This restaurant was hard to find in the dark. Most of the building is occupied by a larger restaurant called Sunset Grill. There is a large parkade filling the other end of the block. Richmond Station occupies a narrower street presence in between. Over the door is a lighted sign which only says “restaurant” with an arrow and closer up, I could also see a tram car, while the name, Richmond Station, is in silver on glass. It was too subtle for us out-of-towners as we walked past on the other side of the street and had to double back when we realized that we had left Richmond Street West and were on Richmond Street East.

Another complaint is the front door. The restaurant has a ground level dining area and an upper level next to the open kitchen. We were seated in the lower level, five tables away from the door, but could feel the cold November evening air rush over our feet and legs whenever someone went in or out the single front door or worse yet, held the door open. The restaurant needs a second door or drapery to stop the draft because it isn’t going to get any warmer for the next number of months.

For the good part, the restaurant had only been open three weeks when we went but it seems to be running smoothly with very helpful and knowledgeable servers. We understood the place is meant to be casual and fun and it certainly looks the part with high ceilings, no linen table cloths and relatively unadorned walls. Wines are on display along one wall and the other stock for the small bar sits on open shelving. Some black and white photos of Richmond Station as a tram station hang on the wall. Upstairs, the main show appears to be the open kitchen. There’s a small semi-private dining area which looks like a pantry as its decorated with shelves filled with jars of pickles and preserves.

The menu has a modest range of offerings—there are sharing plates, appetizers and mains each with four or five items-- supplemented by a chalkboard listing the day’s specials, about six items total. The emphasis is on seasonal produce. The wine list is not extensive but the prices were quite reasonable. There were also beers which I’m guessing included some local breweries because there were names I’d never seen before. The drinks menu also feature a few cocktails. Cosmopolitans appeared to be popular amongst the diner near us. A lot of diners were having the station burger with a very thick beef patty and some delicious smelling rosemary fries.

I tried the ploughboard appetizer from the chalkboard which consisted of a home made sausage of duck liver, stilton and pear, accompanied by home made beetroot chutney, slices of Tuscan sheep cheese, a boiled egg, home made mayonaise, apples slices, micro greens and mustard seed crackers. The best part was the sausage which was flavourful and rich. To balance the protein heavy appetizer, I had the menu entree mushroom ravioli with swiss chard, vinaigrette, mushrooms and parsnip chips. The mushrooms were a bit too salty for me, making the entire dish rather salty and not balanced out by the vinaigrette. My companion had the lobster cocktail, which was four tempura lobster chunks on a lettuce leaf with cocktail sauce and aioli, and coq au vin which he found flavourful and satisfying especially on a cold evening. For dessert, we had the cranberry bread pudding special which came with an almond ice cream and a creamy buttery absolutely delicious butterscotch sauce.

The chef, Carl Heinrich, did a walk around greeting diners. He had shaved and was growing a moustache for Movember. Beardless he looks like a teenager.

I wasn’t blown away by the meal but parts were very good and I would certainly recommend the place. I hope they do something about the front door soon.

Hi keedm,

We didn't get to L'Orangerie, only walked past it a number of times and it always looked busy. Please report back after you go.

There were about 4 or some had 3 but one piece had two "branches".

PBSF, merci!

DCM, thank you! My notes say "pors???" so maybe it is the same name used in French? They were among the 4 amuse bouches served that evening. The entire menu was €55 so I've no idea what the percebes added to the cost.

Thank you. I called already and was told they only book one month in advance, so I will be sure to call back at that time.

We had this at Le Chateaubriand on the evening of September 6. I have now forgotten the name in French and when we asked what it was, the server could only translate it as seafood. You had to peel off the dark "skin" and the inside tasted a bit like clam or abalone although the texture was far more tender than clam or abalone.

Yes, I should have also mentioned the assistance with reservations which was greatly appreciated as our stay began at the end of August when many restaurants are on vacation.

I am trying to book a dinner reservation for our trip to Montreal that will include a colleague who balks at high prices. I have enjoyed Toqué but it would not be acceptable to him. We went with him to DNA last year and liked it but I'd like to try somewhere else. This time he's also bringing his young teenage daughter. I was thinking of Le Garde Manger because it is casual and the prices, from what I can tell given the restaurant or rather Chuck Hughes has no information on his website, are reasonable, i.e. lower than $20+ entrées and $40+ plat principals. Am I correct?

If I'm wrong, I'd appreciate suggestions for good food, walkable from Vieux Montreal and not expensive.

Thank you to the posters on this board. From you we obtained the name of Julien Tort aka souphie and enjoyed a day long personalized culinary tour of food markets and shops, and cooking lessons in our flat. We saw a lot of Paris visiting three different outdoor markets, many shops that I cannot now name, tasted some amazing food, particularly sweets which I would not have thought to try, and learned a lot about local ingredients. We cooked at our flat as a practice run to making a birthday dinner for our daughter during our stay in Paris. I am definitely going to use Julien’s method for roasting chicken. I only hope I can get some decently fattened birds. Julien is very pleasant with a wry sense of humour and a day with him was very enlightening. His website is www.zeparisian.com. This was not our first trip to Paris, but exploring Paris food with Julien was a revelation.

Of course we also ate at a lot of restaurants during our two weeks, many of which have received detailed descriptions elsewhere on this board so I won’t go into many menu details. The best food included lunch at L’Arpege, a 4 plus hour extravaganza worthy of the 3 Michelin stars; a dinner of innovative dishes on a no choice menu at Le Chateaubriand; and great ingredients in classic bistro dishes at Christophe. The L’Arpege lunch included the best tomato dish I have ever eaten and I’ve eaten a lot as tomatoes are one of my favourite things. The recipe is on the website but without being able to obtain tasty tomatoes, attempting to reproduce it seems pointless. I’m still trying to figure out what some of the things we ate at Le Chateaubriand were, which I didn’t recognize the French name and the server couldn’t think of the English translation. At Christophe, I had beef steak, something I usually don’t do because we get such great beef in my hometown, but it had an excellent flavour, albeit a bit chewy.

Also very good was dinner with some inventive dishes at Le Reminet and tasty Basque food at Chez L’Ami Jean. What I was told was sea bass at Le Reminet was unlike any sea bass I have had before. It may have been a translation issue. But the fish was delicate and nicely accompanied by asparagus. I tried a tasty rustic soup with boudin noir at Chez L’Ami Jean and the veal cheeks there were delicious. Service seemed un-French as the servers hovered a bit as if to encourage us to move finish our 7:30 reservation. At both Chez L’Ami Jean and Le Chateaubriand, there were long queues waiting for a late seating. Dinner at Benoit, Alain Ducasse’s bistro was good but fairly expensive for what is supposed to be a bistro. I had a very good dish of sautéed mixed offals. Our dinner at La Tour d’Argent was for the luxurious ambiance and great view of Notre Dame but the food was better than I was lead to expect, but way too much of it on the tasting menu.

We had reservations for all of the above except Le Reminet where we were able to get the last table on a Sunday evening.

Good and good value classic bistro dinners we had were at Le Verre Volé, and Chez Paul. We were able to secure same day reservations for Chez Paul and had earlier reserved Le Verre Volé.

Good, simple, but rather expensive, lunches were had at Restaurant du Palais Royale, Café Flore and Café Marly. At all of these we were seated without reservations.

On Ile Saint Louis, when we were looking for a lighter meal, we had reasonable dinners (although no where as good as the top places we dined) at Le Tastevin and Aux Fous de L’Ile. We also had light lunches which were acceptable but a bit pricy for what they were at Le Flore en L’Ile and St Regis, both very touristy spots by Pont Saint Louis with views of Notre Dame.

The worst food we had was at a restaurant whose name I cannot recall (Brasserie des Deux Palais?) but it is the restaurant directly across from the entrance to Sainte Chapelle. The charcuterie plate had few items, was salty and not particularly tasty. Sadder still were the stale slices of baguette, one so hard that crumbs did not chip off when I knocked it against the table top. We wanted to go into Sainte Chapelle, and ended up at this restaurant when we realized nothing else nearby looked more promising. It was another example of why one should avoid eating near major tourist attractions.

The other not good place was lunch at Café Danton near the Barbés Rochechouart metro stop in the 18th arrondissement not too far from Basilique du Sacré Coeur. Salads there were over dressed and the server had trouble getting our order correct even though there were few people in the place. The area had nothing to recommend it but we had been walking for almost two hours, the weather was very warm, and our daughter insisted we stop because she needed water and a rest.

In general, service we received was good even though we asked to converse in French and some of us speak French with English accents and occasionally mispronounce words.

Other pluses: Berthillon ice cream is a good as everyone says. We were staying on Ile Saint Louis and saw long queues in the afternoons and evenings. We stopped once in the morning to get ice cream when there were no lines at all and also bought an ice cream cake (for our birthday dinner) that we all cannot stop talking about.

We bought croissants and baguettes from a number of different boulangeries and when fresh, were delicious – much better than breads from super market types of places. We discovered many places had fresh, hot baguettes in the late afternoon; perfect to go with wine and cheese as a small afternoon repast or with dinner for the times we cooked for ourselves.

Never got to as many chocolate shops as we would have liked but we tried, and loved, Jean-Paul Hevin, Patrick Roger and Michel Cluizel.

We bought fresh fruit from a number of different little markets. If we could smell the fruit as we walked past, we would sometimes stop to pick up a few peaches or apples or strawberries to have with breakfast.

We overloaded on cheese from Fromagerie Laurent Dubois at the Maubert Mutualité market and as a result did not shop at other fromageries other than the Saint Aubin shop on Ile Saint Louis. The Laurent Dubois shop is permanent so cheese can be bought even when the rest of the street market is not operating. The choice and quality were outstanding, especially the raw milk cheeses which are illegal in Canada and the creme fraîche which I started slathering on fresh fruit because it was too good to waste. Cheese is one of the many things we miss about Paris.

La Grande Epicerie at Le Bon Marché is worth the experience to see the amazing variety and quality of food.

We shopped at too many wine shops to recall and drank both great and expensive classed Bordeaux, some inexpensive and very palatable wines, and some small producers of wines which we cannot buy here in Canada.

On top of all the other delights of Paris, we enjoyed (for the most part) all the eating and drinking, and best of all, I actually lost weight. We can't wait to return.

My husband and I and our two adult/teenage daughters depart for Paris in 38 days! We are thinking about booking reservations at some restaurants because some may be closed during August or because some just need a month or more advance reservations. May I impose upon the knowledge and expertise of this board to seek advice about some Paris restaurants?

We are looking to sample restaurants in some different areas of Paris and some range between traditional and innovative. We also want to leave some days to decide our meals on a whim or cook for ourselves after a market visit.

Budget is not a consideration but my daughters and my husband prefer not to have to dress up most of the time. Having said that, I have booked La Tour d'Argent for our last night in Paris, not so much for the food but because of the setting. As a result, we will have appropriate clothing for dinner in more formal settings although more casual dining settings tend to be our preference expecially if we are not near our flat and wearing our casual day wear.

I have looked at postings here, Alexander Lobrano and Clothide Desoulier's books and the Paris by Mouth website. These are the restaurants I am considering:

in 11e - Paul Bert or Chateaubriand
in 5e on a Monday evening: L’Agrume or Le Reminet
in 7e: Violin d’Ingres or Chez L’Ami Jean
near Sacre Coeur: La Bonne Franquette or Chéri Bibi or Cave du Miroir
in 1er: La Régalade St Honoré or Tour de Montlhéry-Chez Denise or Les Bistronomes
in the 5e, 4e or Ile Saint Louis, not on a Monday or Sunday (when most restaurants seem to be closed) and possibly a more formal restaurant for a day when we will be near our flat and able to change into appropriate dress. Too many choices in this area, soI haven't narrowed it to a few restaurants.

I'd appreciate any recommendations including any suggestions for places other than those I have listed.

Merci!

My husband and I and our two adult/teenage daughters depart for Paris in 38 days! We are thinking about booking reservations at some restaurants because some may be closed during August or because some just need a month or more advance reservations. May I impose upon the knowledge and expertise of this board to seek advice about some Paris restaurants?

We are looking to sample restaurants in some different areas of Paris and some range between traditional and innovative. We also want to leave some days to decide our meals on a whim or cook for ourselves after a market visit.

Budget is not a consideration but my daughters and my husband prefer not to have to dress up most of the time. Having said that, I have booked La Tour d'Argent for our last night in Paris, not so much for the food but because of the setting. As a result, we will have appropriate clothing for dinner in more formal settings although more casual dining settings tend to be our preference expecially if we are not near our flat and wearing our casual day wear.

I have looked at postings here, Alexander Lobrano and Clothide Desoulier's books and the Paris by Mouth website. These are the restaurants I am considering:

in 11e - Paul Bert or Chateaubriand
in 5e on a Monday evening: L’Agrume or Le Reminet
in 7e: Violin d’Ingres or Chez L’Ami Jean
near Sacre Coeur: La Bonne Franquette or Chéri Bibi or Cave du Miroir
in 1er: La Régalade St Honoré or Tour de Montlhéry-Chez Denise or Les Bistronomes
in the 5e, 4e or Ile Saint Louis, not on a Monday or Sunday (when most restaurants seem to be closed) and possibly a more formal restaurant for a day when we will be near our flat and able to change into appropriate dress. Too many choices in this area, soI haven't narrowed it to a few restaurants.

I'd appreciate any recommendations including any suggestions for places other than those I have listed.

Merci!

Hunt,

Indeed, it was the Pierre Morey, Chardonnay.

Glad to know the wine pairing have improved because this was one of the better matches I have tried. I don't recall that there was any choice about a sommelier tasting versus some other wine pairing.

For me, the wines with dessert are usually the most educational because I rarely drink sweet wine. I've enjoyed Banyuls with chocolate so it may very well have been a good match also.

I'm not so much a sweet and salty person so that's probably why it didn't really work for me. It wasn't unpleasant, just not something that made it special for me.

Hunt,

Here's the wine pairings:

Local Cherry Tomato Gazpacho with Louisiana Jumbo Lump Crab and Virgin Olive Oil; Do Ferreiro, Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain 2009

Canadian Lobster, North Shore Farm Egg and American Paddlefish Caviar; Dom Perignon 2002

Louisiana Gulf Shrimp Risotto with Caramelized Shiitake Mushroom, Grilled Ramps, English Peas and Virgin Olive Oil; Pierre Morey, Bourgogne, 2006

Panko and Parsley Crusted Japanese Mero Sea Bass with Glazed Baby Turnips and Dill Sauternes Butter; Jean-Jacques Girard, Savigny-les-Beaune, “Les Lavieres”, Burgundy, 2008

Seared Prime Beef Tenderloin with Potato and Foie Gras Croquette, Caramelized Baby Onion, Baby Beets and Red Burgundy “Glace de Viande”; Casanuova delle Cerbaie, Brunello di Montalcino, 2004

Goat’s Milk Panna Cotta with Louisiana Strawberries, Candied Orange Peel and Pistachio Glass; Elio Perrone “Sourgal”, Moscato d’Asti, 2010

Bombe of Sesame Cake, Chocolate-Caramel Ice Cream and Meringue with Chocolate Sauce Sphere, Black Sesame Lace and Pink Peppercorn Powder; La Coume Du Roy, Languedoc, Maury, 2004

The Burgundy with the fish was the most eye opening. So hard to match red wine and fish in my experience and this worked really well.

Thanks to all who contribute here providing some great recommendations, and to those who answered some of my questions. It has all been helpful.

In an effort to give back a little, here's my report of the restaurants we sampled over the four and half days we spent in New Orleans. This was our first visit and we sure like the friendly people and seemingly everyone's interest in food.

Emeril’s (800 Tchoupitoulas St) (website:www.emerils.com/restaurant/1/Emerils-New-Orleans
)There’s a feeling of energy to this restaurant. We arrived early and sat at the bar for a pre-dinner libation before our meal. For a Monday evening, it was very busy with a number of people coming and going, and people having a meal at the bar.

The look of the place is casual, with an exposed brick wall, but distinctive, with the interesting panel treatment on the ceiling. The big windows made the place bright on a sunny evening.

This was our first trip to New Orleans and the first place we ate at. It was fun to open a menu containing items I’d never had seen before, let alone tasted. The servers were keen to give us recommendations. We tried the seafood and andouille gumbo and the arugula, endive and radicchio salad to start, then the jumbo shrimp, and andouille encrusted drum for mains. We split a trio of ice creams, which flavours I cannot now recall, but they were all interesting and tasty.

Service was excellent and our meal was thoroughly enjoyable.

Stella! (1023 Chartres St) (website: www.restaurantstella.com
)This restaurant has a beautiful formal ambience. The servers are also formal and attentive. From the moment you enter, you feel this is a place for a special meal.

We tried the chef’s tasting menu and wine pairings ($125 for the menu, $95 for the wines). That night the courses were: Local Cherry Tomato Gazpacho with Louisiana Jumbo Lump Crab and Virgin Olive Oil; Canadian Lobster, North Shore Farm Egg and American Paddlefish Caviar; Louisiana Gulf Shrimp Risotto with Caramelized Shiitake Mushroom, Grilled Ramps, English Peas and Virgin Olive Oil; Panko and Parsley Crusted Japanese Mero Sea Bass with Glazed Baby Turnips and Dill Sauternes Butter; Seared Prime Beef Tenderloin with Potato and Foie Gras Croquette, Caramelized Baby Onion, Baby Beets and Red Burgundy “Glace de Viande”; Goat’s Milk Panna Cotta with Louisiana Strawberries, Candied Orange Peel and Pistachio Glass and Bombe of Sesame Cake, Chocolate-Caramel Ice Cream and Meringue with Chocolate Sauce Sphere, Black Sesame Lace and Pink Peppercorn Powder.

I could not finish all of the last three courses but each course was excellent and paired well with the wines selected.

In terms of the setting, food, wine and service, this was the best meal we had overall while in New Orleans.

August (301 Tchoupitoulas St) (website: www.restaurantaugust.com
)I had been looking forward to this meal, but it proved somewhat disappointing.

We were seated in the back room right next to the door where most of the servers were exiting and entering and thus, frequently bumping my dining companion’s chair. It wasn’t an ideal start.

My starter of organic greens with pumpkin seed brittle, Point Reyes blue cheese and pumpkin seed oil vinaigrette did not (to me) really work. The greens and cheese with dressing were good on their own, but other than add texture, the pumpkin seed brittle did not seem to belong. The sweetness of the brittle was too strong. For mains, my dining companion had red fish which he thought was good. I had poussin with barley risotto and a blueberry sauce. The sauce on its own had a full berry flavour but was too strong for the rest of the dish overpowering the flavours of the fowl and grains.

The hot and humid weather was wearing on me and I felt tired which probably affected my enjoyment of the meal. The servers did not seem as friendly as other places we tried. I wanted to like August, but it was overall the least enjoyable of the four dinners we had.

Bayona (430 Dauphine St) (website: www.bayona.com
)We had asked to sit in the courtyard at Bayona and were told that it was not a guaranteed seating. Just as well. When we arrived, it was starting to rain and during the meal, there was a massive thunder and lightening display as rain poured buckets until shortly before we left. We couldn’t complain about not being in the courtyard. The interior with its many rooms is intimate and elegant.

We were a group of six and I now cannot recall what everyone else ate. I started with the cream of garlic soup which was very tasty but did cause me to burp up garlic from time to time for the rest of the evening. If your dining companions are tolerant, I would say it is well worth trying. For mains, I had chorizo-stuffed rabbit roulade and panéed leg, toasted angel hair, escarole, and sherry garlic sauce. I loved this dish but could not manage any more food despite lingering for some time after while others had dessert.

The servers were gracious and tolerated us being the last people in the restaurant.

Ralph’s on the Park (900 City Park Avenue) (website: www.ralphsonthepark.com
)We had lunch at Ralph’s on the Park after visiting the New Orleans Museum of Art and walking around City Park and the area beyond.

The restaurant has a lovely view of the park. It seemed to be frequented by many locals who were visiting among their tables. The restaurant has the feel of a place where you would regularly go to when wanting a special place but an relaxing atmosphere. Indeed, before we were finished two different extended family groups arrived looking like they were celebrating someone’s birthday.

I had corn fried oyster remoulade salad, which was a salad with fried oysters on the side sitting atop remoulade sauce – tasty but not too heavy for lunch. My dining companion had seafood crepe. We found the food well prepared and a lovely oasis from the heat of the park.

Mr. B’s Bistro (201 Royal Street) (www.mrbsbistro.com
)At the New Orleans School of Cooking, Mr. B’s was recommended as the place to go for BBQ shrimp. So our group of six went there for lunch.

I’ll eat one shrimp, but didn’t want an entire plate, so while my dining companions were sitting with the paper bibs tied around their necks, I had the trout amandine. The dish made me think of France as it was prepared as the French would do. I did dip some bread into the BBQ Shrimp sauce -- wow, rich.

The restaurant was very busy and the servers engaging making it a fun spot for a meal.

-----
Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Emeril's Restaurant
800 Tchoupitoulas, New Orleans, LA 70130

I recognize similar behaviour here in Canada among my friends and colleagues who are 40-60 professionals with very good incomes. We go as a group to some restaurant with a good reputation or considered the hot place to be and at least one orders a small appetizer for dinner, then fiddles with it. I attribute it to wanting to say they've been to the restaurant but not really wanting to eat because they're dieting or whatever. Similarly, some of them travel because it is seen as a status thing but never enjoy the experience especially if they go where English isn't spoken.

There are lots of restaurants on Ile Saint Louis but none get good reviews on this board except, perhaps, Mon Vieil Ami.

Mon Vieil Ami, 69 rue Saint Louis en l'Île 75004 Paris Tél. 01 40 46 01 35 closed Mon Tue
Restaurant L'Ilot Vache 35, rue Saint-Louis en l'île Tél: 01 46 33 55 16 closed Sun
Le Tastevin 46, rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île 75004 Tél. : 01 43 54 17 31
Lutetia Ile Saint Louis 33, quai Bourbon 75001 Paris tel: 01 40 51 80 30
Aux Fous de L'Ile 33 rue des Deux Ponts - 75004 Paris Tél. : 01 43 25 76 67 closed Sun
L'Orangerie de Paris 28 Rue Saint Louis en L'île T. : +33.(0)1.46.33.93.98 closed Mon
Le Fin Gourmet 42 Rue St Louis en l'Ile, 75004 Paris tel: +33 01 43 26 79 27 closed mon tue
La Chaumière en l'Isle 4 Rue Jean du Bellay tel: 01 43 54 27 34
L'Auberge des Deux Ponts 7 Rue des Deux Ponts 75004 Paris tel: 01 46 34 29 33 closed mon
Brasserie de l'Ile St. Louis 55, quai de Bourbon 75004 tel: 01-43-54-02-59 closed Aug
Le Relais de l'Isle 37 Rue St Louis en l'ile 75004 tel:01 46 34 72 34
Nos Ancestre les Gaulois 39, rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile Tél : 01 46 33 66 07 / 01 46 33 66 12

My research has found other recommended food shopping on the Ile:
Gabriela Boulangerie Patisserie des Deux Ponts 35 Rue Deux Ponts, 75004 Paris, France
+33 1 43 54 57 59
La Ferme Saint-Aubin (fromagerie) 76, rue St-Louis en l'Ile, 75004 Paris.tel: 01-43-54-74-54
Hours: 8:00 am - 7:30 pm; closed Mon Proprietor: Christian Lelann

And recommended markets within easy distance:
Marché Baudoyer 4e Location: Place Baudoyer Metro: Hôtel de Ville
Open Wed from 12:30 to 8:30 pm and Sat from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm

Marché Maubert 5e Location: Place Maubert Metro: Maubert-Mutualité
This is one of Paris' oldest open-air markets, with roots in the medieval period.
Open Tue and Thur, 7:00 am to 2:30 pm, and Sat from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm

Marché Bastille 11e Located on Boulevard Richard Lenoir, between Rue Amelot and Rue St-Sabin.
Open Thur from 7:00 am to 2:30 pm and Sun from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm Metro: Bastille

Marché d'Aligre 12e Location: Rue d'Aligre Metro: Ledru Rollin
This is one of Paris' most-coveted open-air markets, thanks to top-class products, friendly and professional vendors and dizzying variety.
Open Tues to Sun, 7:00 am to 2:00 pm (stands stop selling ca 1:30 pm)

None of these are personal recommendations as we don't arrive until August. This is just my research from this board mainly and elsewhere.

Specifically, I'm wondering about the Wednesday, May 25 wine dinners. Among the restaurants participating is Restaurant August. I have a reservation there the same evening. Will I notice anything different? Is it the case that those who have bought tickets will simply be enjoying a special menu?

-----
Restaurant August
301 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA 70130

Thank you. So many questions asked here, but not as many reports afterwards. I alway appreciate these reports.

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. I'm also planning to take one of the New Orleans School of Cooking classes to learn about and taste some traditional dishes. But we might try out one of the traditional New Orleans restaurants, too. It's just hard to fit all the great looking choices into less than 5 days!

My husband and I are going to be visiting New Orleans for the first time at the end of May for four nights. We're staying in the FQ without a car but willing to walk or take a taxi. I'd like to make dinner reservations before we leave because hubby hates waiting to be seated.

I've read a fair bit online and like the looks of August, Stella!, Bayona, MiLa, LeForet, Patois, and Iris. But I'm wondering if these restaurants are rather similar and I'm limiting my choices -- although I already have more choices than time.

-----
Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Ptipois (love your name), do you have a website? I don't know why I found it so difficult to find this kind of service in Paris when it was so easy for Italy.

Thank you, merci, all. I've contacted Julien and hopefully, we will be able to find a suitable date when we are in Paris.

Twice when in Italy, in Florence and Lucca, we were able to get a cook (and her assistant) to come to our rental flat and show us how to cook an Italian meal. It was very hands on and then they left us at the flat to enjoy the results of our cooking lesson.

We'd like to do the same while in Paris but all the cooking lessons I've seen require attendance at a school or the cooking instructor's kitchen. Does anyone know if there are cooking instructors who will come to your flat? We're not looking for anything as serious as Cordon Bleu.

We were at Plumed Horse two years ago on a visit where we also went to Kitchin. While Plumed Horse was very good, it didn't seem to me to be as impressive as Kitchin in terms of both the food and the ambiance. Both seemed a little less refined. I also think it would be a shame to limit yourself to the Leith area.

Rhubarb was a bit of a kick. At first I was put off by all the deer antlers in the sitting room where we were served pre-dinner drinks, but I still remember a lively and fresh asparagus starter and a similarly lively citrus dessert. And the peacocks and highland cows outside the window also remain memorable.

Also run by the same group as the Witchery is the Tower Restaurant in the Museum of Scotland and Rhubarb, where the decor is impressive. Another Leith spot is the Plumed Horse.

I wanted to book Bocca di Lupo but they're pretty much booked (5:30 is too early; 10:30 is too late). I'd appreciate suggestions for another good Italian restaurant. We're not particular about the region or being "authentic" - whatever that means - but do want properly cooked pasta, a good wine list and somewhere central in London.

My husband and I will be in London for a total of seven nights in September. We will be staying near the Aldgate East tube station since that is near our son’s flat. We are looking for restaurant recommendations, particularly places for dinner, which would be within walking distance from where we will be staying (about 1 mile, or more if it’s not raining) since we appreciate a bit of a walk after eating. We won’t be doing all of our eating in the area, but would like to have a few choices as it would be more convenient for our son who will be working during the week.

By way of background, we’ve been to London a number of times before. In the area, we have tried the Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room, Miyako, Le Bouchon Breton and Needo Grill. We will likely return to Needo Grill because it was tasty and inexpensive and because we’ve never seen New Tayyabs without a massive queue. Whitechapel Gallery was good but we’re looking for other options.

I want to try St. John Bread and Wine as it was closed the last time we were in London. I have read many recommendations for Song Que. We may go to those places for lunch (without son) rather than dinner since Song Que is near the Geffrye Museum and St John is near St Barts Church, both places we might visit during our stay. Our only reservation so far is at Gordon Ramsay at Claridges. (We’ve enjoyed the five other Gordon Ramsay restaurants we tried.)

We are open to pretty much any cuisine although we have very limited acquaintance with some ethnic cuisines such as Middle Eastern. Being from Calgary, Canada, we won’t want to go to a steak restaurant. I have read some good reviews of the Eastside Inn. I’m also considering Bocca di Lupo and Magdalen, although the former would be a rather longer walk.

Also, can someone recommend a shop for good single malt whisky (Scotch) in the area near the Aldgate East tube station? Is there anything in the area like Milroy’s on Greek Street for whisky?

I want to spend the better part of a day in April visiting the Norton Simon Museum and the Huntington Library. I would appreciate any recommendations for a place for lunch in the area of either or somewhere in between. I am pretty much open to any type of cuisine in any price range but would want somewhere I can sit down as I expect I'll be on my feet before and after.