Camille-Beau

I forgot to mention that I was also able to snag the only table that the French Laundry offers via opentable.com for lunch by trying very early one morning (about 3am)

At one time, it was possible to wait in line each morning at the FL to get a reservation two months from that day. We were able to get into FL the first time because the concierge at our hotel (the Vintage Inn) did that for us (very nice tip for her!). Unfortunately I don't think that FL takes walk-in reservations anymore. That being said, here are two alternatives: Book a table for 8 or more up to one year in advance. They also take walk-ins the same day if you show up with 8 people. Somehow they always manage to find room for such a large group without a reservation. Thomas Keller himself suggested that option when he was here in DC on the Bouchon cookbook tour. Another option is to get on the waiting list as far in advance as possible, for each day that you'll be in Napa. Make actual reservations at other restaurants just in case, but while in Napa, call FL in the early afternoon to see if they had any cancellations for that night. Our second trip to FL happened using this method. We were on the waiting list each of the 4 nights we were there and phoned once each day around 1pm to check. On the 4th day, they called back with an opening for that evening. Made that early flight the next morning from Oakland a bit difficult, but it was definitely worthwhile. Other awesome restaurants in Napa -- St. Helena: Must go to Martini House! Rustic interior with an open kitchen in back. BIG food so be very hungry. The chef LOVES mushrooms and even offers a complete mushroom tasting menu. The cream of mushroom soup is fabulous. Great wine bar downstairs that also serves many of the same menu items. http://www.martinihouse.com/ Terra, also in St. Helena, is another excellent place. Very fresh ingredients with an emphasis on fish. http://www.terrarestaurant.com/ Calistoga: roadside barbeque joint -- I have no idea what the name is -- noted for tri-tip and pork with a sauce so hot that the employees there won't even try it! Lots of habaneros-- I recommend ordering a milkshake with that one. They do offer another less-painful sauce too.

I highly recommend Martini House in St. Helena. Really excellent food with an open kitchen along the back wall. Very nice bar downstairs. They had a great sommelier, but he zipped off to the French Laundry (who can blame him?) http://www.martinihouse.com/ Another great option would be Terra, also in St. Helena. Check out the sites for more information: http://www.terrarestaurant.com/

MDT - many thanks for the detailed description of the Beluga Pasta. I might not have otherwise ordered it last Saturday and would have missed out on an amazing dish. It's incredibly rich (had to share but only a small part of it ) and it's now on my must-have list when dining at Citronelle. Mark -- THANKS for an awesome evening. Great wines and excellent conversation (oh, and the Epoisse with the house-made nut bread -- excellent combo!) -Patricia

Beau and I are heading out to Citronelle for a 9:30 res. Perhaps a stop at the lounge for a digestif afterward. See you soon Mike! -Camille

Two words I don't believe I've ever seen used together before now... and wish I hadn't! -- much like "Kobe hotdog" or "mojito martini"

Haggis isn't just a Scottish dish. And Bilrus, haggis can be awesome! All those organ meats ground together with a little oatmeal and spices.... yum! [NOTE: this is not Cathal's recipe]: http://www.bertc.com/irish.htm

Cathal, the world awaits your haggis....

I would be interested to hear how chefs feel when asked to accommodate vegetarians at restaurants that do not specifically cater to that type of cuisine. Speaking only for myself, I equate asking a restaurant to create items for me that are not on the menu to be the same as going to a French restaurant and asking them to prepare a Thai dish. Alternatively, if I didn't like Thai food and went with friends to a Thai restaurant, I wouldn't expect them to whip up a burger or mac & cheese for me. While I understand that carnivores and non-carnivores do socialize and dine together and most restaurants do offer veg items, I do seem to hear often from chef friends that they find themselves asked to prepare different veg items from the ones offered on a rather frequent basis. Just my opinion....

....The vegetarian tasting menu might also seem an obvious choice for my niece, the vegetarian. But my niece is a vegetarian who does not like vegetables and who, I realize in retrospect, was on the verge of being diagnosed as lactose-intolerant.... Geez... I think I'd just DRINK alot.

The sous vide concept sounds intriguing and apparently works well in certain situations, I don't think it always works well for everything. Specifically, I've had lobster cooked sous vide at Per Se which was surprisingly rubbery. Not what I want from lobster anywhere, particularly at Per Se. I still need to be convinced that cooking this way is truly better so I think this will be a standard question asked when visiting some of the restaurants named in the NYTimes article -- 'was this prepared sous vide?"

IMHO, though Palena is a very good restaurant which we will visit on occasion, particularly because of the proximity to home (5 minutes), we'll gladly continue to trek across the river to Eve where the food always dazzles with fresh LOCAL, seasonal ingredients and creative, amazing preparation. [Cathal and Nathan -- you guys ROCK!] As for SERVICE, while efficient and pleasant at Palena, it pales in comparison to that of EVE, particularly in the tasting room. This Saturday, the Tasting Room at Eve -- I can't wait! -Camille