The tip of the Île de la Cité can be tranquil one day and populated by homeless guys the next. It's a bit of a crap shoot. There are stone benches on the left bank quai facing the side of Notre Dame that would be quieter and provide a great view. If you opt for this location, you'll be just a short walk from a fine cheese shop at the Maubert Mutualité metro stop, Cremerie des Carmes. A pattiserie, boulangerie and wine shop are adjacent, so you could get everything you need. For dinner, how about something near the Canal St. Martin? It's a bit of a schlep from where you're staying, but a stroll along the canal might be a nice way to cap the day. Philou would be a possibility, particularly if the whether is nice and you could eat on the terrace.

If you have a fixed appointment to tour the church, you won't have a lot of time. It will take you 15 minutes +/- to drive from Chateau Figeac to Saint-Emilion and find a place to park. If the weather is nice, I would opt for one of the several cafes serving food on the square in front of the church. The food won't win any prizes, but the setting is charming and you'll be right where you need to be for your church tour. If your timing is a little more flexible, I would go to L'Envers du Décor, a reliable old-school standby up the hill from the church.

I'm pretty sure there was no mix-up in the reservation date, although I suppose it's always possible. Too bad -- I had a hankering for Boboss's lièvre à la royale -- but as long as he and madame are OK, there will be another game season and another time.

My wife and I had an 8:30 reservation at la Quincy last night and arrived to find the venue closed and dark, with no explanatory sign on the door. We are concerned about Boboss and Madame. Any intelligence?

Anyone familiar with this place in the 15th? Comments, good or bad?

Not sure if this is the one, but the man in the large mustache could have been the proprietor of La Meunieure. It is still there and still great. The link is here: http://la.meuniere.free.fr/. Highly recommended.

A few thoughts:

Be sure to have breakfast at least one day at Cafe du Monde.

I agree with the Galatoire's suggestion. You really haven't experienced a certain element of New Orleans unless you've been there.

Upperline is a great place and would fill one of your open dinner spots nicely.

At some point, stop for a drink at Napolean House. The bars at the Hotel Monteleone, Antoine's and Arnaud's are also nice. The one at Arnaud's, in particular, can be a quiet haven when you want one.

Most of all, have fun!

My wife and I will be in Nancy and Metz this fall and are looking for resto recommendations. Price isn't a big factor. Food quality and vibe are the drivers. All suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks, Delucacheesemonger. I assume you must be talking about Amiens?

My wife and I will be in the Arras/Amiens/Compiegne area in the fall, visiting WWI sites. The area appears to be a bit of a wasteland both in terms of good places to eat and good places to stay. Any suggestions as to either would be appreciated. I realize that by the time we reach Compiegne, we will be quite close to Reims and Epernay, but I would appreciate suggestions NOT in those two places, as we will be visiting them next. Many thanks!

I was there in March and again in October. La Grille is delightfully old school. The greeting is friendly and warm. The main waiter is a holdover from the old ownership. He is a real pro. the turbot sauvage with beurre blanc is gold standard quality. Don't even think about ordering anything else. You'll have fun!

If you've never been to either restaurant, the choice is clear: Antoine's. It's a landmark and a beautiful space. Don't sit in the front room -- although it's lovely, it's all tourists. (Yes, I know you are one, but . . . .). Order one of those 25 cent martinis, a sazerac or a glass of wine, study the absurdly extensive menu, order carefully (i.e., stick to the NOLA basics), soak up the sights, and you'll have a blast. My only question, is why not do it at night? The restaurant shows off more beautifully after dark.

I always wear a jacket and tie, and I'm always glad I do. Similar to hazelhurst, I was once seated near a foursome dressed in jeans and plaid flannel shirts. They stood out, and not in a good way. (It didn't help that they were also loud and apparently drunk) My wife often says that being properly attired shows respect for the restaurant. Commanders is worthy of respect. Enough said.

Both. I see Eatdrinklyon's post indicating that the place is open (for which, thanks). Please allow me to expand my question: while this place has generally been well reviewed in older chowhound and blog posts (mid-2000s), more recent reviews in the blogosphere (i.e., within the last year) appear to indicate a deteriorating siuation both on the hotel side and on the restaurant side. I am considering La Tour Rose as a place to stay and possibly to eat during a fall visit to Lyon and would be interested in any feedback on recent experiences.

I heard a report indicating that this place had closed. Can anyone confirm or correct?

Looking for a good place to stay/eat near the Gorges de l'Ardeche. All suggestions will be appreciated.

We dined there in the summer of 2009, so my information is dated. That said, we enjoyed our experience very much. The place is perched on a cliff high above the sea, a 10 to 15 minute walk from the harbor quai. You should plan to be there either for lunch or for a dinner before darkness falls in order to have the benefit of the wonderful view. Our meal was excellent. I recall that the dining room was nearly deserted although, in fairness, we were there in early October -- obviously not the peak of the season for a town like Cassis.

The setting is impossibly gorgeous. The castle is atmospheric and old-school charming. The food isn't the greatest, but you shold go for the other reasons mentioned. If your schedule permits, take time to do some canoing on the Tarn.

On our visit to LRSH this fall, we waited 19 minutes after being seated for any further human contact. Thereafter, the service was quick and unfriendly. (My French is rudimentary, but I'm not sure I can recall another instance where a server corrected my pronunciation.) Consistent with QdeBro's observation, the terrine arrived at our table just a few minutes before our firsts. The food was good to very good, but why bother? Anyone familiar with the Paris resto scene could quickly compile a list of a dozen other places with comparable food but a warmer welcome, friendier service and a happier vibe. None of this, in my opinion, can be laid at the feet of any bloggers or reviewers. The problems of LRSH are their own. I'm glad I visited. I don't foresee visiting again.

I read somewhere (this board?) that Upperline's chef left. True? And if so, has there been any drop-off in quality? All comments welcomed!

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Upperline Restaurant
1413 Upperline St, New Orleans, LA

Will be in NOLA soon and would like to have lunch at Dooky Chase. Will be without a car and staying in the French Quarter. I know that I'll have no trouble getting an outbound taxi. Will there be any problem getting one to take me back?

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Dooky Chase Restaurant
2301 Orleans Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119

Sorry for such a basic question, but if my wife and I want to eat at Jacques-Imo's around 8:00 or 8:30 on a weekend night, how early do we need to get there? In other words, how long will we have to wait? If it matters, this will be in mid-December. Thanks!

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Jacques-Imo's Cafe
8324 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118

My wife and I will be taking our children + a couple of spouses to Paris in a few months. The total group will consist of seven adults. Partly because their tastes run in this direction and partly for budgetary reasons (yours truly will be picking up all tabs), we likely will picnic at noon and focus our dinners on old-school places (Quincy, Josephine, Chez George (2d arr.), La Grille and maybe one of the brasseries), wine bars (Les Papilles, La Cave Beauvau, Le Bistral) and maybe one or two newer, moderate places (perhaps Le Reminet or Itineraires). I am familiar with all these places but have never considered them in the context of a larger group. Hence, my questions: (1) are the places just named able to accommodate a group of seven at one table? (2) will they accept dinner reservations at a prime time hour (say, 8:30 or 9:00) for a group of that size? We don't require private rooms, and I would prefer to avoid them. Thanks in advance for any insights.

Thanks for the chuckle, John. Yes, life will go on quite nicely without Le Vieux Bistro. I had recommended it to a friend for whom it would have been a good choice, but in general I agree that it was no great shakes. And yes, Le Reminet is way better.

Littleman nailed it. His choices aren't necessarily the best restaurants in NOLA, but they will give you the quintessential NOLA experience.

b ster, thanks for the correction on Alma.

Foureyes 137, I didn't say that I never get in. In fact, I dine there with some frequency. My point was that 112 stands out among foodcentric TC restaurants for its ungracious treatment of customers. Interestingly, no one has argued otherwise. The rejoinders seek to justify the treatment rather than deny it by asserting that Open Table charges a fee, the place is too small, etc. Obviously, these are weak defenses since almost every good restaurant in town uses Open Table (Alma being a notable exception), including those as small or smaller than 112 -- Piccolo, for example. In my original post, I said "the food is good but not that good." I meant both parts of that statement. 112 serves good (sometimes very good) food, but it isn't good enough to warrant an "our way or the highway" approach to customer service. A truly great restaurant excels at both.

All hours.

112 Eatery wins my award for the most arrogant restaurant in town. They don't use Open Table and they seldom bother to answer their phone. Their encouragement to walk-ins is transparently for their own convenience, not the customer's. In a tough and competitive restaurant environment, excellent customer service counts for a lot, and 112 doesn't have it. The food is good but not that good, and the menu is essentially the same as the day the place opened. You can do better.

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112 Eatery
112 N 3rd St, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Another St. Paul space that would seem well-suited would be Heartland's. It will be opening up within the next month when Lenny Russo moves the restaurant to Lowertown.