Bux

Like most cultural icons, you really have to grow up with them and learn the taste as a child as they are often not really adult or sophisticated tastes. I can add that I can think of no drink less suitable to accompany a pastrami sandwich than an egg cream. First it is too sweet. Second it is too rich with milk. With a pastrami sandwich, some will tell you that Celray soda is correct. It's at least got some tradition on its side, but it's still too sweet. A beer or even a glass of wine or just water. At any rate, pastrami and an egg cream is not a traditional New York combination.

A pastrami sandwich and an egg cream might move me.

Shaw, I think I undersand you, which as I've noted before is something I find a bit scary. Of course I'm not sure I want to be a foodie any more than I want to be a gourmet. I assume the latter is one of those people who buy the stuff in the gourmet aisles of the supermarket. Whatever I am, USC didn't draw me back and the Grimes three star review was a turn off. I think even foodies have a need for good satisfying food that desn't thrill, but I suspect you are saying that even the most old fashioned traditional cooking either has an edge to it, or it doesn't. That's probably the case, but even the most diehard foodies must have some weaknesses for the comfort of good, if dull, food in a pleasant place. I was struck, last Novemeber, by how much I loved dining in a rather elegant one star restaurant in Lille, France. I've alway held that I hated restaurants where the service or atmosphere was better than the food. Don't get me wrong the food was very good, but it was the ambience I found captivating in Lille. The food was at best correct and it was a good place to order raw oysters. That's not what I'd think of ordering at Ducasse. Anyway, I've finally come to have some more insight as to why other people go to restaurants.

And you sould let your enthusiasm dictate what you suggest. La Regalade, assuming no devastating changes since I've eaten there, is the "right" place. Those who don't like it are "wrong." ;) Even if one is predisposed to not liking the sort of food it offers, they owe thmeselves one meal there. I'd never feel I led anyone astray by recommending La Regalade, although I might feel bad that a connoisseur might not have gotten in that day. The problem as you note, is not keeping the place in business, but getting a reservation for yourself.

There are two distinct bouillabaisses. One is the traditional true dish of Marseille and the region. The other is a fancy, usually urban, fish stew modeled after a composite of fish stews world over, and in chich the Provence/Cote d'Azur influence rarely predominates. The latter not only doesn't have racasse, but prides itself on the inclusion of all sorts of often expensive shell fish that are not traditional or at least not central to a true bouillabaisse. That said, there is really only one bouillabaisse, but like Champagne and Chablis, the name is often misappropriated for salesworthyness. Of course, post nouvelle cuisine is full of appropriated names--millefeuilles of three or four layers, capuccinos of seafood, etc. Perhaps we'll soon see a beef bouillabaisse in lieu of pot au feu. (Edited by Bux at 11:18 am on Jan. 9, 2002)

I suspect you are right about why Versailles and many other places like it are hit or miss. The flavor is often fine, the rest of the quality just isn't there most of the time. I suspect the flavor will often get it by at the first shot. On the next visit, one tends to notice that the quality is not there. The interesting thing is that the locals do't seem to mind. It's not like they were eating different dishes from what we ordered. Norman's was okay and a good restaurant. It was just that I felt I wouldn't have missed anything if I didn't go. It didn't have that destination or even "worth a detour" quality for me. There are places outside of NY that are worth the voyage, but not near Miami for me.

I don't know if I would call you a gourmet to your face. It would depend on how big you are as well as wether you would take it as a compliment or an insult. "Limited in scope?" Would we prefer a narrow interest that was very deep or a broad, but shallow interest?

Anthony Bourdain, I don't know if you will sell any books or learn anything here, but I trust you are finding it an interesting place, or at least as interesting a place as we can be without a bar.

Scottf, I'm not sure if we're better off or not, but from the time of Escoffier until at least the late sixties, there was a roster of garnishes and preparations that all had classic names. We all knew lyonnaise meant with onions or florentine with spinach but the real gourmands knew the ones that signified coxcombs and truffles and that ilk. Most of that has died off with nouvelle cuisine, but when I first came to haute cuisine, I assumed I would have to learn most of them to achieve gastronomic literacy. It's all creative now and even a Frenchman might not recognize the herb a Veyrat or Bras list as garnishes. I brought back a menu from Pierre Gagnaire and a French kitchen staff here in NY, couldn't translate some of the ingredients listed.

Steve P., I prefer to make my positive feelings more public than my restaurant disappointments, but either you had spectacular luck at Prune, or we had had none. I can't even relate the difference in opinion to just different taste as I can on other scores. Our meal was amateur with service not up to that. I suppose my opinions were reinforced by the article Gabrielle Hamilton wrote for Food & Wine a while back. It's interesting that you include Cafe Boulud in the "Formal." I'd not be so inclined, but then I also might rate it an "A" or "A-." I'm also a fan of 11 Madison Park Outside NYC, we had a pretty good meal at the Dining Room in the Ritz-Carlton in S.F. years back. In Florida, both Chef Allen and Norman's left us wishing we just stuck to casual in South Beach and enjoyed a good meal in NY when we got back. Didn't think either was worth the drive. By the way, Versailles, yes for the price, but to return twice in a week was asking for disappointment. In France, I've touted La Regalade so heavily on the France board that anyone might be in for a disappointment, but I thought it was great too. L’Ambroisie wasn't perfect, but the food was pretty #### good when we were there.

Steve P: Considering the number of people they feed, they could serve junk. But I think they actually want to serve good brasserie food. mikec: many people go to Balthazar for the scene. They would go even if the food was just okay. However Balthazar (and Pastis) both put out some pretty decent food to accompany the scene that they have manufactured. yvonne: It could be that the customers, even though they go for the scene, have discriminating tastes The same or worse could be said for the people who frequent Daniel or Jean Georges. That is to say that many go for the scene and others really appreciate the food. The amount they spend on wine is no real indication one way or the other either. I know the Balthazar and Pastis chefs in passing and believe they are dedicated to serving good bistro/brasserie food. As with all restaurants, some things are better than others, but I've enjoyed most of what I've had in both places. Great fries, so far. Oddly enough, I've found Pastis far noisier than Balthzar to the point where I have second thoughts of eating there with anyone I want to talk to.

Green seemed to be a predominant color in the identity scheme, I was focused on the poppy seeds on a ficelle or baguette. ;) The first Paul bakery I saw was adjacent to, or on, rue de Buci, the great market street in the 6th arr. I assumed it was unique and excellent by it's appearance. Then I saw others, including a place in the Carrousel du Louvre fast food mall--an unrecommneded, but convenient, spot for a snack. It appears that most, if not all, Pauls serve some food for take out or on premises consumption. I don't know if the quality is as good as that of the bread. I am opposed to chains just because I like variety in life and dislike homogenization, but I also buy a lot of bread from an international chain of bakeries in NYC. In the end, it's quality that counts. If there was a Paul's within six blocks of my place, I'd go out and buy a fougasse for lunch right now.

When we were in Paris this fall, I had a phone conversation with a friend who mentioned La Regalade. When she did, I sort of reflexively said "That's my favorite restaurant." At best that's an exaggeration, but that's the sort of reaction I have to hearing it mentioned even though many restaurants compete for different parts of my interest in food. She went on to tell me that she recommended it to a small group of visiting Americans with seemingly good guormet credetials who reported back that they disliked the heavy greasy food. All I could say to her was that she had recommended the right restaurant to the wrong people. I suppose there's really no accounting for taste. The food is rustic and perhaps often rich as good pork terrines and blood sausages should be, and it's pretty fantastic.(Edited by Bux at 12:03 pm on Jan. 8, 2002)

We're market freaks and although we haven't been in the area in years, I recall enjoying the Cannes market. On the other hand, the one in Nice is far more colorful, you can buy socca (chickpea pancakes) as you stoll around and for someone who hasn't got a kitchen in which to cook the provisions, quality may be less of a concern. Off season, I seem to recall liking the outdoor market in Antibes, but it's not a daily affair and my memory may well hinge on a cheese shop on a side street off the market. It's just like the memory of a great meal. One can be influenced by all sorts of things peripheral to the food. Robert, is that bakery "Paul" one of the Paul chain's bakeries. I recall seeing one in Paris and thinking the bread looked great. That was before I knew it was a chain. Chain or not, I popped into a Paul in Lille and had a very good olive fougasse. Those were two great posts. Now if only we can get some regulars with that kind of experience in other corners of France.

The Broadway Panhandler, which hasn't been on Broadway for years, has this item on their shelves. I saw two models there this weekend. One was decorated and the other not. I believe the undecorated one was also unglazed as Peter's childhood model was. The advantage of the unglazed, as already noted, is that water will permeate the crockery and evaporate off the outside surface thereby cooling the whole device and keeping the better cooler. In both the glazed and unglazed models a function of the water is to create a seal and keep fresh air out of the container. Broadway Panhandler is on Broome Street just off the corner of Wooster Street.

Sorry, that was just an attempt at some all-American humor and aimed at Shaw. Now that I know you're a lawyer, I'll confess that some of my best friends are lawyers. Well let's say I've known a lawyer or two I've respected greatly. ;)The money factor that jhlurie brings up cannot be denied. I don't know if I'm more of a "gourmet" than I was when I had more limited funds, in some ways maybe less, but I can talk about a broader swath of experience. I believe one can be a connoisseur of stews, but it's a lot more interesting to talk about steak, game, lamb chops and truffles and the ability to partake of a wider range helps fuel the interest.

Really? I just realized I hate food. I'm not going to eat again.

IkonCode seems not be fully debugged. Ever try multiple quotes in one post? I just learned in a post of mine elsewhere that " followed by ) will produce the winky smiley as sure as ; followed by ).

Steve, that's a great description and the food sound like it's worth sitting through the bad service to get. A few odd points that I trust will not distract from content of your post. HTML codes don't seem to work in posts. There is an IkonCode that's similar and quite easy to get the hang of using. It invovles using square brackets. [ ] As you know HTML, you may guess how to start and end italics. If I show the code, it will just turn this into italics. Check the help menu if you're interested. My understanding is that Helen Darroze and her family are not from the Languedoc, nor is her food particularly representative of that area, but of one more to the west, i.e. the Landes, and the neighboring Basque and Gascon regions. The St. Chinian is a Languedoc wine however. (Edited by Bux at 12:21 am on Jan. 7, 2002)

I always hate the corporate thank you. Let me add my personal appreciation for your participation even if it's only to tell me that I miss the point. If nothing else, your last post raises the level of intelligent conversation in this thread and can't possibly do you or your book any harm. I can't imagine that the opportunity to bounce around SE Asia and Mexico and Europe, and eat up as much of it as possible, would not be a great adventure for most of us. There's got to be some value in reading about such an adventure. In between "tedious," "disappointment" and "letdown" Rayner seems to find enough good stuff to justify a peek at the book. Perhaps it's worth noting that some of my most diappointing meals have been at three star restaurants. Everything is relative.

I remember the Ben's cream cheese. I seem to recall it not having the gumminess of most commercial foil wrapped cream cheese, but it didn't have the tang that a good goat cheese does. I find that very nice with a bialy. With a bagel I might prefer the old fashioned cream cheese. I'm much closer to Kossar's then the Vinegar Factory and too spoiled by bread available much closer to make a frequent trip to Kossar's. On the subject of ricotta, I don't know how much it's gone downhill, but I know there's a world of difference between the major brands available in supermarkets and the home grown variety as exemplified by DiPalo's and a few others in town. Ditto mozzarella, or more so mozzarella.

As a result of another coffee thread here and on the recommendation of Steve Klc, we bought a Rancillio Sylvia. Actually I think it is a "Miss Sylvia" model. The Italians have a knack for naming coffee makers. Anyway, it should only be of interest to dedicated espresso lovers with time and interest to spare. It takes some dedication to operated properly, but when you do it right and have the best beans, it beats most restaurant espresso this side of the Atlantic.

LML, thank you for the clarification of what makes you tick.

Some might say that an nth degree foodie is omnivorous. ;) A sad fact of life, or at least my life, is that I've wasted a lot of meals. As long as you are adventurous and a bit daring, as well as intellectually curious, you're bound to waste meals. I'd even venture to say that if you stick to the safe, the waste may be greater. Accept the possibilities and chalk the bad meals up to education. Lunch in Paris, and France in general, begins after noon. Restaurants open at about noon or 12:30 pm. They may stop seating diners at about 2:00 pm, or so. When we make lunch reservations, it's usually for about one o'clock. If you're having lunch without a reservation, it might be better to show up early to increase chances of a table. Note that the major starred restaurants are likely not to reuse the table even at lunch. The table is yours for the afternoon and you can show up a little late or early. We often like to have a large lunch, although as we are not night clubbers, a better argument may be made for spending our evening in a restaurant. While the style of eating changes all the time these days and there are more and more places in which one can get a light bite, or a salad for lunch in Paris, traditional restaurants serve the same sort of food at lunch and dinner. While many restaurant have special prix fixe menus which may not offer the same food at lunch as at dinner, you can usually get that food by ordering a la carte. In many restaurants there is very little difference between lunch and dinner offerings. Sometimes the same food is a bit less expensive at lunch. French food is not spicy, although the French seem to be developing that taste as well. Some of the food from the Mediterranean coast may be a little spicy, and so will Basque food, but most versions in Paris may be toned down for Parisian tastes anyway. Thai, Indian and sushi are all available in Paris, but the most common non French foods would be Vietnamese and north African. the former is not spicy and the latter will not be as spicy as in north Africa. On the whole, I'd stick to French food because that's where you are and that's what they do best. I would consider a good Moroccan meal, and many Parisians have their favorite cous-cous restaurant. Cous-cous may not be what you want if you don't eat much starch and I don't really have a good recommendation for one anyway. The French eat a lot of bread, but you may pass it up as do many diners. A starch, usually potato, is often an accompaniment or garnish to many dishes. Fish is certainly as popular as any meat or poultry in Paris and many restaurants specialize in fish and seadfood. There are probably more seafood restaurats than those specializing in meat. Most restaurants will have a good choice of both. Vegetable appetizers are not uncommon. The red Guide Michelin offers a list of restaurants recommended for fish and seafood as well as a separate list for those specializing in bouillabaisse. There seem to be more places specializing in meat dishes, but often the same place is listed under several specialties so the numbers are deceiving. If you are used to spicier cuisines, you may have to adjust your palate to the nuances of French cuisine. French cuisine is so central to my appreciation of food in general, that it's difficult for me to offer much advice in particular. As a sushi eater, at least you won't be offended by a plate of raw or lightly marinated fresh fish which is not an uncommon preparation in contemporary restaurants. I was once in a small neighborhood bistro when a table of American's loudly announced that they couldn't eat what they ordered because the fish was raw. I thought the waiter had done a good job of explaining that before hand, but I realize that "marinated" might not imply uncooked to every diner. I was perplexed that they had not eaten sushi or could not make the jump to cold smoked salmon or marinated herring, one of which must have crossed their palate, but there's no accounting for taste. Good luck, and if there are more specific questions, I and others will be glad to try and put forth answers.

LML, most of us will read a book, eat a meal, see a movie, etc. and report back through our perspective. I'm most suspicious of those who claim either an unbiased perspective or that they alone, "got it." I read your post and jayrayner's and have no trouble reconciling them to the same book. "Suddenly editors and producers spread themselves before him offering as much he wants, to do whatever he wants. True to himself he doesn't shirk from doing exactly that" does not appear contradictory to the statement that "It might have worked were Bourdain himself not so terribly unconvinced about the project. In the introduction he announces simply ‘I needed something to do. I needed another idea for a book - preferably while I was still in good odour from the last one.’ Well yes, that is indeed how publishing works." Having questioned jayraynor about the implication that Boudain's career led him through the kitchen of the finest restaurants and that Bourdain speaks for the restaurant world at large--the fact is that the media has let him do that unchallenged and we have to accept that perception--I find his review reasonable. I thank you for additional insight that would make Rayner's review more meaningful, but I have to question how much you are responding to this particular review and how much to some real or imagined unrelated past offense. It's all too easy for online posts to cross the line and appear as personal attacks even when unintentional. Lord knows, I've been guilty of offending without meaning to be offensive. I've offended friends and made friends out of those I've offended. However, Rayner's supposed "Zionist romps" are unknown to this reader and to the large body of members here as well as off topic. Such comments should be seen as irrational in regard to what's been posted here. I hope your political agenda leaves the board, before it also becomes a subject of debate here. I can think of no better way to undermine this site than for you or anyone else to pursue this.