been in the kitchen there. Because of this, I don't think that it is necessarily a question of him spreading himself too thin. It may just be that he is trying to do something that is maybe just beyond the scope of what he can do really well. There really isn't too much of a novelty factor here.

I will occassionally buy very expensive wines to fill a particular niche in my cellar, but I am no longer interested in buying wines "just because". There are now a number of wines that I used to buy that have priced themselves out of my interest, including most of the high-end california cabs. There is almost no california wine that I will pay that amount for now. It is funny, but that $100 price point has become a sort of barrier of principle. While I might spend for a wine at $90, I am less likely to at $100. I can see these prices more for rare wines or wines that are really in high demand, but a lot of these wines (e.g. Phelps Insignia) are neither particularly rare or have demand proportional to the price. I'm not saying that it isn't excellent wine. It usually is. I just don't buy it anymore.

Beautiful post, Lucy, thank you. It really whets my appetite for a return visit to Europe. It has been almost five years since I've been to Paris, although I had brief excursion last summer to Carcassone. I especially liked the photo of the oysters.

Since when are Smarties or Oh!Henry bars not available in the US?

Even better than on pancakes is taking some fresh maple syrup right from the pan, pouring it over fresh snow and eating it. Yum.

On West Mountain in Queensbury near Lake George, although it is a scene one can view frequently around the north country..

It's late February, the nights are cold and the days have been filled with glorious sunshine and temps into the balmy mid-30's. Spring skiing and sugaring season are here. Now I grew up in Brooklyn, so don't expect me to be the expert on Maple sugaring. I do, however, have a friend and neighbor who is an expert. He and his family have made it a tradition each year to tap most of the maple trees in our area (there are plenty), collect the sap and boil it down into syrup and candy. It has not only become a family event for them as it evolved from an undertaking in their kitchen to a full-scale sugar shack. It has become a neighborhood event as friends and neighbors provide their trees and labor in the non-commercial undertaking. The season usually culminates in a fantastic pancake breakfast with what else but ...fresh maple syrup. The season is just getting going. Here are some photos of the process. I will try to update these as the season progresses. Collecting the sap A newer system using tubing to collect the sap from several trees or parts of one tree directly into a collecting bucket. The tubing needs to be heated with a blow torch to apply it properly. The sign over the door to The Sugar Shack.

Interesting article. I like the idea of the microchip, although I'm not so keen on the GM stuff.

I couldn't really get a sense of what the issues are from that article. I know I'm dense, but can anyone explain what happened?

This Amazon link is for the translation by Kyle Phillips, who does a nice job with Italian food for about.com.

Great report. Thanks, Gordon.

I'm sweating with a March 9th reservation

JJ, Was the reisling from Alsace or Germany? While it probably wasn't a bad match, it doesn't IMO appear taht it would have been the best match to highlight reisling. I would suggest something spicier or even richer (i.e. creamier) with a "very fruity" reisling. A dryer reisling like a German kabinett might have been a better match for your meal. Then again, maybe it was, sine even the kabinetts often come off as very fruity. I have enjoyed db Bistro the several times I have been. It is my favorite spot for pre-theater dining. I did have the burger once - it was outstanding. Another time I had the roast chicken (it might have been guinea hen before I knew what that was) and it too was outstanding.