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is there an equivalent TRAVEL site like CHOWHOUND (we need a "TRAVEL-HOUND" site)
Fodor's Forums
Trip Report, May 10 - 17 (Fish, Le Villaret, Chez Casimir, A La Biche au Bois, Other)
Bruno? I will have to look for the pistachios when I am at Detou.
First Soft Shell Crabs Sighting
We will be spending the weekend of May 19th in Cambridge. Too late for soft shells? Any suggestions for a place for Saturday lunch? TIA
Our six nights in Sarlat, Dordogne- March 2012
One of our great pleasures in traveling is dining out. We save all year long for our trips and then indulge ourselves. As you suspect at Rossignol the wine was the reason for the high cost. In many places we had one menu and the other ordered from the Carte. It depended upon what was on the menu and what dishes interested us. One problem for us at that time of year was that a number of restaurants were closed and I suspect they were in the lower price bracket.
30th Anniversary dinner in the Dordogne
We are returning to the Dordogne this June for our 30th anniversary. We have rented a gite outside of Sarlat. As we are foodies going out to dinner will be the way we celebrate our anniversary. During our trip in March we had meals, mostly lunches, at Le Pres Galliardou, La Gabarre (lunch & dinner), Rossignol (dinner) and L’Auberge de l’Etang Joli. We tried to get reservations at Le Grand Bleu in Sarlat but they were booked the night we were interested. Any suggestions? TIA.
Mustard...the fresh wonderful French kind...where to buy?
We bring the Maille mustards back as well. These are the one that are filled by a pump into a crock so have not been processed. Unless there is an artisanal mustard producer in the US I doubt you will find something comparable. It is good though.
Brooklyn dinner for 9 on Friday in April
We were only 6 last Friday at Queen which was packed and very noisy. I was going to request a quiet corner when we called to change the reservation but my husband did it and I didn't get a chance to mention that to him. There were a number of large parties when we arrived including a table which looked like a Sweet 16 party.
The timing of the meal suffered due to the aforementioned parties with a pause of 20 minutes between each course. The first courses were IMHO better than the entrees. We had clams oreganatos, minestrone, Calamari, sauteed peas, asparagus & leeks and artichokes for the first courses. The entrees were huge and some could have fed at least half the table. My mother was the smartest ordering two appetizers. She ordered the spinach linguini with eggplant and goat cheese cream. We also had sirloin, pasta with bolognese, penne a la vongole, a chicken dish which I don't remember and soft shell crabs. It was a good suggestion for us because it was within walking distance of the hotel. After spending 6 hours in a mini van in a lot of traffic it was a relief to walk. thanks for the suggestions. I wish we had had time and opportunity to try more of what Brooklyn has to offer.
Help! I need cookie/bar recipes with a large yield!
I just did this for my nephew's wedding. I baked about 32 dozen cookies of 4 types on Thurs night and Friday morning. I made glazed lemon cookies, rosemary walnut shortbread, brownie bites and apricot foldovers.
The first two are refrigerator cookies so I made them the week before. I sliced and baked the lemon ones on Thursday night and glazed them before going to bed. The brownie bites I made Thursday night and glazed Friday morning. I baked the rosemary walnut on Friday morning since they weren't glazed just rolled in turbinado sugar.
For apricot foldover I made the dough and filling a couple of weeks before and the weekend before I rolled the dough, filled the cookies and froze them on sheet pans. When they were frozen I put them in a plastic bag. Friday morning I just put them on the baking sheet and popped them in the oven.
Provencal Fish Soup
My mother loves the pureed kind of fish soup that is served with croutons, rouille and cheese. I have been looking for a recipe since I would like to make it for her on Mother's Day. Anyone have a "tried and true" recipe? TIA
Paris report Mar 12
We talk about getting one of the 'menus' each time we go but generally with degustation menus everyone in the party is required to get it. Therefore we would both get the same dishes where with a la carte we are able to try more dishes. Could Chez L'Ami Jean be accommodating enough to prepare separate menus? We only have three nights of dining on our next visit to Paris- the dreaded Sat-Mon block. We already have reservations at Le Comptoir for Monday evening so that leaves Saturday for Chez L'Ami Jean. Probably a crazy night for them-too crazy to make concessions to a deuce. The date is Jun 30 if anyone is around and wants to make it a party.
Paris report Mar 12
Then I guess more properly the Duke's favorite red was a Bordeaux. I will have to keep my eye out for the red Pouilly Fuisse.
Paris report Mar 12
"I thought all Pouilly Fuissé were white???"
Yes, Pouilly Fuissé are whites. I thought Parigi was making a joke about John Wayne's wine tastes.
Paris report Mar 12
Now you know how we got the reservation. If you want to try to get a reservation, then going by late afternoon might work.
Paris report Mar 12
I would have loved to do the 42 euro menu dinner but we ordered a la carte. The ris de veau came with a very high tariff but worth every euro for 3 reasons- it was our last meal in Paris, ris de veau doesn't appear on many menus locally and it was so good that my husband who usually just tolerates it said it was fabulous.
I am not surprised that it was John Wayne's favorite red.
Paris report Mar 12
Restaurants in Paris:
Saturday Dinner-
Christophe
8 rue Descartes, 75005
Metro-Cardinal Lemoine (10)
Closed Saturday lunch, closed Monday
Our first night I found a place we could walk to figuring we would be tired and cranky. Christophe was a very good first night option. When we arrived the restaurant was almost totally taken up with a long table for a party of 12. It made our service a little more relaxed but it was obvious that they had started at least an hour before we arrived.
DH ordered a bottle of Alsatian cremant to start. He tasted it and he said ‘non’ & that it was corked. I was surprised as was the waiter. He sniffed and looked at DH questioningly and DH shook his head. The bottle was taken away and DH could see the waiter and someone else tasting it. The waiter returned with a fresh bottle and said that it was fine in the nose but not in the mouth. DH felt that he made points.
For first courses we ordered haricot vert with lardon and wild escargot. The escargot was wonderful but the haricot vert themselves were slightly overcooked for our taste. Also the lardon arrived in the form of about 4 sliced of cooked bacon which made it hard to eat with the green beans.
For our plats we order ris de veau with a potato puree and a duck breast and confit. Both were very good. We had a half bottle of Pinot Noir with these. Desserts were a roasted pineapple with caramel for me and coffee ice cream for DH. I love roasted pineapple and caramel and this was a very good version. The tab was 147€ with the wines coming to 61€.
Monday Dinner-
Neva Cuisine
2 rue de Berne, 75008
Metro-Europe (3) or Liège (13)
This was the GTG dinner which has been reported on by many others. We enjoyed it and would go back again.
Tuesday Lunch-
Au Passage
1bis passage de Saint-Sebastien, 75011
Metro-Saint-Sebastien Froissart (8)
We really enjoyed this lunch with friends. The trout cerviche was very good with horseradish, watercress, flax seed and toasted bread crumbs. As is usual with us we ordered one of each of the plats-merlu (hake) and magret rose. They both came with the same sides of pureed cauliflower and a rainbow of beets. The cheese course was a goat cheese of several varieties. The chocolate ganache came with caramel and sea salt and was out of this world. I think our share of the bill was around 50€ but I am not sure.
A week later- Tuesday lunch
Le Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l'Odeon
Metro-Odeon (4&10)
We hadn’t planned on having lunch today but we never got breakfast before we got onto the train from Brive. So after we check into the hotel we went down and scored a table in the sun. We ordered one of the entrée specials which were Coquilles St Jacques with seaweed butter and an artichoke soup with tapioca pearls and foie gras. We split a Salade Niçoise which was wonderful. We had two glasses of a Bouzeron and one glass of Pineau de Charente. With a café the tab came to 70.20€ with 23.20€ attributable to the wines.
Tuesday Dinner-
Le Bistro des Gastronomes
10 rue Cardinal Lemoine, 75005
Metro-Cardinal Lemoine (10)
We met friends for dinner at Le Bistro des Gastronomes. It was a wonderful festive evening. We started with aperitifs which were served with olives and saucisson. We order telline clams with tomato and chorizo and sautéed foie gras with watercress for our entrees. The clams were good but a little over cooked but the sauce was wonderful. The foie gras was also good.
For our plats we ordered pork tenderloin which came on a bed of potatoes and carrots which had been mashed together and a bavette with potatoes and mushrooms. Both were very good. We had a bottle of Langedoc wine- Chateau de la Negly, La Falaise which was a perfect match for the food.
At this point the bartender/host brought us a entremet of Calvados and apple sorbet. It was good but potent. Desserts were a tarte tatin with the same apple sorbet and the dessert of the trip which was a crumble of strawberries with basil and strawberry sorbet. This dessert was wonderful!! DH and one of our friends had Armagnac. Our share of the bill was 94€.
Wednesday Dinner-
Le Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l'Odeon
Metro-Odeon (4&10)
There were six of us for dinner at Le Comptoir. We all started with Kir Royales which were served with Gougeres. The first course was a soft poached egg on a bed of mushroom duxelles with a foie gras foam. It was very good and I don’t care for runny yolk eggs.
The second course was a ‘Féra du lac léman’ which we were told was a lake salmon. It had been sautéed and served with a cress and tamarind sauce. It was wonderful.
The plat was veal with braised endive and a parsley mousse. It was good but not as good as the preceding courses.
The cheese course was wonderful as usual but they didn’t bring us any quince paste. I didn’t notice until we were almost done with the cheese.
Dessert was a grapefruit dish with a Campari jelly and a buttermilk ice cream.
We had two bottles of wine- one a Saumur and the other a Jurancon. The Juancon was a new wine for me and excellent with the cheeses.
After Armagnac for those who are aficionados we stagger home up three flights. The menu is a pre fixe at 55€.
Thursday Lunch-
Chez L'Ami Jean
27 Rue Malar 75007 Paris, France
Bus Ligne 63
Our final meal in Paris was at an old favorite, Chez L’Ami Jean. We have been there twice-once for dinner and once for lunch and prefer the lunch service. Dinner would be great with more than just two since is it so frenetic. Lunch is more relaxing and it was very empty when we were there on a Thursday.
We started with glasses of wine- I remember mine was a Pouilly Fuisse which I love. The entrees were spectacular. One was an asparagus dish with wonderful perfectly cooked asparagus and lardons. This was what the haricot vert dish should have been! The other was scallops with squid, we don’t remember the details of except that there were crunchy things that added to the whole dish.
For plats I had ris de veau which was amazing. It was on a bed of little mushrooms. DH ordered a shoulder of lamb which I was surprised at since it didn’t see that it would come rare which is how he likes his lamb. These were two shoulder chops which came pink and perfect. With this we had a half bottle of Irouleguy Bran which we had never had before. I have heard of the wine but never tried it. It complimented the plats perfectly.
Every once in a while you learn something new about your spouse or significant other. I never knew that DH liked rice pudding which of course at Chez L’Ami Jean is the best version around. I had another wonderful version of roasted pineapple with caramel. DH finished with an Armagnac and we paid the bill which was 185.50€. The ris de veau was very expensive but worth every bite!! The wines and Armagnac made up 52€ of the tab. Sometimes you have a meal and the bill comes and you think to yourself was it really worth that amount of money? No question with this meal! And a perfect end to two weeks in France.
Brooklyn dinner for 9 on Friday in April
I made reservations at Queen. The selling point was the noise level. I will report back afterwards. Thank you all for your help.
Brooklyn dinner for 9 on Friday in April
Nah, not really Vinny Testa's kind of people. We are going to see if we can get reservations for Saul, Applewood or Colonie. If we can't get into those I think we will try one of these: French
Le Comptoir
AOC Bistro
Soigne Restaurant
Italian
Caffe e Vino
Osteria Il Paiolo
Brooklyn dinner for 9 on Friday in April
Sorry. It has been a long time since I was totally reliant on public transportation.
Thanks for the suggestion of Applewood.
Brooklyn dinner for 9 on Friday in April
Boy, you guys are so spoiled if you think that the distance from the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott to Williamsburg is far. For us the nearest restaurant is at least 5 miles away and that isn't anyplace I would ever eat.
Will look at the Williamburg threads.
Brooklyn dinner for 9 on Friday in April
While the group might be old they aren't typical. I don't think an Old School red sauce Italian would really suit us.
I checked most of these restaurants on Google maps and they appear to be fairly close to the Brooklyn Bridge Marriot which is where we are staying.
Brooklyn dinner for 9 on Friday in April
I went through the list on Open Table. Since almost half of the group is older (I would say elderly but won't) noise is a factor. I selected a number of French and Italian since that would be good for our group. These are the ones with Open Table availability on Friday April 27th that I would like feedback on:
French
Le Comptoir
AOC Bistro
Soigne Restaurant
Italian
Caffe e Vino
Osteria Il Paiolo
Also wondering about Colonie (though it seems like it would be loud), Queen or Saul. We would need to call about the possibility of reservations there.
Thanks for the help.
Brooklyn dinner for 9 on Friday in April
Ok so you found 51 restaurant choices and I will go look. Are any of them a place you would recommend to out of towners who have no idea about the restaurants in Brooklyn?
Brooklyn dinner for 9 on Friday in April
We will be in Brooklyn staying at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriot for a wedding. The groom suggested the Blue Ribbon but they can't accomodate a party of 9 that Friday night. Any suggestions for something comparable? TIA
Advice on cookies for wedding
Thanks for all the suggestions. I won't have either a kitchen or time to bake cookies the weekend of the wedding so will have to do all by the day before the wedding. I like the idea of baking the brownies in mini-muffin cups. Frosted with a chocolate ganache and decorated they will look really nice.
Advice on cookies for wedding
My nephew and his fiancee asked me to bake some cookies for their wedding at the end of April. They also asked my BIL to bake cheesecakes so my cookies won't be the only dessert items for 125-150 people. I have several issues. First it is a very busy time at work. Second is that I have to transport the cookies from MA to NY in a crowded Caravan.
Some of my ideas were a biscotti, lemon refrigerator cookie, brownies with chocolate ganache. I think I need two more kinds of cookies. Any ideas? TIA
Our six nights in Sarlat, Dordogne- March 2012
Dordogne Restaurant Trip Report
We had decided in advance to have lunch as our main meal while in the Dordogne. The selection of restaurants open outside of Sarlat where we were staying seemed greater than in town and the cuisine I think lends itself to a major meal in the middle of the day. Also though we can pick different dishes we generally trade so we each have every dish we order.
Mar 14- Le Chapon Fin in Brive- Lunch (http://www.lechaponfin.com)
We took a train to Brive-le-Gaillarde on our way to Sarlat. Since we arrived while the rental car place was closed for lunch we schlepped our bags down the hill from the train station to Le Chapon Fin for lunch. They very kindly let us put our suitcase in their held luggage area and set up a table for us on the enclosed patio.
For entrees we chose ‘Crespéou de légumes antipasti’ (which was an assortment of bruschetta) and salmon fume. The bruschetta was with roasted vegetables (eggplant, peppers and tomatoes), fresh mozzarella, basil oil and parmesan. It as well as the salmon fume were served with an herb salad with that fabulous acidic French vinaigrette. The salmon fume came with horseradish crème fraiche, a dab of wasabi (that the server warned us about), several slices of beets topped with a tartare of scallops with horseradish and apple. Both dishes were excellent.
For plats, my DH chose the Cote de Veau which came topped with a slice of liver, roasted potatoes and a roasted caponata with eggplant, whole garlic cloves, red onion and tomato. I chose a risotto with scallops and ‘jus de homard corsé’ which came with a few slices of fried coppa ham.
We started with two glasses of champagne and had a bottle of Château Boyer Rosé Bergerac. The tab was around 90 euros.
Mar 15- Le Pres Galliardou in Le Roque-Gageac-Lunch (http://www.les-pres-gaillardou.com)
After a visit to Roque-Gageac we stopped at Le Pres Galliardou for lunch. We had a lovely meal though it would have been nice to sit outside instead of in the dining room.
We had the duo of Foie Gras with figs and a terrine of goose with shallot confit for entrees. The foie gras was split between a terrine and a piece of seared liver. The fig was also a duo with one fig that had been steeped in a spiced sauce and a little savory tart of figs. Both dishes were very good.
We ordered the duck (which came with the breast seared rare and the leg as a confit) and the coq au vin. The coq au vin had a wonderful dark sauce with baby onions and carrots as well as mashed potatoes. It reminded me of dishes in a restaurant I worked in when I was younger.
Desserts were an apple tart (which came with slices of apples on top of an apple puree and then the pastry) and mango & lemon sorbets with fruit.
We had two half bottles of Bergerac in red and white and a glass of Monbazillac with the foie gras. The tab came to 92.50 euros- one three course menu at 26 Euros and the other at 19.50.
Mar 16- La Gabarre in St Julien- Lunch (http://www.restaurantlagabarre.com/)
We were lucky to be able to sit on the terrace in the sun overlooking the Dordogne River. Sometimes you wonder what the elements are that make a restaurant so appealing to you. For this one it was easy to see- the food was wonderful, the setting idyllic and the patronne welcoming, friendly and fluent in English but willing to speak French to us. We liked this place so much that when we were having a hard time finding an open place in Sarlat our last night we returned which is unusual for us.
We ordered the seared foie gras (see a trend here?) with prunes and the presse of pintade with pistachios and foie gras. The foie gras was the best piece we had on this trip. The presse was very good and an interesting dish. I asked how it was made and am considering trying to replicate it.
For plats we got the saddle of lamb with flowering thyme and potatoes and the pork with a mustard glaze and lentils. Though not something we would normally order out the combination of the mustard glaze and the lentils really worked well with the pork.
Dessert was a caramel tart with chocolate ganache and Stracciatella ice cream and a coffee ice cream as well as a coffee. We also shared two half bottles of wine- a Percharmant and a white Bergerac. The tab was 80 euros- one three course menu at 35 Euros and the other at 19.50.
Mar 17- Rossignol-Sarlat-Dinner (no website- phone 05 53 31 02 30)
On Saturday we decided to spend the day in Sarlat since that was the market day. Our choices were limited since a number of restaurants were either closed for vacation or not open for the season. We tried to get reservations at Le Grand Bleu but they were fully booked for that night. On the recommendation of the rental agency we went to Restaurant Rossignol. This was our least favorite place of the time we spent in the Dordogne but I am not sure how much of that is what we selected for wine and a few deficiencies in the service.
We started with a half bottle of Billetcart champagne which was slightly maderized. We probably should have complained but this was part of the deficiencies of services in that the server opened the champagne and poured it without giving us a chance to try it. Like I said just slightly maderized so drinkable.
We started with an escallop of foie gras which was served with mushrooms & Sarladaise potatoes and a Soupe de Poisson with all the trimmings. The portion sizes were larger than usual and my DH felt that the foie gras could have been a plat. Both were excellent though the soupe de poisson wasn’t as good as the one we have had at Alain Assaud in St Remy.
Our entries were a Cote de Veau and a Filet de Veau with wild mushrooms. Both plats came with the same accompaniments which were Brussels sprouts, zucchini, carrots, potatoes and ziti. I thought the filet was slightly better than the cote but both were very good. In retrospect we should have ordered a Bergerac red to go with this meal but decided on a Medoc. It just wasn’t to our taste so added to the negative feelings of the evening.
Desserts were a crème caramel which is one of my favorite dessert and a cassis sorbet followed by an Armagnac for my DH.
Honestly when I think back to this meal I can’t really complain too much since I think the problems were things we could have changed but didn’t. With the more expensive wines and ordering one meal a la carte this was our most expensive meal in the Dordogne at 161 Euros.
Mar 18- L’Auberge de l’Etang Joli- Eyzies- Lunch (http://www.auberge-de-letang-joli.fr/presentation)
We spent the morning at Lascoux II and were planning on an afternoon visit to the prehistory museum in Les Eyzies. Someone had recommended the Le Moulin de la Beune but of course it was closed when the website said it was opened. So we pulled out the Michelin guide and tried to find something else. The first place on the list was also closed so we tried the second. It was a ways out of town and down a little road but it was open. When we entered L’Auberge de l’Etang Joli it was like entering someone’s house. There were four tables of deuces already dining. The patronne, Isablle Montfort,came to explain the ‘deal’ which was in more rapid French than we could follow. We asked if she spoke English and she said ‘non’ then looked around the dining at the other patrons who all shook their heads ‘no’. She explained again slowly and we understood and agreed to a soup, charcuterie, plat, fromage and dessert for 25 euros served en famille. That also included an aperitif and a carafe of wine. This was the deal of the week!
The patronne cleared a couple of places at one of the tables where the deuce must have just arrived because they hadn’t had their soup yet. The aperitif was a kir rouge which was followed in short order by a tureen of crème of ail. The only reason I know that was the soup was when we left we notice a sign board with the menu on it. It was very good as was the whole meal.
The charcuterie was two large terrines which were obviously made there. She also produced a jar of pork rillettes, something with duck and a jar of homemade cornichons and tiny onions. Bread was provided and we went to town.
The plat was a large platter with a piece of Limousin beef with green peppercorn sauce on a large pile of Sarladaise potatoes. The beef was rare which was amazing since the pieces were fairly thin and the potatoes were crispy on the edges. It was wonderful with the carafe of Bergerac red of unknown provenance.
The fromage was a disc of Cabecou de Rocamadour which was a little young for my taste. The other tables had gotten an apple tart for dessert served with a crème anglais but we were served a walnut cake. It was good but that apple tart looked amazing. Since she had already cut the cake we were out of luck on the tart.
The other part of this meal that was very enjoyable for us was the camaraderie in the dining room. Our tablemates were also new to the restaurant but everyone on the other side of the room seemed to know each other. There was a lot of joking going on between every one. The patronne would sit and talk with people and the guests at the next table were her mother and uncle. I have no idea how she did the cooking and the serving as well.
Mar 19- La Gabarre-St Julien-Dinner
Our last night in Sarlat, we decided that we would return to La Gabarre for dinner. The other restaurants we were interested in Sarlat were closed for one reason or another. It was a cool evening so dinner was served indoors in a lovely room with a fire in the fireplace. There were a number of returning guest and a group that we had met that morning at Font de Gaume.
We started with two kir royale with peche for me and mure for my DH.
This was our fish night. Our entrees were a Bouillon of shellfish with orzo and octopus and a risotto with crab and ‘butternut’. The bouillon was amazing with very tender piece of octopus. The risotto was also good but I didn’t understand where the ‘butternut’ came in.
My DH selected cod steamed with endive and leek with an herb butter sauce. I chose the shrimp and dorade with polenta with coconut milk, ginger and a sate sauce. My dish won! It was really more to my taste than the cod. We had a bottle of local white wine made by a woman vintner which shows on the receipt as Miss Blanc. It was a lovely wine.
Desserts were an apple and kiwi crumble with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate tart which was strongly flavored with coffee and Stracciatella ice cream. My DH had an Armagnac which brought the tab to 112 euros. The menus were 35 and 28 euros.
Another place we would like to recommend is the wine store on Place Pasteur called Julien de Savignac. The sales person was very helpful with selecting local wines.
Pig Roast for Rehearsal Dinner
My nephew is getting married in Keene NH and is interested in a pig roast for the rehearsal dinner. I have been to one in Wareham and am investigating that possibility. I was wondering if anyone else had experience with companies that bring pig roast to you. TIA.
Frenchie or Neva Cuisine
We have reservations at Neva Cuisine for a Monday in March.
