Bux

I only know what I read, but my faith in fresh_a is implicit.

shadow, there are a couple of threads on Seville. I will only repeat here that as good as tapas are in Barcelona and Madrid, nothing compares to tapas in Andalucia. Seville is reputed to be the best place in Spain for tapas. We only spent a few days there early this spring, but I really enjoyed the tapas. Michelin recommends a few places as I'm sure most guide books do, but the variety is endless. I'm not at all sure that tapas aren't the way to go both at lunch and dinner in Sevilla. I'm also not sure it's more Spanish to eat a large lunch and just have tapas at night. I think that for the most part, many people do eat that way, but when the locals go out for dinner, they also do so late at night, although that too seems to be changing. We've made 9:30 reservations and found most people were already seated. Nevertheless, my wife and I often have a good lunch when traveling in Spain and then a light snack at a tapas bar in the evening. The ham, sausages and cured meat products are incredible in Spain and the best can be incredibly expensive. The wine has improved immensely and the prices seem very reasonable. When I find the same wines in NY, the markup seems much higher than for French wines. You can get many of the cheeses here, but rarely do they have anywhere near the depth of flavor. Coffee -- if you love a good espresso, I've found Spanish bars offer the best in the world. I don't understand why many of the best restaurants are now serving Italian coffee brands. The coffee is often better in the little bars and cafes than in the multistarred restaurants. I'm less a fan of cafe con leche, but my wife will tell you it's reason to come to Spain. Beer, by the way, is very popular in Spain and frequently ordered as an aperitif before dinner. Only in Andalucia does it seem to be equaled by a fino sherry, or better yet a manzanilla, before dinner. emiller444, I didn't mean to imply it was unreasonable to look for recommendations of moderate or even budget restaurants, only that people are often more eager to talk about the great meals they've had and to compare experiences at great restaurants. The focus here is much more on food than it is on travel and the conversations more naturally drift towards the destination restaurants, perhaps precisely because it's easier to develop a conversation about them on many levels. I also find that, in spite of my obsession with eating well, I get hungry when I'm right by a museum I want to see after lunch or find myself dead tired at dinner time and want a place very near my hotel. The greatest danger in selecting those little meals at random, is that one is often in a tourist area if one is touring, particularly if one is visiting a place for the first time and seeing the highlights, and those areas have the highest concentration of mediocre restaurants. I know this from experiece. I may have a pocket full of personal recommendations culled from the web, but they're more often than not, not convenient. A good comprehensive guide such as Michelin comes very much in handy, especially with its Bib Gourmand designation. In Madrid these all seem to be restaurants serving three courses for 30 euros or less and are likely to be places serving traditional or typical dishes with some character. It's my first line of defense against selecting at random.

My memories of summer days in Paris are that it's fairly humid as well. Reports of 100 degree F temperatures in Paris are almost frightening.

Let's hope the heat wave has abated by then. Boudin noir is rich food and from all reports, this is a record breaking hot summer. I can only recall having boudin noir once in Paris and someone posted here that the restaurant had closed. I'm a great fan of boudin noir, but a greater fan of andouillette. Given the option I favor the latter which I can't get in NY. (For those unfamiliar with French andouille and andouillette, the Cajun sausage sold under that name in the states bears no resemblance to the French sausage whose name it borrowed. Come to think of it, the same can be said for boudin.) I can get boudin noir in NY, albeit not as good as in France, but I've also had it in the Caribbean as morcilla in Puerto Rico and as boudin des antilles in Martinique. The latter were among the best if you like it spicy. There's great boudin in the Basque region. Michelin has a list of Parisian restaurants by specialties. Boudin is one of the listings, as is andouillette. I have last year's Michelin. It recommends eight restaurant within Paris and one in the suburbs. If you don't have access to a copy of the Guide Rouge, perhaps someone will post the names on the current list, although I suspect there were no changes from last year. Jeffrey Steingarten could probably make sawdust sound appetizing, but then again maybe that's partially because I trust him not to do that. In my opinion, the best boudins are likely to come from a good charcuterie, but as I've only bought them fresh in the south where I can cook them in a friend's kitchen, I can't refer you to a Parisian source. As for the legality of bringing them home with you, I'll defer to Claire's opinion. Ms. Voyant not only knows all the laws, she knows where you live.

Apparently not, from what we're shown and from what people say.

Does anybody really take the New York Post seriously? At all? As typically mean-spirited and obnoxious as anything else that appears in that rag, I think I'll ignore it and wait for the Times review. Regardless, I'll probably try Rocco's at some point anyway. Among other things the guy missed the point of the concept, even after watching the show. Not surprising since the staff apparently missed it as well, with the exception of that one guy at the gripe session. Am I the only one aside from Rocco who thinks it's funny to have an Italian-American theme restaurant? Rocco had a mediocre reputation among serious, talented chefs to begin with in New York. Before the show, he was seen as a pretty boy with sufficient talent to open restaurants, but overall, not a contender. Now, well, now.... And everybody here in NYC reads the Post. say what you like about it's reputation, but it is read by many. And if Grimes reviews it, well today he gave Odette Fada from san Domenico ( what used to be the best Italian in NYC), 2 **. And her food is leaps and bounds over the slop served at Rocco's, so I wouldn't hold my breath for Grimes. From what I have seen, Rocco Despirito had a far better reputation among both NY's diners and chefs than the NY Post had among people who could read and write. In terms of restaurant reviews, the Post seems not to have any reputation. I just don't hear anyone mention it or the reviews that appear in it. By the way, I've lived in NYC all my life. More to the point, how long has Rocco's, the restaurant, been serving food? It seems much too short a time for any self respecting journalist or newspaper to write or publish a review. That review appeared so quickly just reminded my of the hatchet job the popular press did on AD/NY when pandering to an audience that would never consider visiting a restaurant like AD/NY. While the review supports all my prejudices about the restaurant as formed from watching the TV show, I can't really say it offered any more insight than watching the show on TV. If Rocco doesn't respect The Post, then why does his publicist call them daily to put him on Page six?? He is literally in the gossip column every day now. The sword cuts both ways..... Rocco can cook. I've eaten in Union Pacific. I have no idea if he can read or write. Publicists do what publicists do. My guess, at the moment, is that Rocco's is looking for the trade that reads Page Six. I don't know who that is, but I suspect they don't read much else and don't dine very judiciously. In any event, publicists will often take any publicity they can. There has been considerable sentiment here that no matter how badly Rocco or Rocco's looks on TV, this is all good for them.

Maybe you could get on Ducasse's good side by bringing him a bucket of McNuggets with curry sauce.

Does anybody really take the New York Post seriously? At all? As typically mean-spirited and obnoxious as anything else that appears in that rag, I think I'll ignore it and wait for the Times review. Regardless, I'll probably try Rocco's at some point anyway. Among other things the guy missed the point of the concept, even after watching the show. Not surprising since the staff apparently missed it as well, with the exception of that one guy at the gripe session. Am I the only one aside from Rocco who thinks it's funny to have an Italian-American theme restaurant? Rocco had a mediocre reputation among serious, talented chefs to begin with in New York. Before the show, he was seen as a pretty boy with sufficient talent to open restaurants, but overall, not a contender. Now, well, now.... And everybody here in NYC reads the Post. say what you like about it's reputation, but it is read by many. And if Grimes reviews it, well today he gave Odette Fada from san Domenico ( what used to be the best Italian in NYC), 2 **. And her food is leaps and bounds over the slop served at Rocco's, so I wouldn't hold my breath for Grimes. From what I have seen, Rocco Despirito had a far better reputation among both NY's diners and chefs than the NY Post had among people who could read and write. In terms of restaurant reviews, the Post seems not to have any reputation. I just don't hear anyone mention it or the reviews that appear in it. By the way, I've lived in NYC all my life. More to the point, how long has Rocco's, the restaurant, been serving food? It seems much too short a time for any self respecting journalist or newspaper to write or publish a review. That review appeared so quickly just reminded my of the hatchet job the popular press did on AD/NY when pandering to an audience that would never consider visiting a restaurant like AD/NY. While the review supports all my prejudices about the restaurant as formed from watching the TV show, I can't really say it offered any more insight than watching the show on TV.

Where? In British Columbia, we were told it was law. I seem to recall that it was also illegal for a while in New Jersey, but I'm not sure of that. I know certain municipalities were considering laws in that regard, but BC is the place I've experienced it first hand.

Paris has its faults, but every now and then, it shows signs that it is the haven of civilization.

You know that the bottom of the kitchen brigade is unprotected even by the angels.

I know people who order steak tartare whenever they see it on the menu and those who only order it if they personally know the chef or owner of the restaurant. When you consider the fact that in certain parts of North America, it's illegal to serve a rare hamburger, it's no surprise that ordering steak tartare would bring some added risk and that if people eat in Paris what they might not order in Boston, you're going to get different figures for each city. That said, I'd avoid steak tartare in the summer, except maybe at a place like Ducasse. (I don't think he has steak tartare on the menu.) I'm with Lou on this. I also think travelers will experience all sorts of intestinal problems at a much greater frequency than they will at home for a great number of reasons. We can start with the difference in relatively unharmful microbes in the local water. They're less unharmful to those who haven't built up a tolerance. Travelers tend to eat in restaurants more than those staying at home and they tend to eat a different diet than they do at home. Lots of bugs will give you symtoms similar to those of food poisoning. Airplanes must be about the number one place to exchange a virus or bug. The recycled air does a real number drying out mucous membranes and transmitting germs. The best comparison would not be between a group of Americans traveling in France and a control group of Americans staying home, but between two groups of travelers -- one coming to Paris from America and one coming to New York from France. I hear the heat is dreadful in most of western Europe. Both Paris and Madrid are reported to reach temperatures over 100 degrees F. Here, in NYC, it's been sweltering this week. I'm sure it's hotter still in Hell, but I'm willing to bet the humidity is lower.

emiller444, Barcelona and Madrid are fairly large cities and have scads of restaurants. I've had lots of good meals for less than $30 in each city, particularly at lunch, but few of them are worth recommending as restaurants worth crossing town for dinner. At that price range, as often as not, you're probably going to want to eat at a convenient restaurant. I find the Michelin Guia Roja as good as any in a search for inexpensive restaurants. It has special symbols for the best buys. You mention that this is your first trip to Spain. Have you traveled elsewhere abroad and where are you coming from. This is a fairly international board with broad American, Canadian and UK representation. It's unfair to make generalizations, but sometimes knowing more about a person can help others in making recommendations. One of the things also worth noting about his site is that it attracts many gastronomes who are not so much devoted to eating well, but obsessed. They are often likely to plan their trip based on the restaurants they've heard or read about and then decide what kind of sightseeing they might add to the trip. What I used to say about Paris, I am now just as likely to say about Barcelona. Its restaurants and its food are among its greatest cultural assets. At that price range, it may be more useful to learn about the food of Madrid and of Catalunya that to get specific recommendations. It's often possible to get a wonderful meal and a disappointing meal from the same restaurant depending on how and what one orders. Putting yourself in the hands of the waiter is always an option, but it works best at the most expensive destination restaurants. At those frequented by tourists, you'll often find the waiter recommending, not what's interesting, but what other tourists found satisfactory, which may, or may not be what you want. It's also a truism that the worst values in restaurants all over the world are found in the areas frequented by tourists. One of the many delights of traveling Spain is the chance to grab a quick snack that's both tasty and inexpensive at the many tapas bars and cafes. If you're a light eater, it's also possible to put together a light meal from a selection of tapas. Be careful, small orders can add up, especially if you chose wisely and each dish whets your appetite for more. In Spain, my wife and I often have one gastronomic meal and just tapas for the other meal of the day. I have lots of small receipts from bars. I can't really use them to recommend a place because sometimes the cost of the "meal" is the sum of many stops. Does your $30 figure include wine? Wine is inexpensive in Spain, by the way, and most of the very inexpensive wines are quite enjoyable, in my opinion. Anyway, our meals generally include at least a bottle. In Barcelona, I've recommended Can Majo. We had lunch there for 59 euros. Today that's going to run a bit more than $60 for two. As I recall, we skipped dessert, but our selections were from the more expensive items on the seafood menu. That's about the least expensive restaurant I'd go out of my way to eat in, in Barcelona and it's in an interesting area by the beach and the ports. I'm sure we'll go back there ourselves, especially for lunch although another member with impeccable taste was not overly pleased with his paella there. In Madrid we've eaten well enough at that price, but I don't remember where. That's a sure sign I think I can do as well without a recommendation the next time. I will alert you to a chain of tapas bars. I believe they're called El Museo de Jamon, and naturally they specialize in ham and cured meats. The best grades of Iberico and Pata Negra hams are "bellota," which means nothing more than fed on an acorn diet. It does produce a superior product, but it can be very expensive. As this is your introduction to Spain, you can start with the more ordinary cured hams. Even they can be astounding. There are wonderful tapas bars hidden on back streets around the plaza Mayor, but you can almost be assured the food served on the plaza will be mediocre.

Tony Bourdain was there on one of the pre-opening nights. He posted comments about the food in that thread about the show. His remarks are early in the thread, I believe, as he posted well before the show hit the air. I recall he was not impressed, although he said Eric Ripert liked it.

Trust me, in NYC, the pretentious people who are stuck up, don't go to Starbucks, Olive Garden maybe, but not Starbucks.

Or dub it in Japanese and show it in Japan.

I am astounded not just by the lack of interest in food, but at how American it sounds when it's at its worst.

I've enjoyed your posts because I've tended to share your sentiments about many places. Here we depart a bit, but there is an element of agreement. Frankly, we loved our food, including desserts and predesserts. I ordered the roast bananas with coconut ice cream because I was intrigued by the caramelized mushroom sauce, which worked. I enjoyed each of my courses and found the amuses exceptional. Chef Marcon himself carved out lamb at tableside. Unfortunately, our wine service was so bad that it had a serious negative effect on the entire meal. So much so that I too feel a bit "gun-shy" about returning soon in spite of the fact that I felt the food itself was easily worth the two stars. After an initial pour of white wine that couldn't have been as much as two ounces apiece and was just about finished by the time my fish arrived, I couldn't attract anyone's attention to get a refill from our half bottle. I ate as slowly as I could and by the time I got another ounce or two of wine, my fish in a cream sauce was no warmer than room temperature. A wonderful dish was ruined. When our bottle of red arrived, I asked to have it left on the table and was told it was not allowed. I made enough of a fuss to show I was annoyed. As expected I was constantly trying to catch someone's eye all through the rest of the meal as I once again nursed my food and hardly paid it the attention it deserved. We managed to finish the wine before dessert, but at one point I noticed someone pull our half bottle of white wine out of the ice bucket, look at the still half full bottle and sheepishly put it back in the ice. I also believe that person caught me looking at him, but there was no improvement in the service of our red and no apology or comp. I left a strong note at checkout complimenting almost everything in the hotel and restaurant, but I described my frustration at dinner. In all fairness to the Auberge, we had one of the most wonderful breakfasts. In addition to the buffet, we asked for eggs. I had a soft boiled egg and my wife asked for a scrambled egg. Her egg arrived in a little covered ceramic ramekin. It was loaded with minced cepes and truffles as I recall and from behind his back, our waiter produced one for me in addition to my plain old boiled egg. I don't know if they had us marked for a favor, or if we were just lucky to order a scrambled egg on a day there were a lot trimmings around. When I focus on breakfast, my mood changes. With the exception of the wine service, we thought the service was exceptional. It's really a shame when a great, or even really good restaurant provides an unsatisfactory experience. I'm of the school that would like to believe that's unacceptable, but my guess is that every great chef, restaurant and hotel has a horror story they'd prefer not to share.

Why wouldn't it be "gourmet?" Has that word become so pejorative that if it's really good food, it can't appeal to gourmets? That a French restaurant serves ice water, now that may be news.

i must be thicker than i thought. what does "short pour" mean? i assume that means "give them a little". and if that's the case, i still don't see how that gets the to drink quicker, which would seem to be the goal if you want to move another bottle. I've been the victim of this more than once, although far more often when my father was alive and paying the bill. At a family dinner, one of the members who didn't drink, but who would not remember to tell the waiter, would have a full glass by the end of the course (at each pass of the table, the waiter added a bit more to the glass) while I would have an empty glass quite early. My father was not a big wine drinker and hardly noticed. The casual observer might just think I was drinking more, but in fact, I got less. Both my wife and I tried to educate the rest of the family, but mostly we went thirsty, because my father thought one bottle was enough. The restaurant wouldn't make any more money, but wine was wasted. The worst case scenario I can remember was at a little neighborhood restaurant to which I've never returned. We had a large table, but not that large--maybe six people. The waiter opened the wine and proceeded to fill each large glass in turn. I was not amused, but waited for the punchline. Sure enough he ran out while pouring glass number five and had the balls to announce "you're out of wine, would you like another bottle." We would clearly have had two or three bottles that evening, but we said "no" and proceeded to fill the last glass from the first four. On the other hand, at really good restaurants, I have seen a waiter or sommelier manage to serve two couples and still have more well more than half the bottle left. Hell, I've seen that with a half bottle in a really good restaurant. As for pricing, I've been oversold and I've been undersold. By the latter I mean to say I would have been willing to spend much more than the price of the wine that was recommended. I've also been lucky to have friends in good places and have made friends with people who take care of me. Thus I'm often in a position of being protected rather than fleeced. I have also been known to get the infrequent comp. The business of letting the sommelier take care of you and pick the wines is a tricky one. I need to trust the house very much, but then I don't dine where I'm going to be embarrassed by looking cheap. That is, I dine with friends and family who already know I'm cheap.

Sorry to hear Can Majo was disapppointing. We've never had paella there, preferring the Catalan arròs caldós, (arroz caldosa in Spanish) but I had heard the paella was good, at least several years ago. I think I've already posted on all of our worthwhile meals in Barcelona.

Somewhere, maybe in this thread even, I've suggested that a fall visit is worth making just to see the vivid plummage of the game birds in La Boqeria market. Only slightly off-topic, is the news we've had from friends in the Languedoc, just a few hours drive north of Barcelona, -- the summer has been hot and dry. A drought means that the grass isn't growing the cows have little to eat. There's a shortage of milk and there is likely to be a shortage of cheese made in many areas.

What factor might evaporation have played in regard to the relative strengths of the broths.

Wasn't that said in both episode two and three? Or am I just remembering seeing the teaser after ep. 2? If it was said both times, is Olive Garden a sponsor too? No, Olive Garden is not a sponsor of this show, but they are a source of revenue to the major networks. I can't imagine there's any financial harm going to come to NBC for this.

No wonder Philly gets such a bad press. NY and LA control the media, or vice versa. We suffer fools quite well. It's one of our, um .... , charms.