I realize that we are likely not talking about a food mecca, but I was wondering if folks had any ideas on interesting places to go for lunch in the Brockton area. I have friends who will be visiting the Fuller Craft Museum, and would like a place to eat after their visit. There was a Greek restaurant-- that was once very good, but is now owned by the children of the original owner--and they are not putting anything into it. Ditto the Chateaux--which was nice in its day but now is beyond faded...So, my ideas are pretty much useless.

Help ?

I just wanted to let folks know that we used Three Tarts (see second pix). The dinner was at the Trump Tower and they made up a nice table (see first pix). The selection was great and they had everything boxed, wrapped and packed for us - right on time. And, the cookies were excellent.

My son is getting married in Chicago in mid-December. We wanted to bring a Pittsburgh tradition to the event - a cookie table. What I am looking for is the name(s) of a bakery that could provide a wide variety of cookies. Price is not a (major) issue, but variety is - so, we can't mix and match from different companies. Any ideas ?

My niece is a freshman at Maryland, and I wanted to take her (and some friends) to dinner next Saturday night. I have a car and am willing to drive - as I gather College Park is not a nexus of decent restaurants. I am looking for something that is priced so that I can afford hungry students, but is interesting and someplace they may wish to return to at a later time. She is a fan of good Italian, and would like to be a fan of good French.

I am looking for a place to take my wife for her birthday - this Saturday night. There's a catch- the 90 y.o. mother who not disposed to being adventurous food-wise (Arties is a favorite). The place also has to be easy to move around in, and not too raucous so we can have a conversation. My wife is a vegetarian, but is usually able to negotiate a menu without difficulties.

Help ?

This is a favorite. There are 3 small rooms, but you might want to sit in the garden room in the back. The service is good, and the kitchen provides Catalan meals taken to the next level - but managing to remain firmly grounded in the cuisine. You won't find anything foamy or gelatinous that was that way in the first place ! It's a bit hard to find, but is very close to Diagonal and the Ramblas de Catalonia.

Brain unfrozen ! Can Jubany Calldetenes (http://www.calldetenes.org/ewebs/juba...) a one-star not too far from the city. There is a very nice monastery nearby (Santa Maria di Ripoll).

I am having a serious brain freeze. There is a (reputedly) wonderful restaurant (relatively) nearby Barcelona run by a fellow who goes by the name of Ferran something-or-other. It is *not* the man of many foams - somebody else.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what I might possibly be remembering ? Comments on the restaurant would also be welcome.

Went to Sidney in East Berlin last night. With one exception, it was well worth the detour. The food was first rate, and well presented. I had a non-standard vichysoisse (more leek than normal) with interesting flarvourings, a wonderful grilled calamari over polenta - perfectly tender squid. They prepared on request a vegetarian dish that was equal to anything on the table. Desserts were also excellent.

The one downside was the noice. There was a very good band playing in the next room, and I'm afraid it may talking at conversation volume hard. The music was interesting, and I would have enjoyed hearing it, but only at a much lower volume. If that is the case when you visit, ask to sit in the front room on the left - it's the furthest away (unless you sit outside). BTW, the potato "crisps" as a table appetizer were wonderful (with Stilton and herbs, who knew ?).

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Restaurant Sidney
101 E King St, East Berlin, PA 17316

At the end of the month we will be driving to Carlisle to meet our son to celebrate his 21st birthday. Lancaster seemed like an interesting option, until I realized it was ~60 miles away ! Any thoughts on interesting, and appropriate places to celebrate ?

As a final note - we went to East Coast Grill and B&G. The ECG was a hit because she got to eat Blue Fish (which they don't have in Spain) cooked very well. B&G was perfect because she was able to sample a variety of oysters, and have a nice olive opil cake for dessert. The weather was lousy that week, so going out of town wasn't a good plan. But, those two hit the spot. Thank you.

I would like to find a place to take an aging (80+) aunt and mother-in-law (85+) for lunch over Memorial Day weekend (Staurday, most likely). The aunt lives just east of the Beltway (sort of near the stadium) in a retirement village, and doesn't know the area very well. The mother-in-law is sort of phobic of downtown. I don't want to end up in a suburban mall. You see the problem. Also, nothing too exotic (although decent Chinese would be OK). Any help would be really, really, really appreciated.

My son is studying in Bologna, and we went to Imola with him in search of "one of the best restaurants in Italy",,,, For a host of uninteresting reasons, *that* part of the journey didn't work out - not the least of which was we weren't exactly sure of the name and/or location of said restaurant, and the guide books (except his) and Internet were not very helpful. The name of the place is a "San" something, which I think started with a "G".

Any thoughts ?

This has been really helpful. Thank you very much.

Hiya

It has been a long time since I last lived in Boston, and a few years since I did some serious eating there. I will be visiting in April/May and want to entain a friend from Barcelona with American seafood. Not only is she from BCN, but her famaily is big in the fish business - so this lady knows her seafood. If it were 20 years ago, I suspect I would be thinking of Jasper White (or similar). What's good now ?