voyager

The opposite of this, when we were first married, husband used to empty his pockets after a night out and drop ticket stubs in one of those ceramic "nest egg" banks. Several years down the pike, our house was burglarized and the egg was among stuff taken. We laughed about the thief who broke open the egg, assuming the ruffle of paper was currency, only to find our momento stash of used tickets.

Can't buy fresh haddock here. Wasteland!

Don't know why that finnan haddie or any smoked haddock is almost impossible to source here. Salt cod, easy, but not FH. Why?

Don't think it's particularly good at this. A friend consumed substantial peanuts at a ballgame and wound up with a burst appendix. Almost died.

Great idea! We save leftover protein and take to the country. Well labeled. Nestled among our on-hold leftovers are packages clearly marked CATFOOD.

Reminds me of my taking son and a pretty observant Jewish school friend to see "Life of Brian". A lot probably went over son's head but his friend spend much of the movie looking sideways at me to see what response was acceptable.

Indeed.

Important distinction.

Word.

Mourad will get you out the door with 3 courses for around $100, before drinks.

To me, that is the ultimate comfort food.

Also gets extra credit for having the patience to deal with Angelina!

Potatoes cooked under biryana can't be anything but a success.

N’s piperade ROCKS!

Brilliant!

Have you sent out “Save the Date”s yet? I ask because I haven’t received mine yet.

Errrr...No, you don't!

And to some extent our individual digestive tracts.

To quote Diana Vreeland, "I love good taste. Actually, I love BAD taste. What I can't abide is NO taste."

Getting back to the quote, I wonder if part of the "free-wheeling joy" isn't the ambiance of French diners rather than American. I often question if part of what I love about restaurants in France is that I can't easily understand the conversations around me, as opposed to being deluged with stupid patter in English. It's probably just as bad in French but I don't catch so much of it so it rolls off like ambient noise.

I am delighted to read that La Colline du Colombier, Troisgros' Iguerande country inn, has been sold to and will continue under a young family member. We have enjoyed several delightful stays here and remember it with much pleasure. Pastoral setting,comfortable if quirky accommodations, superb hospitality and delicious locale product meals.

Blistered green beans? Scorched Brussels? Padron/shishito peppers?

It's a way of life.

Glad to hear it from you. I've felt that way for years. But you have to admit it. San Marzano really has the PR going.