Bux

I don't recall a plateau de fruit de mer at GT. Balthazar offers one.

I'm looking at another Grigson recipe. This one is for gayettes de provence [trust us, we don't make up these French terms]. There's some lean pork as well as liver and fat in the mix, but after grinding, she wraps the farce in pieces of caul fat. I note that she does't suggest balls can be rolled first. [This is all too rife with innuendo for me.] I would think grinding would make it even worse than a food processor. The only time I've used pork liver in a paté or sausage, it was not the overwhelming component and a sausage casing is probably easier to stuff with a wet mix than caul fat. I assume you lined the loaf pan with the caul fat. My creative instinct suggests you try lining the compartments of a muffin [damn, it just doesn't stop] tin with caul fat and bake individual patés. Perhaps you could come up with a proper name for these cupcakes.

You can't overestimate the value of a reputation/brand bolstered by Paris achievements, especially in Japan where people seem to place great faith in brand names and in loyalty to one brand. Could two unrelated Parisian restauranteurs, one a chef, lend their names to a restaurant in New York or London and expect to draw a crowd? What would be the reaction to an announcement that restaurant Taillevent Robuchon would be opening in New York?

I just checked and it's been almost five years since we've last been to le Vieux Pont. Time flies. I don't even know if Nicole was married then. She doesn't seem to socialize with the guests. It's so hard to imagine someone not venturing out of the area these days, especially when in the hotel business. In the early part of the 20th century it would have the norm perhaps, but it's surprising these days. It's all the more surprising because it's not altogether a quaint little backwater country inn. I thought the design of the little hotel was rather sophisticated in it's simplicity. It's not at all rustic or folksy. I understand the chef is self taught, but the food is quite up to date. I also understand she's been described as influenced by Bras. I am pretty sure she never worked there and I wonder if she's eaten there. Do you know? It will be interesting to compare notes in a few weeks. I just checked the weather at the Michelin site. Lyon is a little colder than I expected. Laguiole was about what I expected and then I noticed that the temeratures were for Millau, which I expect is a bit warmer than Laguiole. C'est la vie. I'll pack an extra sweater. ;)

I've always heard rio-ha. Jamon, Japon, etc. are hamon and Hapon where I've been. I don't think Daniel is "Don'yell" either, but it may how I'm pronouncing Don. I'm wondering it the don sound isn't more suited to the French "en" as in "encore."

Tommy think of it as "oo-west," with the "oo-" being silent. ;)

Le Bec Fin, as in shark fin, in Philadelphia. It's actually kind of refreshing to hear yourself welcomed to le Bec Fin that way, but one might have to resist the urge to correct the waiter. Of course when I recommend Daniel, I can almost tell when they're writing down a girl's name. Then there was the British chef I met, who referred to Boulud as "Danny," or was it "Danny boy."

I know the chef at both Cafe Boulud and Daniel and eat well at both places. I rarely find more than a minor fault in service in either and have come too like both places for what they are. Neither is inexpensive, but both seem good value at their prices. I'm always surprised to find someone who loves one and won't return to the other. Usually, it seems that Cafe Boulud comes out on top. I don't think anyone should boycott a restaurant over one meal, and I don't think I have, although there are some places where my last meal was less than successful. The problem is not that I avoid those places as much as there are far more destination restaurants in NYC than I can afford to patronize with any regularlity. Thus my short list is very short to begin with. I will not eat in all the restaurants I'm dying to eat in this year anyway. Thus, there are top restaurants that I am unlikely to call for a reservation, but none that I wouldn't rule out if we were dining with friends who suggested it.

Interesting comments on the relationship of Madrid to Barcelona, expecially in context of Rome and Milan. Those comparisons are never quite exact. I think Barcelona has more soul than Milan and is a much more relaxed and informal city. In terms of art, Madrid has the collections. Barcelona has a few highs, but it's museums are not at all competition for Madrid. In terms of architecture, I find Barcelona far more interesting, if only for it's twentieth century buildings. Of all the second cities (non-capitals) in Europe, Barcelona strikes me as the most interesting. Spanish food did not have the immediate appeal of French cuisine for me and probably still doesn't on an overall basis, but lately I've been finding myself interested in many aspects of Spanish cooking. Thus I'm grateful for your post and disappointed that we don't have enough members who share my interest to carry on a good discussion yet. I've had mixed results eating in Madrid, although I haven't been there in years. The description of your encounter with "cocido" illustrates one of the paradoxes of traveling on your stomach. The need to eat the local fare is not always the same as the need to eat well or pleasurably. I've had a number of conversations with tourists who regard eating as a need whose fulfillment robs them of the time needed to "see" the sights. My own interest in food and cooking, which I am happy to describe as an art from when well done, leaves me ill equiped to find a common dialog with these people. Nevertheless, all interest in food as high art aside, eating the local food is one of the best ways to experience a country and its culture. For me, being in foreign country is one level of involvement, but eating can give a traveler a much greater taste of the culture than most any other activity. I think you've hit the nail on the head regarding my feelings.

Graham, now that you mention it, the weather has been one of my big question marks. I don't expect snow, although I didn't expect it when we ran into snow in April in the Vosges Mountains either. I'm more worried about cold rain, but thanks for the warning. This is an area in which we ran into the worst storm ever in our days in France, but that was in January years ago. The autoroute was reduced to one lane and even that was snow covered. Windshields and wipers were frozen up and visibility was near zero. I had to drive with my head out the window for part of the time. I'm expecting Lyon to be further into spring than NY, but in the mountains it will be another story. Friends have just come back from Margon, which is near Pezenas and they tell us it's spring and that Paris is starting to bud. For the most part we aren't planning on getting very far each day. It's interesting that we'll miss each other by just two days at Belcastel. What would the odds be of running into each other? This is our third visit. I see that the chef is now listed as Nicole Fagegaltier-Rouquier and joined by her husband Bruno Rouquier in the kitchen. We've never met her. She doesn't seem to do the rounds of the dining room. We've found her sisiter Michèle rather coldly inattentive once and then a short while later all charm and and as hospitable as can be. We must have caught her at a bad moment and later she couldn't do enough to make us comfortable and welcome. Needless to say, our overall memory is of a wonderful stay. I find Alleyras on the map, but can't find Sarpoil, if that's the name of the town where La Bergerie and Château de Pasredon are. I'm sure we'll pass through Rodez, but probably not at meal time. There's a pretty good cheese shop in Rodez, if I recall. It's on a square to the north of the cathedral, where there's also a market on some day. Thanks for the information.

I'm with Jinmyo, at least as long as she's not thinking Taco Bell. I don't suppose Ducasse counts as a food chain and I don't suppose I'll get to eat at any of his restaurants often enough to go through the whole menu once. So I won't know what's new. All I can really add to a thread on food chains is just to say it's nice to be on the top of one. I'd hate to be a soy bean or whatever little fish eat.

Robert, I suppose worried is far to strong a word. In fact I've been assured by those who have worked in France that the staff will not be arriving the day before they open, but will have been working for some time making stocks and generally getting things ready before opening day. Steve, I noticed signs in downtown Bordeaux offering tours of wineries, but the impression I had was that the major chateaux were unaproachable by anyone but major players in the industry. I suppose to a similar extent that's true in Napa as well. There are wineries open to the public and those that are not. In any case some are open by appointment and some are open to those with referrals. In many cases there are different levels of hospitality for those who come in off the street and those who make a reservation. In champagne there is a tourist industry. I also remember in my early days of visiting France, touring the Drouhin cellers in Beaune. It was a publicity thing for them and took no advance notice, but the smaller producers are notoriously hard to enter. It's really too hard to cover the French wine regions with a blanket statement. I think it's particulier and I also think that usage means a private individual as opposed to a wine merchant, and doesn't have the connotation of "particular," but I'm not at all fluent or clued in to the nuances of the language.

It appears as if it's sealed in a glazed earthenware casserole with a pastry crust around the perimeter of the lid and the chicken is sitting on a bed of some vegetable--onions or leeks? My guess is that it's cooked in the oven, but that it might steam more than roast, even if there's little liquid aside from the vegetables, because it's sealed that way. The bird looks more poached than roasted and it doesn't appear to have been browned beforehand. The photo enlarges when clicked. I'm inclined to agree with you, but it's hard to be absolutely sure.

Many of my best trips have been in off or shoulder seasons. It can be a bit eerie siting alone in a restaurant though. Resorts can be particularly strange off season, but there's something I like about being in a beach town on a cold and rainy fall day. I do require that there be at least one good restaurant that serves the locals. ;-) I guess Marcon won't be serving us any cèpes, but he should have morels at his disposal. I think Ellen's point is good that there's always a certain optimism and spirit at the beginning of any season. It's not like it's the last days of the off season as all of these places are closed for the winter, so there should be some enthusiasm which goes a long way in the hospitality industry. I doubt they'll be holding back. If anything they may be trying things out, but that's exciting and it's not like they're flying by the seat of their pants. Bras is a pro. Steve, I think you've made an important point about wine tasting in the Rhone. It's not Napa Valley. It's not for tourists. There are plenty of degustation libre signs in the area, if not at the best producers, but all over, it's about selling wine, not offering entertainment. Most of the top places are geared to hosting professionals, and the little producers are hoping to sell a case or two of lesser wines to Parisians and Belgian tourists without a middleman. I've been to the occasional chateau that runs tours as a way of promoting the brand, but often there's no tasting. On the whole, the wine industry in France doesn't seem to have the time for catering to tourists the way it does in California. Things may change. In Rioja, Frank Ghery is designing a winery with guest facilities and restaurant. The winery is specifically hoping to cash in on the tourism attracted by the Guggenheim in Bilbao. It's Spain, not France, but things are changing all the time. Plotnicki, you're the anti-tourist looking not for the free glass of wine, but trying to buy the wine they don't want to sell. Most Americans in France aren't prepared to buy cases of wine.

Sound like a terrific place for a light lunch American style, but with French style. ;) I'm sure a "tartine" is an open faced sandwich. Cuisine de Bar, a small place in Paris on rue Cherche-Midi serves excellent tartines on grilled pain Poilâne. For someone who's been coming to Paris for as long as we have, this seems so un-French, but it's really all I want for lunch sometimes, expecially if I'm intending to have a large dinner in the evening. I'm curious to know what the "galettes" are. In Brittany and perhaps in some Parisian creperies, a galette is just a crepe, although often used to distinguish the savory buckwheat crepes from the white flour dessert crepes. Of course we say cake as well when we say pancake. I'm not inclined to think anyone would stuff a crepe with risotto or tortellini, but then I would not have expected to find potato salad sandwiches in such disparate places as Japan and Spain and have already been told about French fry sandwiches in England. Come to think of it, I've passed some fast food, gyro places in France that offered sandwhiches with fries inside. All bets are off.

No plans to do wine tasting, except at meals. As I look at the route my wife has planned, I see we head up into the mountains and away from the Rhone as soon as we leave Lyon, although an alternate (and easier) route would take us down to Tournon and then west. I'm a little leery that we won't see Bras at his best as we're going there the week he opens for the season. The same goes for Marcon in St. Bonnet-le-Froid. Even our favorite little place in Belcastel just opened for the season in the middle of March. I've been fixated about getting to Bras since we decided not to go there late last September and to go to Lille and Brussels in November instead. Maybe we're just as well off as we had surprisingly good weather, if a bit chilly, in November and might have well cancelled a trip for late September after the 11th. I can't believe Bras would open without being ready to serve his ultimate meal. On the other hand, we were at Michel Guerard the week before he closed for the season a few years ago and felt things had been scaled back. Not all the dining rooms were open and I seem to recall an abbreviated menu. Mid May would have been my preference for this trip, but circumstances dictate that we will be in Lyon at the end of March.

I think you're talking about the guy who's usually at the 17th Street end of the market. I've had his smoked sausage, but not his bacon. I'm pretty sure it's made without nitrates.

I was struck by how little it resembled a food shop and how much it resembled a boutique for fine leather goods or jewelry. The only disappointment is that it is not a salon de thé and as we were not returning to our hotel for a while and not carrying forks, we were a bit restricted as to what we could buy and eat on the run. Fortunately macarons are ideally suited for just that. I thought the salt butter caramel macaron was irresistible and having had one, it will be doubly irresistible next time. His kouign-aman was the epitome of delicate elegance and craftsmanship, although I have a soft spot for those in Brittany that are overloaded with butter and sugar and have a thick caramel crust on the bottom. Korova is his wife's restaurant. I'm curious about the food there. Has anyone here been there?

Welcome back to all those who have been suffering withdrawal symptoms as I have for the past few days. I hope no one's been able to kick the habit and that the discussion will be as lively as ever quite soon. I'd like to think Jason Perlow and Steve Shaw for all the work they've done so far and for all the time they have spent and will spend getting everything in order once more. As eager as I am to get back to talking about eating in France, I'm glad to say I'm off for a short two weeks in Lyon and the départments of the Ardeche, Aveyron, Cantal and Haute Loire. I'm leaving on Friday. If anyone has any suggestions for Lyon or that region to the southwest of Lyon, we're open to last minute suggestions. We have dinners and overnights planned in Belcastel (le Vieux Pont), Laguiole (Bras) and St. Bonnet le Froid (Auberge des Cimes) as well as some commitments in Lyon.

With or without the bones? Are we talking lage can or small chicken? Was it a whole chicken and did it resemble a chicken or was it all squished up? I'd assume one wouldn't can it with an empty cavity. That would take a lot of stock or aspic. Now that you mention it, I don't know why boiled chicken wouldn't can as well as boiled ham, which is not to imply that canned ham is the premium kind, but that it's acceptable for what it is. Canned chicken should be better than canned tuna fish. Does tuna become tuna fish when it's canned?

Lest we go off in circles again, you'd have to define "wrong." Would it be wrong for me to say I think Ducasse runs a sloppy kitchen? Would it be wrong for me to say I feel Hoffman doesn't appreciate French food. I'm not sure either would be wrong if you feel I'm entitled to say what I want. One would be wrong if you feel I should say only what I believe based on the evidence available to me. I said "I couldn't figure out what led Gopnik to quote it." I suppose I could have well said "I felt the quote better portrayed Hoffman's unfamiliarity with French food than any fault in French food." Whatever I said, meant that I didn't agree to such an extent that I could no longer follow the thread for I believed it was based on a premise with which I could not agree. It's well and good for you to defend the chef you know. I don't really want to crticize anything about him other than the statement which I judge from my own knowledge of French cooking and from tasting the particular dish in question. Had he been a prize winning chef with a four star restaurant, for me, that statement is enough for me to question his appreciation for western food. What's wrong with that and why would you expect me to make any sense of what Gopnik wrote based on Hoffman's statement? You write well and express yourself well, but you don't read me carefully or read too much intohat I say. When I say you can support opposite arguments with the same statement, I mean exactly that. Anyone can put two different spins on the same fact. One can interpret facts differently. Does a chicken really cross the road to get to the other side, or just to leave the side he's on? As for what's wrong with Peter thinking Pacaud didn't integrate it well, I haven't a clue. Gopnik offered no explation other than the Pacaud hadn't read Jaffrey.

Jinmyo, I believe I've seen chicken in a can in both tunafish sized cans and larger baked beans/chicken broth sized cans, but can't remember if it was in a supermarket or Chinatown in NY, nor how long ago. We have from time to time purchased a pretty good country pate in a can in Brittany. It's really an excellent canned product and resembles the fresh product far more than most canned goods. I'm told it's a staple Breton sailors to stock.

Change is the only constant. Mello-Rolls have probably been replaced by the prefilled frozen ice cream cone. Fudgcicles and imitations are still around. I've seen them at some delis and street carts in the summer. Black Forest cake is still being baked, but the Eclair pastry shop on West 72nd Street is no more. I believe Ceci-Cela makes an indivdual portion size version of black forest cake. I'm not sure if it's authentic.

The hypocrisy of the argument that the 21 year old restriction on purchasing and consuming alcoholic beverages is directed at eliminating or minimizing drunk driving is underscored by the lack of seriousness with which we treat adult drunk driving.

Liquor laws in NY State are mostly guided by the distributor's lobby. Keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors is often the red herring used to lobby against delivery of wine from outside the state by consumers.