Suggestions for Cheap(er) Eats: Barcelona and San Sebastian

Hi everyone,

My wife and I will be visiting Barcelona and San Sebastian later this month, and while we have our bases covered with upscale, Michelin-type restaurants (reservations at Tickets, El Cellar de Can Roca, and Mugaritz), we could use some recommendations for cheap (or cheaper) eats: great pintxos/tapas bars, surprising little-holes-in-the-wall or dives, street food, market food, lunchtime deals--that sort of thing. What are the most delicious/unpretentious lower-end places in these two great cities?

If anything comes to mind, please let me know.

Thanks so much,
Andrew

aromano in Spain/Portugal

Hudson Valley Road Trip: Specific Restaurant Requests

Hi guys,

Here's the rundown:

1. Breakfast in the Barn at the Bedford Post Inn. Wonderful, simple setting; good (but not great) food. We split a croque madame and an order of soft-poached eggs with maitake mushrooms and polenta. The croque was very tasty, and massive. The soft-poached eggs were just OK. If we went back we'd probably try the buttermilk pancake instead, which looked fantastic. We had dinner once before at the bar in the Farmhouse and were pretty impressed, hence the return visit.

2. Captain Lawrence Brewery in Pleasantville. A must-visit for any craft-beer lovers out there. At noon on Saturdays they open the taps and let the beer flow in free 6 oz. tastings. We tried all of the offerings and settled on a growler of Winter Rye, a growler of Imperial IPA, and three bottles (Nor'easter, Golden Delicious, and 5 Years Later). Everything was tasty. Note: the CL folks are not stingy with the pours. We actually had to say "No, thanks, but we don't need ANOTHER glass of Winter Rye while we wait." It was only 1:00 pm at this point and there was more driving to be done.

3. Ixtapa Taco Truck in Newburgh. The best food we ate on the entire roadtrip. By far. In fact, these may be some of the better tacos we've ever had--and we've spent considerable time sampling L.A.'s finest. Al pastor, lengua, carne asada, with fresh habanero salsa, amazing, slightly fluffy homemade tortillas, and, weirdly but brilliantly, some shredded Oaxacan (I think?) cheese. They're located on the south side of Broadway near the front door of Family Dollar. Tacos are $1.50. The perfect meal after roaming the grounds of Dia:Beacon. Go.

4. The Bear Cafe in Woodstock. This one's been covered to death on the boards, so I won't go into extensive detail. Suffice to say, the food was fine, but it's the gorgeous rustic setting that really makes it. We'd probably never eat there if it were in Brooklyn or New York--and yet we'll probably go back next time we're in Woodstock.

5. The Local in Rhinebeck. We went for brunch--a new feature here--so it may be a bit early to say. But I really liked this place. The food was somewhat hit-or-miss--my Pain Perdu with warm maple syrup, powdered sugar, and sweet spiced compound butter was nice; my wife's deconstructed BLT soup, sandwich, and salad was a little strange--but it was the only "restaurant" we visited where I could imagine having a memorable meal. Fantastic Bloody Mary, good beer list, smart design and decor. Felt kind of Brooklyn. I'd like to go back for dinner.

6. Rodgers Book Barn in Hillsdale/John Doe Records in Hudson. Not food-related, but definitely recommended. Picked up a bunch of first editions for $4 or less at the Book Barn and about a dozen old soul/rock records at John Doe. A feast of a different sort.

7. Swoon Kitchenbar in Hudson. Our last meal of the weekend. This seemed like a nice, worthy establishment, but for the price, the food was only OK. Our octopus appetizer was very tough; our salad was fresh but not particularly flavorful. I liked the duck confit entree, and my Dark 'n' Stormy with homemade ginger beer was stellar. I can't remember what my wife ate, but it wasn't great. We'll probably go elsewhere before circling back to Swoon and giving it a second try.

Hope this is helpful.

Best,
Andrew

aromano in New York State (exc. New York City)

Hudson Valley Road Trip: Specific Restaurant Requests

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are heading from Brooklyn to the Hudson Valley on a road trip this weekend, and we're hoping you guys might be able to help out with some restaurant ideas. Our goal here is to find places that are distinctively Hudson Valley in some sense, whether that means a great view or farm-fresh ingredients or just some hot-dog stand that's legendary in the area.

We're looking for four things:

1. A spot for lunch/brunch en route to Dia:Beacon Saturday morning. Very flexible here, and willing to go (a little) out of our way for anything from a great old-school diner to an exceptional locavore-type place. Or to eat somewhere in Beacon itself.

2. A spot for dinner in the Woodstock area. Again, we're fine with ranging outside the town itself. First thought was the Bear Cafe.

3. A spot similar to #1, but this time en route from Woodstock to Hudson.

4. A spot for dinner in Hudson. First thought was Swoon Kitchenbar.

I defer to the experts. Thanks so much,

Andrew

aromano in New York State (exc. New York City)

Large Group Dinner in Paris, July

John, I'd be happy to consider something other than bistro fare, especially as the dinner is taking place in late July. I searched the boards and listed the most promising options above; Maceo sounds especially nice. Just wondering if I'm missing something, or, if not, how the aforementioned restaurants compare. Thanks for thinking it over!

aromano in France

Large Group Dinner in Paris, July

Any sense of how these compare in terms of food and atmosphere? Are there any restaurants I should add to the list? Thanks again!

aromano in France

Large Group Dinner in Paris, July

Yes, after July 14th, unfortunately. The 24th to be precise. Reasonably priced would seem to me to be less than 100 Euros per person, including wine, but I don't have a great sense of what's out there. Doesn't have to be a bistrot. Any ideas are welcome. I saw some promising places on an earlier thread: Maceo, Le 122, La Mediteranee, Bouillon Racine...

aromano in France

Large Group Dinner in Paris, July

Hi all:

I'm getting married in Paris in July and need somewhere to take everyone--i.e., about 35 people--for good food and drink after the ceremony. Obviously with that many guests we'll need to occupy an entire section or room of a restaurant, if not whole place. I'm imagining bistro fare--something typically Parisian, not too formal--but am certainly willing to expand my horizons if necessary. Reasonably priced is always better than exorbitantly expensive.

Any suggestions? I know plenty of places here in New York that would work, but in Paris I'm lost. I leave it to the experts.

Thanks so much,
Andrew

aromano in France

Newsweek: Why Is "Housemade" Replacing "Homemade"?

Adamshoe, I totally agree that the term "housemade" wasn't invented yesterday--but I do suspect that usage has greatly *accelerated* nationwide over the past year or two, and that's what I'm interested in. Re: Northern California, you're definitely onto something. A San Francisco Menupages search for "homemade" turns up 192 results, versus 176 for "housemade" or "house-made": almost a 1:1 ratio. The ratio in NYC? 1,817 homemade to 244 housemade. The rest of the country is still playing catch-up--although sometimes it seems as if all 244 of those restaurants, which also tend to serve things like Berried Treasure Farms Dandelion Greens, are in my home borough of Brooklyn.

aromano in Not About Food

Newsweek: Why Is "Housemade" Replacing "Homemade"?

It strikes me that homemade may be a broader, less place-specific, more widely applicable term at this point. Babbo's homemade orrechiette might be "homemade," but homemade could mean "made in the home of Mario Batali's mother," or at Raffeto's on Houston, or whatever. "Housemade," on the other hand, leaves no room for confusion: those parsnip chips you're munching were made here, in house. Housemade describes the place where something is made; homemade describes a method of making something (ostensibly by hand, in a domestic or intimate setting).

That said, I wonder: are you excited when you see that something is "housemade"? Does it affect you differently than "homemade"?

aromano in Not About Food

Newsweek: Why Is "Housemade" Replacing "Homemade"?

I think you guys are exactly right, in that a restaurant is technically more of a house than a home.

BUT...

Restaurants have been using "homemade" for a long time--as in, Babbo's Homemade Orecchiette with sweet sausage and rapini ($19). And not in a strict literal sense, because no one thinks Babbo is a home.

So what I'm interested in is why "housemade" seems to be replacing "homemade," or at least gaining momentum, as the artisanal adjective of choice.

Are restaurateurs suddenly deciding to become more linguistically exact? Or has "homemade" been devalued by places like Chevy's, which boast of their "homemade bleu cheese dressing," leading a certain kind of chef to rely on a fresher term ("housemade") to distinguish what he or she does and convey the DIY ethic that's so popular these days?

Take Brooklyn's Dressler, for example. The menu includes Housemade Gnocchi with asparagus and morel ragout; a Harvest Moon cocktail with house-infused orange vodka, asperol, lemon and lime juice; a Cheddar Burger with brioche bun, tomato, onion, housemade pickles and fries; housemade Pecan Sticky Buns; and Fruit And Yogurt with housemade granola.

That strikes me as a little intense--and as something we wouldn't have seen a few years back. Then again, I may be nuts :)

aromano in Not About Food