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astrid

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Everything posted by astrid

  1. astrid
    My experience with US customs is that they're ridiculously strict on meat products while being indifferent to seafood or vegetable products. So I'm going to try my luck with Spanish tinned fish - though they're so expensive that it'll represent a substantial loss if they are confiscated. As for foie gras - after my rather indulgent repeated visits to Ratinaud in Halifax this spring, I think what I really need is to bring back a poultry crazed Frenchman and set him up in a gentrifying part of DC. How much is that in excess weight charges?
  2. astrid
    Thanks for the possible offer of free Nice lodging. We probably won't have time to stay over in Nice, unfortunately. I've already committed 5 of the 10 travel days to Bilbao/San Sebastian (Extebarri, Akelarre, Martin Berasategui, and Azurmundi have been booked for separate days. Arzak is sadly closed for vacation while we're visiting) and aspire to drive some slow hairpin roads in the Pyrenees. So the first part of the trip will have to cover a lot of ground each day in daylight, which will be less than 10 hours a day during that time of the year. Thank you all for your suggestions on this thread! They have been tremendously helpful for us in figuring out the best itinerary for the trip. So the bones of the trip are now in place and now comes the hard decisions like - there "are a bazillion pinxo bars and they all look amazing" and "we only have how many lunches and dinners for ALL OF PARIS" (okay, also "how much more are we going to spend on food than everything else" and "are we crazy"?). We're so lucky to have these problems!
  3. astrid
    (Yes, I know "ham holder" is slightly less ambiguous, though "free ham holder" can conjure up some interesting mental images too...) I make no implied or explicit warranties regarding the usability of the ham stand, either as a culinary tool or for *other* uses. It's given away on a strictly "as is" basis.
  4. astrid
    Anyone here want a brand new Fermin ham stand that's (only) appropriate for Spanish long bone hams? Zingerman's had advertised a ham stand that looked and sounded appropriate for American country hams, but it turned out to be a Fermin that would only hold Spanish style hams. After I complained, half thinking that this was a weird warehouse issue (the Fermin is nothing like the advertised item), Zingerman's refunded the purchase price and suggested that I give the stand to a friend. Since I don't personally know anyone who regularly carves their own $1,000 Spanish jamons, I figured that I'd make the stand available for free to the first taker who is willing to come by and haul it away. Leave a message here to claim and PM me to arrange pick up. I live near Virginia Square metro.
  5. astrid
    Paris (CdG) to Nice by train is now about 5.5 hours, so it's actually not too bad. But flying is a bit faster and considerably cheaper than taking the train. We probably won't stay in Nice, but I am hoping that it will be a nice starting point to see the French Riviera.
  6. astrid
    Unfortunately, the restaurant is closed during the times when we'll be closest to it. I have high hopes for Le Cinq for representing French haute cuisine, though my better half is still working through his outrage at *100+ Euros for just the entree!* aspect of a possible meal.
  7. astrid
    Should I go for the cutlery?
  8. astrid
    Non-refundable train plane tickets have been purchased. We're going to spend 10 days driving from Nice to Biarritz, stopping in Aix-en-Provence, Carcasson, Lourdes, San Sebastian (oh yes!), and Bilbao along the way. We decided to forgo Barcelona altogether, so that we can devote more attention to it in the future (also to try and fit in an extra San Sebastian 3 star without having to eat at Martin Beratesgui and Azurmundi on the same day). That leaves us 4 full days plus two half days in Paris, and I already have a Paris Wish List that's 20+ restaurants long. Anyone here ever gotten a reservation for Abri, Frenchie, Septime, or Le Chateaubriand? I think we can work our way into the latter three but Abri sounds like an impossible restaurant. We're also pondering where to drop the big lunch bucks in Paris - Le Cinq, l'Arpege, or Ledoyen?
  9. astrid
    Thanks mom :-) (actually, my mom wouldn't think of this, so you're better than my mom). It looks like CdG has high speed rail connections to Nice and Avignon. There's are also cheap flights. So it's definitely possible to construct a car trip from Nice to Toulouse, then take the overnight train to Barcelona. There's another overnight train between Barcelona and San Sebastian. And cheap flights available between Bilbao and Paris. So the transportation options are looking pretty good "“ I hadn't previously internalized how much easier European transport can be, compared to the US fly or drive dichotomy. If this would tempt anyone into a trip this fall, I will say that airbnb currently has lots of tempting listings for all the cities we're looking at. We just booked a 5 star reviewed (with 100+ review) studio in 2nd Arr. for under $90 per night. And there are some well-reviewed studios in the 1st and 2nd Arr. in the $60-80 range. High hotel costs had been a big mental stumbling block for us for Europe, so thank goodness for airbnb. Plus, Air France's Dulles to CdG direct flights were not much more than domestic flights. And with the low Euro, Michelin 3 stars can be had for under $200.
  10. astrid
    There were some little missteps like a foie gras ravioli special with thick skin and the foie gras torchon tasting a touch livery. But it was more a case of nothing standing out to me , not the flavors or the textures. It reminded me of our meal at Bibou two years ago "“ room full of very happy people really enjoying their meals, beautiful service and atmosphere, but the food didn't click with me. The saucing and seasoning seems too traditional, too subtle, too cooked tasting. I don't think it's a decline, especially given how smoothly the overall restaurant is running and how popular it was at 9:30 PM on Friday. I suspect it was more that our first trip was when the restaurant was newly open and was more adventurous. This time it fell more in line with our experience at Bibou, It's also possible that dinner #1 at Osteria really knocked our socks off and made dinner #2 pale in comparison.
  11. astrid
    I definitely see the arguments for spending a generous amount of time in Paris and Barcelona for a first trip. However, I'm balancing that with my personal aversions to large cities "“ we haven't found them as enjoyable as other places we visit while traveling. Of course, I don't have any experience with European cities and I did enjoy Montreal the best of all the cities that I have visited, so it's entirely possible that I would enjoy European cities much more than North American or Asian ones. So I'm trying to set the length of my stays to balance the two inclinations. The other concern with a lengthy stay in Paris is that the trip is in November, so likely to be chilly and dreary and dark outside. That's also our concern with any side trip to London, NW France, or Germany. Your description of Provence and the coast sounds stunning. I'll have to look into that. My original thought was to focus more on the Alps for the driving portion of the trip, but Provence in November sounds much better and the Alps can perhaps be reserved for a future warm weather month trip.
  12. astrid
    But there are so many world class restaurants in San Sebastian! :-)
  13. astrid
    Thanks all the voices of experience and reason! I've trimmed the itinerary down a bit (out goes Madrid and Marseilles). 6 days in rental car 2+ days in Barcelona 2+ days in San Sebastian Half day in Bilbao 3 days plus two partial days in Paris It looks like Air France runs a discount flight service between Paris and Bilbao, so it definitely makes sense to return to Paris by plane and save a transport day. It looks like affordable one way car rental is available from CdG to Montpellier, and Barcelona to Bilbao airport, so that will give us some flexibility in terms of ground transport. I know this time allocation is still pretty sparse on Paris and Barcelona, but I think it gives us enough time to take in a few delights of each city, while saving others for (hopeful) future trips. Thanks also for the recommendations regarding DEET, Muse tours, staying close-in (finding some nice sounding airbnb whole studios in 1st Arrondissment for under $150/night).
  14. astrid
    You can blend them with a little grapeseed (or any other neutral tasting) oil based on weight, then taste with chunks of a bread. Or do the bite tasting with a gigantic bowl of full fat ice cream :-)
  15. astrid
    Though I am really curious about what DR posters want to do on their hypothetical November vacation, given the constraints...
  16. astrid
    Normally, we're the sort who run for the hills and shy away from big cities. But this being my first time in Europe and in November, I think we would spend most of our time in cities gawking at old pictures and older building. After a little research, I'm thinking this itinerary might work for us (we have 14 days on the ground, plus a 1/3 day in Paris before flying back): Paris (leave immediately) Barcelona (via train) San Sebastian (via train or bus) ?Madrid? (via train) Montpellier or Marseille (via train) Then spend 4-5 days driving around Southeastern France Then spend 2-3 days in Paris
  17. astrid
    We just booked tickets to Paris for mid-November. Now we're wondering what we should do once we land at Charles de Gaulle. Originally we were planning to fly into Barcelona or Madrid, and focus on Spain. But from Paris the possibilities widen up substantially - we could still focus on Spain/Portugal and tag on a few days in Paris, we could tour France and add on Northern Italy and Switzerland, we could see the low country, or maybe even Central Europe or the Balkans. I've never been to Europe and +1 hasn't been there in more than a decade. So we have no idea what to expect or what to see, and we're open to anything since it'll all be new to me. There are obviously tons of guides and lists talking about the virtues of various itineraries, but we're certainly value the opinions of people who care deeply about what they eat while traveling. So my question to the well-travelled and/or well-daydreamed DR posters - where would you go with 2 weeks in mid November, starting and ending in Paris? Are there anything that you love and must see?
  18. astrid
    Restaurant at Patowmack Farm!
  19. astrid
    We were able to fit in a dinner in Pittsburgh and ended up at Butcher and the Rye, somewhat dangerously close to an active Pirates game. The drinks here are good and they recently re-imported (since he claimed to be originally from the Pittsburgh area) a bar manager with an impressive handlebar mustache. The food is also really really good. Toe to toe with best of Philly or DC good. Taking this sampling as reflective of the top portion of the Pittsburgh restaurant scene, we're making our plans for a return.
  20. astrid
    Accidentally visited two Jonathan Sawyer restaurants on the same day. Trentina was overall quite good - nice portions and good ingredients/preps, though I wish the preps had a little more flair and seasoning. Greenhouse Tavern had more flair, though it toed a little too close to bar grub to win my full love. The fried chicken was the best thing we good, it's amongst the best fried chicken I've ever eaten. The other stuff tended toward either too bar grub or somewhat under-seasoned.
  21. astrid
    Liked but didn't totally love our second visit here. I think they changed the sea urchin and shrimp flavored egg prep from our last visit but it's quite good. I would prioritize High Street over Vernick on a future trip.
  22. astrid
    Liked our brunch here. Tried a bunch of things, the grilled items and tapas were the best. Not sure I'd prioritize it over other Philly places, but all around solid place with good food.
  23. astrid
    Had a very enjoyable meal at High Street on Market last week. The bread + dip options are all delicious. The pastas and various appetizers are very good. It's an enjoyable space, very casual and not too loud. The cooking and presentation is impeccable.
  24. astrid
    A revisit to Osteria wowed us again. The pastas we sampled were all delicate and silky and perfect. The tuna pastrami appetizer is a fabulous combination of flavors and textures. We might have to budget a whole dinner to Osteria next time, so we can get to the secondi and desserts.
  25. astrid
    A revisit to Le Cheri was less successful. Lovely service and beautiful dining space, but the food was good rather than amazing.
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