Bux

In more ways than one. How much of a hassle is it to import the wine? Someone once suggested they could put me in touch with an importer and the price per bottle or case didn't seem that excessive, even at the range from which I normally drink, but I suspect there are other fees and charges along the way and I suppose some wineries have exclusive importers. Then again, if you're buying in Europe, it shouldn't be a breach of that contract. I guess the question is how would one arrange shipping of just a few cases from different places.

Sorry I didn't pick this up sooner, but I though we all had the same death rate. I mean we all die, and we all die once.

Wine prices can vary tremendously. Sometimes it's worth paying another 10% not to shop at the cheapest store if you can get convenience or good advice, but I've seen this Gigondas going for $20.99, $30.99 and some point inbetween. All in Manhattan.

Everyone's been drinking red, I see. Some whites we've been drinking at the bottom edge include: Domaine de Pouy from Gascony, as low as $5.50 Chateau Bonnet from Entre-Deux-Mers, probably about $6 Schlumberger and Sparr Pinot Blancs from Alsace, about $7.50 Macon-Lugny, Les Charmes, about $7 Casa Lapostelle, Sauvignon Blanc, about $7 Basa from Rueda, for a terrific price from Sherry-Lehman $5.50? Reds are often Cote du Rhones, Langudocs or Vaucluse. A really great buy was Jean-Luc Colombo's Les Abeilles CDR for $7 We've had Domaine des Moulins from Georges Duboeuf for under $6 Domaine des Tours, VDP de Vaucluse, was $7 Currently have Saint Gervais, Syrah, CDR - $7.50 and Dominique Rocher CDR $9 Rocher's wine maker is a British guy we met last winter. Rocher's CDR-Villages (Cairanne) sells for $14 at Garnet in Manahttan, We just had a bottle this evening and thought it was a real buy. Speaking about Loire wines, David Lillie was a guy who was recommended to me for advice on Loire wines when he was at Garnet. He has his own small shop on Chambers Street which I just found about a week ago. The selection is small, but seems well chosen. I don't know if his prices can compete with Garnet, but he had some interesting Loire reds as well as whites. http://chambersstwines.com

I will always be indebted to my daughter's college roommate's younger sister who took us in her care at graduation weekend. I recall getting a drink with my wife at the bar at an evening party of dance. As we approached the bar, she advised each of us to get two drinks, adding that the line was going to get very long, very quickly. It was some of the most useful advice anyone has ever given to me.

On the basis of meal when it was two stars, a trusted report of another meal a few years ago by a companion at our earlier dinner and what's been posted here, it's obvious that Arpege is a sgnificant restaurant and Passard a significant chef of high order. Case closed on that. Where's the prize money. Oh, I see you are going to offer lesson tips on "a way for me to learn how to use the restaurant." As they say, you get what you pay for. I'm not sure you win this argument, but you make some breakthrough point and I get to say I've gained some insight from a thread and thus separate myself from the pitbulls of the site. However, when you I begin to wonder if Craft has explained itself or is necessarily aware of what it can be.

cookperrync, welcome. I really appreciate hearing from the other side of the kitchen door. I thought your post was more than eloquent enough to join the discussion here in any thread in which you choose to voice an opinion or state a fact. I've been eating for a while and eating well enough in France and the US to see plenty of change in style in the way food is cooked and in the way it's presented and served in good restaurants. I miss certain aspects and I am glad to see some go by the wayside, but on the whole I adapt well enough to change. I've only eaten once at Craft. There were five of us, and with the exception of maybe a vegetable side dish, everything I tasted was delicious. I had reservations of the style of eating. What I think of as groaning table or Penn Dutch country serving. It's a bit like being at my grandma's house--have a little of this, taste that, etc. I enjoyed everything I ate, I don't know that I enjoyed a meal. I felt as if I was tasting things so I could come back and put a meal together the next time. I want to eat alone, not with four other people. I want to focus on a dish. That inability to focus seems exactly the opposite of what's intended, but it's inevitable. I reserve a real decision because the food really was delicious and there must be a way for me to learn how to use the restaurant.

There were bars in NY that probably would have qualified. There still must be some. There were a bunch of Irish bars on 3rd Avenue in the 60s. Both the cross streets and the decade, come to think of it. In a way, PJ Clarke's was one of them, but it was already too much of a show biz place. I think Glennon's was the one I liked. It probably started as a working class bar, but by then it hosted a pretty upscale group of button down shirts and suits after work. I think it was still a largely Irish-American crowd. About a year later, I discovered the Cedar Bar on University near 9th Street and Dillon's next door to where the new and, for me, disconnected Cedar Bar is now. The Cedar Bar had no wood panelling and Dilon's was too dark to tell what was on the walls, but it was always empty. It was also where DeKooning drank when he wanted to get away from the limelight and more intense posing of the Cedar Bar. Dillon's was a real dump. It was like a place you expected to find in a depressed coal mining town. I liked it. At about that time, someone took me to Fanelli's. We went to get take out draft beer in large containers. If you know anything about NYS liquor laws, you know that's totally illegal. Fanelli used to serve the factory workers. They might have lunch or drinks during the day and stop off for a few after they got off work at four. The bar closed by five or six in the evening. By the time artists started living in SoHo in enough numbers to be a clientele, every year it seemd the bar would stay open an hour later, but it was best at lunch when a dollar bought a fifty cent bowl of soup (the soup was often terriific, and not infrequently half cooked vegetables or beans in hot water depending on how drunk the cook was the night before), a quarter glass of beer leaving another quarter for a big tip. The waitresses were all young, sweet and really nice like family. In fact at least three of them married guys from the bar. For the same dollar, you also got to bullshit with various art world luminaries or hopefuls at the revolving tables. I used to bring my daughter in there regularly. One day I sat her at the bar with her orange juice and I turned around to talk to a friend and the next thing I knew she was making a lot of noise. She didn't want the juice and had finished off my beer. She was about three at the time and Mike Fanelli was pretty upset, but remember this was the same guy that sold take out beer in paper cups. I don't know how long it's been since the old guy passed away, but I've only been in there two or three times since. A few of the same guys still hang out there in between the tourists and students, but it's not the same. It's also not been in the gallery district for quite some time now.

"Falaffel at midnight" ... if you're lucky. Don't even remind me. There's at least one on every trip but if I'm really lucky it's only a lunch. The flip side is that if you reserve every meal, you're going to miss those last minute serendipitous finds.

I've eaten in at least one NYC restaurant where I've not seen a problem with the owner/chef being out of town even for a week. I'll go so far as to add that one of the best meals I've had was on a night when the third in command was in sole charge. Admittedly, although I'm on good terms with the owner, I may be on at least as good terms with the executive chef, but decidedly closest to the executive sous chef. Nevertheless, part of the job of being a chef these days is being an executive and both being able to delegate ressponsibility and knowing how to hire and train employees. Whether or not anyone buys my likening cooking to art, it should be realized that many of the renaissance paintings attributed to a master, were actually painted largely by his studio assistants. It's often as important to talk about the kitchen as it is about the chef. This is especially true when you're dealing with the food and not just the concept, but one still has to credit the chef for building that kitchen. Analogies these days between the chef and the leading actor are rather pointless. A much better analogy might be made to the director, if not the author. Surely no notice is made if the director, or stage manager is not on hand at the performance. The only one who's absence you should notice at a restaurant should be your favorite waiter or maitre d'hotel. I regret that I have nothing to contribute to the discussion of actual restaurants, but it's a pleasure to read a thread that at least makes me reconsider going to London.

And to think I called you a liar in the NY board because I thought you were still posting from NY. We're eagerly awaiting the latest word from Barcelona.

Wilfrid, are you still here. I thought you had left for Barcelona. Get the #### out of here. I'm eagerly awaiting your return so I can read about what and where you ate in Barcelona. If you're going to persist in staying here, I suppose I should note that this is not Paris in the 50s. Bistros didn't have chefs. They had owners who could cook with wives who could count change. There are no more cooks in America. They all get out of the CIA with a chef's degree. Might a place like Quest qualify as a bistro? db Bistro Moderne? "Moderne" doesn't even sound like the 21st century, more like 1930 or 50. Blue Hill has paper tablecloths, but they're place over linen cloths. I like all these places, but they don't seem like "bistro" to me. When Jean Claude was really good, that qualified in terms of price, atmosphere and quality.

Can you tell me anything about the presentation of the teaser appetizer? I'm finding fish in sauce based on meat, such as a veal stock, quite common. I don't know when I first noticed it but when I did, I also began to think that some of the intense reductions that I thought were shellfish, may also have been meat based. The use of sausages, ham, pancetta, etc. has also grown more frequent, although it's probably traditional in Iberian cooking. I was surprised when looking for a good light Burgundy for just such a dish, that the wine merchant looked at me like I was crazy. He just shook his head and repeated fish in meat sauce as if I was talking about fish with kerosene and maggots.

Leon de Bruxelles is a chain of inexpensive places known for their mussels. I think they are popular with locals as well as tourists happy enough to eat formula food. I have a Belgian friend who rails against them because he feels they give Belgian food and mussels a bad name in addition to lowering the level of food in Paris. I have never been in one, nor in the Bistrot Romain chain of Italian food. I suppose they are no worse and probably better than Friendly's, Bennigan's and Applebee's in the U.S. They are, at any rate, not why we go to France. I've had any number of conversations with people who just want an inexpensive place to eat decent food. They are in Europe to see the art, the architecture or whatever. My sister, who has long thought I was obsessive about food, traveled with us in Italy. She would show up at breakfast with her guide book and plan the day's sightseeing, expecting me to find a good place for lunch nearby. I would come down with my restaurant guides and decide where we should have lunch and let her find something to see in the neighborhood. I would tell her, this is Florence there are treasures around every corner, but we have to pick our restaurants carefully or the day will be ruined. She also found it odd that our driving days on the road were either long or short depending on where we stopped for the night based on restaurants rather than sights or distances.

Oh yes, the question of "is it available in US?" I'm not aware of any imprted sausage that is not cured or cooked.

Are you trying to use it in a recipe? I associate the name with a dried sausage. Well maybe not, I find several recipes for it in cooked dishes on Google. It's a sausage from the Franche-Compte and it is lightly smoked and sold uncooked and uncored. It has Appellation d'Origin Controllée status regarding the parts of pork to used, seasonings allowed/required and specifiec geographic origin. http://b-simon.ifrance.com/b-simon/au15.htm is a page with photographs and a couple of recipes for using a sacusse de Morteau. http://www.best-gourmet.com/uk/produits/p13.html describes it as a "sausage with a distinctive sweet and smoky flavour." My best French chef sources tell me that it's exact taste and flavor are unique, but that most uncooked sausages can be sustituted. Of course they will not impart the uniqueness of the Morteau.

I knew your time was precious and the last thing you needed was to have to spend time reading a post that apologized for not knowing a place with carts and enough vegetarian stuff to please a vegetarian after two in the afternoon. My advice is to get up early and lose the carts.

For two or three years now, I've been hearing that chefs from both coasts have been visiting Spain--the Basque country and Catalunya, where the multi-starred restaurants are clustered, in particular. It would not be surprising to learn that much of the regional cooking is also influencing a generation of American chefs. It may be that the average foodie, gourmet, or even average gastronome in America, is not ready for the rustic cooking of Spain, but that more inquisitive professionals are. I thought Gourmet magazine's February 2002 roundup of Barcelona restaurants was perfunctory at best. It's the kind of piece that serves to remind readers that Barcelona is an option if they were thinking of traveling to Europe. If you were laying over in the city for a night, and food was of interest if not a passion, it might have all the information you need. I don't know the restaurants, but I don't know Barcelona's best restaurants. I've eaten very well in a lesser range in Barcelona when I've chosen carefully. Steve, when you ask "how unusual do you think that is in Spain?" are you asking how many of Spain's young chefs have passed through the kitchens of El Bulli? I suspect a lot. I assume Adria's very labor intensive food is dependent on a large crew of dedicated and underpaid young workers. And I've eaten spectacularly well at the three star level in less urban parts of Catalunya.

Having to share Paris with yet one more fan is offset by a thougtful post sharing an experience with me. Thank you. Ladauree and all the other justly famous spots are not to be missed, but they are "in" Paris as opposed to the little places one discovers. These "are" Paris and far more responsible for terminal addiction. I heartily recommend maintenance doses of France rather than cold turkey. Was Leon de Bruxelles the restaurant recommended by man at the hotel desk? If so he was not a nice man at all. Than again if you return frequently, you will begin to understand why some people become very protective of the "real" restaurants.

vdelaserna, it's nice to see your comments here. I've found them quite reliable in the past. Wilfrid, I fear you are correct. While I rarely rely on general guidebooks for their restauarant recommendations, I had one of the most banal French meals ever after relying on a British publication. This is not to deny that there is a significant segment in the UK that really appreciates good food, but the rest seem easily contented if the price is low enough.

Bitter chocolate while appreciated by few is better chocolate, but St. Veran is not better than Montrachet. The first requires an education, the second does not. Apologies for the simplification, but that's the way it seems to boil down. I didn't respond to the glove of Shaw's position regarding the alien's choice between Montrachet and St. Veran. For one thing, dead horses are not pleasant to be around let alone ride. For another I don't want to be thought of as the lout who can't see Montrachet's natural superiority, but the ability to identify the superiority of Montrachet is exactly what I think Michelin does well. What I think is far mor difficult as well as a thankless task, is choosing between a fine wine and a fine sake. To declare one example better than another in a similar set may be a matter of small arrogance or just some discernment, but to compare across borders requires a whole other chutzpah.

That's exactly the sort of thinking that might make me do something new or different. Curiosity is a powerful motive. Ignorance is only bliss when you don't know what others are eating, or better yet, when you don't know they are eating. When you know what they are eating, but don't know what it tastes like, there is a nagging hole in your knowledge.

In some ways, the Michelin guides work best as I first used them traveling in Europe without an itinerary and without the means to eat at starred restaurants. As meal time neared, we might look for a logical place to eat. I doubt anyone here has a recommendation for A Cañiza in Galicia. Michelin did and the place was terrific, if not star worthy. You are correct however, if I can get a good set of recommendations along any route I'm traveling, I may try to plan my stops beforehand.

I don't think I've ever met an artist who would be flattered to be known as having an artistic temperament. This is not to say that there are not many who have exactly that. Nevertheless, when I think of artistic temperament, I think of the stereotypical opera diva. Many chefs have that temperament. ;) Maybe opera singers are classified as "artistes" rather than artists. Art and craft are too often interchangeably used for us to need to argue much in this area, except for abstract purposes. Certainly The Art of french Cooking by Julia child was not a controversial title. There are fine arts, creative arts, applied arts, interpretive arts, performing arts, etc.

This is like a train on a looped track. It's been a while since this discussion has appeared to go anywhere, but it moves slowly enough so that each time we come to the same place, the view changes. I suppose you have to enjoy the ride or get off. Shaw can climb out on a limb even better than I can, but what I really admire is his confidence in the ability to eventually describe the tree as breaking away from that limb. Tony, Michelin need not acknowledge other cuisines. It's that simple. Not every guide book can be all things to all people. For Michelin to virtualy ignore Chinese and Indian cuisines is quite reasonable as they cannot be judged by the same set of standards nor should they be judged by those who are expert in judging the restaurants now receiving stars. It would not be fair to them, nor would it be fair to anyone to have separate teams do that work for a single guide. If Michelin is irrelevant it will change or die. Even in France, gastronomes know that Michelin is slow to recognize change. The trick in using guides is knowing how to use them, not in knowing how to complain about their shortcomings. Michelin conforms to the tastes of its readers as much as it forms that taste. I agree with Plotnicki, it's just that I don't support what he says. ;) Actually, I am very much on the side of relativity, but French food has set the standard for the western world and particularly for the way the English speaking world thinks about food. We raise pigs, but eat pork. Cows have calves, but we eat veal. Perhaps even more telling is that we speak of Indian cuisine, but never of French cucina. Michelin is the dominant French guide that represents our history. Time will tell if it represents our future. Plotnicki, I don't know Chinese food very well, but I believe it is a melting pot cuisine far more than the French. First of all China is too enormous a country to have "a" cuisine. What it has internally, is a melting pot of regional cuisines far more distinct in origin than than France. France is a tiny little country that has borders with many other countries and regions that have been French, foreign and independant back and forth through time. If China does not import its tastes, then Worcestershire sauce must have originated in China as I've only had it in context with Chinese food. I am repelled by mayonnaise in Chinese food, but restaurants in Chinatown are eager to offer their Hong Kong dishes. The Japanese are more interesting in this apsect. Dishes we consider typically Japanese may still be considered Portuguese food in Japan--tempura, tonkatsu, etc. Other "cuisines" have risen to the heights of French food, but they have done so on a different scale of values and in a society with different standards that are no better or worse than those of anglo-saxon countries, but they are standards that are somewhat alien to our standards. Our standards of taste come from France, or maybe Italy by way of France and we judge the food we find that meets our standards to naturally be the best. Except of course that some of us may disagree for reasons that our tastes are perversely insensitive or inquisitively sensitive.