jaybee

Not only did I open it, I drank almost all of it with a plate full of smoked trout, kosher salami, late harvest tomatoes, olives and chunks of parmagian. Yummy.

I didn't wait to find out. I glugged most of the bottle within the first hour of opening with lunch. I recorked the remainder.

Nick, did you make some boudingatti before you went off to the hospital? Hope it heals well.

Ellen and I were scheduled to join the ensemble. My stomach was not in prime shape so I begged off at the last minute not wishing to push my luck. It seems, apart from the pleasure of the company, it was a wise decision. Conceptually, Sammy's sounded like a great idea. I guess there a big slip 'tween concept and lip. ediot: prime=prome as in promoselzter

I believe '70 was a very good year. "Les Clos" being one of the seven Premier Grand Crus of Chablis was one of the best. I noted the grower and promptly forgot the name. Next weekend I will look up in my cellar book when I bought it, from whom and how much I paid (read it and weep). I'll also write the down the producer's name. It begame with a "V". I expected the wine to last maybe ten or fifteen years, but gave it up for lost. Froim what I have now read, it is not unheard of for a good vintage of Chablis that was well made to last this long. It is a real treasure. I can't wait to try the '70 "Vaudesir", which is in the same class.

Saturday I cleaned up my wine cellar a little and found a long forgotten case of 1970 Chablis "Les Clos" 1970 hidden in a corner behind some boxes. Could it still be any good? Wow, it is all green-golden color, vanilla, cream and flinty sharpness on the finish. What a treat. I laid this down there in 1972, along with some "Vaudesir." It's like finding buried treasure. Should Chablis last that long? My cellar must be really excellent temperature, humidity etc. to keep it so well.

The roasting idea sounds very good to me. It will produce tastes and textures closer to roasted or grilled meats and allows for the inclusion of a lot of interesting variations. It's also easy to do. Thanks for that concept. I will work with it. I also think the Chinese approach of using meats more as a condiment or enhancment rather than the central part of a dish would work with the roasted veggies idea. Good ideas.

I go hot and cold with veggies. If cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, brocoli, peas etc. are on the table, I'll eat big helpings. But left to my own devices, I rarely prepare them or even think of them for day to day meals. I wonder if anyone has culinary tricks that make veggies as hard to resist as a hamburger would be (for me)? I used to make delicious hash of ground up brussel sprouts with onions, mushrooms and garlic. This help my affections for about three months and then disappeared from my repertoire. Veggies shouldn't be a struggle, but somehow they are. Ideas?

TLS, nice report. Your experience mirrors the one we had two years ago. The moment you walk in the place you start getting hungry. We were stuck in the most absurd traffic geting there. Bordeaux is a driving nightmare, with all the construction, narrow streets and so many cars. But when you go inside, all is immediately forgotten. The sight of the food on the spit and those huge iron pots, very basic, very tasty food. Great place to go with four or six people, so you can share different dishes.

You mean they're available?

Ah, well, I lost my Virgility long ago, but with an assist from memory and my bonne-frere's bistro guide book, I'm pleased to feast vicariously with you.

No apology necessary. I've come to regard my age as patina. But no, I don't know Mere Michel. I was introduced to this sauce by Yves Culliers at La Grille and I've never had better. For what their opinion is worth, in 1985, Gault-Millau called it the "best beurre blanc sauce in all of Paris, possibly France!) Try the civet at Sousceyrac next. It is good enough to make you cry. BTW, the boef bourguinon at La Grille is nothing to sneeze at either. Of course now that game season is in, you can feast on wild boar stews, etc. You might consider a dish of tabliers de sapeur at Moissonnier or Chez Paul. Foies gras at L'Ami Louie Confit de Canard at La Fontaine de Mars Tripes at La Tour de Monthlerie or a heaping Choucroute royale at your favorite Alsatian place.

Drink 'till you vomit, get some on your shirt and let it dry, then no one will come close enough to smell your breath.

La Grille, on Faubourg Poissonniere (10th), serve the best beurre blanc sauce over grilled turbot. The place is delightfully authentically eccentrically old fashioned. tel. 01 47 70 89 73 Chez Maitre Paul serve the best poulet vin jaune avec morilles you could ask for. Not to be missed. 12 rue Monsieur Prince (6th) tel 01 43 54 74 59 The civet de lievre a la royale at A Souusceyrac is heavenly, and it is game season soon. 35 rue Faidherbe (11th) Tel 01 43 71 65 30 These are three of my favorite meals in Paris and they fit the low carb hi-fat bill.

I wonder, has Lima Bean been heard from again?

Aside from my being flip, are you staying at a hotel with a good conceirge? If so, enlist his/her aid in making the reservation and explaining what you want. Restaurants are more responsive to hotel conceirges since they can put a lot of business their way. You might also send a fax written in French (get someone to translate in idiomatic French) in advance when you make a reservation. The french respond better and show more respect for French-speaking Americans. The fact that when you get there, you spealk in English should not change things.

I can heartily endorse the suggestion of Jaybee for Maison Kammerzel. The choucroute royale is not to be missed.

Bring me.

I, too, long to be in Paris, shortly. The thought brings a to my heart.

Oysters in Paris, chesnuts in blossom, what have you done to my heart..... Cap Vernet 82 avenue Marceau, 8th arrondissement, Tel: 01 47 20 20 40 Sébillon 66 rue Pierre-Charron, 8th arrondissement, Tel: 01 43 59 28 15 Le Pichet 68 rue Pierre-Charron, 8th arr., Tel: 01 43 59 50 L'Alsace 39 avenue des Champs-Elysees, 8th arr., Tel: 01 53 93 97 00 Auberge Dab 161 avenue de Malakoff, 16th arr., Tel: 01 45 00 32 22 Le Ballon des Ternes 103 avenue des Ternes, 17th arr., Tel: 01 45 74 17 98 Le Dôme 108 boulevard du Montparnasse, 14th arr., Tel: 01 43 35 25 81 La Coupole 102 boulevard du Montparnasse, 14th arr., Tel: 01 43 20 14 20 Le Zeyer 234 avenue du Maine, 14th arr., Tel: 01 45 40 43 88 Brasserie Wepler 14 place de Clichy, 18th arr., Tel: 01 45 22 53 24.

The clock chimed twelve as a relaxed pair of eGulletiers tentatively entered an empty small room at 18 Corneila Street with the name PEARL on the window. Could this be the famous Pearl, the first come first served, ("giraffe's coffin" as described by Whiting), ever popular seafood place that has reached almost cult status? Jaybee and Nina W staked out the prime corner seats at the bar and considered the advice given by the redoubtable AHR. salt-crusted shrimp, chowder, steamers and lobster roll it would be. To drink? Tangy, cold Paulaner Pilsner on draft. The shrimp--three fat, moist, crunchy specimens, served with a tomato and cucumber salad with a mayo/mustard dressing. Great first taste. The chowder--spectacular. Creamy, rich but not overly so, full of celery, chunks of al dente potato and chewy clams. I could've eaten three bowls-full. The steamers appear in a small galvanized steel bucket. Plump, fresh and juicy. No sand, no grit. Just sweet clam taste. Dipping water and melted butter on the side. Lobster roll (one for two) is a pile of sweet, fresh-tasting lobster meat in a light mayonnaise sauce on a typical, if unimpressive bun. Maine has nicer views, but not a significantly better lobster roll. Cripsp, salty shoestring potatoes are piled high beside the roll. The beer goes down smoothly with each bite. By now, the empty place is full. Not a seat to be had. Service is friendly, attentive and prompt. The food tastes good. The conrner seats allows Nina and I to slyly eavesdrop on Mario Batali, sitting next to us, as he discusses plans for his new pizza restaurant. Dessert? Nina bets the chocolate mousse is good. It's better than good. Light, creamy and airy, with a dollop of whipped cream, two spoons make it disappear fast. About one-thirty, a happy Jaybee and Nina W move away from the bar to give our seats to a waiting couple. The "Giraffe's Coffin" on Cornelia Street is an intimate, friendly and comfortable place to eat a delicious lunch. Rebecca Charles is a gracious and friendly host, who appreciates my compliments. Rebecca says she was inspired by Swan's Oyster Depot in San Francisco. I'm glad she was.

Thanks, John, for reprinting your review of Pearl Oyster Bar. I "discovered" Swan's Oyster Depot on Polk St. in San Francisco a number of years ago and fell head over heels for the place. Why, oh why, I said to myself, can't we have such a place in New York. I was delighted when I read about two such places--Pearl and Mary's. As I will be with someone, and would like to sit comfotably and chat while we eat, I'll probably choose Mary's and leave Pearl for a solo occasion. I wonder if one can ask for "light" mayo on the lobster roll?

An untutored but energetic young friend of my nephew dined at Chez George at our suggestion. He ordered the boeuf gros sel and a starter of herring in cream sauce. He was with his girlfriend. It was his first meal on his own in Paris. The crock of herring was brought to the table and the young man dug in. and dug in. and dug in again, When the waiter came to retrieve the crock, the boy indicated he hadn't had his fill and proceeded to finish the entire crock-ful. When told later that he had been expected to extract a serving from the house crock and return the container to the waiter, he smiled sheepishly and said "oops!" No one at CG made him feel uncomfortable and he even felt that they appreciated his herculean appetite. Ah, Paris...I wish I were with you, Steve. If you go to La Grille, please give my kisses to Yves and Mdme Culliere. Tell Yves I will come back soon for a new lesson in beurre blanc sauce making.

What about Mary's Fish Shack or Pearls Oyster Bar in the village? Both menus list fried clams and both make claims to be high level places, modeled after Swan's Oyster Depot in SF.

Nice article about risotto from Chefshop: Good source of all kinds of rice too. Reliable and prompt. Risotto article