PIZZA!!!!!!!!!

An in-depth report of pizza from an expert in Washington, D.C. and in N.Y.

People ask me what is my favorite food. I love foie gras, caviar, langoustines, soufflés, all things dark chocolate--but my all time favorite food is PIZZA. I have been on a quest to find a handful of the best pizza restaurants in Italy and in the states (namely New York and Washington, D.C. because their pizzerias excel). For many many years, my friend Ann and I try a different pizza place every time I go to NY. We have been all over Brooklyn and Manhattan at this point. We are pizza pals.

My absolute favorite US-based pizza place is in Washington, D.C. It is called Two Amys and is situated in a small (what looks like suburban) mall in the city. They have authentic Neapolitan pizza--which means that their restaurant has passed the test of ingredients and technique so as to be recognized by the pizza gurus of Naples. Personally, I like a crisp crust with a chewy exterior. I tend not to go for designer pizzas: save me the Margherita please.

In NY, there are many excellent pizzerias and New Yorkers pride themselves in being pizza afficionadoes living in a pizza metropolis just as important as Naples. After the Patsy wars (when many restaurants took the name of Patsy and hoped to gain notoriety and customers that way) the famous Patsy's under the Brooklyn Bridge changed its name to Grimaldi's. This, along one other pizzeria in NYC, is a favorite of mine. Count on waiting on line and a raucous environment inside, AND absolutely exquisite pizzas. There is a list of the choices and the menu is limited to pizza, wine and beer, and a few other Italian delicacies. Rumor has it (and it is a true rumor) that Frank Sinatra was a loyal customer of Grimaldi's (formerly Patsy's) and ordered their pizzas to be delivered to him at his hotel.

The second delicious NY pizzeria that gets my seal of approval is Una Pizza Napoletana on East 12th Street. I have been there a few times without my friend Ann. It is open from 5pm until the time that the pizza dough runs out. Every pie is made to order by Anthony (Antonio)--a young pizza chef obsessed with perfection. He has paid millions to install an authentic woodburning stove from Naples! This is his pride and joy. The restaurant is small and I find that it is best to get there at 5--otherwise, there is a long wait both on the sidewalk and again once you are in the restaurant and have ordered, as each pizza is lovingly prepared by Anthony. It is definitely worth the trip. There is a choice of three traditional pizzas and wine or beer--that's it. His Marguerita has the authentic Neapolitan label, of course. I can't wait to show Ann how terrific this place is.

May in Berlin

Berlin: a foody town with excellent Asian restaurants and some German places too

Last summer, after a short trip to Berlin, two of my cousins were completely blown away with pleasure. "A foodie town!!!" they insisted; youthful and full of positive energy. I just had to go, so as soon as I could free up some time, I was on my way.

It is true that not only does Berlin have zillions of great restaurants and food stands, the euro goes much farther. We don't understand it here in Paris, but things are so inexpensive there that it brought tears to my eyes. Mainly, I dined in Asian restaurants, but the one evening that I did choose a nouvelle German and upscale restaurant, my full dinner with wine came to about 34 euros!!

Although I didn't find the spectacular pizza place that other friends have told me about (see above for my pizza entries), I had the pleasure of lunching at Monsieur Vuong, where for about 8 euros, I got a fantastic glass noodle salad either with chicken or tofu and a beverage; and at Mao Thai which has beautiful and delicious Thai dishes; and at Kuchi which was one of the best sushi restaurants I have ever had the pleasure to dine in. Monsieur Vuong and Kuchi are in the Mitte section which one of the coolest and trendiest areas in the city. Mao Thai is in nearby Prenzlauer Berg which is a bit more chic and quieter. Unlike many "trendy" restaurants, all of these places serve delicious food.

The night I opted for traditional German food (sauerkraut and sausages and dark beer) at Restaurant Kugelhopf (named after one of my favorite pastries), I was sorely disappointed. The service was so excruciatingly slow that it became an ordeal to sit in that restaurant. A simple dinner took hours to serve. I don't recommend it.

I ate in a number of Asian restaurants which were very good. The Japanese place I found, Kuchi, reminded me of the restaurants in LA or San Francisco. They had a large variety of exotic rolls on the menu with many types of fish and garnishes. They also serve Japanese rice dishes (donburi), sashimi and sushi. Everything is well prepared and delicious and the service is quite good. This is a popular place, so reservations are a must.

On everyone's "Best Thai restaurants in the world" list is Mao Thai in the very hip Prenzlauer Berg. This is an excellent restaurant with dishes that are lovingly prepared and beautifully presented . Mao Thai has two other branches in Berlin: one near the Brandenburg Gate and the other not far from the zoo. Each of the restaurants has a different name, but they all have approximately the same menu.

The big specialty to get in Berlin is Currywurst--horrible (in my humble opinion)!! It is a cheap hotdog covered with ketchup with plain curry powder sprinkled on top. This is another delicacy I would not recommend!! Don't miss the food floor at KaDaWe--one of the largest and chicest department stores in Europe. It is a large area full of all German specialties. I also had cocktails there at one of the many bars, and was astonished by how inexpensive the drinks are.

In general, prices are quite low compared to other European city restaurants. In fact, at lunch, I always thought I was just getting an appetizer when the prices quoted were for full main courses. It was a pleasure to discover the gastonomic jewels of Berlin.

A steak dinner

A truly great but very simple Paris steak place

I love Mark Bittman's column in the New York Times and saved the one about the restaurants that serve the best steak-frites in town. We went to his number one spot: The Restaurant Severo at 8 rue des Plantes. What is lacks in decor, it makes up with flavor. This is not a restaurant for the faint of heart or for any type of vegetarian or even a chickaterian!! Ham or sausage for appetizers and then your choice of steak-frites: filet de boeuf, faux-filet, steak haché (hamburger) or tartare de boeuf. The best and most flavorful cut is the faux-filet. I like it saignant--very rare, and the restaurant did a fine job of not cooking it too too red for me. The frites were crispy and delicious and the wine that went with it (a Mercurey) was delicious. We saw some people being served salad so we opted for that to help us digest. We were served large bowls of mâche in a lovely mustardy vinaigrette. There are classic desserts at Le Severo: mousse au chocolat, tarte aux poires a l'ancienne, crème caramel, but we were really stuffed. Dinner came to about 80 euros including the wine and the coffee. Down the street is Severo Bis where you can get fish and meat. I am definitely going to try that place.

Lunch at Gagnaire and other three-star chefs

Grand Restaurants of Paris including Gagnaire, Senderens, and Robuchon

My friend from NY and Tokyo, Noriko, asked me to go to a GRAND RESTAURANT with her. One of my favorites has always been Pierre Gagnaire where I celebrated my 50th birthday with a lavish lobster dinner followed by a very creative and fantastically delicious chocolate souffle. Unfortunately, such luxury items would cost in the 400 euro range (for the whole dinner including a mid-priced wine and coffee) and I could not afford that now--nor would I want to spend so very very much on a meal. So I suggest to Noriko that we go for the weekday lunch which costs a hefty 110 euros without any beverages. We had a choice between two appetizers, one first main course and then a meat main course followed by four desserts.

It is Gagnaire's style to present each dish with a variety of side garnitures that marry well with the central plate. With the aperitif (pour nous mettre en appetit as they say--to get our appetites ready for the meal) was a crunchy pastry topped with onion marmelade and seafood, a delicious tuile with chopped fresh tomatoes and chorizo that was attached to the plate with a dollop of parmesan cream. There was also a grilled and caramelized hazelnut, a butter cookie flavored with ginger, and a tuile made of roquette topped with gingerbread. There was more but I am now going on to the first course.

The appetizers were a tartare of beef mixed with bass that was very astonishing and delectable; a purple puree of potatoes (the potatoes are naturally purple in color) mixed with sauerkraut and sausage, and a mixture of mussels, celery with the Japanese seaweed, nori.

The first main course was a delicious white fish served with winter vegetables and a luscious beurre blanc. Then came a lovely piece of venison served with a purée of pumpkin, and black rice mixed with red cabbage. Along with this was a preparation of the shoulder of the venison mixed with spaetzle. And the liver of the venison was served on toast--just wonderful.

With each dish, I had a lovely glass of wine that married well with what I was tasting (as recommended by the sommelier).

The many desserts were preceded with a little cookie of fresh strawberry and pepper, a small cake of white chocolate garnished with exotic fruits, a pastry flavored with verbena and almond. Desserts included a seasonal fruit salad with a cookie flavored with parmesan and sugar, an almond and lemon custard served with saffron ice cream, etc.

I loved the meal and had a wonderful time. The service was excellent and although everyone around us was ordering from the à la carte menu, we were treated royally. But when you have had the best, the luncheon menu pales in comparison. I missed my langoustines, truffles and chocolate soufflé. These are the items I had ordered at other times when prices were more reasonable. I didn't even want to look at the à la carte menu to see what I could have ordered had the prices been slashed by 4. (But I did take it home to study it at my leisure). Gagnaire is one of my favorites but I would prefer to go there when I can really take advantage of his talents with the luxury items.

On the other hand, Alain Senderens (whose restaurant, Restaurant Senderens and before that, Archestrate and Lucas Carton, I have visited more than any on earth) understood the problem with the expensive restaurant in our time. He returned his 3 stars and redesigned his restaurant (the decor is smashing!). Now he serves less expensive ingredients at prices most people can afford--each dish married with a glass of wine that goes best with it. Senderens has studied oenology and is passionate about augmenting the flavors of his dishes with wines that complement them. A full course dinner with everything included will be about 125 euros and this is from a three-star chef. Although he gave away his stars, the Michelin was "ornery" and awarded him two his second year of his newly reborn career. This is one of the best restaurant in Paris and I have always loved his style of cooking. His signature dish is Canard Apicius--duck that is flavored with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and other spices. For my birthday dinner, I had stuffed zucchini flowers with crab, poached foie gras with morel mushrooms, a wonderful caramelized pigeon dish, and a special dessert with saffron ice cream, candied red pepper and a lemon curd and finally a made-for-me chocolate gateau. The meal was lovely from start to finish.

Another fun place that is worth the detour is L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Robuchon is a legend in his time and a truly talented and passionate artist. His new look is modelled after a Japanese restaurant where the clients sit on stools at the counter and watch what is going on in the kitchen. Basically, the food is a variety of tapas--each one costing about 15-20 euros. Three or four with a lovely dessert makes for a sensational meal. The last time I was there I had crab royale with slivers of celeri rave; a wonderful cream of chestnut soup garnished with smoked bacon and lobes of foie gras, scallops with an acidic seaweed butter which played off very well with the sweetness of the scallops, and sweetbreads (I love them!) with romaine stuffed with more sweetbreads. For dessert was a fantastic chocolate mousse served in a glass under a crust of chocolate ganache and garnished with some wonderful vanilla ice cream. This was a heavenly meal.

Jipango Dinner

Japanese cuisine in a cooking class with a variety of different specialties including a succulent fresh crab "stew"

Friends and family have requested that I branch out on my blog, so I am going to start to add other countries and cuisines to my repertoire.

I love Japan and have travelled there twice. I have been studying Japanese for five years now and although I find it hard to understand when people speak quickly, I can make myself understood. I went to Japan alone last year, and was able to get around and communicate without a problem.

In Paris, I belong to the Jipango Club among other Japanese cultural organizations. I have had many cooking classes with my favorite chef, Bin Muto and have learned the basics of Japanese cuisine. Far beyond sushi and sashimi, there are many different types of cooking to master.

Yesterday, I was fortunate to have attended a class for a seafood banquet. We had king crab and kintara (a type of rich codfish that tastes as velvety as Chilean Sea Bass). For a starter was an angel hair salad with vegetables and seaweed along with jumbo (raw) shrimp sushi. All this was washed down with two different types of wonderful sake.

Bin showed us how to prepare the meal which included making the dashi, a broth that is the base of all Japanese cuisine, Add orange juice and other ingredients like mirin (really a sweet sake) and you have ponzu sauce. If you combine that with mayonnaise, you have a wonderful sauce for your sushi rolls.

The menu did not disappoint. We started with the angel hair salad and the shrimp sashimi. Next were the packets of Chinese cabbage and carrots, tofu, the crab, and the velvety codfish. Once the ingredients are cooked, you spoon out your portion into a small soup bowl which is filled with some ponzu sauce. Mmm Mmm. This is a very convivial meal, which is ideal for six people seated around a table. As you eat your portion, you add more and more of the ingredients, cook them, and eat some more.

I thought that the nabe was the main course but I was wrong. After about three helpings each, we had the codfish (which was rich and delicious) cooked in a teriyaki or sweet soy sauce. Most meals end with rice and miso soup in that order but we were treated to udon (thick chewy noodles) served in more warm dashi in our nabe bowls.

For dessert there were two types of yokan (a jellied rectangular cube) flavored with green tea and with sesame. This was a wonderful meal. The Jipango meals are always very relaxed and fun. It is a great occasion to meet new people who are interested in Japan and Japanese culture.

Through my membership in Jipango I have learned about the authentic and traditional Japanese restaurants in Paris. And I am able to translate this talent into my forays to other places I visit. I have found authentic outposts in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and New York.

My weekend at Barcelona

Moderately priced Barcelona dining including a fantastic outdoor market and a wonderful place for tapas

Barcelona is a wonderful city. Don't miss all the Gaudi offerings: Sagrada Familia (a church like you have never seen before), La Paradera, Casa Battlo, Parc Guell). All are just amazing sights to see. If you rent the guided tour at the houses, you will learn so much about Gaudi and his techniques. And then there is the Picasso Museum and the Fondacion Juan Miro which are not to be missed!

I arrived on Thursday and had dinner at Tragaluz. I really did not enjoy my meal and for what I ate and drank, it was too expensive. But a few days later, I went across the street to El Japonese de Tragaluz and that was a winner. It is a sushi tapas bar. I had a succulent mango salad with salmon; tataki of tuna (seared tuna with a variety of sauces); and a few selected delicious sushis. If you go at 3, expect to wait. This is a popular place but the wait is worth it if you like Japanese food.

Near the Picasso Museum is Nou Cellar. This is a very authentic Catalan restaurant.
Not expensive; not touristy; good honest food. I had grilled squid and pa amb tomaquet--toasted bread rubbed with fresh tomato. The latter is the sine qua non of typical Catalan cuisine and must be tried at least once. Other offerings are the quintessential Spanish omelette--served at room temperature and made with potatoes; and fancy Spanish ham.

Don't miss La Boqueria. It is the beautiful market on Las Ramblas. You have never seen such a marvelous display of fruits and vegetables, hams, fish and seafood!!! It makes you wish you had a kitchen so that you could buy and cook what they have to offer. Perhaps you will be satisfied to take a lot of photos (see postings) and (like me) buy some of the delicious ham that they package for transporting to countries far away.

Among my favorite restaurants was Agut (not to be confused with Agut d'Avignon which might have some French influence). Honest delicious food at moderate prices in a colorful diningroom. I had a delicious monkfish stew as my main course and was very pleased. An entire meal of three courses with wine, water and coffee came to about 40 euros.

I wanted to try a fancy restaurant and braved the taxi ride to the suburbs of Barcelona to Neichel. This is a restaurant that used to have 2 Michelin stars and now has one. However, it is a wonderful place for a fancy tranquil and delicious meal. The chef is an artist and he designed the cards and the menu. With the little I, I had Cava which is a lovely Spanish champagne. My first course was a salad of wild mushrooms with quail and summer truffles--just lovely. My main course was a dish that boasted langoustines, gambas with squid tagliatelle and saffron. I opted for the dessert cart where you can choose from your heart's delight of desserts ranging from ice creams and sorbets to fruit tarts and chocolate cakes. This wonderful meal comes to just over 100 euros and is a lovely way to celebrate your weekend at Barcelona.

Well, you can't go to Barcelona without getting paella and I went to the most famous of all paella places. It is called Seite Puertas and is in Barceloneta right near that metro stop. They ask you if you have a reservation when you enter but they don't take reservations so who argues with that logic? I stood on line for an hour and then was ushered to a very nice table in one of the main diningrooms. The thing to get there is arroz nero--with black ink and squid. However, they were all out so I got the arroz parillada--or poor man's paella with fish. I had squid, mussels, lobster tail and shrimp in a delicious tomato-ey sauce with a half bottle of dry white Rioja. My starter was the quintessential pa amb tomaquet (tomato rubbed toast that I spoke of) and enscalivada which is a dish of roasted red peppers and roasted eggplant in olive oil. This was a fun evening, especially since I met some very lovely Portuguese people as I waited on line. I got there at about 8 but didn't sit down until the civilized hour of 9.

Before I left, I had to go to a pintxo bar. Apparently pintxo are tapas that are served in the South although I think that they are mixtures of delicious foods served on little baguette slices whereas tapas are the plain food like ham or seafood served on a plate. I found Irati just near the metro Liceu on Las Ramblas. There is a fantastic array of pintxo offerings. Each one costs 1,70 euros and is held together with a toothpick. After you have eaten, they count the toothpicks to see what you owe. You choose while you are standing at the bar and can order wine or beer or other beverages to wash down your food. If you like, you can sit in the restaurant in back for more substantial offerings. I had a delicious crab concoction; a baguette with fancy Spanish ham; Spanish omelette layered with crabmeat; codfish in a delicious tomato sauce. Everything was wonderful and memorable. Irati is open everyday from 11am to midnight. The restaurant section has shorter hours--probably opening at 1 or so.

The Spanish people eat much later than we are used to. So lunch is early at 3 and goes on until about 5 and dinner is served at around 9:30-midnight. You can get tapas and pintxos to tide you over for the rest of the day.

Weekend in Annecy

A visit to a beautiful town in France on the border of Switzerland just below the Alp which boasts some excellent French restaurants

I remember spending a lovely springtime in Annecy perhaps 22 years ago. It is such a charming village that I couldn't wait to return. The last time was a gastronomic pilgrimage as I dined in the "temple" of Marc Veyrat (then a 2-star chef) and went to nearby Switzerland to dine in what was called at the time the greatest restaurant in the world: Fredy Girardet. Girardet is long gone, and now Marc Veyrat is considered to be one of the greatest. I hoped to mirror my last trip by doing some serious dining while I was there.

I stayed in the Hotel du Pré Carré which is among the city's best and within walking distance of the train. It was a basic modern hotel with a very friendly staff and a health club with jacuzzi and hot tub. I didn't forget my bathing suit this time.

Au Fidèle Berger is a name I remember from the old days--a lovely salon de thé with wonderful coffees and desserts. For lunch there are tartes salées and individual portions of French pizza (pâte feuilletée for the crust). I went to a different place as I wanted a light salad but had a lovely coffee at the Berger afterwards. I had to control myself and not order one of the gorgeous and tasty desserts as I wanted to save calories for my evening repast. Coffee is only 2 euros and cheap compared to Paris prices.

There is not much sightseeing to be done in Annecy other than to take a boat ride on the beautiful lake that is at the foot of the Alps. Geneva is not far if you are game, but I wanted to stay put and relax. I simply wandered around and worked up an appetite for dinner.

I went to Le Clos des Sens--two stars--in Annecy Le Vieux, which is a part of town about 2 kilometers from Le Vieux Annecy. I taxied over there and was shown to a table which had a stunning view of the main part of the town below. What a shame not to be there during the day as all we could see were the lights of the city--very beautiful but a daylight view would have been more spectacular.

Tartiflette is the dish to have when you are in the Savoie. It is a sinfully rich casserole made of lardons, potatoes, onions and reblochon--the wonderful regional cheese. I will tell you now that I could not bring myself to order that dish in a local brasserie with all the rich dishes I was consuming in the restaurants, but I was lucky to have a tartiflette déstructurée as one of my amuse-bouches. There was onion ice cream, a tiny cone of reblochon flavored with smoked lard (bacon), and a potato chip--heavenly and light. I had this with a glass of Krug which I could not resist. This is the Rolls Royce of champagnes and I was very pleased that it is what the restaurant serves for its coupes de champagne.

Other amuse-bouches were very light: a carpaccio of mushrooms, and a cool tomato bouillon.

This was my menu: Foie gras de canard layered with smoked fish and an apple. This was different and lovely. With it I had a glass of local Chignin 2006 La Maréchale Jacquert (a white wine from the region). The pistou d'oeuf au plat inversé--basically a poached egg with pesto. With this and the next dish, I had one of my favorite wines: a Condrieu De Poncins, Francois Villard 2004. This is a very flavorful, complex and flowery white wine from the center of France. Next was Truite du Lac cooked at a low temperature--simply seasoned with olive oil and just lovely. My main course was Pigeon wrapped in kale (it looked like maki-sushi) with a sauté of assorted wild mushrooms. With this, I had a red Arbin Genoux Cuvée de L'an II 2002. I could not resist the cheese plate. I usually pass this up but with all the wonderful cheeses that come from this area, it was hard to say no. For a pre dessert I had fresh vegetables swimming in a sugar syrup with a thyme ice cream and lemongrass consommé--very refreshing. The dessert I chose was a chocolate dessert of course--flavored with passion fruit. This is a combination I love. There were other mignardises and douceurs. I truly enjoyed my meal but must say that it was a lot to eat. The cost of a complete dinner would be 120 euros without wine and coffee.

At the end of the meal, there were no taxis free to take me back home so the chef de cuisine, M. Laurent Petit, drove me back. We talked Paris restaurants and he knew all the good modern bistrots.

I read that at Marc Veyrat's restaurant which is open but six months per year and for most of the time for only four days per week. The two menus is are 295 and 385 euros per person respectively NOT including wine, coffee and water. So it would be at least 500 euros per person easily. I think that to spend so much on a meal is obscene and was proud to cancel my reservation there. Better to donate to a charitable cause. Of all the 3-star chefs, he is the only one to charge this much--and by at least 200 euros above the others. Is he so great? His menu does not include designer ingredients at all: no truffles or foie gras or langoustines. He is known for the fresh herbs that he cultivates in the fields. No thank you.

I had a fantastic meal at the newly one-starred Le Ciboulette in Annecy instead. The restaurant was two minutes from my hotel. For the amuse-bouches, I was delighted with a large skewer of snail with a potato, another skewer with a chunk of smoked salmon and a delicious tomato cake. Pure heaven. For my appetizer I had large langoustines with tiny pillows filled with pork. The pillows are called and I remember discovering these delights at Marc Meneau's restaurant, L'Esperance. Basically, they are deep fried dumplings filled with something delicious.

For my main course I had the best veal of my life. Côte de veau de Simmenthal grillé, with squid tagliatelles (not pasta but squid ribbons) and a thin sauce of capers garnished with capucines (nasturtium flowers). With this came a martini glass filled with wild mushrooms.

I had a favorite Burgundy wine with my meal: a white Volnay Premier Cru En Caillerets, Domaine de la Pousse d'Or Patriuck Landanger 2004. Heaven.

I opted to skip dessert because I knew there would be delicious mignardises, chocolates and cookies with my coffee. This was was my favorite meal of my stay and came to about 80 euros without wine and dessert.

The next day, I took a bus to Talloires to dine at the Auberge du Père Bise. Many years ago, this restaurant had 3 stars but after Père Bise died, the rating went down. I believe that his daughter oversees the restaurant now and it still has a wonderful reputation. I had heard about it for years from my cooking teachers in Boston. I was excited to go because I knew it would be classic cuisine (delicious food) and a beautiful setting.

The restaurant was wonderful. I had a table that looked out at the lake and the Alps and was very pleased. The amuse-bouche was small and lovely: a custard of tomato with a basil sauce and a caramel of tomato--tomato reduced so that it gets sugary and caramel-y. I had this with a glass of Deutz champagne. A wonderful beginning.

Often, I opt for two 1/2 portions for my appetizers so that I can taste more of the restaurant's offerings. Here, I had a small portion of sautéed foie gras with white beans, chanterelles and a smokey jus flavored with bacon. With this I had a sweet wine: Jurançon Moelleux Clos Gassiol 2006--wonderful wine-food marriage and delicious. Then I had a 1/2 portion of the signature Ecrevisse en Gratin (in an Armorican sauce with tomato and cream). I was served a tiny casserole dish chock full of the succulent écrevisses--crawfish. This was terrrific and went well with the wine I chose for my next courses: a red Madiran Tonus of Alain Brumont 2003. My main course was Venison with a turnip mousse, carrots, chestnuts, cèpes, and Brussels sprouts: a perfect fall dish.

I usually pass on the cheese course but not in this region. And I had some of my red wine to consume, so I did spring for the cheeses and chose those from the area: Beaufort d'Alpage (along with camembert my favorite cheese), Tomme des Vosges, and Reblochon of course. This came with an assortment of home made breads from which I chose a pain de campagne.

For a lovely close to the meal, there were lots of mignardises with coffee as well as two dessert chariots. The first had choices of sorbets, ice creams and their sauces. And the second cart was devoted to cakes and tarts. I had the restaurant's specialty: the Marjolaine--a cake layered with different butter creams in between crunchy nougats and cakes. It is very difficult to make but easy to eat!! It is superb. There were also other chocolate cakes and fruit tarts and everything looked and tasted lovely.

This was the most expensive meal of my stay and came to about 150 euros without the wines. It was a truly memorable experience.

My favorite inexpensive restaurant was La Coupole where I had a delicious salad of jumbo shrimps and scallops. The seafood had been grilled and the salad was flavorfully seasoned. The bread was excellent. All this for 15 euros. It is one of the restaurants at the end of the canal and on Sundays part of the extensive market is parked out in front.

I promised myself that I would go to Annecy again next summer for a few days of sun and swimming. There are many low-cost restaurants to try and I must save room for that tartiflette!!