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I believe Hucks are one of the first plants to gain a foothold after a fire. If true there will always be new huck patches to be picked. Not to mention the vast majority of hucks are way too hard to get at let alone pick and hike out of the woods with. The price of 45 a gallon is at he high end and is a retail price. Most buyers are paying about $35 or less for an 8 pound gallon. They sell here in L.A. for about $10 - $12 a pound. The coastal Oregon huck which arrives later in the season sells for less usually. I am sure there are wholesale produce companies based out of Hunts Point that sell hucks to the NYC restaurants. Make a few calls and you will find them. Claim to be private chef or a caterer and be willing to pick them up or meet the delivery truck and you should be able to buy a 5 pound bag for $60 or less. If you have a friend that works in the restaurant industry see if they can order them for you. It is certainly not illegal to pick hucks within the legal guidelines set by BLM or NFS. I am not qualified to comment on the morale question. Pickers that use unsavory practices are a scourge on the wild harvest industry and ONLY THE COMMERCIAL BUYERS can stop it by refusing to buy the harvest they bring in if they are known to be using harmful practices. The Oregon truffle market has been all but ruined by pickers picking unripe (green) truffles and idiot commercial buyers that buy them so they can be first to market. Ripe, well harvested black and white OR. truffles can be wonderful and the extremely low cost of them makes them a great choice for those that do not have the money or desire to spend $2000 a pound for whites or $700 for blacks. OR. truffles sell for a fraction of that. Last winter we had some of the strongest OR whites I have seen in 10 years. $25 buys enough for two people to over indulge. Unfortunately many inferior whites make it to market and folks say they taste like a potato at best. That is sad as they can be quite good, like a poor cousin to the Alba whites, when picked ripe and prepared well. Always remember they are FAT SOLUBLE so they need butter or cream to really come up in flavor.

Ebingers made a brief (and very limited) comeback about 10 years ago.There was one in Bay Ridge I would stop at on my way from NJ to L.I. I too grew up eating their fine baked goods from the store on Flatbush ave. near my apt. Blackout cake was my favorite. Folks that think Entemans is the same as Ebingers never had Ebingers. Same as Hostess cakes pale in comparison to Drakes. But I digress..... Huckleberries of the sort you want are a Western US thing. You may have better luck finding wild blueberry from Maine or MI. and make your own pie. Now that I am in California I have good access to both the tart RED ( late Fall harvest , more of a savory berry for game or turkey) and the plump , sweet purple varieties. And as previously mentioned (for the second year in a row) it is not a great year. Many companies in Montana and Idaho have web sites that will ship you just about every type of item made from Hucks you could want. They will not however ship fresh berries. You most likely could pie "pie filling" that will be like a loose jam. David

Pti, You sold me. I shall venture no further by train than S.M. and you have piqued my interest in not only the area (I love historic, old, often crumbly buildings) and the market. Cheese packed for travel. Rare anchovies. You write as though we have met before. I appreciate the time you have taken to supply advice as well as travel instructions. I am indebted to you. My research is now over and I look forward to late November in Paris for a few hours. I have researched the RER as well and understand I can buy tickets with euro coins at a machine at any station or stand in (on?) line and buy from ticket window. I am all set now. David

Having spent several hours researching the Paris METRO and the Markets it appears that changing from the RER to the METRO and continuing on to Segur for the Saxe Breteuil market is going to to take quite a bit of time. As I should have expected after reading much of the France board in the last few days that Pti would provide the most correct response to suit my individual needs. The RER goes directly to the stop recommended and the market sounds lovely. Small , but lovely. Just out of curiosity and a never ending desire to complicate life how long would it take to go via the RER to a station to switch for METRO to Segur? It looks like Saint Michel would be the logical switching point? How long from S.M. to Segur? How easy is the switching to facilitate? Lastly how many tickets should I buy and does the regular 1.40 Euro ticket get me from CDG to ???? or is CDG a separate fare since it is outside the city? Thank you all for all the help. I am close to done thanks to all your help. David

"Speaking of which, if you want to learn more about markets than you need to, see our Market/Marche compendium." I have done that and much more. That is how I "boiled" it down to my choices. I will follow pti advice unless I have extra time and can make it to Saxe Breteuil which sounds a bit larger. All of the restaurants people have emailed me about are not going to be open in time. I hope to find a little place near the market that may be open early. Even the link you sent me (John) about Flo open at 0800 when I checked their website it said they opened at noon.

pti, Thank you for the reply. That sounds like the plan. Penny thank you as well. John thank you as well. It sounds like pti has hit the nail on the head. I wont get lost and miss my flight and I will have a nice early lunch and some fine shopping. Do I really need a resv. if I just want lunch , early? I wonder if they are open at 1100 for lunch? I need to be back in CDG no later than 1PM. That gives me an hour to clear security and board my flight. No need to check in. I just wonder if I can carry on cheese and canned goods? Or do they apply that idiotic 3oz rule like liquids? I better find out before I shop too much. I imagine food should be fine as people bring food on planes all the time now that the airlines have cut back.

Further research has lead me to this: I am trying to choose between Saxe Breteuil or heading to a market street like rue des Moines or rue Cler. If anyone has recommendations for these or similar places along with RER - METRO directions form CGD that would be fantastic. Remember I only have a couple of hours. This lay over is at the end of a 2 week business trip to Italy and AA screwed me so I am making the best of it. I was booked to fly Torino - LHR - LAX but they changed my flights to Torino - CDG-ORD-LAX adding 9 hours of travel to my day. Six of which are spent at CDG. So I really want to make the best of a bad situation. I realize 6 hours is not an amount of time to do much but I really do not want to sit at the terminal at CDG for 6 hours. If I can walk around Paris for a couple or three hours and shop and eat it will go along way to improving my long travel day. I even plan to pick up one of those amazing roasted chickens form a market to eat on the plane a few hours later. If I can bring home some sweets for my sweet and some cheese and Fois for me and my fellow gluttons I will be happy. Other than that I just want to "take in" the smells and sounds of a Saturday morning at the market in Paris. I am limited to one singular event so I can not imagine a better one. Time does not allow for monument, museum visits or dinner.

Thank You John, I am not so much looking to try the newest or hottest place as the amount of time and time of day prohibit any real eating. I am trying to find either a fantastic market or one of the areas known for great food shops. The web is overrun with sites on this but I wanted to get the opinion of a few trusted sources. I hope to find a market or shop area that has a couple of great cheese sellers as well as a source for really good (I know sort of an oxymoron) canned Fois and Rillets. I hope to be able to drag home a shopping bag of goodies. It does not have to be right on the RER but easy connections of Metro and RER with a few block walk is fine. I have to be back at CDG in time for my connection. So I figure I have about 3 hours to shop and eat. From about 9 till noon. I give myself 2 hours to shop and 1 to eat before returning to CDG. As it will be November I imagine a nice steaming hot cassoulet would be great if I can find that at 11 in the morning? David

Hi all, I have never been to Paris (I know, I know I will) but find myself at CDG for 6 hours on a Saturday early part of the day (arrive 8AM leave 2PM) in November. I understand the RER can get me to central Paris in under an hour. That leaves me 2 or 3 for eating and or food shopping. So my question is this. Is there an area where I can get on and off the RER from CDG where I may find a great little place for lunch as well as a nice walk around and maybe some shopping. Or a stop on the RER near a great market open on Saturday. That would be my first choice. To find some amazing items for my return trip. I am sure I can spot a nice little lunch place on my walk around. I have a good "nose" for finding the right places. TIA David

There is a place on Olympic near Robertson (next to crazy fish) that makes all kinds of sausage. I imagine they have something that passes for b'fast sausage. FWIW I make sausage with Muscovy duck breast cut into chunks and dried apple, caramelized onions and sage mixed together . Left in fridge for a couple of days then through my ancient hand grinder and I just cook in patties. YUM! If I want to make more of a dinner sausage I add roasted garlic (in place of apple) and a nice grind of black pepper. David

Being a huge fan of J. Gold's I will say I am a bit surprised he tried to compile a list of "Italian" restaurants when that covers so many different types of cooking. Regionally as well as stylistically. Certainly the Neapolitan cooking of Sal Marino at Il Grano could easily be considered the top of the Neapolitan food scene in L.A. while he would pale in comparison to La Terza in terms of a more Northern type of cuisine. I commend J.G.'s trying and agree that almost all on the list deserve to be there IMHO. Some are really, really pricey while others are a downright bargain. I will leave my disagreements to myself as I do not wish to say anything bad as I feel that is not what EG is about. I will say I was VERY surprised to see some on there without Pace being on there. A major oversight . As to chef Gino Angelini he seems to capture some of the flavors that really remind one of Italy and eating in cities like Florence or Bologna. All in all it speaks well of our restaurants here that we even have a list of 20. Although it was a stretch to come up with 20 IMHO as there is a vast span between some of these places. Which goes back to my original idea of there are vast differences in the style and ingredient base of Italian cooking. David

I am certain the loss of a man like Bux is felt far and wide and well beyond here or the food and wine world. His articulate, timely and informative replies to seemingly any question were, are and will remain some of EG's best. I first "met" Bux when I was researching a trip to Spain years ago. His guidance was beyond measure. I have since seen him on many other boards. Although I have not posted often in my four years or so here I do lurk and have found the EG community to be one of the best on the web. Of that community Bux is a pillar. EG is what it is and attracts the kinds of people it does due to the foundations laid by people like Bux and by Bux himself. He will be missed. To Robert's family I offer my deepest heart felt sympathies and prayers. Your loss, no matter how many share in it, is still your own. I hope you can find some comfort and relief in seeing how well Robert was liked (loved even) by so many here who never had the pleasure of a face to face meeting as well as those that did. People from all over the globe have been impacted in a positive way simply by having had the good fortune to read his thoughts on here. David

Not too many taco trucks last over 20 years. It was a falafel joint before it was LSR and all they did was paint it. Same tent, same counter, same tables. The only other big change came when the Health Dept. told them to stop using the aluminum bowels for the cheese and chorizo fondue. Now it is served in paper instead of bubbling hot in metal. In the 22 years I have been eating there I have never had a bad bite of food. As to the "pilgrims" it is true some folks definitely over dress for LSR. It is a "joint". The line however is not too bad as there is only 2 people inside so the whole line is outside. Tables can be hard to get. The food is really special though and I have never found another place like it. It is not gourmet or special ingredients there is just some type of synergy they posses. I would advise anyone thinking of going to do so. But as the thread s first post pointed out it is by no means a place to plan to sit and have a meal in a dining room with any atmosphere. LSR is about the food and nothing else. The Julia Childs thing was over stated as she repeatedly said she never said it was her favorite restaurant. She did eat there quite a bit though. She also ate at Palace cafe quite often which is a very mediocre (imho) cajun restaurant. BTW the specials change from day to day but not week to week. So every Tuesday is one set and every weds. is a set and so on. For SB locals you start to remember to go on a specific day for specific items. Their Sopes are really terrific but only sold as a special so you need to get there the right day..

I thought Dottie's was a SF favorite? Also there was a place in Hayes valley we used to go for southern cooking that had killer biscuits I can not remember the name. How about Moms in N.B.? We used to go to all three of these when we were in S.F. on a regular basis. Have not been in a couple of years. David

With all due respect chef my experiences have been different than yours as to shelf life o f a fresh White truffle. I have had truffles actually improve over a 2 or 3 day timeframe as they ripened and then held for a few days before starting to wane. I have had fine meals with 10 day old truffles. Truffles I knew when they had been dug and I knew when they had been eaten. Perhaps the dry towel and plastic box was part of the problem. The dry towel will pull moisture out of the truffle and if the box is too small or sealed for too long the truffle will "die". They need air. David

There are several stores to buy from including some of the butchers shops. Just ask around, plus most will have a sign in the window saying they sell truffles. Ask at restaurants you eat at if they know a place to buy from. They are not at all hard to find. Ponzi is right on main drag. Yes the jar should be large enough to allow for air. No they will not provide one. Yes it is easy to find one. Ponzi did offer to package for shipping for a small fee. The paper towel or dish towel should be damp or moist NOT WET. The idea is it will not absorb moisture away from truffle nor will it make the truffle wet. The ideal temperature is refrigerator temp. 35 or so. If you keep it cool at least during shipping it will be fine for 12 hours or so. It MUST NOT GET HOT OR WARM. as that will severely diminish the shelf life and the quality. So far this season there is a small crop of mostly small size truffles. Both black and white. Small truffles will sell at a lower price than large. Look outside of Alba, as well as the entire Langhe area. Piemonte has truffles like here http://www.comune-bergamasco.it/macelleria_guastavigna.htm as well David

Thanks Doc but we are looking for a much lower key place. It will be a large group (6 or more maybe) with too many budgets, tastes and food phobias for such a great place. My wife and I will most likely go ourselves if we can get in during the event. What have you heard about Antiche Sere ? It was recommended by someone I sort of trust. David

Just wanted to bring this back to the top to see if we could garner a few more recs for those of us headed to Salon Gusto or Terra Madre. I will be meeting a couple of food business types as well as a good friend that is delegate to Terra Madre. We want to go out for a great , long, memorable meal on Thursday the first day of the event. Some place rustic, great piemonte cooking and not a starred type of place. A place to linger, drink, laugh and eat great food. David

The advice from Bill was spot on. I liked Ponzi for quality and they were willing to pack for shipping. There is also a kitchenware shop on the main drag that name I can not remember maybe "Renzi" or something like that, when i was in there buying truffle shavers they told me of a friend in the family that digs truffles. They called and he met us with fresh dug truffles from the Langhe ranging in size from a few grams up to a whopper 51 gram truffle. Our Italian was not good enough to cut through the thick dialect and accent he had so I just put all my Lira on the table and ask him to match it with truffles. He gave me all of them. I know I paid far less than at Ponzi but do not know if I paid more than he could have gotten locally. Nor did I care. It was a relative bargain compared to in town. Now as to transport and storage. I kept them in a closed jar wrapped in a damp dish towel that he gave me. The jar was quite oversized for what was in it so there was plenty of air. I kept the jar in a soft sided lunch box type of cooler and carried it on. I kept changing the ice every few hours in a ziplock. The flight attendant was quite helpful when I showed her what was in the cooler. With new UK restrictions be sure you can carry them on before you try. If not, bury them in your suitcase with ice packs in a cooler. Spare no expense as the lose of several hundred dollars in truffles is worse than spending a few extra bucks on precaution. Customs is no problem. Once home, well kept, fresh truffles will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Once you start to shave one use it up quickly. The others will hold. They do "ripen' for a few days then peak and then decline so keep an eye on them and if they start to get soft or "wet looking" or the aroma starts to turn more earthy / moldy versus gassy than eat them or grind them into a pound of butter and freeze it. I will be there in the first week of Nov and what I am hearing so far is it was a little too dry all summer for a good crop. Small crop will mean high prices. BTW the Alba fair is great to visit and to watch the going ons and the smell is intoxicating. DO NOT TRY TO BUY THERE. Unless you are with a local expert from the truffle business you will be sold inferior product for overprice. Even the guys milling about outside the tent and near the tent avoid. They know you are a tourist and if you notice there will be nobody else buying from them. last year there was a huge crop of whites from Croatia and many ended up in Alba. These are truly fantastic truffles almost identical to the Alba truffle but should cost less as the truffle fair in http://www.zigantetartufi.com/eng/index.php3?p=istra Livade sells them for about a 30% discount to Italian and many consider them as good or better. Of course it is Croats that consider them "better" LOL David

Thank you all. I have some pretty well honed search methods and have a huge listing of producers. Many times the Govt. agency that regulates a product or service will provide a very comprehensive list. However they do not qualify them. I was trying to see if perhaps there is a well known top tier producer. It does not HAVE to be form the Dordogne. I bought fantastic foie (fois) in Spain last year in the Pyrenees but alas the label on the jar is long gone (but the foie was not) so I can not contact them. BTW well preserved foie will last over a year when kept well. I know, I bought it last June (2005) and we finished it yesterday. I will keep checking back in for recommendations on specific producers. David

I am trying to procure some really fine Fois for a party in Rome. I found this producer http://www.foiegras-minard.com/ and before I order I was wondering if anyone knew of him or knew of another. This is for preserved and bloc fois as fresh is too hard to ship. We will be shipping to Italy not USA so local southern France producers are welcome and do not need to have major web site, just phone or email. TIA, David edited to add link

Adams Ranch http://www.adamsoliveranch.com/ ( the olive people) grow, cure and sell them at the farmers markets. It may not be listed on the web site as it is a very small production. Call Gary or Alex and ask if they will have them. They will be in Santa Monica on Weds. They are near 4th street and Arizona. BTW I believe they are organic but may not be certified. Ask.

The only other possible and some what affordable solultion may be to hire a local driver to drive your car to and from. Perhaps for the cost of 10 or 15 Euro per hour the hotel or restaurant may have someone available. Maybe someone that works at the establishment or perhaps a child of one of the folks that work there. It never hurts to ask. FWIW what we do is similar to Bill. DO not drink copious amounts and drink slowly. The best way to do this is to order older , expensive wines. No cocktails, no after dinner digestive. Drive slowly, carefully and if you are drunk wait an hour or so if you have to to sober up. Take a long walk around town in the cold night air. I have always gotten home safe and always enjoyed a bottle of wine or two at dinner. Just pace yourself and drink lots of water, especially prior to the meal. I second the thoughts on Bra. When we visited we saw fights between street walkers who then turned their anger at us for walking by. It was quite unpleasant and there was nothing there worth that IMHO. We stay at http://www.adanada.it/text/agriturismo.html it is outside Alba. Very well situated. Everything is within 30 minutes or so. We will be at Salon di Gusto in Oct. then Ada Nada after that for a few days.

Thanks for the answers. Any of those restaurants mentioned particularly good? I would love to try some really greta Indian / Balti type of places or Southern India even better as I like it hot. I have never had Kenyan food so anyone with a heads up on that as well? We will not be driving but rather relying on public transport. Taxi from Hounslow (Bath st.) near LHR to Southall approx. cost? Is there a bus? David

Jf I agree with what you say about Surfas being better than most places . I said that in my original post. As to the quality of the staff I suppose it is a drag for me more than others and some may even really like them. I find they have at best a cursory knowledge of the items they sell and can regurgitate what they have been told. That is far and away much better than one will find at a Sur Le Table type of place where staff is unmotivated and would just as soon work at Borders or the Gap as work at SLT. It is also a much lower level of knowledge then I can find at the Cheese counter at my local Whole Foods or at Norbets. It is also lower than I will find at Harvey Guss for meat or Angin II for fish or Star on equipment. The web is loaded with high quality advice from PRO'S including right here on egullet. I will admit I am easily disturbed by those that know less than me when they profess to be experts. It is a problem with me. I admit that, I am picky to a fault. It is also why I try to know so much about my business but then again it is MY business not just a job. I also came up in the restaurant world of NYC where suppliers were really top notch and one could learn from them. Surfas fits a need and does an admirable job at being diverse and well stocked. I am not anti Surfas. I just have places I like better. Either way NO BUSINESS should have the Govt. destroy the hard work they put into building a successful business. Lars try this link for Modena http://www.italtrade.com/ you can contact business' directly.