Bux

On the contrary. As the stars are awarded for past perfomance, and as the money market funds are careful to note in their ads, that's no guarantee of future performance. You ate in a three star restaurant. This year's diners will have to wait to know for sure. I am only half kidding and for all the credibility Michelin has, it's still a subjective rating, if not seen as subjective as those given by any single reviewer. In fact, I've always said the smart diner eats in a two star that's going to get its third star the following year. The restaurant is bound to be trying its hardest, the reservations are bound to be a little easier to get and the staff will be less cocky and the restaurant less overwhelmed with business. Of course the diner with real prescience will eat for free on his winnings at the casino tables.

I don't remember what I posted about my meal at Maxence. We enjoyed it, but not any more than several other meals that were less expensive. We had expected something special after first tasting Van Laer's rillettes de leivre au cacao at the Chocolate Salon the year before. I wondered if we hadn't just ordered poorly, but the loss of the single star is not a shocker to me. The loss of la Ferme du Letty's star in Bénodet, Brittany is, if not a surprise, a shock of sorts. Some years back it had a high GaultMillau number and only one star from Michelin. We felt it was not a two star, but a remarkable find for a one star. A few Breton restaurant people in NY have shared our opinion about the restaurant, although none have told me about a recent experience. I noticed that GaultMillau had dropped it from their guide altogether for the past two years, so the element of surprise is gone. I wonder what happened. We had a superb lunch at Auberge de la Galupe, but it was over two and a half years ago. It was suggested that Parra sold the place. I find it hard to imagine another reason for the loss of both stars. Thanks for the list.

In what I thought was a bizarre thread earlier on the book, I said--"The typography bugs the s--t out of me," I'm not sure if I explained that it made it hard for me to approach the bood and appreciate the information it contained. Daniel Boulud is a friend and that was not an enjoyable thing to say, as you may imagine.

How did I miss that comment about Catalan? It's one of several romance languages that didn't get its own modern country with political boundaries. I am usually floored when people refer to it as a dialect. Naturally all of the romance languages share a common heritage and some have developed adjacent to others with which they've likely cross pollenated. Barcelona is such a popular tourist destination for both Americans and British that I assume most astute travelers are aware of its existance. Gallego was even more fascinating to me when we visited Galicia. I suppose because it was my first experience with it. I wonder if it suffers the fate of being mistaken for a cross between Portuguese and Spanish. Interestingly enough Portuguese, Gallego and Catalan seem to share some sounds that are not used in French or Italian. Chalk it up to ignorance and a fertile imagination, but I remember hearing someone talking to a waiter in a beach restaurant on the northeast coast of Spain and assuming they were Portuguese tourists. I was suprised the waiter knew enough Portuguese to reply. Only years later did I realize they must have been speaking Catalan.

Good point, and if bubbly is your aperatif, there's a local sparkling wine that will save you the price of jar of nutella for each glass you order. It's not champagne, but it's local and didn't insult my taste buds.

My trips to Paris are infrequent (well that's relative, of course) and too short for me to keep abreast of things and up to date even on the places I know. May I assume this is a first trip? I haven't been to any restaurants on your list very recently. I absolutely loved La Regalade's rustic food when I was there and loved it enough to have said it was my favorite restaurant in Paris from time to time. Les Grandes Marches was surprisingly satisfying when we were there. It's the Flo Group's proof they can do something other than take over classic brasseries. The classic brasseries they've taken over are not what they used to be. I'm not sure if that's their fault or just changing times. I don't know if you can eat as well at any of their collection of traditional brasseries, but they may be more interesting in terms of tradition. For sentimental reasons perhaps, I'd like to return to Vaudeville for a plate of oysters and steck frties or better yet an andouille (a chitlin sausage with decidely barnyard aroma and flavor) and frites. If the Bristal is the Bristol, I haven't been there, but have eaten the chef's food when he had his own restaurant in an obscure corner of Paris. The prices were insignificat compared with those of the Bristol, but I'd trust him to feed me at those prices as well. Les Bookisistes is a place we enjoyed when it first opened. Fresh_a says it's changed it's name and decor. At the time, it was the food I liked anyway. The menu was original and very contemporary, but quite distinctly French never the less. I've probably rehashed what I've written here before and you've probably already read that. Hopefully it will induce someone else to write more.

We had several excellent meals in le Jardin des Sens when it was two stars. We've not had a chance to eat there since it was three stars and not been to any of the other restaurants run by the Pourcels, but the reports I've been hearing sadden me.

If flying into Girona, have you considered El Celler de Can Roca? It is a two star restaurant. I've always felt two stars generally offer the best value and this was no exception. It's in the suburbs and we stayed downtown and took a taxi. A taxi ran five or six euros each way. Just being able to make use of the sommelier's suggestion of a desert wine made it worth the expense. El Raco de Can Fabes in Sant Celoni has been mentioned numberous times here, but can't be mentioned too often. It makes sense to drive in and out of Michel Bras. Fortunately he has very lovely rooms in which to spend the night after consuming a reasonable amount of alcohol. Unfortunately, they are not particularly budget priced--on the other hand, for what they offer, they may well be considered a bargain. Were he in any more accessible or prosperous part of France, his rates would be much higher. Certainly if you appreciate his sense of design, you will enjoy staying in his rooms. We stayed in one of his less exspensive rooms. At the time, the only fault I found was with the less than enclosed bathroom. Privacy was less of a problem than having the same temperature in the bathroom and bedroom. I like to sleep in a cool room with a window open, but I like to step into a warm bathroom for my morning shower. If you spend more than a day in the area, I concur with Graham's recommendation of le Vieux Pont in Belcastel.

Recently I came across an otherwise lovely glossy brochure devoted to the food and wine of the Loire. It had a map illustrating products of the soils of the Loire. A most unfortunate translation. Terroir is a unique word in France and it's a word we use more and more in English at least in connection with wine. The English use may be too naorrow to suit the broader use in France. Rather than "soil" one should think in terms of "earth." Products of the earth doesn't quite make it, nor does earthy cuisine but it comes closer perhaps. Earthy cusine would be akin to rustic or hearty cuisine, but it doesn't have the connotations I associate with "terroir" which tend to imply a particular soil or place. A Sancerre must not only taste of its varietal grape--sauvignon blanc--but of its soil and bear a resemblance to what we expect a Sancerre to taste like.

For reasons of personal geography I suppose, the Heartland is not one of the groups I usually read on days when traffic is heavy and in truth, eGullet is becoming too much for anyone to consume it all. It may be time for a Michelin Guide to eGullet listing the three star posts that are worth the voyage. Chefg, I think very highly of many of our members' contributions, but I must thank you for your major contribution towards raising the level of dialogue here. My regrets are only that I've come late to this thread and that I don't live near Chicago. All I can say is that my midwestern relatives are probably a closer to a visit than they were yesterday. I'm also pleased that you consider our members worthy of this remarkable thread. I am more than a little aware of the demands on time and energy your profession takes and it's clear you spend a lot of time thinking as well. I was not even going to complain about the caps, but I'm glad you've made your posts as easy to read as they are worth reading. Thanks and welcome to eGullet.

You would, I assume, unkosher the salt. May I also suggest that if langoustines were kosher, they'd be fish not meat and thus quite acceptably cooked with milk or cheese in that regard. I suspect it's just a case of another menu scribe reaching into the boiling pot of modifiers and coming up with one. I rather like the réglise (réglisse in France) glaze on the warm pears. Perhaps just as it's pig on the farm and pork on the table, it's liquorice in the penny candy and réglisse in the restaurant. It is all a game isn't it.

No offense taken. I was just questioning the use of "vulgar." I wouldn't necessarily be offended by the word--well at least within certain contexts. Actually eGullet has taught me to understand and appreciate a wider variety of foods. My own interests, even within the French food I love, run from the very rustic to the very "haute." I don't cook as much complex stuff as I used to, but when I do or did, I got more satisfaction from the process than the result. Our friends who truly love food are often happier to get rustic dishes. I suppose we all develop our skills and interests in a certain direction as we grow up and as we age. One of the reasons we read food writers is to learn the things we want to know. Another is to remind ourselves there are paths we may have missed along the way and things we hadn't thought of learning yet.

Fortunately this is not the first topic I've read and from what I've read I'm interested enough to move on and read more, but I have to comment before I reply anywhere else, that I've never found this dish vulgar. Galantines and ballotines are dishes my wife used to prepare with some frequency. They do take a bit of time and a bit of skill--ducks I am told, are far easier to bone than chickens and a better bird to start with. I'm also fond of pistachio nuts in sausages and pates. I understand it's not you and it's not the way you wish to cook, but it's not vulgar. It's a lovely party dish, an economical way to extend a bird with sausage meat and above all, a good way to democratically carve and serve a bird at a dinner party.

I rest my case. I don't think I said anything about it being inappropriate, but your devotion to this sort of thing is well documented and you've a history of doing this over a long period of time. I would expect you could write a considerable thesis on why you went to any single restaurant or any two in combination. I also believe its been well documented that you would not live on nutella and baguette to afford the three star meals. El Raco de Can Fabes is a three star restaurant. All things being equal, I would value a meal there as much as one at Bras. There are lesser restaurants, even unstarred restaurants in Barcelona that if not worth the voyage, are certainly worth not running from. These are difficult choices and what is appropriate to one person won't be appropriate to another. I'm not so much interested in advising him how to spend his time and money as I am in learning what sort of person would by pass Can Fabes or Can Roca, especially when the issue of budget has been raised.

Let's hope that if Veyrat has plans for Paris, they are ambitious. I am looking forward to a project at least as ambitious as any Haussmann undertook.

Peter, I've already told you that everytime you adopt that cute little nickname for me, you are trolling. Do not provoke members on a personal level to draw attention away from their post.

Several things to bear in mind about renting a car in France. Few companies and few locations may have automatic transmissions available. Only the larger more espensive models will be available with automatic transmission and there may be a considerably higher charge for those models with automatic transmission than with manual transmission. To the best of my knowledge, none of the major companies have drop off charges within France, but that may well be different for cars with automatic transmission. Charges for one or two day rentals are usually steeper than the per day charge for longer periods. Michel Bras' inn is not at all awkward to get to, it just requires a car. Otherwise it's next to impossible. Having dined at both Bras and El Bulli as well as having toured the area between them many times, I can only wonder at your interest in doing both in one trip let alone eating little but nutella and bread inbetween. It's truly none of my business, but I'm curious about your previous travel in France or Spain and experience in eating in either of those countries. I suppose I'm curious about your dining habits in the UK as well. I share neither John Whiting nor John Thorne's antipathy towards haute cuisine and grand luxe restaurants. I enjoy them very much. Nevertheless I question why anyone might attempt this, and on a budget no less. How much time are you spending in Barcelona and Catalonia? Where else are you going in Spain and France? Forgive me if I'm out of line.

We're going to close this eGullet Q&A session for now, but fresh_a has said we can continue to look forward to his participation in eGullet. On behalf of the everyone here let me take this opportunity to thank fresh_a for his time and effort which has been greatly appreciated. The eGullet Q&A with a Concierge in France session will soon be archived alongside the other eGullet Q&As in Special Features in the Fridge where it will be accessible for future reference. Let me also thank the members for their participation.

Indeed, in Mexico the cockroach has it's own song.

The few times I've ever approached a concierge with a question about how to get someplace in a strange city, my wife is always in stitches before I reach the desk. She knows the answer I'll get. "Take a taxi." I'm not a very high power type guy and enjoy wondering back streets of strange cities and negotiating subway systems even in cites with languages I can't read and alphabets or symbols I can't decipher. Paris is a pretty easy city to get around in by bus or subway for anyone who knows the latin alphabet. It's not Shanghai or Tokyo. Do you assume your clients want a taxi?

I don't think anyone accused him of hypocrisy. People just differed in their reaction to what is known as force feeding and all it implies. I think the whole issue of killing animals for our food is very different. I actually find a better case could be made for not eating meat than for distinguishing foie gras as the most inhumane process in raising animals for consumption. I think there's something to be said about the removal of most Americans, not just urban Americans, from the source of their food especially in terms of raising and slaughter of livestock. There are practices we wouldn't allow to happen if we were raising our own live stock, but which are common place in the industrial-agriculture world that supplies most of our meat. It's less about turning a blind eye, than it is in not having sufficient access to information or alternate sources of meat. I know people who will not buy any of the factory brands of chickens carried by most supermarkets, less out of concern for the chickens, but for the working conditions of the human labor force. I understand their protest, but I'm not sure it helps anyone get a better job. At the moment, I'm just pleased to find that the chickens with the most flavor seem to live the best life so I don't have to make some of those decisions.

I thought it was a really good movie and I enjoyed every bad line and cliche. I really liked the pace and the cinematography. After the first few scenes, the whole movie occurs almost in real time. I also liked the opening with the steady stream of menu items being spoken as the camera came in and out of the dining room and kitchen of the restaurant. I think it helps not only to love food, but to have some reservations or suspicions about everyone else's love of food. Some latent animosity towards hangers on in the art world helps as well perhaps.

Pan, I am one of those who happen to believe you can eat very well by ordering from the a la carte menu at Blue Hill. I don't know how often the web site is updated, but if the prices on the home page of the web site are accurate, you can have a three course meal for as little as $38 or as much as $54. I think it's unwise to believe you will want the least expensive appetizer, main course and desserts. Their wine list is not full of rock bottom selections. As a matter of fact, it's difficult to find much below $40. You know whether you'll want cocktails or coffee and you know what the tax is and how much you are likely to tip, so you can get an idea of what it will cost to eat there. Check out their web site at bluehillnyc.com. We usually have the tasting menu and at least one bottle of wine per couple. We usually have espresso and maybe an aperatif or dessert wine. Our tabs run $200-250, but I think it's quite possible to dine well for under $100 a person. It is not a budget restaurant by any means however, though I find it offers good value at its price point.

Allow me to suggest you call the restaurant and ask them to fax a menu to you. Of course that assumes you have access to a fax machine. Anyway, this is not an uncommon request these days, so they should be prepared for it.

I think not. I suspect every American who's read your post did not respond. I did and don't believe there's a trace of inferiority complex in my response although I meant to show that this sort of thing is not limited to the US or the UK. I lay the blame at the feet of the French with their Sauce Espagnole, Allemande and above all--Hollandaise. I'm sure that if Sony ever sold their TVs as American TVs, or Toyota claimed to sell American cars, as a nation, we'd be up in arms without any embarrassment about our ability to make and sell "Swiss" cheese and Champagne. What I don't see is how an inferiority complex would fit into any of this and why you bring up the charge. It seems to smack of a certain baiting, or what's known on the Internet as "trolling" to provoke a response. I'm sure it's unintentional and as others point it out when it occurs, it will disappear from your posts.