Bux

Ms. Hesser doesn't say if she'd recommend a particular sherry with her pea soup, but the article mentions fino and manzanilla. I think I'd like an amontillado. I used to like serving a dry Madeira with pea soup and they're not as dry as a manzanilla or fino. Many of us open a bottle of wine and don't finish it that evening. Whites seem to suffer less the next day and I suppose because I keep them in the refrigerator as I would a dry sherry. Still, I wonder about the advice of keeping sherry for another night, which implies it might not even be the next night. The implication seems to be that sherry, a fortified wine, keeps better than an average table wine. I wonder if that's true. There were a few comments about the wines of Jerez and Sanlucar de Barrameda in the Spain forum in a thread about Andalucia recently. We've been puzzling over the relative disappointment of manzanilla here in NY. The crispness of the manzanillas and finos in Spain reinforced that opinion. I've heard others say that all of the wines of Jerez, including manzanilla from next door Sanlucar de Barrameda are stale when sold in the US. As they're all fortified wines with high alcohol and the product of a solera, as well as non-vintage, I just don't see how they could go stale so quickly.I've had some second thoughts on this issue. It seems that freshness is essential. Looking at a Spanish guide to Spanish wines, the comments I find under Consumo prefererente: for finos and manzanillas range from "at this moment," through "at this moment" and all the way to "right away." I wonder how well finos and manzanillas keep after a bottle is opened. Looking at a bottle of manzanilla, I see the label says 15%. That's not so high in alcohol. Any thoughts on how long one might expect the wine to be enjoyable.

Overdrawing a French bank account is a serious offense. That's why French businesses are so willing to take personal checks. At one time we though we might have some small French income, but that hasn't panned out and since the funds for the account would come from the US and we haven't felt the need to use checks, we didn't see a purpose to tie funds up in two countries. As for the ease of opening an account, the branch manager at our bank in NYC was happy to set everything up for us with an affiliate bank in France. The only complications came with choosing which options to check off on the form. In the end, all the options seemed silly as we had no real use for the account.

I don't have any evidence at hand, but I believe the first card to add the surchage was a Citibank American Airlines card. Both Citibank and cards with a rewards program of any sort were among the first to add this surcharge. To the best of my knowledge there is no Milage card that doesn't have a surcharge. If there is one, I'd be interested in learning about it. American Express has a Delta Skymiles card through its Optima program. I believe there is no surcharge beyond the 2% charge incurred by all AmEx cards used abroad. Although 1% more than what Visa and MC charge, it may be the least expensive milage reward card. Of course American Express has a yearly fee for this Optima card, or it's free if you already pay a fee for another AmEx card. Of course a Visa or MC is more useful in Europe than an AmEx card. I know very little about actual banking laws and customs in France. We once considered opening a French banking account, but with the ease of use of credit cards and ATM cards, the advantages grew small for a non-resident. I can tell you that American friends of ours with an account in France make ATM withdrawals from their US bank account and deposit the funds in their French account. They've found it's much less expensive than wiring the money or any other kind of transfer. When we looked into opening an account in France, the first thing we realized was that we didn't undertand the terms even when translated to English.

I'm not all that well informed on this subject, but it was my understanding that France set the standard for "smart" cards--those with a chip--and went ahead and incorporated that technology into their banking system and its machines. Unfortunately, other countries did not adopt France's standard and set another one as an international standard. Of course they did that with the Minitel as well. They will eventually catch up, and probably sooner than the US.

A favorite topic of mine and one that caused me to move most of my business from one bank to another. All currency exchanges involve some cost to the consumer. You will pay be being hit with a fee, a commission or just by getting an unfavorable rate of exchange. To the best of my knowledge MasterCard and Visa charge US cardholders 1% fee for making the transaction on credit card purchases. American Express charges 2%, still not so bad in comparison to the fees, commissions and bad exchanges one got over any counter. With all three cards, your exchange rate is the interbank rate and the best ou can get without changing millions of dollars. These same fees and rates applied to ATM withdrawals from your checking account. For a while these were one of the biggest bargains available to travelers. Then the banks got in on the action. Ideally they'd like a piece of every transaction you make, if not a piece of you. Clearly, if they charged you $102 every time you signed a slip for a $100 dinner, you'd complain, but they wisely figured out that people are sloppier about their money when on vacation and that since the exchange rate varied everyday and transactions were usually in odd amounts, you'd never notice if your bill for a 112.34 euros came back as $127.29 or $124.81 and they began asking the credit card company to take a few percent extra for the bank. Most banks take an additional 2% over the 1% taken by Visa or MC. Some take as much as three or four percent more. Some travelers, such as VivreManger, began to think there was an advantage using cash for more expenses expecting a better rate on ATM withdrawals. I began paying for restaurants and hotels with my debit card or in cash after Chase told me they did not have a foreign currency surcharge on ATM withdrawals, but I was suspicious. I opened a second account at bank that had an international outlook and claimed not to add any surcharge for foreign currency transactions. Out of curiosity, I withdrew 100 francs from checking accounts at the two banks and when I got home, I found Chase had charged my account exactly 2% more than my new bank. The new bank became my main bank. Chase lost most of my business, not just because it tried to tax my travel expenses, but because it lied to me about its policies. I rather suspect that no one really understood the two percent thing applied to debit cards as well as credit cards, but a bank that doesn't know what it's doing is no better than one with it's hand in your pocket. One thing I didn't cover is the fee you may have to pay to use an ATM abroad. My understanding is that both Visa and MC prohibit their banking partners from charging foreigners for use of an ATM, but your bank may be charged just as it charges other banks and your bank may charge you a fee for using any ATM not connected with one of its branches. The nature of your account and the balances you carry will affect that fee with most banks. I believe this is the gist of my previous post on this subject. Several questions for VivreManger: Are you sure the differences in exchange rates you experienced between your ATM card and your credit card are due to different fees by the bank or can they be explained by fluctuations in the exchange rates? Have you considered shopping for a more travel friendly bank? Admittedly, no bank is perfect and Chase offered Mac friendly online banking while my new bank requires I use a PC or the internet. I believe there are several banks that do not charge the fee for a debit card or credit card. You may be able to get a credit card with one, even if it's not convenient to bank with one. Most credit unions do not charge a foreign currency conversion fee.

Places we've been to recently enough to feel we can recommend, at the price (not in any order): La Fontaine de Mars (7th arr.) Le Dauphin (or Au Dauphin) (1st) Chez Michel (10th) C'Amelot (11th) Bistrot du Dôme (14th) Paris is full of places that are good, but disappointments abound. Equally true is that how well you do at any of the above listed places may depend on what you order. I suggest you review old threads here for more information and some insight on these places which others have mentioned. The problem with asking about inexpensive places that offer great food with out the financial bite, is that many members have already made recommendations within the past year and may not bother to repeat themselves yet another time. This is a popular subject that's been covered many times. Two places we've really loved, in which we've not dined recently enough to recommend with any confidence: La Régalade (14th) Philippe Dutourbe (15th) I'm a fan of brasseries and less critical than others of the ones run by the Flo group. It's not great cuisine, but stick to simple food and brasserie standbys and they're worthwhile. Admittedly the ones I knew well in the sixties are the ones that please me less now--most notably La Coupole--but try Vaudeville. I had a good andouillete at Balzar, but there were a lot of American's in the room. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, in the Hotel Pont Royal (7th) should have opened by now and I suspect it's well worth checking out. It's Robuchon's attempt to unretire himself and offer a relaxed version of his food. Supposedly it wasn't going to take reservations and was to offer counter seating with a view of an exposed kitchen. If you're on your own, it sounds like an ideal situation. If you're a couple it should still offer a great experience at what I hope is a fair price.

You may even get bonus points if you say it correctly -- Donostia. For that post, future visitors to Donostia should thank you. In any event as long as I stick to saying it, I'm probably mispronouncing it even when I spell it correctly. You caught the mispelling in my response here, but not in the thread title. I am flattered and honored by your attention.

It might be interesting to hear more about Tony's ambivalence on the subject of the Beard House. It may go a ways toward explaining the crowd. I daresay there were not many who voted for Eisnehower and Kennedy.

I think it's got an awning with the name on it in latin characters. I don't think it was on the corner and I think it was off East Broadway away from Chatham Square. We'll have to look for it. I've been there only twice.

"millefeuille [which is what those who can pronounce millefeuille, (the French) call what we call a Napoleon in the US]" -- Bux "millefeuille here is slightly different, having many layers of pastry and pastry cream like a club sandwhich a Napoleon typically seems just to have the two layers of pastry with one layer of filling." -- Saffy "Napoleons that i've seen have always had multiple layers." -- mjc Saffy, where is "here" for you? I'm in NYC. What I knew as a Napoleon was a millefeuille in France. It could be we're not all on the same page and that we're not describing what you are thinking about.

You'll probably get points among the locals if you call it Donastia, (Donostia -- see below) although in Madrid, I sometimes had the feeling I offended Spaniards when I used Basque names such as Donastia and Hondarribia. I think you can't go too far wrong bar hopping in the Parte Vieja in Donastia. It's been a while since we've stayed in Donastia, but here's what I wrote at the time. Tapas in the Parte Vieja We skipped dinner the night we arrived in San Sebastian, or Donastia, as it's called in the native Basque tongue, preferring instead to enjoy the txikiteo at the many tapas bars in the Parte Vieja. Txikiteo is the Basque version of an extended "happy hour." The term refers to the small or txikito (chiquito in Spanish) drink taken with a snack in each bar. You don't have to speak Basque, but a little Spanish is helpful. While they are not unfriendly, most of the bars do not exactly cater to tourists. Choice spots at the bar are not quickly relinquished, and a bit of determination is required to get to the bar, let alone to be served at the more crowded spots. However, a crowd is a sign that the food and wine are good. Vino tinto is the usual order, but beer is also a popular choice. A zurito is a small glass with but a finger or two of beer. It's an expensive way to get drunk, but a reasonable way to bar hop, tasting an open sandwich here, a bit of ham there, and so on without consuming much more alcohol than food. Sumac's suggestion sounds excellent. I know a chef who got a list from Berasategui, but unfortunately it didn't survive the rest of his trip and I never saw that list.

I'm not a speaker of Spanish, although I have some insight into it as my wife is a native speaker of Spanish, albeit a Latin American variety. Tighe, thanks for that web site. I've run across many dealing with the languages of Iberia and of southern France, but this one handled the subject of the languages of Spain very succinctly and managed to add to my store of information. I had heard before that Catalan was spoken in a part of Sardinia or Sicily, I see it's Sardinia. I think this may have been touched on here at eGullet in a discussion covering the use of pasta in Catalan cooking. Euskera is famous for it's lack of relation to any other language. Although it shares a lot of modern words with Spanish. it is basically unintelligible to either French or Spanish speakers as well as the rest of the non Euskera speaking world. I was surprised to learn how unique Gallego (Galician) is when we went to Galicia several years ago. It sounds a lot like Portuguese. I had never heard of Bable until a month or so ago and was amused by that term. There's a web site for Arenys de Mar that offers a version in multiple languages. Quite a few of them are spoken on the Iberian peninsula. The names are listed in Catalan, but I can guess most of them. I've not worked or lived in either the Basque or Catalan regions, but I'm a little confused by mjmchef's last post. Ginger chef raises an interesting issue and one I've never thought about. Do professional kitchens in Spain use French terms as much as they do in the UK and the US? I also wouldn't be surprised to find cooks from France and the US staging in Berasategui's kitchens.

Whether there's vanilla or Grand Marnier in the most traditional millefeuille [which is what those who can pronounce millefeuille, (the French) call what we call a Napoleon in the US] I can't verify, but the classic version would not be Bavarian cream and would not have gelatin, I am sure.

This has been covered before, but Catalan is not a dialect of Spanish. It is a distinct language and differs from Spanish as much as French differs from Spanish. In fact, I find it's often closer to French than Spanish. I've found that most Spaniards refer to Spanish as Castilian. I'm also surprised to learn that they speak Catalan in Berasategui's kitchen although it may be that he has so many cooks from Catalonia that it's a common language the way Spanish is in so many NYC restaurant kitchens. Catalan is a romance language. The Basque language is not. El Bulli and El Celler de Can Roca are in Catalonia along with several other significant restaurants. El Raco de Can Fabes is formost among them. Barcelona and all its restaurants are in Catalonia. Catalonia is on the Mediterranean coast of northern Spain. Martin Berasategui is in the Basque region on the Atlantic Ocean side of northern Spain just south of France. Donostia (San Sebastian) is the largest city. See the thread on Donostia for information about notable restaurants there. Arzak is probably the father of new Basque Cuisine. His daughter heads the kitchen now, although he's still active. These two areas (Basque & Catalonia) have been the home to the driving forces in the current avant garde of Spanish cuisine.

In about 1972 or so, an industrial grey Vulcan had open top burners of 15,000 BTU each. The oven burner was capable of 35,000 BTU and there were three broiler burners of 10,000 BTU under a ceramic broiler/salamander which also ensured even heat for the 24 inch griddle plate. I don't know what was available in a residential model back then, but a distinguishing feature on this stove was that in three linear feet, one could sit six one food diameter pots comfortably. It was also thirty inches deep counting the gas manifold in back, but not counting handles or projections in front.

Definitely not the most flattering quote I could find in that NY Times article, but probably not the least flattering either. I think this sums the "reality" up well enough.

We ate there about three years ago. I'm sorry we didn't take notes. I have the menu filed away somewhere. What I remember most is excellent food, that was far more satisfying than the descriptions of the dishes might lead one to expect. At the time it seemed very cutting edge. A reading of the tasting menu might have made one expect to find some shock effect, but that was hardly the case. Dishes were stunning, but tasted right. As he's part of the front line of the creative wave now influencing the current generation of Spanish chefs, it would be hard for me to guess if his food has continued to change and hard in any other way to define his style. I suspect this is going to be a rewarding three months. I hope you have internet access over there and that we may get to learn from you during these three months.

For lunch or a snack, I'll pull a spinach or mixed vegetable paratha out of the freezer, defrost it and heat it in a skillet and then fold it over some fresh local ricotta.

Haven't been to Mandarin Court in some time. It used to have carts. It also used to be terriific and then it seemed to slip considerably and after a few disappointing visits, we wrote it off. How recently has anyone been there for dim sum? Has it gotten better and do they have carts?

It's not always easy to snag a table by the kitchen, especially when one has been waiting for forty minutes to have one's number called for a table in a large dim sum palace. I have turned down a table that I have considered all too far from the kitchen, but at some point I have to weight the time spent waiting with the chance that the next table is going to be significantly better. I have also been in dim sum restaurants where the food is picked up at different stations and I have seen fried foods recycled. That is to say, I have seem foods go back on the cart from a warming oven of sorts. When dim sum was regular part of our weekly shopping venture, there were waiters I could count on to get me fresh fried foods directly from the kitchen. The comment about cycling the dishes is interesting, because we've seen that and learned to spot when the dishes we first saw upon being seated, come by again. That's when we know we've seen all that's being offered. We've also learned that some places send out a greater variety of items at peak hours. The idea was to get there just before the peak time, so the wait was least, but the selection was the widest.

We've only spent one night in Bilbao and didn't do much bar hopping. In fact we were content to spend much of our time with friends at a table with chairs in the Plaza Nueva. The bar that served that table was Victor Montes, and it seemed to be the most attractive bar lining the plaza. The plaza seemed to be a lively spot at tapas time and well popluated with locals. I don't really remember what we had in the way of tapas, but I'd probably head that way in the evening If and when we return.

I can vouch the carts exist in Hong Kong, but I can't say much about how important they are to the local population's idea of dim sum. I wonder if they are more important in America. I wonder if they were here at the beginning of dim sum and how and when they were introduced. I think the carts are great for serving some things and less good for others. When introducing strangers to dim sum, the carts loom more important in my mind because they make for a more colorful experience and they allow those unfamiliar with the food to participate in the ordering.

Even in restaurants with high turnover, I've learned to ignore fried foods on carts. Rarely are they fresh enough to warant trying. Steamed dumplings are another thing and do very well as does tripe stew and duck blood.

But an afternon at the market can sure when one's appetite for dinner and is a great reminder of what's in season.

Does New Green Bo do a real Dim Sum or does one order dumplings from the regular dinner menu? Reports on Ping's seem to run hot and cold, as well as tepid. The dim sum seems to get better reviews than the dinner, but I recall some less than stellar reports. I wonder if carts are traditional, or any more traditional than any other way. In Hong Kong, where the dim sum is way better than NY or SF, I've experienced carts, ordering from waiters and some sort of modified order at the counter service. Sometimes all three in the same restaurant for different dishes. The best dim sum I may have had in the states, at least the best I'd tasted at the time, was at Ton Kiang in SF--the one way out in what appeared ot be a Russian neighborhood. We ordered from a menu. It convinced me that carts were not necessarily the way to go.