cabrales

I thought I would share certain recent reading on "pibales", as mentioned in Bux's October 18 post on a meal at Amat. The below description is from Jim Harrison's "The Raw and the Cooked" (portions on Spain): "In Europe, where the eels, male and female, are seized by erotic frenzies, they leave the lakes and rivers and ponds to indulge in furious orgies in the faraway Sargasso Sea. From their eggs are hatched larvae which were brought back by the Gulf Stream to our estuaries as 'civelles', called 'pibales' here: delicate wriggling babies, three or four centimeters long, served piping hot, in earthenware saucepans with extra virgin olive oil, Esplette (sic) peppers, and garlic."

I find it discourteous for waiters to assume that amounts, in excess of the restaurant bill, paid in cash at low-to-moderate priced establishments represent tips. I encounter this problem from time to time when dining as a group that shares the bill. While I may well intend to leave the waiters the full amount returned on me on the little tray, I'd like them to not assume that's a foregone conclusion :)

I began subscribing a few months ago to the quarterly Bux mentioned. The item did not appear to be readily available from London newsstands. I found interesting (1) the article on epoisse, and (2) the "oeufs en meurette" recipe (eggs with, among other things, red wine and onions). As hinted at by Bux, though, the quarterly may not be a good fit for everybody. For members who speak French, the magazine Gault-Millau from the guide company, the French version of "Saveurs" and the weekend edition of Figaro (with supplements) provide generally decent food coverage.