<face palm> I'm actually *west* of Lamarck. Really - I'm usually quite good at these cardinal directions.

I will be staying at rue Armand Gautier, which appears to be teeny tiny and right between rue Felix Ziem and rue Eugene Carriere.

According to googlemaps, I will be ~7 minute walk east of Lamarck Metro. So perhaps quite close to the rue Lepic market, though I will not be in town until the 25th. Is it only on Fridays?

To order ahead from the poissonneries - I realize I am probably asking extremely childish questions here, but so it is - Do I simply stop by early in the day and come back? Call ahead somewhere? How does all of this happen?

So _exciting_! Many thanks for your help and suggestions.

And where does one find these places? I'll be staying in a little apartment in the 18th the week of NYE (next week!) and would love to know where I should be looking for foie gras and bubbly. Not from Paris, so clueless!

Google helps for some of these suggestions, but not all and I am, sadly, one of these cretans who does not speak French.

(BTW, John, very much enjoying your blog.)

Thanks!

Castelas looks amazing, but is a bit further north than my current plans take me (this September). Do you/does anyone know of similar places in Provence?

Just thought I'd make a few notes about my lunch at BARcelona in downtown Indy.

Granted, lunch is probably not the hour to try out a (relatively new) tapas place...but it was nearby and different. In general, I found the service to be...slow. Not horrible, but not quite as attentive as one might hope. The food was also...bland. Not bad, but not really worth the price. I had the Shrimp Po'Boy, which had a whopping 4 pieces of breaded fried shrimp, and was drowned in creamed avocado and (supposedly) an aioli sauce. Even a hint of lemon or lime would've salvaged the flavors. I can say that the fries were really good.

My guest had the pasta dish on the lunch menu (sorry I didn't write the item names down). The Spanish sausage gave the dish a nice smoky flavor, but the pasta was overcooked.

All in all, it really wasn't a horrible meal. I just don't think it was worth the high price.

I'd really like to know what people have thought of the dinner meal? Is it worth going back to find out?

It's probably true that you should keep it refrigerated, but like most cheeses, miso is a fermented product. So you can leave it out. If it happens to grow any new friends, just scrape them off and you can use what's left. If you have a tiny fridge, as I do, don't waste that precious space on miso.

The cakes from Heidelberg Haus are FANTASTIC.

My all time favorite is Henry's Blend made by Seattle's Best Coffee. Much better than Starbuck's, though still fairly commercial. If I happen to have any left-over whipped cream from some other kitchen project, I'll put a spoon (or 6) on top. Perfection!

Blasphemy! Low fat chevre?! Why bother?!

Sorry. I'm kidding. Well...sort of... I have never seen a low fat chevre.

Point taken. My point is only that you'd never know the auctions are 'off limits' if you didn't read it elsewhere. I practically stumbled on the auctions when I was there. Didn't expect to be able to get anywhere near them. So. If you're adventurous, but know how to stay out of the way, it is not impossible to experience the auctions. If it's your sole reason for coming to Japan, you don't have to be disappointed. If it's not, you'll surely be satisfied with the rest of the market. (And you'll be much safer too).

On an unrelated note, Robb S, I live by the bento.com site when I visit Tokyo. If, as it seems, that is your site...THANK YOU!!! for providing such an excellent service.

This recipe is a winter staple: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/rec...
I add some oregano, cayenne, S&P, and any shellfish that looks appealing.
It's great with any fresh or frozen white fish (not just cod).

Tipping is not practiced in Japan. Bless them. I would say that a bottle of sake or whiskey would be appreciated. If possible, a bottle from a small/local distillery.

Different places in Japan (and probably Korea) are known for different types/colors/textures of miso. You can generally find them all in each place, but one will be more prevalent and used in more of the local cuisine. So that said, I believe a red miso is most common in Korea. The best ramen I've ever had was made with black miso. Yummmm!

Can you not just use the last bits of the yogurt you've made? I haven't tried it, but was under the impression that it can be done. If it's not possible, please let me know why! I've been thinking about giving it a try.

Went here on a whim over the Xmas holidays. The fantastic wedding cakes in the window drew me in. Ended up having a (very good) sandwich, but am dying to go back to try the baked goods. What's the story on this place? The building is so interesting.

Pork tenderloin marinated overnight and slow roasted/baked in the oven. Serve with white rice and sauteed bok choy (baby if you can find it). This is unbelievably easy and very good. My college roommate used to make it.

Marinade:
1/2 c soy sauce
a few squirts of ketchup
1/4 c. rice vinegar
a few tbsp sugar
tbsp ginger minced
4 cloves garlic minced

The proportions are estimated from memory, so just change as you like. It's a pretty basic recipe, and I've been told that I like vinegar more than most, so you might reduce that to a few tbsps.

Oven at 375 for 20 min, then down to 275 until done to your preference. It'll probably take 1 1/2 to 2 hrs to cook. There are ways to do it faster, but I like this better.

Here's a marinade I tried last week to use up a bunch of oranges. Really nice flavor and covers both hot and sweet. This was for 8 wings, so you'll want to increase the proportions for more.

3/4 c. orange juice
juice of one lime (or really any citrus you have on hand is probably fine)
1/3 c. olive oil
4 cloves garlic crushed
1 tsp. coriander (roughly)
a healthy shake of dried pepper flakes, probably close to 2 tsp.
another healthy shake of whatever hot sauce you have lying around
salt and pepper

Marinate as long as you can. Throw some thick-sliced onions in too, if you want to fry/grill them and serve with the wings.

While they're not OFFICIALLY open to the public, no one told me to leave in December. As long as you stay out of the way, no one will mention it. The auction is held in large warehouses with open doors, so you can stand in the doorway and watch from there. Point being, you can still see the tuna auctions if you get there very early and stay out of the way.
I DO recommend getting there closer to 5 or 6 if you can swing it. If you're just flying into Japan, do it the first morning after you arrive and use that jet lag to your advantage.

Looks like I have a new destination next time I make it to Tokyo. I also recommend checking out the stalls at the Tsukiji fish market. There are lots of vendors there that focus on kitchen and cooking equipment. For the same things at lower prices, check out general stores in Kyoto on the back streets or have a peek in 100yen stores, a worthwhile endeavor no matter what you're looking for!

I'm willing to give it a try. Eel is cooked, so I'm more willing to believe that it's good! I've had some pretty repulsive, and yet still outrageously expensive, sushi in Chicago.

I can tell you it's NOT Chicago.

These are often eaten as bar food in Japan...think salty peanuts. Personally, I hate squid, but you might like it better with a cold beer!!

Tried a new (to me) Indian place today called Ganesh. They have a limited lunch menu, so I'd like to go back for dinner some time. The place prides itself on it's authentic Assam tea and lentil "curry". It's really a dal, but that's a less familiar term in Japan. The highlight was a tea jelly served with lemon juice for dessert. I'd go back just for that!!!

It's on Jozenji-dori up near the Shimin Kaikan.

I believe Moroccan mint tea is a mix of gunpowder green tea (the kind where leaves are rolled into little balls) and mint leaves. The green tea could be the missing element. Most American mint teas are just mint and other herbs.

My refrigerator! It's so tiny it barely holds anything! And the apartment is so cold I might as well leave everything out. In fact....in this season, I do!

Blarg! I would avoid vending machine coffee at all costs! Tastes like aluminum!

I s'pose you have to try it once though ;)

Oooo! A KitchenAid Mixer. That's what I want! Also, a chopping class. I've already bought a raft of gelato from Capogiro (http://www.capogirogelato.com/main.html) "for the family".

My favorite place to plan eating my way through Tokyo is www.bento.com
It's in English, and provides options to search by cuisine or neighborhood. Very handy.

What are you looking for?

I'm returning home to the Indy area for Xmas (from Japan) and bringing a friend along with me. It'll be his first time in America, and I want to give him a great taste of all the foods we have to offer. We have two weeks, so that's probably 4 or 5 meals out. Budget is limited, so I don't think we'll be able to hit up L'Explorateur but I absolutely want to avoid the Applebee's-esque.

So! Please recommend me some good, reasonably priced eats in the Indianapolis area!

Much obliged!

Yep! Mos Burger is one of the easiest/fastest options for mixed company vegetarian and carnivore outings.