Bux

In Paris, Ducasse has a special menu printed up for handing out--or was that just the take out menu I got?

They seem like a bit of overkill for chicken, but of course they are excellent for many foods, particularly magret de canard and just about anything harder to cut than warm butter. Parts of my last post were a bit tongue in cheek. Or as I said to my wife, "those knives were a waste, the meat we've been buying since we returned, cuts like butter" (as long as you're using a steak knife--particularly a Forge de Laguiole steak knife). But our old knives still make great butter knives.

Initially it was the information I sought and it's still what I crave the most, but I have come to appreciate the souvenir item, especially for it's place in history as the meal goes further into my past.

And that's exactly what makes it irritating and offensive, but as other have suggested, it sells newspapers. It's reminiscent of the kind of article that appeard in the popular media about Alain Ducasse's restaurant in NY when it first opened, although there was no "Brit" in the smug xenophobic Brit attitude then. It's not a specifically UK attitude. Food is France has deteriorated greatly at almost all levels but the very top since the sixties, while it seems to have improved at least as much in the US and the UK. Some would say it had nowhere else to go in all of those countries. My sense is that the tide has turned in France the signs lately are good, but it helps to do your homework when selecting restaurants if you care about what you eat.

On confits/cassoulets/foie gras and other preparations in glass jars, my guess is that the best are going to be artisanal fermier products from small producers. To some extent this could result in a hit or miss situation unless you have some local connoiseur to guide you. If you're buying out of the region of production, you have the reputation of the shop that sells it. You'll pay a bit more for the middleman and his reputation as well as the insurance. It's our habit to buy from producers in the market or shops in the region of production when buying things like jams, preserves and honey which are quite legal and make excellent gifts if you can part with them once you've returned. Even top of the line hyupermarché products can be excellent, but the small market stuff is what we look for. As for Laguiole knives, I've put my wife off for years by claiming that I didn't know which to buy and that we'd buy them when we get to Laguiole. I had no choice but to do the research once we booked Michel Bras. The unanimous advice was to buy the knives made by the company (Forge de Laguiole) whose logo is a folding knife superimposed (L-shaped) on the name Laguiole. This is the company whose downtown shop was designed by Philippe Stark as was their factory on the outskirts of town on the way to Bras. I'm told they are the only firm whose knives are made entirely by hand and entirely in their own factory in the area. Both the shop and the factory are worth seeing if you are ever in the area and it's worth waiting to buy on the premises if a visit to Laguiole is in your near future. There are many things you need to know about how these knives are made and what to look out for in the way of mitres and other details. I'm not sure how much any of these details contribute to use and long life of the knives, but once you become a connoisseur, you will need to have these cost raising details. Speaking of cost, the factory has seconds for sale, although I don't recall either the savings or the irregularity being of significance. The shop down town will also run "promotions" or sales. After my wife decided that my decision to buy one knife in each of the various wood handles would only result in our table setting being a monument to my indecisiveness, I set about selecting the "best" wood for a handle, but was unable to counter her arguments for horn--durability and a current "promotion" on the traditional bone handle. I caved with only the demand that we get the ones with contrasting brass "mitres," thereby sacrificing all sense of esthetics in pursuit of the noticeably traditional. It's all rather abstract anyway as we rarely have steak and hardly ever serve it to company. Further reading: web page devoted to Societé Forge de Laguiole knives. The Heart of the Country by William Echikson

A few years ago I was introduced to a little wine shop that specialized in wines from the Loire. Most of these, as I recall, were from small producers and personally selected by the owner of the shop. It may have been on rue de l'Abbé Grégoire south of Cherche Midi. It was in that area. A mutual friend pointed it out to us.

Although Relais et Chateaux sells their guides, most R&C inns and Relais Gourmand restaurants will give you a free copy if you ask for it, as should a travel agent with whom you do business. A lot of restaurants will have interesting guides to hand out. Some more interesting that others, but I pick up a random selection. Most of these are, to an extent, self serving guides dedicated to advertising or to the promotion of a professional organization or a regional one or to a commercial sponsor. I'd never hold it against any restaurant that didn't appear in any of these guides, but inclusion usually represents some sort of acknowledgement.

The difference in reaction is really quite amazing. What I don't get is how often they don't get it--that is, don't get the reason I'm asking for a menu. All too often they want to give me the fancy cover with an old menu that does't represent the current offering or what I ate. Some restaurants seem to view the request as a thing only a rank amateur tourist would do while others regard it as a sincere form of flattery. On the whole we graciously take what they offer and don't make a fuss. At times we've asked if we could just have the current insert. Some restaurants have run off a laser print of our dishes. When we're staying at a nice country inn, we'll usually ask for the menu the next morning when we check out. Normally we've only asked for a menu at a really top restaurant, but lately we've begun asking for menus at typical restaurants that serve traditional food. The latter has mostly been in Spain as the food is less familiar to me and I can learn quite a bit for later trips. I've been grateful to get bilingual Catalan/Spanish menus in Catalunya. Even seafood restaurants in Catalunya have such a wide selection that it can be intimidating to peruse an unfamiliar menu in real time.

I had some fondness for the old RTR, even if it wasn't all that much for the food. When it reopened, I felt it had lost its charm. The earlier glitz of the original was at least a period piece for me. The new over the top glitz was just too corny and too much for me. We went shortly after it had reopened and it seemed clear it wasn't and wouldn't be about the food. The original chef departed not so long after it opened as I recall. Is that correct? Did it take a turn for the better? If so, that's a surprise because people who knew him, told me they were surprised and disappointed by what they ate there. The point is that it didn't open with Bouley at the helm and that was probably a match made in hell.

This is interesting and depressing news. I have also been under the impression that canned meat products were legal. As a matter of fact, not so many years ago we brought back a few canning jars of terrines from Georges Blank as souvenirs. They were declared and passed agricultural inspection. My suspicion is the the law has been changed recently likely in reaction to BSE. I would assume that the cooking temperatures of canned products would be great enough to destroy anything responsible for hoof and mouth disease. But neither pigs nor ducks are ruminants, as far as I know. So why not jarred (canned) terrines, cassoulets without lamb, beef, etc. and why not confits? We declared food last time and when asked we said "cheese." They didn't ask what kind but opened one suitcase and stuck a hand in it. We didn't flinch and they didn't ask to see the rest. As a matter of fact, we had a six pack wine carton that was tied with string and the inspector just pointed to it and said that's okay. As a matter of fact, only four of the compartments had wine. The other two had jars of honey.

Welcome to eGullet. I hope we'll have more contributions from you on the food of France and especially the Var.

The Balzar, disappointingly did not have an oyster stand when we were there in November, nor did they feature oysters, which I had thought was almost a requirement for a proper brasserie, at least in the winter. Speaking of seasons, I seem to recall that the oyster stands disappear in the warm weather. The old rule of only eating oysters in months with an "r" seems to have died and oyster eating seems to be a year round activity these days, but most people still seem to believe they are best in the winter. There's no grande plateau de fruits de mer at le Baron Rouge near the Aligre Market, and you might be lucky to find a table, but everyone should experience a dozen oysters shucked on the street eaten right there. If you're not alone, you can split the chores of lining up for oysters and bellying up to the bar for a couple of glasses of muscadet to take out. Any ledge or top of a parked car seems to served to put your glass down. I recall an excellent plateau de fruits de mer on the terass at le Dome about nine years ago, and then another that was less impressive a few years later. Both were had in months with an "r."

Dan's and Mike's enthusiasm for this session can be mesaured by the manner in which they've tackled the questions and, in spite of the demands their profession places on their time, the amount of time they've spent so far. Another measure is that they've agreed to extend the deadline for your questions until Friday June 26 at 6:00 pm. They've promised to get to all questions raised before that deadline. Please respect their participation by not responding here after that time. We're all free to continue a discussion of the issues raised here, but amongst ourselves in an appropriate board,

You threw out the yolks? !

Mike, Whether or not people agree that French cuisine is the reigning western cuisine and if so, whether or not it's with good reason--and that debate rages elsewhere on the site--there seems to be a consensus that a strength of both the food and wine of France has been the unique way in which they've developed together. One result is that a large part of the "sophisticated" dining pubic in English speaking countries regards wine as the beverage to be consumed with serious food. Is there more than a chance we're missing something. I'm a pretty died in the wool francophile when it comes to food, but some time ago, a sommelier I respect, at a French restaurant (in NYC) I also respect, suggested a sake with an hors d'oeuvre. The sake was served chilled and in a nice wine glass. It was an eminently successful match. I wonder if America will lead the way for inclusion of other beverages into a formal and serious meal. Perhaps I will add "in the west"--I have had a meal that lasted almost twelve hours at the home of a friend in Tokyo and the table was littered with numerous glasses as wine, sake, whisky, beer and other alcoholic beverages were introduced along the way, while the existing beverages continued to be poured along with tea. Tea, howevr arrived in courses. Green with the meal and black afterwards. Don't ask if there was also coffee, there may have been but twelve hours of dining and drinking took a toll on my memory. So will you soon be having a tasting menu with paired glasses of wine, sake and beer as appropriate?

Does that mean you encourage the staff to log on here often?

I don't think it's been proposed that the French categorically reject garnishes during the cheese course. It's just not the traditional way to present cheese and Arpege is not an example of a restaurant serving traditional food. It's a restaurant that's pushing the envelope or French cuisine. From the little I've seen of French home dining, the cheese stands alone. One of the things that's worth noting is that the envelop of French cuisine has often been pushed by American ideas in the past two or three decades. Salads, both as they are incorporated into a meal and in their composition, have almost been revolutionized on an American model. Cheese is a likely target as well. One of the most delicious first courses I've ever had in France has been a puff pastry turnover filled with ripe melting munster cheese (not muenster) served in Alsace. Munster can be one of France's stronger cheeses, as well as being quite rich, but I've never had one over here that had the bite of that one. At any rate, I supsect it was a fairly traditional dish.

We do much of our vegetable shopping in Chinatown. I hardly ever see anything but large and larger onions. I suspect it's an eye to economy that is the reason, but it may also be a greater use of onions in the cuisine.

Dan, If you don't mind taking follow up questions, is there any difference in taste between white Copper River salmon and salmon colored Copper River salmon? Would a savvy diner with an educated palate be able to taste the difference blind folded? Do you pay a premium price for either? I mean in comparison to each other. I understand wild salmon is going to bring a better price than farm raised.

Does anyone have the right to keep on making the same mistake over and over even after they're told what they're doing wrong? Patient: "Doctor it hurts when I do this." Doctor: "So don't do that." Okay they have the right to go on making the same mistake and they have the right to ruin the dish. We didn't rise to the top of the food chain to give equal rights to dead cows, but I think they've given up the right to complain or at least the right to any sympathy.

Some years ago, we flew into Barcelona and took the train north the next morning. The most reasonable course to follow seemed to be to take the train into the Sants station, check into the hotel at the station, enjoy our short day and evening in Barcelona and take the train to Beziers in the morning from that station. It would be easy enough to get to the more interesting parts of Barcelona by public transportation and eliminate two taxi rides. It was easy enough to get around Barcelona by public transportation without luggage, but we noticed the train from Sants made other stops in the city before proceeding out of Barcelona the next day. We realized we could also take the train from the airport directly to those same stops, including plaça de Catalunya. There may also be other trains to the same or other parts of France that originate at other stations and do not stop at Sants. I don't know. Indeed, the schedule may have changed since we last took the train. Wilfrid, you may be correct. Those escalators did not exist for me, as I did not see them. The possibility of parallel universes is not to be discounted. In fact parallel universes must exist. How else can we account for the discrepancies in people's posts.

As the heart really doesn't control our emotions, but we will (cumudgeons exceptied) continue to send out Valentine's Day cards with hearts ..., er, some sort of abstract image we have come to accept as appopriate to express love. Hmm, is there an abstract palate graphic we could use? These graphic anatomical images are interesting, if not appetizing. The question that comes to mind is why we didn't choose ePalate.com and should we quickly register the name?

Is that a genetic inarticulation or one acquired by living in the backwoods of Maine. My mama told me to watch out for country lawyers and backwood chefs.

The rights of an individual, or those of certain dishes, may not be the real issue here. With rights come responsibilities. Do I have the right to order my sashimi well done? Hmm. I don't like the inference that I might do that. Let's ask if diner "X" has the right to order his sashimi well done. or his steak tarare. Could a diner make that request without an ignorance of the dish in question? Adam, I'm afraid that part of the problem here is that this is a cultural issue and some bashing may be called for. On the whole, if you really examine the attitudes of foreigners in restaurants abroad, you may find that the American traveler is one of the best educated in terms of the local foods and customs, but we shouldn't deny the very strong tradition we have in the U.S. that the customer is always right. It's odd that for a country that has never had royalty or a true artistocratic class, we are so quick to form a subservient class with no rights at all--the shopkeeper/restaurateur class. Maybe it's that we all see ourselves as aristocrats and need peasants to support our inflated egos. It's a matter of ignorance that the diner doesn't understand the nature of the meat. The reverse case might be a German who has a taste for raw pork and didn't understand that raw pork in the U.S. cannot reasonably be assumed to be safe to eat. Of course the responsibility of the chef to educate the diner or to refuse to serve this request might be greater. No one can deny the right to remain ignorant. It is undeniably an American right, but I haven't found another country where it's not a commonly supported principle whether or not it's a right upheld by law.

Let me echo the responses that preceded mine. An excellent presentation of a formidable topic that should keep us busy for a while. Let me answer a minor point--Can people who smoke have a good palate? All things are relative and it's obvious that some very fine chefs are heavy smokers. I have to believe they have a fine palate, but I also believe they operate under a handicap. My only evidence to support my belief comes from a French chef who quit smoking and said food had more flavor for him and that he tasted new flavors in familiar foods after he quit smoking and apparently this ability to taste and distinguish flavors continued to increase for some time after he quit smoking. So it's not just that if you don't smoke before dinner or that day that your palate will be as keen as it can be. The other issues are far more complex and interesting. The foods I eat and crave today are so different from what I ate as a child that I find it hard to believe that a palate cannot be educated in that sense. Nevertheless, I do not have my wife's ability to distinguish flavors and components in a dish. Our daughter however, has a palate that's incredible in those terms. Is it a genetic trait or something she developed as a child offered a wide range of food and seasonings? One might need to conduct controlled experiments with identical sets of twins to arrive at some point where one could speculate. My favorite bit of second hand information on palates comes from a distiller of eaux-de-vie and I'm repeating what I've posted elsewhere. On the basis of many tasting sessions involving subtle and elusive alcohols, he firmly believed women had a better sense of taste--the ability to distinguish subtle flavors--than men. For what it's worth, he found that Belgian women had the best sense of taste. Well, that's a beginning to what should be an interesting thread.