Margo

This is beautiful. Lucky you.

Anthony, I am in awe of all of what you're doing. You have put in so much effort to make your experience at the CIA as rich as possible, and shared it here. And furthermore, you've gone above and beyond to enrich your colleagues' experience by inviting people like Sam Mason to give an evening of demos. My question is what is the incentive you offer to someone like Chef Mason to come up for a night? Is this something professional chefs expect to be asked to do? Is there an honorarium in addition to the appreciative audience? And what are the logistics behind the tasting plates you offer the audience?

That's a lot of money to spend, to grill a couple of chicken breasts. Conspicuous consumption, all the way. We received a Weber 24" kettle for our wedding fourteen years ago. It needs refurbishing or replacing--we'll replace it with the same, $84. at Home Depot. Re. the article. I was delighted that Chris Schlesinger had the last word. When I converted from vegetarianism soon after marrying his books on grilling meat were invaluable.

We've missed the worst of it in northern Vermont. My thoughts and sympathies are with those who were hit harder. But. I planted asparagus last week. Water is standing in the trenches (with asparagus, you plant the crowns 6-8" deep, then gradually fill in the ditch as the plants poke up). I'm thinking this is not good. And that part of the yard is not as well-drained as I thought. Duh.

Had breakfast at Penny Cluse Cafe yesterday. Oh. My. God. I love eating breakfast out, and I love diners (Oasis and Blue Line are two that I really like locally). This was more upscale food, but not inordinately expensive. I had sunnyside up eggs, hash browns, corn muffins and andouille (ham, sausage, chicken-apple sausage, bacon were other choices). Others had, and enjoyed: huevos rancheros (raved about the black beans), gingerbread pancakes with blueberries, and garlicky kale quesadillas. There was also a duck hash special. Tangerine juice. The fruit plate was interesting, with kiwi, mango, and papaya besides the usual suspects. There was a line by 8:30 on a weekday.

Leftover white meat from a roasted chicken, olive oil and white wine vinegar, chopped fresh tarragon. I'm a chicken salad minimalist.

Bump. I ate at the Kitchen Table in Richmond (Exit 11 on I-89) the other night and thought it was excellent. They make a point of serving local and/or organic meat and produce. All six of us were very happy, and I can personally vouch for an arugula, beet, blue cheese and pistachio salad; gnocchi with braised short ribs, roasted brussels sprouts, and carrots, and Meyer lemon and blood orange mousse with vanilla cream and blueberry coulis. The wine list is extensive. A couple of updates from the lists above--Opaline, sadly, has closed, and so has NECI on Church Street in Burlington.

There's a recipe I like for braised cabbage and quince with a sweet-sour braise (white vinegar, sugar, water or stock), flavored with soy, ginger, and ground coriander in Chris Schlesinger's "Big Flavors of the Hot Sun" cookbook. It makes a good side for pork tenderloin or pork chops, with rice.

Where? All Filene's? The Basement, too?

I like Bourgeat, as well. I'm not sure if it's the professional line we have, but the copper is plenty thick (key). We bought it from Professional Cutlery Direct, when they were still serious about cookware. We have a Mauviel roasting pan, which people may tell you is overkill--the copper is unecessary for a roast. I don't care; it's beautiful. And works great for making pan sauces. This summer, I bought a sauté pan at E. Dehillerin in Paris. Even with the dollar weak against the euro, it was a great buy. Not counting airfare.

This is what I thought was going on. Not everyone who reads the NYTimes has been a waitron, but many if not most have been served by one. I read Bruni's piece as meant to inform the reader about the waiter's job and perspective. I didn't necessarily take it to be Bruni informing himself so as to enhance his future dining reviews. Tangentially--I understand from what I've read elsewhere that Chris Schlesinger is an exceptionally humane chef/owner, pays and feeds his staff well and generally supports a decent work environment. It would have been nice for Bruni to acknowledge this.

Yabbut... Didn't I read in the Times spread on Rachael Ray a few months ago, that she and Batali are friends?

Also, don't try to open the waffle iron until you're pretty sure the waffle is done. Once the waffle browns, it should release. I generally assume the first waffle is sacrificial. I've had the experience of splitting a waffle in two because I checked it too soon. I use a well-seasoned cast-iron waffle iron that works on a gas burner--I still lightly oil it for the first couple of waffles.

Hooray, johnnyd! What a great time of year to eat in Maine. Can't wait to read more.

Yes, exactly the one.

I'm writing through tears, having just returned from Paris yesterday. We had a wonderful week and tried a couple of the places I inquired about up the thread. Here's a report: First, Chez Diane is no longer, or at least not at the location listed above and according to another eGulleteer when I searched the forum. What we found instead was Au Bon Saint-Pourçain at 10, rue Servandoni (near St. Sulpice and Luxembourg Gardens). Although we didn't have reservations, we were made to feel right at home in a very cozy place. We were seated outside and treated to a couple of glasses of white wine while we decided what to order. We split an order of escargots (my first), and then my husband had a rib steak in marchand de vin sauce with a side of gratineed potatoes. He likes his beef rare, especially in a place like this where they don't bat an eye when you order it "bleu." It came out perfectly to his taste, with a rich red wine and shallot sauce. I had calf's liver, rosy, which was delicious and came with the same potatoes as well as ratatouille. We had a bottle of the house red wine, a Saint-Pourçain, which was fruity and on the light side--nice. The atmosphere was great--the street was not at all busy, and the pedestrians were all greeted by the waiter, sometimes they stopped to chat. We wished it was our neighborhood restaurant. Total was 72 euros. Next, we went to Polidor at 41, rue Montsieur-le-Prince. This place had been written up by Calvin Trillin in the New Yorker several years ago, and the effects of that glowing account lingered. We were among our people: American tourists. Still, my lentil salad and my husband's Lyonnaise sausages were terrific. My duck leg confit, though, was tough and dry. We had a carafe of a no-name red wine. Total was 42 euros. Our favorite was Chez Allard at 41, rue St.-Andre-des-Arts. Again, no reservations but we were accommodated kindly in a room that I thought was first for the reservation-less, then for Americans, but finally seemed to be the non-smoking area. We split a cucumber salad, nice on a hot night. I had a veal chop with forestière sauce--which turned out to be a sauté of chanterelles and potatoes. My husband again ordered entrecôte with marchand de vin sauce--which this time was lighter and sharper, still very good. We split a bowl of strawberry sorbet which came not in boules but out of a soft-serve machine, a bit disconcerting-looking but wonderful tasting. The waiter steered us to a Côte du Rhone, which we enjoyed very much. Total was 112 euros. Another great experience was meeting some friends at a wine bar near our hotel. The name escapes me, but it is just off the Carrefour l'Odéon, on rue des Quatres-Vents. They specialize in "bio" and old-style wines. The day before, when I was in search of a bottle to enjoy in our hotel room, the owner had recommended a rosé that, he said, was unsulfurized and slightly petillant, in the style of something our grandfathers would have drunk. (Although my grandfather drank martinis.) It was fantastic. Besides that, this average girl made it her business to try as many variations on the frisée, lardon, and poached egg salad as she could. I'm starting to save up for the next trip.

Thanks, Bux and John, for your advice. I did glean some specifics on my list from searching the site, and John, I'll add your suggestions to it. Shelly, your meals sounded fantastic. I've never been treated unkindly in Paris--ripped off once, in a tourist scam involving over-priced caricatures, but that was our fault for letting our guard down. And the happy ending to that story is that a street performer came to our rescue in trying to track the "artists" down the next day. I'll be sure to report back.

Here's another average girl on her way to Paris in a couple of weeks. Last trip, several years ago, my husband and I hit mostly the brasseries around the Odeon metro stop, near our hotel. I thought of these as the French equivalent of TGIFridays, although that's probably unfair and we were never disappointed if not blown away. This trip, I'd like to upgrade us slightly. I've gleaned this list of bistros from several sources (a cookbook called "Bistro," Saveur, and the Art of Eating's recent Paris issue). I'd love some feedback: are the menus what you'd call "typical" as opposed to fusion/fancy, is there a reasonable prix fixe menu, are we likely to need reservations, etc. Les voila: (from "Bistro"): Chez Allard, 41, rue St.-Andre-des-Arts, 6th Polidor, 41, rue Monsieur-le-Prince, 6th Chez Diane, 25, rue Servandont (? can't read my own writing), 6th Chez la Vieille, 1, rue Bailleul, 1st Chez Toutoune, 5, rue de Pontoise, 5th (from Art of Eating) Chez Denise, 5, rue Prouvaires, 1st (also listed in Saveur as A la Tour de Montlhery) Josephine (Chez Dumonet?), 117, rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th Au Petit Tonneau, 20, rue Surcouf, 7th (from Saveur) Chez Clovis, 33, rue Berger, 1st A la Cloche des Halles, 28, rue Coquillere, 1st Aux Tonneaux des Halles, 28, rue Montorgueil, 1st Thank you!

I like that one of the characters is named Steven Dedaelus. Silence, exile, and cunning.

Here's another Burlington recommendation that I didn't see in the compilation above. The Daily Planet on Center Street is a local favorite. I work at UVM, and my department had a standing reservation on Tuesday evenings for whoever felt like hanging out--the atmosphere encourages that. (And as a humanities department, it was also important that it be relatively inexpensive.) The food is interesting--I had grilled duck breast with Cajun sides last time I was there, and in the past have enjoyed lamb shank on risotto, rabbit stew, pan-fried stuffed trout wrapped in bacon ... Good wines by the glass, and their house red is something like 3 bucks a glass, and funny martinis if you like that sort of thing. Let us know where you go, and what you thought of it!

I strongly recommend Opaline, definitely the nicest place for dinner in Burlington if you like intimate settings. I also like Trattoria Delia on St. Paul. Italian (guess that's obvious) and good wines.

Al Dente--I was there for breakfast on Wednesday morning. Sorry I missed you! Petrissage--thanks for confirming my suspicion. I last lived there 15 years ago, and thought it was pretty touristy already. I make red chile sauce like this (I'm going to hell because I use powder, but I never got the hang of pods. Maybe someone can enlighten me, new thread?): 1/4 C flour 1/3 C oil 1/2 C NM red chile powder 4 C water 2 or more cloves garlic, minced Salt to taste Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add flour and stir until no longer raw. Add the chile powder and stir until it combines in a paste with the oil and flour. Add the water and stir and whisk vigorously to remove lumps. Add minced garlic, and salt to taste. Turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes or longer, until flour is no longer raw-tasting and consistency is to your preference. If the flavor seems too bitter or sour, add a drop of honey.

Just returned from a week in Santa Fe--stayed at the Inn on the Paseo on account of the recommendation up-thread, and was very happy with it. Comfortable room, walking distance to the Plaza and Canyon Road. I didn't eat breakfast there, since I used to live in SFe and had to check out my old favorite spots. Cafe Pasqual's was as good as I remembered, although I forgot that when you specified a corn tortilla with your huevos rancheros, that's what comes on the side, not under the eggs. I'd have preferred a wheat tortilla, but ate my mistake. Tia Sophia's, on West San Francisco, was also as remembered, and I thought the green chile was a little hotter (and the plate was half the price of Pasqual's). In general, I was disappointed not to find the chile as hot as I remembered--even at Tomasita's, even at La Choza. I brought a boatload home (the green stayed frozen in my suitcase), and the red enchiladas I made on Saturday with Hatch medium-hot powder were satisfyingly spicy. So have all the restaurants bowed to Anglo taste? Or have my years scratching the chile itch upped my tolerance more than I thought?

There are at least three food trucks parked on University Avenue on the University of Vermont central campus: Pam's Deli, Blondini's (burgers) and Ahli Baba's. The most fitting for the campus, home of Phish fans and white kids in dreadlocks, is Ahli Baba's, which serves felafel and hefty vegetarian options. A hotdog cart and a Chinese food vendor occasionally appear, too. The most fitting for Vermont is Pam's Deli, since every other business in the state has "...and Deli" attached to its name. The controversy is, if the university takes over the avenue from the town of Burlington according to plan, will the vendors be allowed to stay, or will Sodexho's contract forbid that? Stay tuned.

Someone more informed will answer this better, but in short, no, it should not violate the contract because the cuisines are distinct. Both have a Spanish-colonial component which has been elaborated in different ways. I hope this is not so schematic as to be misleading... Mexican food integrates indigenous culinary traditions to a greater degree, and uses a variety of chiles in a variety of sauces. Cuban food relies less on chiles, and incorporates other traditions (African, Chinese) besides Spanish. With that, my knowledge is exhausted, and more so.