lookinfg for...........

[10538]

being a lover of both French cuisine AND bbq (only southern as in pork) i can only say: "who would go TO europe for a hamburger and/or bbq???????????????

No, but if you're in Europe, you might want it. Two years I went to China with a professional group where we were provided with all my meals by our Chinese hosts. For 2-1/2 weeks we had the most wonderful Chinese food three times per day. When the trip ended in Shanghai and we had a day to ourselves where we could choose our own restaurant, the entire group headed for the closest hamburger joint. It may not have been the best burger I ever had (far from it), but it may have been the most appreciated.

Incidently, if you want to try a really bizarre interpretation of an American burger, try Harry's Bar in Venice. You'll get what is, essentially a cooked patty of their steak tartare (i.e., somewhat chunky) on toast with a sauce that attempts to imitate (fairly successfully) McDonald's Big Mac Secret Sauce.

 

[franca]

I remember the "hamburger" I ate in Slovakia. I'm not sure what it was, but it was not a hamburger, that's for sure. The meat resembled ground ham more than it did ground beef, which I think it was.

 

[Monk]

Well, they called it a "ham" burger, didn't they? (Maybe it was simply a translation issue.)

 

[EHHa]

Benoit Paris v. NY

This post would be so much more useful if you could tell us how it differs.

fair question/observation: AMBIANCE for starters. the "frenchness" of the menu. the service, not obtrusive and clearly long-time professional waiters, the decor - typically french, hands-on owner-operated until Ducasse, specialities a la maison; is this enough for u, or do u require more definition?

 

[EHHa]

French - Chinese - hamburgers........

No, but if you're in Europe, you might want it. Two years I went to China with a professional group where we were provided with all my meals by our Chinese hosts. For 2-1/2 weeks we had the most wonderful Chinese food three times per day. When the trip ended in Shanghai and we had a day to ourselves where we could choose our own restaurant, the entire group headed for the closest hamburger joint. It may not have been the best burger I ever had (far from it), but it may have been the most appreciated.

Incidently, if you want to try a really bizarre interpretation of an American burger, try Harry's Bar in Venice. You'll get what is, essentially a cooked patty of their steak tartare (i.e., somewhat chunky) on toast with a sauce that attempts to imitate (fairly successfully) McDonald's Big Mac Secret Sauce.

LOL!!!!!! imagine "IF" you LIVED in China??????? chinese food 24/7

 

[justlooking]

You're certainly right about the difference in SERVICE between Benoit Paris and Benoit NYC.

 

[JXM]

it not only would be fair, but also would be quite interesting to hear a "parisian" view!

Was my first trip to Paris so I can hardly give a Parisian view...I ate at a couple few places, a couple of them very good, only one of them French. I had a great Sushi dinner Saturday night. Had a very good sampling of both beef and seafood tartare, and spent a bunch of time in the Jazz Club at Le Meridien Etoile where I was staying. Overall I loved the vibe in Paris...

 

[JXM]

I remember the "hamburger" I ate in Slovakia. I'm not sure what it was, but it was not a hamburger, that's for sure. The meat resembled ground ham more than it did ground beef, which I think it was.

Last night I had a "tenderloin burger with rosemary" that was fantastic in India. Strangely enough, inside the 5 star hotels I was told it is "ok" to serve beef. It was quite tasty.

 

[EHHa]

French???

Was my first trip to Paris so I can hardly give a Parisian view...I ate at a couple few places, a couple of them very good, only one of them French. I had a great Sushi dinner Saturday night. Had a very good sampling of both beef and seafood tartare, and spent a bunch of time in the Jazz Club at Le Meridien Etoile where I was staying. Overall I loved the vibe in Paris...

JXM, can't be true????? i "assumed" you were either Parisian or a gourmet, but to travel to paris and eat sushi, etc ---- heresy did you dine at anyplace interesting?

 

[JXM]

JXM, can't be true????? i "assumed" you were either Parisian or a gourmet, but to travel to paris and eat sushi, etc ---- heresy did you dine at anyplace interesting?

Thursday I ate at Brassierie La Lorraine, had a very nice meal including 3 different types of French oysters and a tartare that was a mix of salmon and sea bass. A bottle of Louis Latour as well...very nice.

Friday night I went for sushi, at the behest of a girl from sugardaddyforme.com who really didn't want French food. The name escapes me, but it was off of Champs-Elysees on George V on the left. Top notch. (I wouldn't have picked it either but when you are chasing ass...)

I did eat at a bistro Friday afternoon on Champs-Elysees, decent food, a good (but not great) beef tartare.

Walked around all day Saturday, before returning to the hotel. Had dinner in the Jazz Club. A very nice beef tartare as well as a shrimp dish and large quantities of Laphroig.

 

[EHHa]

ah Paris........

Thursday I ate at Brassierie La Lorraine, had a very nice meal including 3 different types of French oysters and a tartare that was a mix of salmon and sea bass. A bottle of Louis Latour as well...very nice.

Friday night I went for sushi, at the behest of a girl from sugardaddyforme.com who really didn't want French food. The name escapes me, but it was off of Champs-Elysees on George V on the left. Top notch. (I wouldn't have picked it either but when you are chasing ass...)

I did eat at a bistro Friday afternoon on Champs-Elysees, decent food, a good (but not great) beef tartare.

Walked around all day Saturday, before returning to the hotel. Had dinner in the Jazz Club. A very nice beef tartare as well as a shrimp dish and large quantities of Laphroig.

merci for the overview. for some odd reason, have never been able to feast on raw oysters, although champagne and oysters sounds like a match made in heaven. clams, oui, but oysters, non. admittedly, clams don't have the same romance.

how was the scene? have only gone when married, so never able to sample the sites, thankfully, i live french food, not a great sub, but can live with next time you go, will be happy to supply a few bistros you may enjoy

 

[EHHa]

ah, Paris..... timed out - UG should fix

Thursday I ate at Brassierie La Lorraine, had a very nice meal including 3 different types of French oysters and a tartare that was a mix of salmon and sea bass. A bottle of Louis Latour as well...very nice.

Friday night I went for sushi, at the behest of a girl from sugardaddyforme.com who really didn't want French food. The name escapes me, but it was off of Champs-Elysees on George V on the left. Top notch. (I wouldn't have picked it either but when you are chasing ass...)

I did eat at a bistro Friday afternoon on Champs-Elysees, decent food, a good (but not great) beef tartare.

Walked around all day Saturday, before returning to the hotel. Had dinner in the Jazz Club. A very nice beef tartare as well as a shrimp dish and large quantities of Laphroig.

merci for the overview. for some odd reason, have never been able to feast on raw oysters, although champagne and oysters sounds like a match made in heaven. clams, oui, but oysters, non. admittedly, clams don't have the same romance.

how was the "scene"? have only gone when married, so never able to sample the sites. always read about how conservative french girls/women are and very difficult to meet, particularly if don't have a working knowledge of french. not referring to working girls, which only need euros, not language skills, but not familiar with that scene at all. thankfully, i love french food, not a great substitute, but can live with

next time you go, will be happy to supply a few bistros you may enjoy

 

[JXM]

She was a Belarussian that had been living in Paris for 6 years, so not your typical Parisian. She was really looking for "love" (why on a sugardaddy site? who knows?), so while I got a little bit of action Friday night (we met in the afternoon and then decided to have dinner later), I think she was just being spontaneous and we did get along. She didn't want anything financially, so I gave her nothing, and she said she'd be happy to see me again if I come back to Paris, but in reality I think she meant to hang out and not to have sex, if that makes any sense.

So score one in the NP4P column for me, but was not nearly as satisfying as most of my P4P encounters that I cultivate in the "non" or "semi-pro" realm.

In fact, I passed up seeing a pro that probably would have fucked me up and down the Eiffel Tower to hang with this girl, and while in some respects it was nice having a tour guide (and I get enough P4P sex anyway), I do feel like I missed out and will have to figure out how to score with her on my next trip.

 

[EHHa]

Paris

She was a Belarussian that had been living in Paris for 6 years, so not your typical Parisian. She was really looking for "love" (why on a sugardaddy site? who knows?), so while I got a little bit of action Friday night (we met in the afternoon and then decided to have dinner later), I think she was just being spontaneous and we did get along. She didn't want anything financially, so I gave her nothing, and she said she'd be happy to see me again if I come back to Paris, but in reality I think she meant to hang out and not to have sex, if that makes any sense.

So score one in the NP4P column for me, but was not nearly as satisfying as most of my P4P encounters that I cultivate in the "non" or "semi-pro" realm.

In fact, I passed up seeing a pro that probably would have fucked me up and down the Eiffel Tower to hang with this girl, and while in some respects it was nice having a tour guide (and I get enough P4P sex anyway), I do feel like I missed out and will have to figure out how to score with her on my next trip.

sounds like it was "worth" the afternoon. since you always have the P4P option, and why not spent a leisurely afternoon and dinner?? as to the Paris P4P, how does it compare to NYC?

 

[JXM]

sounds like it was "worth" the afternoon. since you always have the P4P option, and why not spent a leisurely afternoon and dinner?? as to the Paris P4P, how does it compare to NYC?

Since I didn't indulge, I can only conjecture, although it did seem that there was plenty of upscale girls to chase, but they were pricey. The couple I did contact seemed to be worth the tariff, but you can find that type easily enough in NYC as well.

Since my NYC game is rooted in CL pickups and SD lite arrangements, we are talking apples and oranges.

 

[franca]

Le Bateau Ivre

I usually don't eat much before a paid date (unless it's a dinner date, in which case we usually go to a nice place that serves several courses), so when it's late at night, and I just finished having sex for a few hours, I'm often ready for some food and some wine. Based on the recommendation of more than one UG poster, I recently visited Le Bateau Ivre.

EHHa, I would say that this is a good place to have a glass or three of wine after work, and possibly a meal--as long as you don't order what I ordered. I should have known better than to order the duck confit at that late hour. Then again, Le Bateau Ivre should have known better than to serve it too me. Or, they should have prepared it again for the late crowd. The duck had been sitting out waaaaay too long, and the meat was pretty well fucked.

On the plus side, when I felt like having a glass of champagne, I asked the bartender what would be good to drink that particular evening (as in, what was moving fast enough that it would still be good), he recommended a champagne that he opened fresh in front of me.

Since you seem so terribly concerned with the authenticity of a French bistro in New York, I can tell you that everybody working there at that time was a native speaker. It was too loud to hear them that well, so don't ask me to place the accents.

As far as I'm concerned, this is a late-night restaurant, and not a place I would go out of my way to visit during normal dinner hours. If I were not going out of my way, I'd be totally ok with having some wine or whatever. The wine selection by the glass is better than most places. I may go again some late night when I am hungry, and order something or other from the grill.

 

[EHHa]

Paris

Since I didn't indulge, I can only conjecture, although it did seem that there was plenty of upscale girls to chase, but they were pricey. The couple I did contact seemed to be worth the tariff, but you can find that type easily enough in NYC as well.

Since my NYC game is rooted in CL pickups and SD lite arrangements, we are talking apples and oranges.

what IS the comparable rate in Paris vis-a-vis the $200-400 girls in NYC? and, congrats on finding CL productive? seems like a big waste for the few morsels? "SD"???

 

[EHHa]

Le Bateau Ivre

Le Bateau Ivre

I usually don't eat much before a paid date (unless it's a dinner date, in which case we usually go to a nice place that serves several courses), so when it's late at night, and I just finished having sex for a few hours, I'm often ready for some food and some wine. Based on the recommendation of more than one UG poster, I recently visited Le Bateau Ivre.

EHHa, I would say that this is a good place to have a glass or three of wine after work, and possibly a meal--as long as you don't order what I ordered. I should have known better than to order the duck confit at that late hour. Then again, Le Bateau Ivre should have known better than to serve it too me. Or, they should have prepared it again for the late crowd. The duck had been sitting out waaaaay too long, and the meat was pretty well fucked.

On the plus side, when I felt like having a glass of champagne, I asked the bartender what would be good to drink that particular evening (as in, what was moving fast enough that it would still be good), he recommended a champagne that he opened fresh in front of me.

Since you seem so terribly concerned with the authenticity of a French bistro in New York, I can tell you that everybody working there at that time was a native speaker. It was too loud to hear them that well, so don't ask me to place the accents.

As far as I'm concerned, this is a late-night restaurant, and not a place I would go out of my way to visit during normal dinner hours. If I were not going out of my way, I'd be totally ok with having some wine or whatever. The wine selection by the glass is better than most places. I may go again some late night when I am hungry, and order something or other from the grill.

WOW!! finished 3h of sex!! you must be on a viagra-levitra-cialis cocktail!!!!

been to Le Bateau, and although agree with you re: more French spoken than normal. it's quite pretentious. if that doesn't bother you, then it's a fun place, albeit small as in claustrophobic. after work, less crowded, and have had several glasses of wine from a very good wine list. oddly, have never eaten there, either there too early, or too late, maybe next time, but hate going places "to dine" when crowded and dining area very small and tables very close. surprised the duck confit was allowed to fester, not a good sign, regardless when you go! confirms my feeling this place is run rather haphazardly.

note your sarcasm, but ok; and yes i would like to see a bistro in NY run by french people, a french chef, etc, etc....but i know that's too much to ask. resigned to putting up with the faux bistos that exist, and continue the search. at the end of the day, it "seems" there are only a few, unfortunately none geographically located between work and home. be great if there was even a faux bistro in my neighborhood, but c'est la vie....

 

[JXM]

what IS the comparable rate in Paris vis-a-vis the $200-400 girls in NYC? and, congrats on finding CL productive? seems like a big waste for the few morsels? "SD"???

Not sure there is a comparable. All I could really find were higher end girls that would probably be in the 600+ range in NYC.

CL is completely not a waste, depending on what you want, and depending on how you play it. But it takes a long time to hone your skills.

SD = SugarDaddy

 

[nychelsea]

Bateau Ivre

I have never found the place to be pretentious. In fact, I like it as a non-wallet breaking alternative. The wine list is excellent, and if you stay pretty simple on the menu, the food is pretty good.

Every woman I've taken there loves the place bec. I tell them it is very Parisian (little do they know!).

Bon appetit,

Chels