Capital Icebox

The Ghetto Gourmet is a good source for finding underground restaurants and supper clubs: theghet.com

I love Vegas, and agree that it's a great food destination. We're there about twice a year.

We'll have a lot of flexibility, right now I'm thinking a night in Bilbao, 3 nights in San Sebastian, then dip into France to eat at Euskadi (looks very promising) and maybe hit a few other spots. Then I think we'll back-track a little along the Northern Coast, and see Asturias and Galicia (with a side-trip down to Rioja). I don't know if the budget will allow for Mugaritz or Arzak, but I'm looking at those as well as Extchebarri. Primarily we're hoping to do the pinchos thing, both the upscale and the more traditional places. I'm having a hard time telling if Portugal is worth it on this trip from a culinary perspective. The eG boards don't make it sound too promising, especially considering what's on offer next door in Spain. Any advice/thoughts on this are appreciated. We have the option of coming into Portugal from Galicia and working our way down the coast from Porto to Lisbon. It also looks like we'll be in Barcelona for a week, I'm looking forward to checking out the nascent "bistronomia" scene. Many thanks to all for the help and advice thus far.

We'll have a car, yes, so any out-of-the-way spots are especially good. And we'll also be in Northern Italy a bit, so Bologna could be an option. (Lyon won't be on this trip, but we do have time to go over to Bordeaux while we're in Basque Country.) I'm thinking 3-4 nights in San Sebastian -- too little, too much, or about right?

My wife and I are headed back to Spain for about a month in May (the first trip was four years ago, after we decided on there from this thread). We'll be hitting the usual suspects -- San Sebastian/Basque Country, Madrid, Barcelona, as well as spending some time in Lisbon and Galicia. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for great food towns or restaurants (or wine regions), especially anything that's a little off the beaten path. We have a fair amount of time on our hands, though I'm sure it will go fast. ETA: Any recommendations for those "usual suspects" are appreciated as well, of course (and I'll be checking those threads). By the way, is there a web page somewhere with the latest Michelin reviews of Spain? I can't seem to find it at first look.

I haven't been, but Frank Bruni seemed to really enjoy Feast.

Not quite right. We went in August and got the Palazzo deal for $189 with Phantom tickets.And to keep this food-related, the bar tasting menu at Guy Savoy was a real disappointment.

I was really surprised by how much we enjoyed CUT by Wolfgang Puck at the Palazzo. I am not a fan of his culinary empire-building, but it was a very well-executed (and affordable, if you split a steak) meal. The oxtail consomme is killer (and a filling app).

Like Waitman said, you gotta roast it. You can also mash it up a bit after roasting and add come cheese, which I've seen used as a substitute for mashed potatoes.

There is a free trolley that runs from King St. Metro down King St., right past Eve; it leaves from the Metro every 15 minutes. On the way out, they can call you a cab but it also wouldn't take long to hail one on your own. I thought PX is only open Wed.-Sat., but maybe that's changed.

They spilled our bottle of wine (probably lost about 8 oz. in the process) and didn't offer to replace it until I prompted them.

I agree -- L'atelier is way overpriced and you have to walk through the outdated MGM casino to get there. Boulud has always been spot-on in the three times we've been there, the free show on the lake is fun and you can't beat their prix-fixe menu. We could have eaten at Boulud three times for the amount we spent on one less-than-stellar meal at L'atelier.

If Chef Armstrong likes it, it can't be that evil.

They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays, just like Grape and Bean.Their cupcakes are a bit small, I only tried one (the Chocolate Espresso Meringue) but am looking forward to sampling some of the others, especially the Peach Mint. At first taste, I am much more inclined towards G-town Cupcake, which win in the size, flavor and especially the design department (speaking of the cupcakes only). But it's a beautiful space and worth a stop if you're in the neighborhood.

light bump... I'm headed there in October, so if anyone can chime in, please do. Or Wolverine, if you're going to be there before that, please do post your experiences.