Places, people, things Jordi likesen-ushttp://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797180MapBuilder.Net1424149Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797020 7229 219 www.sallyclarke.com Here's a little story. While driving through South Dakota, Alex and I, who'd been subsisting on a steady, deadly diet of Dairy Queen and TGI Friday's (there WAS no other alternative), happened upon a terrific little restaurant serving fresh, seasonal, local, organic produce. On the wall were decorative clocks set to different times worldwide, with the names of inspirational restaurants residing in that time zone underneath. The San Francisco clock said Zuni Cafe; the New York one said Balthazar or something. The London one said Clarke's. &Clarkes is the deli next door. 'Nuff said?41.631332 -72.77573841.631332-72.7757381429975Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797415 775 1550 Life is unfair, and that is why restaurants like 1550 Hyde are a dime a dozen in San Francisco and too few and far between anywhere else. I've forgotten what we ate here, but it was fresh and satisfying, just like some of the things on the menu right now: 'happy boy farms watermelon with armenian cucumber, feta and almonds,' 'soft cooked egg with grilled bread, haricots verts and salsa di coniglio,' 'grilled hoffman gamebirds' chicken with umbrian grass peas, wild rice, purslane and romesco,' and so on.37.795329 -122.41806737.795329-122.4180671424279Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797212 529 3914 The tea's not that exciting but the place is always packed with people working and meeting, it feels like San Francisco in there.40.725652 -73.99310340.725652-73.9931031429976Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Back in my 'I'm a jogger' stage I used to run by this place and gaze wistfully at the people inside, enjoying their sandwiches and pastries. One day, I came to my senses and went in. Now, I've forsworn jogging and welcomed pastries. We're all much the happier for it. 41.849621 -71.39472141.849621-71.3947211424168Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Gorgeous shop in a great little college town.45.40149 11.87574345.4014911.8757431424187Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Andy Kahmann has a hundred-year-old printing press and loves it so much he infects others with his enthusiasm. Plus, the things he prints are beautiful: woodcuts, community notices, decorative postcards, ironic signs. Funny, irreverent, eccentric, artistic....a gem 44.944254 -95.72393244.944254-95.7239321424232Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.simon-a.com Two levels of kitchenware, but more hotel-y48.86499 2.34502548.864992.3450251424218Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Yes, there is a substantial amount of irony in the fact that I bought my copy of "The Foodie Handbook" from a disheveled ex-hippie who runs a bookstore he allowed an artist to re-arrange by color for three months in 2005. Or maybe that just makes me pathetic.37.764846 -122.42338837.764846-122.4233881429977Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Gorgeous, if expensive, black sole in drawn butter. Ambiance negligable but perhaps part of the package.51.955721 -7.85014551.955721-7.8501451429978Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797718 783 4565 Every bit as good as my high expectations set it up to be, even if I humiliated myself by ordering the 'nudi,' an apparently nonexistent menu item that had been recommended. "Honey, we don't do nudies here," the server drawled. 40.675169 -73.98129440.675169-73.9812941429979Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A lot of people will tell you this is the best restaurant in Providence. Personally, I'd rank it second (see New Rivers), but I've got to give it to them, the wood-fired pizzas are out of this world. 41.817101 -71.40088441.817101-71.4008841424169Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Like a farm shop for Le Calandre, only set in a dirty, boring suburb of Padova. Because it's Italy, though (have you ever seen their highway rest stops? Parma ham and ripe melon--Toto, this ain't Little Chef), this neighborhood bodega sells Incredible cured meats available for paper-thin slicing, beautiful Italian cheeses, and crusty, gorgeous bread. Wish I had one of these in my 'hood.45.42145 11.8097545.4214511.809751424137Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Tremendous ham, made by literally THE NICEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED, who looks more like Jimmy Carter than even Jimmy Carter does.35.448559 -84.44817235.448559-84.4481721429980Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.allenanddelancey.net The first apartment I ever lived in in New York City was a tiny, rat-infested shithole in a wholly Chinese building on Allen & Delancey. One could not be in my bedroom and not also on the (single) bed. It wholeheartedly sucked. Now, the trendiest restaurant in New York occupies that very same corner of town. Whoda thunk. Beautiful place, great food. 40.719626 -73.99059940.719626-73.9905991429981Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797My first waitressing job happened at this diner, working the breakfast shift. I learned menu shorthand; worked a soda fountain and poured malteds; refilled napkin canisters and sorted flatwere. There were red vinyl booths and a jukebox that played the Four Tops and the Shirelles. One old regular always tipped a quarter. Coffee came in bottomless pots.25.733637 -80.28678325.733637-80.2867831424245Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Clothes shop in Durango 37.27462 -107.88030637.27462-107.8803061424194Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I am such a sucker for paper stores, but I wonder how the hell this precious place (despite how pretty everything is) can make a living?!41.903019 -87.6717741.903019-87.671771424262Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The Macroom Oats of South Carolina: Old-syle stone-ground grits, proudly made the slooow way.34.004999 -81.02147634.004999-81.0214761424281Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797During my two ill-fated weeks as a paid blogger, I spent my life here, pirating the Internet connection.40.747056 -73.99561440.747056-73.9956141424197Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I embarassed myself in this bookstore by buying so many books. If memory serves, I bought a book on polka dots, one on fabulously rare things, one on antique maps, and one on treehouses of the world. Awesome.40.770076 -73.96211140.770076-73.9621111424085Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797These guys take their cheese, and their partying, seriously.40.74632 -73.98260740.74632-73.9826071424150Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797212 674 7500 A massive, air-conditioned (thank god!) warehouse of really terrific wines. Easy to get lost in there, though, you ain't shit if Chris isn't by your side. Look him up and get wining. 40.728254 -73.99279140.728254-73.9927911429982Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797312 377 2002 Mateo and I came here for dinner, not really expecting that much (I wasn't, anyway). What we found blew us away. Small plates, cheese, hip service, good looks--but most of all, it was delicious. Piquillo peppers, olive-oil-braised octopus, housemade giardiniera�lead the way, dudes! 41.884059 -87.64321741.884059-87.6432171429983Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Peter Hoffman's East Village venture: gets nearly everything right. If I hadn't left New York right after it opened, it would quickly have become my favorite restaurant. 40.727902 -73.97913840.727902-73.9791381429984Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797If it surprises you that the best bagel sandwich in Providence comes from Mexicans, think again. On most Sunday mornings--okay, afternoons--of my college career it was the thought of a sesame-with-egg-and-cheese that hauled me out of bed. 41.823508 -71.39874841.823508-71.3987481429985Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The business card has no address, but just says "now open on Sundays. Look for new items: cupcakes snickerdoodles sticky buns. COMING SOON: rhubarb pie." The best fried chicken sandwich I've ever had, especially eaten off an ironing board. Great vibe. Genius concept. It made my whole day.37.83718 -122.26224637.83718-122.2622461424183Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.bbar10.com Lizzie and I got lost and asked for directions here, and they were so nice I took a card so I'd remember them forever. The chick's mom was a sustainable building instructress who probably wears the same size cowboy boots44.451535 -89.29627144.451535-89.2962711424104Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This was the first time I'd ever been to a karaoke bar. Of course we signed up to sing. Turns out there was actually a private party going on to celebrate a young local girl who'd just released a CD. We were actually the only three people there not involved in the party. The budding Aguilera sang a couple songs, and somehow all of a sudden, I was up. I think we ruined the party. 43.945495 4.80566443.9454954.8056641429986Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797http://www.awaitingtable.com/about/4menu_newsletter/2005September.htm The summer I spent in Lecce has, with the passing of time, become cloaked in rose-tinted nostalgia, and Antonio's granita probably has a lot to do with that. There was limone and there was caffe, made with local caffe Quarto, and either was a great way to start the morning. He made them all by hand and we could have them in the cool, fresh interior, dark despite the brightness outside. 40.01884 18.24007940.0188418.2400791424195Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A cool shop where I almost bought a cool, expensive hat that I would never have worn, not even once. 40.727294 -73.98703440.727294-73.9870341424173Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Cream puffs, filled right in front of you, utterly delicious.40.730473 -74.00197740.730473-74.0019771429987Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Best Olde Jewish Diner in Montreal, or at least the most famous. Ain't New York, but it sure is charming.45.518978 -73.58733445.518978-73.5873341429988Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Who would've thought that one of the oldest and best steakhouses in America--with the biggest wine list in the world--would reside in Tampa, Florida? All the meat is dry-aged for 40 days, the vegetables are grown in the restaurant's garden (not on-site), and if you're cute enough (low threshold though) the sommelier will offer you a taste of port from the 1870s. If you go alone, more sleazy men will try to talk to you than in other high-end restaurants. But you might get a glimpse of the President of Publix, which for a Floridian is Very Exciting.27.931533 -82.4828327.931533-82.482831424190Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Service is slow, but if they can tell you love to bike, they'll do anything for you.40.679874 -73.9680840.679874-73.968081424237Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.birdsnestbooks.com Sometimes the towns you have the least preconceptions about turn out to be your favorites. I knew nothing about Missoula--and yet it was the first town to have BOTH an organic smoothie shop and a great secondhand bookshop in about, oh, four states and five days? I didn't pick up a business card for the smoothie shop, but here's the bookstore. 46.871883 -113.99466346.871883-113.9946631424226Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Used bookstores in the Bay Area belong in a league of their own. Even the worst ones are suprerior to used bookstores nearly anywhere else. This is one of the best ones, right near the Gourmet Ghetto of Chez Panisse and the Cheese Board and Acme and all that. Worth a detour--the staff are interesting, too. 37.880402 -122.26925937.880402-122.2692591424134Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Other than being a luxury hotel and top-ranked restaurant in one of the most beautiful places in the world�..Blackberry Farm is also a "farm." With thousand-dollar dairy door hinges. But anyway. 35.687301 -83.86534635.687301-83.8653461424086Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Unpretentious and cluttered with cheese, Brooklyn at its best40.674445 -73.97541440.674445-73.9754141429989Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797503 226 3394 Probably the best meal I had in Portland, and there's a lot of good eatin' in Portland (my experience is unfortunately only too limited). Plus, they've just hired a fromagere, a tattooed badass named Amanda who is SERIOUS about her cheese, in the coolest possible way. 45.524716 -122.68421245.524716-122.6842121424285Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.bluestatecoffee.com Before this coffeeshop opened, I lived in the dormitory right above where it now stands, which was widely--and fairly--held to be the most unattractive, asocial, ugly piece of '70s architecture in the world. The coffeeshop really improves it. When you buy coffee, you get a token, and there are four buckets in the back, each with causes listed above it, and whichever bucket you throw your token into receives a share of the coffeeshop's profit. Plus, the coffee's good. For this reason and because of Farmstead (Providence's cheese shop), I'd be happy to have gone to college four years later.41.830428 -71.40135341.830428-71.4013531424211Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I haven't been here, but this cookbook shop in Montreal's anglo neighborhood apparently has a great selection of English and French-language books.45.478808 -73.60311345.478808-73.6031131424202Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I never actually made it here, but Slotnick is well known for her knowledge on and collection of antique cookbooks40.734608 -74.00191340.734608-74.0019131424238Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797One of my favorite bookstores in the world and DEFINITELY the best one in Miami, in fact it's one of the best places in Miami. Outdoor seating, big-name events, a little caf�, a terrific selection of books, helpful staff (one of which used to be Alisha), and a terribly kind owner, whose kids I babysat a couple of times. 25.750405 -80.2598425.750405-80.259841429990Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797New York isn't exactly a tapas kind of place, but at Boqueria it does them and they're good even though the whole time you're thinking how much nicer being in Barcelona would be.40.740302 -73.99370840.740302-73.9937081424144Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/607973261500555 http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2004/11/_butcher_origin.html#more When you spend a day making sausage with someone, by the end of it you feel like family. And when you're making a website and putting people on it, you don't forget your family. 49.864676 4.88662749.8646764.8866271424166Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The d�cor isn't great, but these are old-school charcutiers--plus, they're super nice, in an over-the-top Provencal way. 43.787319 4.83200743.7873194.8320071424273Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Ex-Chez Panisse baker comes home to open revolutionary bakery with cheese counter and fantastic coffee. One of their staff ran as a write-in candidate for mayor and said in his stump speech that if he did win, he would keep working at Boulevard. He didn't, obviously, but apparently he did pretty well. LR is supposed to have a fairly strong alternative community--this is definitely their (and the yummy mummies') bakery.34.746879 -92.26586634.746879-92.2658661429991Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797That this restaurant closed is a fucking tragedy. It was, by miles, best meal in town--for about 2.5 seconds. A typical meal at Brana starts with a delicate Key West pink shrimp resting like an odalisque on a dollop of avocado puree, accompanied by such baubles as arctic char roe, hazelnut dust, a hyacinth flower and nasturtium leaf. Next is a rich, house-fashioned torchon de foie gras, with Loxahatchee greens and a Pedro Ximenez puree. After that, a tender piece of cobia fish nestled under a blanket of Tennessee mountain ham and over a bedding of hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and a blue-crab emulsion. The sensory onslaught continues with a truffle-poached capon from Four Story Farms alongside an acorn squash mash, and later, a beautifully tender piece of seared flatiron steak with the most bijou baby vegetables: the sweetness of a turnip, its sister the carrot, and a few leaves of spinach with their blossoms. Two beautiful cheeses from Georgia�s Sweet Grass Dairy arrive, warmed perfectly to room temperature. Dessert comes in two parts: first, a delicate monstera-fruit ice cream and slices of carambola (starfruit) drizzled with Indian River honey, then a thick, moussey chocolate pudding with Jamaican mint ice cream, hazelnut powder and sweet beet puree. The check comes accompanied by tiny Mexican wedding cookies spiced with orange zest, and a few homemade marshmallows dipped in fennel pollen. A menu like this would impress in Berkeley�in Miami, it�s positively radical. When it closed, a fistful of Miamians wept. The rest shrugged, and quickly moved on to the newest 25,000-square foot downtown sensation, which took three years and $25 million to build. In the review of it that appeared a few months after opening, the Miami Herald food critic wrote, �If you�ve got money to burn, why not invest it in first-rate culinary talent? The whole thing put me in mind of a pi�a colada cook-off.� The restaurant is full every night. 25.751914 -80.26038325.751914-80.2603831424201Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Famous with the competitive homemaker crowd in the 70s and 80s (see Betty Fussell), but now that terrifying Fred Bridge has died you don't need armor to come in. Seminal place.40.752175 -73.97277640.752175-73.9727761429992Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Reviewing Brix for CNT was basically an excuse to go visit Fred, but the meal was surprisingly good. Here's my review: "Given the organic inclinations of peaced-out, collegial Flagstaff, it's rather puzzling that a family farm�based eatery took so long to come to town. Since the quiet opening of Brix, however, the area's rafting guides and desert ecologists need look no further for seasonal dishes such as Black Mesa Ranch goat cheese gnocchi or grilled desert sweet shrimp with leek gratin. Nibble a delicious apple-rum spice cake in the softly lit dining room during the winter, but summer warrants a meal outside in the pleasant patio garden (entr�es, $21�$29)."35.200948 -111.64625235.200948-111.6462521424199Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Legendary New York kitchenwares shop, not that exciting anymore though40.730741 -73.99278640.730741-73.9927861429993Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Saxelby again. When Alisha tasted the macaroni and cheese here, she went into such raptures of ecstasy I worried she'd gone into seizures. I was more worried that she wouldn't leave me any mac & cheese, though. I think we ended up ordering another portion for the table. 40.715915 -73.990340.715915-73.99031424224Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.buildersbooksource.com A whole bookstore dedicated to DIY, and because this is Berkeley, it's all sustainable and attractive. It's been going 25 years now!37.869583 -122.30025837.869583-122.3002581424163Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797In the Chelsea market (worth a visit), a paean to all Italian foods, from the mundane to the rarefied. Cheeses and hams and beans and rices and flours galore. The ambiance of a general store. Cool.40.741876 -74.00475240.741876-74.0047521424087Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.burtandfrancies.com This cheese shop isn't open yet, and I've never been there, but I'm going to support them 100%, and here's why. At the American Cheese Society conference in Portland this year, someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "Are you Nathalie?" It was a couple who, months ago, had been strolling around Borough Market as tourists, and to whom I'd sold cheese. Apparently the whole Neal's Yard experience had inspired them so much that they'd resolved to open a cheese shop that would support Wisconsin artisan cheeses! Rock on, guys. 46.810875 -90.81481946.810875-90.8148191424258Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Folk art32.309231 -85.17015532.309231-85.1701551424174Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Oh my god! A cupcakes and coffee place walking distance from my house! Too bad the cakes are undercooked and Alisha doesn't like the frosting. It didn't stop us from polishing off a red velvet faster than either of us could say Scarlett, I don't give a damn.25.704668 -80.2808125.704668-80.280811429999Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I had my first sloppy joe here. I haven't had one since.35.194977 -85.91701435.194977-85.9170141430000Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I spent six days of my life in Bra, and in spite of the fact that my average daily cheese intake at the time could probably be measured in kilograms, not a day went by without gelato from Caffe Converso. In fact one day, I had two. Apparently, there's a picture in the Air France in-flight magazine of my companions and me having the second one. The caption probably says "Fatasses In Italy." 44.696931 7.85338144.6969317.8533811424283Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.caffevita.com Seattle: queen of coffee cities. Vita: king of caf�s. 47.614086 -122.31938547.614086-122.3193851424291Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Tiny and hip, with good-looking people sitting alone reading the paper.51.216703 4.41296851.2167034.4129681429994Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This place is always packed, and not worth the wait, but if by some miracle there's a table for you it's fun to see what brunch for most New Yorkers (the ones who don't know about the Tasting Room) is like: expensive, crowded, not that delicious, but fun anyways. McNally's Midas touch again.40.737361 -74.00395740.737361-74.0039571429995Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.cafedumonde.com People who know me know how partial I am to doughnuts (a birthday party at Krispy Kreme comes to mind). But aside from Thomas Keller's, these are probably the best doughnuts I've ever had. One of my favorite pictures of my sister and I shows us about ten years ago, digging into a stack of these, our grinning faces covered in white powder. 29.95941 -90.06037229.95941-90.0603721424111Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Watch rugby and drink Burgundy, and no one blinks an eyelash. Once the place shuts down, move onto prunelle. After a big night at Le Square, your life expectancy shortens by a year, but it's worth it.47.025986 4.83476247.0259864.8347621429996Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Denis Cotter makes gorgeous cookbooks, comfortable but refined (vegetarian!) plates, and a nice ambience for someone seeking respite from a disgusting day (which happens fairly often).51.897159 -8.48191251.897159-8.4819121429997Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Paragon, where to begin. With the fact that the boss is a monomaniacal, angry lech? That it's the favored place for Providence's European subroyalty (believe it, there are quite a few) to show off its bad manners? That after every weekend the bathroom floors are coated in white dust? That I kind of miss their spinach salad? That, five years after quitting, I have yet to make money in any job I've had since, including those requiring intelligence and principles?41.827989 -71.40062141.827989-71.4006211429998Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The people who run this restaurant are Frenchier than normal French people, which is discombobulating in Miami, and the place is all cheesed-out in Beaujolais Nouveau and Folies Bergeres posters (or that kind of thing). But their brie and pesto baguette is lovely, and their skinny little frites rock my world. 25.703165 -80.28535525.703165-80.2853551424161Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.camellia-sinensis.com These guys have the best job. Being a tea hunter must be so cool.45.514665 -73.56360845.514665-73.5636081424196Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797If there were record stores this cool in Miami, it'd be about 200% better. I have to go all the way to Clarksdale for my Super Chikan???34.201622 -90.57465634.201622-90.5746561424123Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797What used to come to mind when I thought of Connecticut? Darien, Greenwich, Hartford. What comes to mind now? Happy cows, fat cats, and Hooligan. 41.571261 -72.39035341.571261-72.3903531430001Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Here's where you go to brunch when someone else is paying.41.817318 -71.41153741.817318-71.4115371430002Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Kind of like Julian's in Providence, only smaller and less colorful. Eat your eggs at the bar and read the Flemish paper while some filmmaker in sunglasses reads his reviews crossly in the corner. The kind of place that makes you want to drink during the day. Especially when you see how they pour beer (with a knife for the head, etc.)51.214988 4.39441551.2149884.3944151424162Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Figures that the most exotic fruit I've ever seen was in a fruit shop in January in Canada.45.535792 -73.6143145.535792-73.614311430003Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The first time I came here with Maisie the food was good but we were a disaster. Maisie spilled wine on some guy's white button-down, and I broke a glass. The second time I came here was more peaceful, but the food was even better: a fish soup that reminded me of Corsica, something substantial, and a kouing-amann so buttery it erases the memoryof the previous course. I would live near the Gare du Nord just so this would be my neighborhood bistro.48.879448 2.3521548.8794482.352151430004Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This was a lovely, lovely evening.37.879591 -122.26887537.879591-122.2688751430005Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The lac d'Annecy hosts two native fish that are served in restaurants around the lake: the fera and the omble chevalier. Jeffrey Steingarten may like the omble at Marc Veyrat and the Pere Bise (I wouldn't spit on 'em)--but I have really fond memories of Chez Pierre's fera. 45.775904 6.22054245.7759046.2205421424101Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The new French Saxelby; sweet, knowledgeable, tremendous cheese. Great foodie street to stroll, as well.48.890482 2.3342648.8904822.334261424189Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.cocorouge.com I find it really easy to mentally indulge small chocolatiers and trumpet their products as if I liked them, which is true only of a very few. Cocorouge is one of these. Ingredients in their chocolate: Alba white truffle, Tellicherry pepper, leatherwood flower honey from Tasmania, butterscotch caramel made with an 18 year old single malt scotch, 24 karat gold leaf, Turkish rose oil...41.9035 -87.67649641.9035-87.6764961424241Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.cofion.com Cofion is Welsh for "Regards," or the sort of quaint phrase you'd sign a letter with, and also "Rememberances" or "Memories." This place is one of the most exceptional establishments I've ever come across. The tiny little shop, which looks like it's been wedged into its Welsh street corner for a few centuries, is packed, floor-to-ceiling, with used books, Edwardian postcards and cigarette cards. Everything is organized in owner Albie Smosarski's head--the books aren't on shelves but rather stacked in tall, teetering piles on the floor like they would be in a messy house--god bless if you want to look at one near the bottom. The postcards are organized thematically--postcards of birds over here, of maps over there, of bathing beauties in this box, of cliffs in this one, of sand dunes in there. I could spend hours here. 51.67194 -4.69663151.67194-4.6966311424242Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797212 803 5890 At lunchtime on Wednesdays, Midtown Manhattan is akin to Dante's Seventh Circle of Hell. This is an oasis amongst the madness. Although the caf� could be a lot better. What is it with the obsession of spritzing flavored syrups in coffees? 40.7543 -73.98184740.7543-73.9818471424236Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.coltelleriacollinibra.it When I went to Italy to sell cheese for Neal's Yard Dairy at Slow Food's Cheese festival, there was this great little shop full of knives. I ended up buying a chopping knife to bring back to London, which promptly acquired a number of nicks in the blade. It wasn't the knife's fault, my roommates were to blame. Nice knives are not for bashing coconuts. Beautiful shop down a narrow little Bra alley. 44.696067 7.85486444.6960677.8548641424271Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797When I find a place in the South with this kind of coffeeshop near it, I will settle there. Superlative coffee, comfortable sofas, local art for sale and everyone who walks in knows everyone else.37.32224 -109.62573837.32224-109.6257381424116Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797086 21 12 76 http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2004/10/_jam_originally.html#more Philippe & Gilbert Bartholome50.349496 5.45980450.3494965.4598041424209Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A massive complex of eight themed bookstores, each with their own little caf�, set up by a guy who owns a bunch of Pain Quotidien franchises. The cookbook shop's selection here is particularly good. 50.848294 4.43781850.8482944.4378181430006Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The amount of barbecue I ate at Corky's the night I went there might equal the amount of barbecue I have eaten over the course of the rest of my life. If you're going to inflict that sort of pain on yourself though, Memphis is probably the place to do it. 35.107956 -89.88661135.107956-89.8866111424117Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2004/10/_couques_origin.html#more No lie, his couques are disgusting--anybody's would be (the recipe dates back to Roman times. I'm all for tradition, but tastes have evolved). But I admire the fact that Frippiart's still making 'em. He's got a 1920s oven and a 1910 mentality, and you know what? I brought some of his couques back to my grandpa, and he loved them.50.259751 4.91410150.2597514.9141011424088Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The cowgirls did a lot to further the American artisan cheese movement, and their shop in San Francisco's Ferry Plaza as well as up in Point Reyes is a credit to cowgirls everywhere.38.067641 -122.80817338.067641-122.8081731424151Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.crockettcreek.com Most beef jerkey sucks. Crockett Creek's doesn�t (stick to the plainer flavors). But making your own jerky, as Crockett Creek's inspired me to do, is actually a no-brainer.35.618026 -84.19583435.618026-84.1958341424152Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.culinairesf.com I cannot believe I've never noticed this shop before. I wanted everything in it until I realized nothing was under a thousand dollars.37.813649 -122.31533537.813649-122.3153351424179Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:52 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A store that has specialized in artisanal cognac (150 kinds) and pineau des Charentes (70 kinds) for something like 20 years. Amazing!51.218 4.39794451.2184.3979441424186Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.kookboekenleslokaal.nl Never been here, but the lady who owns it came into KA&L one day and gave us her card. I always meant to go someday.52.356991 4.89724852.3569914.8972481430007Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I've always wanted to eat here, and someday I will. Until then, I will keep longingly stalking the menu online. I have, however, been to the pizzeria next door, and that was totally delicious.37.761556 -122.42442137.761556-122.4244211430008Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I thought the meal was terrific, and at the end of it Dennis Foy came in from the street and saluted the dining room. Oh well, at least he has a good sous-chef. 40.719638 -74.00384640.719638-74.0038461424247Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Ain't much to get excited about in Fredericksburg, which is cute enough, but this Germanically named kitchen shop is one (I bought a green teapot, if I remember well). Good selection of books, lots of gadgets, and was this the place that sells ice cream sandwiches too? 30.273143 -98.86966130.273143-98.8696611424159Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Why did it take us so long to recognize how great Spanish products are? This shop has about 200 reason in it to return.40.720949 -73.99796640.720949-73.9979661424253Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Everything Dinosaur. The sort of place you see billboards for that start 80 miles before you actually get there. So OF COURSE you have to stop. And then you end up buying $45 of dinosaur-related gag gifts and knicknacks, all of which will break or get lost or disintegrate as soon as you re-enter the highway. 37.136016 -85.98146337.136016-85.9814631424164Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Smoked fish galore. Fish is a good gift, right?47.753307 -90.32733647.753307-90.3273361424277Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797People talk about it. I like the name.32.848478 -96.7877732.848478-96.787771424191Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797212 243 0068 Kiss is your woman here. She'll dye your hair blue, she'll dye your hair purple, she'll dye it back to blond (but not anything like your blond). And you'lll keep coming back to her.40.736993 -73.99289240.736993-73.9928921430009Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Suggested by Southern foods guru and all around Bad Girl LeAnne Gault and as such gospel.33.157384 -87.51685233.157384-87.5168521424146Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.e-dehillerin.com A massive warehouse of kitchen utensils, from the thumb-sized tart tins to the hugest motherfucking soup pots you'll ever see. Hard to spot. A crime not to.48.86367 2.34266348.863672.3426631430010Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A family-run joint and Thayer street institution that has been stuffing Brown students with terrific falafel pitas for as long as I can remember. Try as I might, any falafel I have to this day gets measured up to East Side Pockets', and inevitably falls short. 41.829591 -71.40105241.829591-71.4010521430011Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Nice place when it's sunny--extraordinary chicken hash, get it with poached eggs.37.787213 -122.44678937.787213-122.4467891424165Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Great little wine shop in Providence, most recently improved by the addition of a mini-Farmstead cheese shop.41.82296 -71.41253341.82296-71.4125331424181Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:52 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Yes this is the tea shop next to the bar where I left my phone one night (The Hairy Canary), but it belongs here anyway because it is very beautiful, not just because they offered me warm air while I waited for the pub to open.50.84448 4.38380850.844484.3838081430012Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Not only the best meal I ever had in the Midwest--one of the best meals I've ever had, ANYWHERE.43.07615 -89.38386843.07615-89.3838681424124Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.easybeanfarm.com What these folks are doing is nothing short of a revolution, and there is a growing army of them. Tikkun Olam for sure. Check them out. 45.095202 -95.78656245.095202-95.7865621424284Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.buonitalia.com Fabulous little pastries and sandwiches and (most of all), breads; lots of attitude.40.719032 -73.98509240.719032-73.9850921424233Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797An Ali Baba's cave of kitchenware hidden in Philly's Italian market, right next to diBruno's and a shop that sells cane-sugar Coca-Cola in glass bottles. 39.937429 -75.15819139.937429-75.1581911424089Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.farmsteadinc.com I spent four years in Providence, and these fuckers didn't think to open until a few months after I'd moved out. Why? Why? Why? Thankfully, Farmstead's presence gives me another reason to go back. And now that they�ve opened their caf�, La Laiterie, selling four types of Shawn E. Hill beer from Vermont (on tap!) and healthy, appetizing cheese and charcuterie plates, I am seriously considering going back to Provi for a master's. The day I left my laptop on a New York City bus I came here, disconsolate. I left drunk and smiling. I'm forever in their debt. http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/tl-reports-dynamic-duos41.829069 -71.38823741.829069-71.3882371424142Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Great little simple cow's milk cheeses: tomme, Colombier, faisselles47.120387 4.50509647.1203874.5050961424148Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A fish shop that smells clean is rare and beautiful. These guys also have a little caf� that serves nice food (fish, obviously), and the prices are far from outrageous. Too bad the shop I'd like to claim as my neighborhood fishmonger's is a fucking ocean away.51.706409 -8.5244451.706409-8.524441424228Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Ronald hates it, but this is the Belgian Pottery Barn.50.841363 4.35450850.8413634.3545081424171Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Now what could possibly sound better than that?45.407438 11.87750645.40743811.8775061424094Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Sweet shop, sweet manager, sweet products, only after my mandatory stop at Saxelby I've blown the budget so I just stop by and pick at all the tasters.40.719408 -73.9877540.719408-73.987751424090Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.formaggio-kitchen.com I hate Boston, but Cambridge somewhat redeems it, and Formaggio Kitchen definitely does. Owner Ihsan Gurdal and his sweet Miami wife Valerie travel the world in search of tasty nibbles, and bring the riches back. Not only is the staff knowledgeable and charming, they put little tasters out everywhere, no doubt understanding that one bite of Wiltshire Tracklements jam will lead to a lifelong addiction.42.381498 -71.13388542.381498-71.1338851424125Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The start of summer in Providence, RI? Strawberry picking at Four Town Farms41.737903 -71.32983641.737903-71.3298361430013Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.frankies457.com My friend Anne Saxelby has exceptional taste in restaurants, although I didn't know it when we went to Frankie's, which is the first place we ever had dinner. Disregarding the latter part of the evening, spent ill-advisedly on a bicycle in Red Hook, I have the feeling Frankie's played a part in cementing our friendship--the food was THAT good. Everything's fresh, in season and home-made. When it comes to pasta, that kind of decision-making makes a difference. 40.677458 -73.99827940.677458-73.9982791430014Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797In 2001 I worked as a cook in a Belgian girl scout camp. This involved going three weeks without washing my hair--by the end of my time, it had matted into one gigantic dreadlock that had to be shorn off by a barber. I was real novice, especially at cooking over propane and campfires. Our last meal had me driving down to the local village in a busted-ass car whose doors swung open at sharp turns, commandeering fifty orders of frites and a million tiny ketchup packets, driving back like a loon to ensure they stayed hot, and splaying them out on a picnic table. It was the first tasty thing we'd eaten in weeks, and we stuffed ourselves silly. God, that was good. 49.853338 5.69849549.8533385.6984951424175Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:52 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797SUPPOSEDLY Belgian fries. Only everyone in there is Mexican.37.763448 -122.42204337.763448-122.4220431424076Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:54 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The most bijou, chichi cheese shop in Paris, presided over regally by old Mme Barthelemy. Where all the well-heeled Parisian ladies come to strut and shop. Believe it or not, the maturing rooms are under the counter (there's a staircase that goes downstairs). 48.848904 2.29883348.8489042.2988331424077Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:54 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079704 50 45 07 29 My first experience with a cheesemonger was so favorable that I eventually became one! I love you, Mr. Gay.45.902826 6.12496645.9028266.1249661424078Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:54 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This guy's kind of in the boonies, but to my mind this is THE best cheese shop in Paris, and them's not words I'd drop lightly. The maturing rooms downstairs are incredible, the service out of this world, and the cheese--oh the chesese--will blow your fucking mind.48.850598 2.29229548.8505982.2922951424079Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:54 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A slick, boisterous operation that's far more than a cheese shop, run by Marie Quatrehomme, who I think was the first female MOF (Maitre Ouvrier(e) de France), meaning that she was knighted with the equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize for cheese maturers.48.847975 2.31965748.8479752.3196571424080Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The narrowest cheese shop in the world, with a stunning selection of ripe cheeses, amazing maturing rooms under the shop in tunnels that were built as underground passages to the Bastille, and lovely ownership.48.85494 2.36181648.854942.3618161430015Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I can count on one hand the good things about foods that lack bacon, but the butternut-squash-and-black-bean-quesadillas in Providence's premier vegetarian restaurant could convert any carnivore. Plus, they squeeze their own juices and the waiters are cute. But could everybody please get over wheatgrass already? It tastes like fucking soap!41.858071 -71.39185641.858071-71.3918561424157Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.garrisonconfections.com I nearly fell of my chair when I was told that Providence had a special cheese shop, but now they have a chocolatier? WTF??41.849271 -71.39489241.849271-71.3948921424296Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.ghostcityinn.com Clearly better than camping. But nice on its own as well, olde-y furnishings, a friendly breakfast, and an owner who's convinced she's seen ghosts.34.751492 -112.11680934.751492-112.1168091424217Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Only in San Francisco would there be three locations of the biggest, friendliest sex store I've ever seen.37.763257 -122.4217437.763257-122.421741424102Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797My cousin recommended this bar to me--it's a warehouse (used to be a bordello) where you drink fruit wine.50.845342 4.35226450.8453424.3522641424257Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I've gotten really close to visiting twice and been foiled both times, but apparently a Real Big Elvis Fan replicated Graceland and gives tours to people brave enough to knock.34.766543 -89.44635234.766543-89.4463521430016Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I only ate here once, with Caroline, but I loved it: understated, clean-lined cuisine in a tranquil enviroment with respectful, sweet service. They've moved somewhere else, but I bet it's still as good. 41.821972 -71.41586241.821972-71.4158621430017Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A real classic, but deservedly, and innovating constantly. They deserve their fantastic reputation. Great cheese board, lovely ingredients, the Danny Meyer spirit, a huge and well-oiled machine. 40.738369 -73.9885140.738369-73.988511424235Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The new Parisian outpost of Anne Daguin's (Ariane's sister) old-time cookie shop48.872386 2.32475748.8723862.3247571424292Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797ChocoladeCafe. Would love to see this mofo's house.51.217884 4.39858851.2178844.3985881430018Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I haven't actually been here, but Francine, whose taste I trust, likes it here. 31.796066 -106.46111531.796066-106.4611151424272Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797$2 refried-bean taco while my car got washed. They gave me a free calendar on my way out. Cool.31.765948 -106.48667431.765948-106.4866741424113Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Super laid-back, grungy neighborhood bar with a pool table, cheap drinks, late hours, and an astonishing lack of annoying people. Hope it stays a secret. Hope Sheela doesn't mind my plastering it on the Internet.40.722562 -73.98216840.722562-73.9821681424114Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I ended up in this bar a couple of times before I finally realized it was the same bar each time. Gives you an idea of the state I was in by the time I got there. You'll find it to be a laid-back, chatty neighborhood bar, if over-filled with drunk people, one of whom may be me.40.729305 -73.98051840.729305-73.9805181430019Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:44 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Stylin', like Antwerpen.51.216822 4.39536651.2168224.3953661430020Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797There are so many good things to eat in Nice I'm not sure why anyone would come here unless they'd just finished a yoga session on the plage. THEN what you really want is carrot sticks and smoothies. 43.697598 7.25555243.6975987.2555521424126Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797One of the funnest things about going to school in New England was apple-picking in the fall. Apple crumbles for a week!41.853154 -71.55228441.853154-71.5522841424297Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Suprisingly comfortable, with unbelievable views. There is one plane a day in and out of here, except it won't come if there's even one cloud in the sky. That's okay, there are worse places to be exiled.35.887501 71.80027835.88750171.8002781424263Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I really like this magazine, and it sort of baffles me that its headquarters are here, but hey, that's cool.35.079274 -92.45417235.079274-92.4541721424293Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079703 80 24 10 34 www.hoteldefrance-beaune.com Where I stay whenever I'm in Beaune. Slightly run-down but the acceuil is charming and it's right next to the train station, and once in a while it's nice hearing the trains go by in your sleep.47.023045 4.84797647.0230454.8479761424299Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Sweet, comfortable, airy, cheap--a trusty B&R guide stop.43.785839 4.83198943.7858394.8319891424301Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.edenhotel-montmartre.com NICE it isn't, but with a great view of the lush apartments across the street, fairly cheap price, great location near the Hymans and rue Danremont, and a nice acceuil, who's complaining?48.892728 2.3427848.8927282.342781424294Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079704 90 92 51 50 www.hotelphoto.com our B&R pied-a-terre in St. Remy, on the ring road; a modern boutique hotel with windows on a fabulous garden; the best suite even has a treehouse! Great bar, lovely breakfast.43.788195 4.83287743.7881954.8328771424287Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I can't believe this neighborhood has bakeries this twee now. For god's sake, bulk up your chocolate chip cookie. 40.721056 -73.9898840.721056-73.989881430021Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797In googling this restaurant just now I realized it's closed down from lack of traffic, which is really fucking sad because it was trying to serve all-Arkansas produce. I thought it was just okay, but damn, for Little Rock, I was pretty impressed. I guess the town still has a ways to go.34.793887 -92.39994334.793887-92.3999431424256Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I got a tattoo here rather spontaneously. Mike's your man.30.046399 -99.13938130.046399-99.1393811430022Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797La cuisine du sud-ouest, cheap and cheerful and so much more. Surprisingly delicious.48.872285 2.34018748.8722852.3401871424127Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Mateo's farm grows grass, cows, milk, snow, cheese, intoxicants, good-looking babies and fucking great scrambled eggs. Rock on Kehlers.44.576382 -72.29598644.576382-72.2959861430023Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797212 982 3006 Last time I flew into New York I hopped off the plane and right into this basement pub. Good cheer, good cheese, and buckets of beer awaited. Not too busy (at least not the night I was there), not too pretentious, and really good food. Hard to find, though--it's literally in a basement. 40.728104 -73.98841940.728104-73.9884191424203Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I never made it here either, but Joanne Hendricks also sells antique cookbooks and in my book that means she's worth a call. 40.725341 -74.009240.725341-74.00921424282Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797New York's most precious cup of coffee (you can half expect Carrie Bradshaw typing away at the corner). Too bad there's never any space to sit down. I'm a sucker for latte art, though, and hipster baristas.40.734956 -73.99327540.734956-73.9932751430024Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Maybe it's hipstered out to the point of pretension now, but the food is still good, and the d�cor unparallelled, from the action figurines in the bathroom to the random shit hanging from the celing. I have to admit, they've got style, and pour a mean coffee, and sling a bomb-ass sweet-potato hash. THE Sunday-morning spot in Providence to see and be seen.41.820057 -71.42829741.820057-71.4282971430025Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797What is it with English people running terrific Parisian restaurants? This one's a lovely wine bar, teensy, great for an afternoon glass of wine and a plate of charcuterie and cheese (it's one of the only restaurants in Paris serving Neal's Yard Stilton & Cheddar). I got blitzed mid-day; I highly recommend this. 48.866225 2.33716348.8662252.3371631424239Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.kitchenartsandletters.com Aside from perhaps Books for Cooks in London, this is THE best cookbook bookshop I have ever come across, and I always make a point of visiting when I'm in New York, even though it's on the Upper East Side, the equivalent of butt-fuck Egypt as far as I'm concerned. That said, any foodie worth their Himalayan sea salt makes a pilgrimage there, and it's always fun trying to guess the identities of who's browsing... 40.784174 -73.95179140.784174-73.9517911424128Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797German Baptists who come down from Amish Country in the wintertime and bake and sell cinnamon buns at a farmstand in Homestead. An absolute requisite every time I come home to Miami. After all, like my friend Tom says, it isn't Miami if you haven't got your Amish cinnamon buns.25.535698 -80.45106925.535698-80.4510691424200Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I'm watching Kill Bill right now, but I think the sharper Japanese steel comes from Korin40.71648 -74.01135740.71648-74.0113571430026Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Ex-Batali man comes home to cook simple food and own charcuterie in a charming town in the South. Love it!34.368032 -89.51835134.368032-89.5183511424302Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This place isn't open yet, but I've checked out the site and I've tasted Harry Lester's cooking, so it's getting two thumbs up ahead of time.45.348125 3.52079245.3481253.5207921430032Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Eat the cheese that was made from the milk of the cows in the barn underneath the dining rooms, while they eat hay off the fields right outside: it's all one big tasty motherfucking circle. 43.816276 7.50108443.8162767.5010841430033Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797032 968 76 00 http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2005/11/_once_upon_a_ti.html This place is in the mountains above La Chaux-de-Fonds, a frankly depressing village in a beautiful part of Switzerland (La Semeuse coffee comes from there and there's Pierre-Alain Sterchi's terrific cheese shop, but those are the only redeeming factors). But this restaurant. You go, you nibble on saucisson and some cheese, you drink some Neufchatel wine (nearly unfindable outside Switzerland). Then they bring you your fondue, which has a blob of whipped cream the size of your fist on top. You swirl it in. You start eating the fondue. They bring out two (raw) eggs, which are also meant to be swirled in, to make the fondue 'just that much richer.' You keep eating. With about a quarter of the pot to go, the waiter arrives with a bottle of cognac and swirls that in. You nearly explode, while everyone around you breezes on, attacking ice cream sundaes. The secret? A shot of genepi, the local mountain liquor, which settles your stomach and leaves you, if not ready for an ice cream sundae, at least slightly left of the point of suicide. Delicious.47.101866 6.86281447.1018666.8628141424119Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/607973282222899 http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2004/10/_ostrich_origin.html#more This man is a fucking nutcase, but would you imagine a Belgian ostrich farmer being anything else? I spent a day with him slaughtering ostriches, and he told me that when he gets hungry in the woods, he'll eat porcupines. His wife is nice, though. She made carbonnades flamandes with ostrich meat. They must eat a lot of ostrich meat.50.253824 4.95286250.2538244.9528621430027Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The perfect place to while an afternoon away with a laptop on one's lap, feeling very Sarah Jessica Parker, only scarfing down more canneles de Bordeaux.37.798058 -122.42221737.798058-122.4222171424208Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I wish I was one of the four generous, good-looking girls who co-own this place. Their taste is impeccable, they're on a great, understatedly hip street full of good restaurants in an easy, chilled-out Parisian neighborhood, they make little biscuits you can munch on as you browse the most beautiful selection of cookbooks in Paris (excluding the Hymans' of course) and....I can't wait to go back.48.851404 2.38453348.8514042.3845331424178Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:52 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Not a cheese shop, unfortunately, until you realize it's a sweets shop, then the world gets a little sunnier, until you see the prices, when you run out the door.50.834277 4.35611650.8342774.3561161424118Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079732 86 32 23 43 http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2004/10/_cheese_origina.html#more Oh, so you haven't heard of Belgian cheese? Well, there's a reason for that. This guy's is pretty good, though. 50.353621 5.31991450.3536215.3199141430028Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I didn't think the best cheese shop in Providence could get any better, but by adding the little caf� alongside that serves cheese and charcuterie plates, Shawn E. Hill beers on tap, and great service, they did. 41.82912 -71.38822241.82912-71.3882221424107Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Every time I walk by this bar I pop my head in to see whether I recognize someone. Almost every time, I do. My friends are alcoholics. 40.72359 -73.98860440.72359-73.9886041424084Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This guy's cheese cave is actually In A Cave. How Swiss is THAT?47.103551 6.8319347.1035516.831931424081Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797We call her "La Poilue," and she is, this old woman bent from a lifetime of hard work. She sells cheese out of a shed attached to her house, and the pilgrimage that French flies make to it resembles the monarch butterfly migration to Mexico. That said, the cheese is superlative, and sells for prices that make you wonder if ancient cheesemongers are entitled to rent-controlled cheese prices, or what.45.755552 6.28531445.7555526.2853141430029Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797One huge plus of lax border control: good Mexican food in the U.S.37.750884 -122.41805537.750884-122.4180551430030Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Tarte au Deux Saumons, Cr�me Legere a L'Aneth et Huile Safranee; Rable de Lapin Farci au Jus de Persil Plat; Nougat au Roquefort; Palet Moelleux au Chocolat a la Cr�me de Nougat. I think I was seventeen or so. This blew my mind.47.761126 1.61191347.7611261.6119131430031Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Where we had Grand-Pere's 80th birthday. A well-lit room over an old coal mine and slagheap. All things considered, the transformation has been successful. And European caterers work to higher standards than American (overstatement of the year), so the food was good.50.381954 4.44520450.3819544.4452041430034Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079701 43 20 71 01 How M.F.K. Fisher would you feel withering away a rainy Sunday afternoon drinking Sauvignon blanc, slurping oysters, and chain-smoking French cigarettes? Very, mes amis, very. 48.841864 2.32990248.8418642.3299021424298Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Seventy thousand courses, all of them unbelievable, including the glassware.45.421544 11.80977445.42154411.8097741430035Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This used to be run by an English woman called Sue Hunt, but she's gone up, I think, to Brittany. That said, I saw an excellent writeup of the restaurant under its new ownership, and it was bloody good to start with. The one night I came here I was stoned and carrying, I kid you not, an entire pig leg wrapped in dramatically torn newspaper, with a bristly cloven hoof sticking out. Nevertheless we were greeted handsomely, drank some really delectable wine, and ate a meal that would have been mind-boggling even despite the intoxicants. I am sad to say that I ended the evening face-down in a toilet, so Le Chateaubriand's lovely efforts were ill recompensed; the food deserved much better than its ultimate sad end.48.869426 2.37146348.8694262.3714631424103Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Another Amelie recommendation; it's the oldest bar in Brussels. Order "un Chevalier" with cider, it'll come in a foot-long barbell-shaped glass, fat on top and below, hooked into a wooden support. Bottoms up!50.852409 4.35449950.8524094.3544991430036Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797312 280 9100 The olive oil here is scented with over twenty different types of herbs and spices. And yet the place is so understated you'd never know it; like me, you'd just think "mm, that's good," and have another bite. Most people got over French-Vietnamese fusion in the 90s, but as far as I'm concerned, it marries two of the world's tastiest cuisines, and Le Lan is anything but trite.41.896114 -87.63101641.896114-87.6310161424156Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797514 271 3811 www.lemarchedessaveurs.com Incredible Canadian products shop in the Jean-Talon market; everything from maple syrup to ice wine45.536202 -73.61391845.536202-73.6139181424295Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Not only are the rooms really cool, but behind the velvet curtain downstairs are some of the best burgers in town. 40.764761 -73.97823340.764761-73.9782331430037Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.pimentrouge.ca WEIRD and expensive Chinese restaurant in Montreal, but maybe I was just totally stoned45.49886 -73.57052345.49886-73.5705231430038Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079700 32 (86) 499 332 http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2004/10/_autumn_origina.html I came upon the Relais des Arts entirely by chance, while driving through the countryside one day I had resolutely determined to keep to myself, and stopped for lunch after I saw a battery of chickens and geese in the courtyard. I had a lovely house-made pate that mama'd made, roe-deer that daddy'd hunted, and a chocolate charlotte. I was so stuffed after lunch that I had to take a nap in the car, and didn't eat again that day until past midnight. http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2004/10/_autumn_origina.html50.322724 5.57326950.3227245.5732691424303Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Basic but friendly and when it's a sunny day there's nothing more cheering than waking up, opening the shutter and staring up the face of an awesome mountain like les Dents de l'Enfon.45.852298 6.20445945.8522986.2044591430039Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I haven't been here personally, but my trustworthy colleague Jane says "the smallest restaurant in the world, owned by a very cool English guy called Chris with a prodigious talent for cooking fish to perfection!" And I would trust her with things far more serious than restaurant recommendations. Althoughrestaurant recs, to my mind and to Jane's, are serious indeed.48.844231 2.329848.8442312.32981424075Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:54 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.buycheese.com Alice at Les Amis = Vancouver's cheese queen.49.269777 -123.14438649.269777-123.1443861424120Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079700 32 474 519 322 http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2004/11/_chocolate_orig.html#more This guy makes badass chocolate. I predict he opens a Beijing store once his shop in Florenville takes off! 49.780703 5.23750549.7807035.2375051424147Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Roanne is an unexpected foodie haven, and the overt manifestation of its bounties is in the Halles. Check out Herve Mons' goofy brother Laurent's shop, a bakery with an amazing old brick bread oven, and DO NOT LEAVE without one of Francois Pralus' Pralulines.46.05165 4.05367846.051654.0536781424082Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079701 45 26 42 89 I love that you can just walk down a random street in Paris and walk into a random cheese shop that, anywhere else in the world, would stun people with the quality and beauty of its product. In Paris, it's just another random cheese shop. 48.878342 2.3396548.8783422.339651424121Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2004/10/m_lucien_godeau.html#more I wonder what my hobby will be when I'm older. Hopefully I won't pick one that involves probable pain. Oh well, to each their own. And bees do make honey...50.55085 4.41774450.550854.4177441424229Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The Paris equivalent of Kitchen Arts & Letters: order completely hidden unless you're the owner; a mess of books; horrid lighting; chefs with weird facial hair; oddball staff. Give yourself a time limit, and keep the number of times you hit the snooze button low, or else you'll leave with a very light pocketbook.48.866917 2.34419248.8669172.3441921424230Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Just a few doors down fro the Maison Rustique, a gorgeously outfitted bookshop that begs you for more time.48.855136 2.33500848.8551362.3350081424112Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797My favorite New York cocktail bar. It takes ages to get a drink, but when you finally get it, it's the most delicious thing you've ever put in your mouth. Really intimate, I feel like a star every time I come here.40.730145 -74.00477740.730145-74.0047771430040Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Another Saxelby rec that just went RIGHT.40.71792 -73.99031840.71792-73.9903181424215Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.littleotsu.com Only in San Francisco would a store this rad and random exist (just down the street from the legendary pirate store, 826 Valencia). Postcards, diaries, t-shirts--beautiful things.37.759319 -122.42106837.759319-122.4210681430041Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.lolitabyob.com Philadelphia is the best city for good, unpretentious, boisterous, fun BYOB restaurants, and Lolita (haute-ish Mexican) is one of them. Tremendous margaritas, but BYO tequila!39.950152 -75.16188839.950152-75.1618881424198Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Cool Provencal pottery sold on the markets43.865075 4.90260243.8650754.9026021424276Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This place is legendary in NC circles, and I spent about half an hour sitting next to one of the extremely humble owners before I realized she was behind its famous desserts. Nice people, supposedly great food.36.013911 -78.92143636.013911-78.9214361424270Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Fantastic coffee shop that sells really fresh, delicious smoothies and has a superlative collection of magazines in the back. While here, I picked up a copy of Heeb magazine thinking, Who the hell writes for this, and the thing opened to a page filled with Jess Grose. What?37.271324 -107.88140537.271324-107.8814051424206Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I wish I could say I found it as Mme Millet-Robinet would have, but unfortunately now all they sell are gardening books and postcards. I bought some etchings, though, and it was fun to reminisce. Flammarion now owns the Maison Rustique.48.855305 2.33450748.8553052.3345071430042Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Ice creams: leche quemada, nuez, coco, mamey, pistache, tequila, fresa, nanche, beso de angel, membrillo, ciruela, guanabana, ciruela, and so on. When it's a hundred ten degrees out, this is a welcoming menu indeed.17.059417 -96.72162217.059417-96.7216221430043Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797020 7439 4096 It can be tough to eat near Oxford Street. This place does good thin crusty pizzas.42.99013 -81.16361142.99013-81.1636111424290Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Can't comment on the coffee or food, but it's a great place to pick up flyers and learn about what's going on around town.37.812812 -122.26852637.812812-122.2685261424155Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797305 758 0008 WEIRD. Obviously Mafia-run. The closest Miami gets to an upcale food wholesaler. Mom and I sprung for a truffle here, which came seated on rice in a mini jam jar, but we were total suckers: it was dry as a rock. I have the feeling product seldom moves. I have a feeling it doesn't really matter. 25.84788 -80.18306125.84788-80.1830611424122Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797069 84 51 15 There are a few foods in the world that I lose total control with. Vienna Fingers are one. Stroopwafels are another. They're two round waffle-like wafers with a caramel filling. You're supposed to put them on top of your coffee mug and let the steam soften the caramel until when you bite into it, it makes strings. I usually can't even wait that long. Marquette makes the definitive Belgian stroopwafels. Do not leave me alone with a bag of these. 50.611889 3.33024350.6118893.3302431424213Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I love to kill time in this bookstore. An extensive travel section, great taste in magazines, a big cookbook corner, and always some reading in the back by a blind Venezuelan poet or something.40.723471 -73.99597440.723471-73.9959741424275Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The kind of coffeeshop that does latte art but you want to linger in it anyway35.063592 -106.60428635.063592-106.6042861430044Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The second really decent meal I've ever had in Miami. Plus, I was with my dad, who's awesome. 25.813231 -80.19268925.813231-80.1926891430045Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Hometown heroine Michelle Bernstein moved from Azul at the Delano to Michy's, her own place on Miami's "Upper East Side," a really pretentious name for a formerly gritty, rapidly gentrifying stretch of Biscayne Blvd. The food is great for Miami standards--blue cheese and duck croquettes, conch doused in garlic butter like escargots--and the atmosphere is nice and laid-back, even if the decor's a little tacky. Une bonne addresse.25.839232 -80.18428625.839232-80.1842861424246Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797kitchen equipment and ice cream sandwiches 34.366164 -89.51850634.366164-89.5185061424207Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Lame name, gorgeous setup, heaven for amateur molecular gastronomers. A little vacuous for those of us who don't want to spend forty euro on a pipette set.50.828692 4.35558650.8286924.3555861424274Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Decadent Southern desserts, the kind of which you thought only appeared in dreams or LSD trips. Owner Martha Foose (I think?) is really sweet and earnest, the Mary Poppins of banana cream pie.33.519272 -90.18231433.519272-90.1823141424129Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.prairiefare.com/moonstone Richard and Audrey grow grass-finished beef on land that Richard's great-grandparents farmsteaded. They must be among the top five kindest, most interesting people I met this year. 44.964023 -95.77882644.964023-95.7788261424231Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Founded in 1814 and one arm of the triad of great Parisian kitchenwares stores. Still beautiful. I got some bannetons there.48.864301 2.3453648.8643012.345361424180Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:52 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797vanbladel.be Wild & Gevogelte Things! And a Vishandel-Traiteur!51.217508 4.40405351.2175084.4040531424091Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.murrayscheese.com Whatever people might say about Murray's, it is uncontestable that they have some of the best cheese in New York City and some of the most passionate, knowledgeable and fun cheesemongers. I never used to think "Herve-Mons-designed underground cheese caves" when I heard the Simon & Garfunkel song "Bleecker Street," but....now I do.40.73107 -74.00290440.73107-74.0029041424268Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079747.135006 4.48583647.1350064.4858361424251Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I don't know why, but I�m a sucker for museums that feature musical instruments: cymbaloms, balalaikas, double violins, guitarangi da Gamba, sarussophones, shakuhachi flute,s, symphonia, and so on. Wait, did you think I really came up with that list myself? I didn't. Click on the link (which will take you somewhere totally different) to find out what all those things are. Some of them, incidentally, can be found at the Musee des Instruments de Musique in Brussels. 50.842619 4.35895150.8426194.3589511424252Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I'm not even that big a fan of Picasso, but my sister and I spent a really pleasant afternoon here, pacing the canvases and then strolling the neighborhood.48.859686 2.3627448.8596862.362741424141Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797My friend Louella, a living legend in Providence at the age of twenty-five, decided on cheese as her true vocation, and now makes raw-milk cheese a few times a week with milk from local cows. If we all saw as truly as her, the world would be a far better place.41.824492 -71.45336841.824492-71.4533681424222Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.needles-pens.com Zines, art, friendly hipsters.37.764728 -122.42523137.764728-122.4252311430046Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I had a lemon tart at New Rivers and it changed my life. No, seriously. It was so good that I went back a few months later, its tang still lingering on my tongue, and asked for a job. I worked there for my last two years of college, and it's where I became acquainted with good food, cooked right, in every sense of the word: honestly, sustainably, deliciously. I owe them a lot. I went again two years later, and almost all of my colleagues were still there. Now that I think of it, I never got that damn lemon tart recipe off them. It's a reason to go back.41.827182 -71.40986841.827182-71.4098681430047Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This tiny place, with room for ten diners max, did pretty run-of-the-mill breakfasts and lunches, but on Friday nights they did one seating and served an earth-shattering prix-fixe dinner at unbelievable prices. The cooks were just having fun. 41.820538 -71.42620341.820538-71.4262031424286Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Best coffee in town, and I live near it only just long enough to get addicted. 40.725273 -73.97794340.725273-73.9779431424267Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Boat Building, tool making, woodworking, moccasin stitching, Scandinavian flatware carving�.awesome47.753734 -90.32623847.753734-90.3262381430048Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I thought I'd died and gone to New Rivers heaven when I ate here one cold and wintry night. With the check comes a little vellum envelope of seeds. I still have mine in my wallet...41.92996 -87.63627641.92996-87.6362761430052Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797John T likes this place, so next time I'm in St. Aug I'll hit it up29.891582 -81.30080329.891582-81.3008031424138Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Christie Beven & Tom Kiesing/Riesing38.341571 -104.83337138.341571-104.8333711424130Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.oldripvanwinkle.com If 'Old Rip Van Winkle' isn't the perfect name for a bourbon distillery, I don't know what is, but the best thing is, the people who run this place are actually called Van Winkle. No, the best thing is their bourbon. A drink that only ever made me gag, under their auspices, turned into molten manna. 38.204295 -84.87774438.204295-84.8777441430049Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I wish there were an Olga's equivalent in every neighborhood I'll ever live in for the rest of my life. All of the bread, tarts, and pizzas are baked on the premises, and you can enjoy them amidst honeysuckle, newspapers, and wrought-iron benches worked by the owner. 41.816367 -71.40769241.816367-71.4076921430050Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Legendary. Love the cookbook.37.84454 -122.25302837.84454-122.2530281424205Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Stunning flower shop. What style! Like a jungle.48.856741 2.33199848.8567412.3319981430051Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Nice has other olive oil shops that the guidebooks jizz all over, but none of them hold a candle to Oliveira. Nadim Beyrouti, an 'olive oil idealist,' buys only the absolute top Provencal oils from that year's harvest: flavor is paramount. I'd come to write him up for a travel guide, but he didn't know that; nevertheless, he spent a good half hour tasting olive oil with me. I came back for dinner at the little restaurant in the shop. Each of the (inexpensive) dishes is paired with an olive oil, even the tiramisu. I had rabbit with an oil that tasted woodsy, like it'd come from the forest. 43.698208 7.27724443.6982087.2772441430053Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797615 383 9303 I worked my way through a stack of blueberry pancakes here the size of a phonebook, with about as much maple syrup as would fit in a hollow telephone. Across the street is the most remarkable gold statue of Athena that is the largest piece of indoor sculpture in the western world. To give you an idea, the goddess Nike standing in Athena's hand is six foot four. If the Pancake Pantry had made a stack of pancakes as tall as Athena, I'm sure we could've worked out a way to fit those in, too.36.136914 -86.80084636.136914-86.8008461430054Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The receipt says "beer," "beer," and "non-food," but I remember having Mexican food here.35.713755 -84.0225335.713755-84.022531424167Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797"Caramel artesans." We'll see how long they last.40.720582 -73.9964740.720582-73.996471424184Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This shop is so low-key it doesn't even have a business card, so the lady working there wrote their details down on the back of a coupon for a parking rebate at the Vintage Expo, wherever that is. I think I tried on some old hats there. Jerome is worth a visit for many other reasons too.34.751765 -112.11742434.751765-112.1174241424260Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Folk art of the slightly worrying kind: Eddie Owens Martin's apocalyptic prescience30.85049 -83.32879330.85049-83.3287931430055Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797They only do desserts. The banana cream pie is worth a detour.41.824113 -71.42650141.824113-71.4265011424092Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Good American cheese selection, and a great, tiny, tight selection of wines to go with. Here's where Chicago goes right. 41.936232 -87.6440341.936232-87.644031424182Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.pearlriver.com Like Ikea, but Chinese, and everything is smaller and more cheaply made, yet still distinctly appealing.40.721361 -74.00021140.721361-74.0002111430056Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I have no idea how this came onto my radar (have never been there), but it's an old-school Southern lunch restaurant that still fries its chicken in cast-iron pots. Ergo: worth a trip32.769022 -89.10993732.769022-89.1099371424234Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Anne Daguin's fantabulous ancient cookie store, the Provencal outpost43.787526 4.83175343.7875264.8317531424143Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The largest (set of) mushroom farm(s) in America, with something like 80 million (or was it gazillion) pounds of mushrooms sold every year. From Publix's Baby Bellas to Jack-in-the-Box's sauteed mushrooms for burgers to yellow oysters and pom-poms for high-end chefs....talk about running the gamut. 39.830731 -75.70637439.830731-75.7063741424145Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Is the world's best chocolate French? Belgian? French? Belgian? Dunno, but Marcolini would say it's his, and I'd be tempted to agree with him. Then again, there's Francois Pralus�50.841346 4.35388850.8413464.3538881424261Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Barbecue joint filled with Confederate Art33.970085 -81.07764633.970085-81.0776461424106Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I don't know HOW we ended up here, because it isn't marked, but this billiards-and-cigars bar in Barcelona was pretty great. There's a Sherlock Holmes theme and the sign says "Pipa Club: The Best Place." At some point a scrawny teenaged magician came up to us and performed some tricks, just for fun. 41.38025 2.17476541.380252.1747651430057Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Crisp, fresh, thin, steamy, fine. Pizzas topped with poached eggs and pine nuts and sunflower greens and cauliflower and all sorts of things that taste better than they look on paper. You're just going to have to trust me on this one.37.783698 -122.48287337.783698-122.4828731424115Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Gigantic tattoos and powerful drinks make mine a very happy Monday.37.752868 -122.40823737.752868-122.4082371424265Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797212 924 3190 I bought a really expensive vintage coat here that I've never had the confidence to wear confidently. It's a beautiful coat but needs a bigger personality than mine.40.7284 -73.98538840.7284-73.9853881424289Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Latte art and granola. Yay San Fran!37.738953 -122.41768637.738953-122.4176861430058Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Every meal I've had here has been tremendous, but it's more than just the food. I had a blind date here with someone I ended up living with and dating; I had great chats with good friends; the service, if distracted, is still good because you always like the waiter, and the food is good too. Quintessentially New York from the size to the style to the way you feel when you finally sit down and have a look at the menu. Gabrielle Hamilton is a tremendous writer, too.40.723944 -73.98934940.723944-73.9893491424135Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Run by two charming amateurs whose love of goats has turned them into excellent cheesemakers. They stay small deliberately, because they like it that way. I like that.38.629666 -122.88780238.629666-122.8878021424133Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Gutsy little goat's cheese farm run by gutsy little women. 30.227591 -98.16584330.227591-98.1658431424188Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.quimbys.com Chicago truly is the city of quirky, self-deprecating but lovable independent businesses and great bookshops (this is one classic). Why don''t more people know this? 41.910724 -87.67477741.910724-87.6747771424210Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Classy, calming, with a great selection of both new and glorious old cookbooks. If this can survive in a town like Portland, there's hope for humanity yet.45.61383 -122.69096645.61383-122.6909661430059Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Couldn't tell you what this restaurant has that differentiates it from the sixteen other Indian restaurants, all with touts, lining that weird block of 6th st. between 1st and 2nd avenue, but I liked it enough to pick up the card, so it couldn't have been that bad.40.72675 -73.9875540.72675-73.987551424227Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This place isn't that sexy except for the coffee beans all in big canvas bags. 37.800833 -122.27491837.800833-122.2749181430062Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079793 268 30 03 Delicious.41.490877 2.18620641.4908772.1862061424221Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797"A community market where nothing is bought or sold. Bring usable items, services, skills, arts and friends." Who can fault that?37.764874 -122.41867137.764874-122.4186711424240Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.redcarpetsmokeshop.com The owner is scary, but if you're looking for tobacco in Providence (and there are many, many reasons why one would), here's your place. 41.827498 -71.40012641.827498-71.4001261430060Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797MEAN grilled cheese sandwich.41.822746 -71.40907241.822746-71.4090721424214Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I bought Janeen Sarlin's "Food from an American Farm" here, for $10. 37.739191 -122.41781137.739191-122.4178111430061Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079702 375 57 24 I come here with my grandparents when I'm visiting them in Bruxelles. It's packed, smoky, and they sell you wine by the centimeter--as in, they measure the difference in height between when you started and stopped drinking. 50.794297 4.36499450.7942974.3649941430063Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I don't know how anyone who ever leaves the Savoie for Greenwich didn't make an immediate 180, but Jean-Louis has been thanked by the James Beard Foundation (2006 Best Chef Northeast) and France (Maitre Cuisinier) for doing so. I remember quite a pleasant meal, although it was necessary to go out to Greenwich for it.41.029032 -73.62485741.029032-73.6248571430064Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The ice cream shop of my friend Nico "le Glacier." It has an amazing view, and the ice cream is terrific. Nico's not bad, either.43.823742 5.30710443.8237425.3071041424204Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797My friend Mark owns this store, and if you were under the false impression that nothing is cool about futons, let him show you otherwise.41.936399 -87.66453541.936399-87.6645351430065Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I think this is where Nico & I had a bad meal and a great night.45.687148 10.74960145.68714810.7496011430066Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797My friend Pim, who has taste so faultless it's almost pathological, likes it here, and my sandwich was typical California: fresh, well-made, casual. We ran into farmer Joe from Dirty Girl and had a very smug foodie conversation.36.982265 -122.02956936.982265-122.0295691424131Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Now this is certifiably out of your way, but Robert Is Worth It. A tropical fruit farm with key lime pies, mamey milkshakes, and all kinds of funky pickles. Cool enough for Ed Behr (The Art of Eating) to write a long feature on it. 25.447807 -80.44425925.447807-80.4442591424220Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Cool little art gallery with tons of zines and youth art projects and screenprinting classes and "mess with bikes." 37.812429 -122.26885737.812429-122.2688571430067Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This is where I ate before Allen & Delancey opened. 40.719085 -73.99087840.719085-73.9908781430068Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797There's not much "modern" or "Mexican" about it, as the card claims, but they make a decent quesadilla.40.743035 -74.00012940.743035-74.0001291424110Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I can now confirm that beer and cheese go well together. My memory says the bar snacks here are good tool45.525767 -122.68482345.525767-122.6848231424093Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.roguecreamery.com Rogue Creamery is an unexpected Xanadu in the midst of rural Oregon, filled with motivated-but-zen, smiling workers making cheese. The shop is run by head cheesemaker David's mom, and if I'm not wrong they have the first pasteurizer in the state. Old-school and just right.42.37647 -122.92044142.37647-122.9204411424269Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A most fortuitious find on the side of a nondescript road. Cute little pastries, cheesy handicrafts for sale, and a laid-back, friendly West-Coast-meets-East-Coast-in-Texas vibe. I remember it being a part of a garden center, which would make this the Dripping Springs equivalent of Petersham Nurseries. 30.191532 -98.08899930.191532-98.0889991424280Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Portuguese and french pastries, croquettes, and best of all, chicken grilled on a wood charcoal fire, the best smell in montreal45.51917 -73.58051345.51917-73.5805131430069Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797It would never occur to me to go to a midtown steakhouse of my own volition, but I had the most obscene meal of my life in this place. '66 Krug, '70 Dow Port, and nine other bottles, shared with eight other people, all of whom knew about 300 times more about wine than I do. Unbelievable.40.760893 -73.97439840.760893-73.9743981424193Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I almost bought a hat here, but I'm glad I didn't, because hats look stupid on me.43.07487 -89.39249243.07487-89.3924921430070Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797http://www.flickr.com/photos/noboundaries/201243705/in/set-72057594066957615/ Startlingly right, and a GOOD trend in American eating: local, handmade, simple, seasonal, delicious. If I opened a restaurant, I'd hope it would be something like this. The spiritual partner of La Laiterie in Providence. 49.283677 -123.10519449.283677-123.1051941430071Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Everyone refers to this place as "Mario Batali's dad's shop," but it really stands alone. Home-cured soppressata, coppa, lamb prosciutto--all exemplary. But the hot meat will get you�seriously horny. 47.599977 -122.33024347.599977-122.3302431424264Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797212 254 8980 seliayang.com Wish my bridesmaid dress had come from here�40.728584 -73.98637940.728584-73.9863791424139Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Bob Kauer (I went)37.326145 -107.79807137.326145-107.7980711424212Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.shavecut.net Norelco shavers alongside Leatherman daggers alongside Japanese cleavers. And you can get all of them sharpened here too! Plus, it's next door to Bakesale Betty's, YESSSSS.37.836395 -122.26243937.836395-122.2624391424083Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The Irish equivalent--fun-loving, well-kept, informed--of Neal's Yard.51.903746 -8.48414451.903746-8.4841441424108Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797If memory serves, I was already drunk by the time I walked (walked?) into this bar. This did not stop me from drinking further. And subsequently from getting up to sing "Hotel California," the longest song in karaoke history (ten minutes long? Ten hours long?). And then from accepting a ride on a stranger's Harley because he wanted to prove that it could go faster than 100 mph. And then from getting up and playing the tambourine with the band. And then....what happened then?35.021369 -85.35975835.021369-85.3597581424158Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Where chefs go for weird mushrooms and spices40.724915 -73.98157940.724915-73.9815791424095Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.formaggio-kitchen.com I hate Boston, but Cambridge somewhat redeems it, and Formaggio Kitchen definitely does. Owner Ihsan Gurdal and his sweet Miami wife Valerie travel the world in search of tasty nibbles, and bring the riches back. Not only is the staff knowledgeable and 42.343123 -71.06859942.343123-71.0685991424109Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797We stopped at a liquor store on our way out of Nashville. "Oh, y'all don't want to leave town now," the clerk said. "It's rush hour, it'll take you ages. Go to South Street instead." He scribbled us a map on a liquor store-issue brown bag that I recently found, which is the only reason I remember this bar. After five hours, seven thousand beers, a platter of shrimp that left my fingers smelling of garlic for days, and a new friendship with the waitress, we finally left. To another bar, if memory serves.36.148379 -86.79796136.148379-86.7979611424105Sun, 04 May 2008 16:58:37 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The Sport Club opens at eight in the morning and charges thirteen cents a beer. Coca-Cola, on the other hand, will set you back twenty cents. Nasdravye!!49.101406 17.76158249.10140617.7615821424244Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This giant bookstore conglomerate is actually an independent bookstore so successful that it multiplied into a bunch of little ones that have settled peacefully around Oxford's main square. I think the owner is now the mayor, or something. 34.36615 -89.51897134.36615-89.5189711424096Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.stjamescheese.com I met Rich Sutton, the guy who runs this shop, on one of my first days in London, when I applied for a job at Paxton & Whitfield, where the queen buys her cheese. He didn't hire me, but we stayed friends. Now he's moved back to the States, to run what is probably the best cheese shop in New Orleans. Hot cities typically have terrible cheese shops (exhibit A: Miami) but if Richard's running the show, the cheese will look right.29.924595 -90.1089329.924595-90.108931424153Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797718 624 0014 I bought $80 worth of raw lamb in here one day, but the man who sold it to me was so interesting I left wearing a big smile. Try that at Whole Foods. 40.686418 -73.99394540.686418-73.9939451424300Sun, 04 May 2008 17:36:26 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.sshbandb.com Cute and old, but the best part of it is Rosemary. The worst part? Hearing the guests next door fuck all night.39.845231 -75.71092239.845231-75.7109221424097Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.stevescheese.biz Steve Jones, self-styled cheesemonger/explorer, "goes to great lengths for stellar cheese," as the caption accompanying the picture of a rocket ship on his business card indicates. Steve has no need for these kinds of gimmicks--his cheese speaks for itself. He's got a tiny space, but packed with cheese in good condition that he's totally on top of, which beats a supermarket stadium shelf in my book any day. Terrific selection of American artisanal cheeses, and as the shop is ensconced in a good-looking wine warehouse, you can pick up a bottle of Riesling on the way out.45.53549 -122.69945145.53549-122.6994511424170Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I met Steve Appel at a party, where I nearly knocked him out in a headlong rush for barbecue, but he was so charming that I'm sure his fish shop is clean and lovely.34.383055 -89.50938234.383055-89.5093821430072Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I haven't REALLY come home to Miami until a Sun Juice smoothie has eased its way down my gullet. Sometimes if I can't borrow anyone's car I'll actually walk all the way to Sunset Drive for one; the round trip takes about an hour and a half. For a Raspberry Reaction? Totally worth it.25.704669 -80.28075925.704669-80.2807591424254Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Some cemeteries have a real special character, and this is one of them. All the old names of Providence rest here--the Watermans, the Tillinghasts, the (shit I've been gone too long, I don't remember the rest of them). Anyway, it's beautiful, and perfectly suited to all kinds of diversions: studying, napping, ice-cream eating, snogging...I AM NOT MORBID, PEOPLE. IT'S LIKE A PARK WITH BIG STONE MARKERS IN IT.41.851269 -71.38400941.851269-71.3840091424278Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797According to John T one of the great Southern bakeries33.755519 -84.38005233.755519-84.3800521424132Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Jeremy and Jessica Little took Jessica's parents' conventional farm and turned it into an organic cheese-making dairy. Their cheese is lovely, but they're lovelier.30.853335 -83.94577630.853335-83.9457761430073Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797No recollection whatsoever.40.718436 -73.96015940.718436-73.9601591430074Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797573 874 8090 www.sycamorerestaurant.com I was feeling very smug on my flight to Nice after the August incarnation of the guerilla restaurant. So when the guy next to me, who was from Columbia, Missouri, turned out to own a restaurant I wanted to know all about it. Turns out the dudes cure their own meat, have their own tasty little goat's cheese producer, and make their own gnocchi. Who the fuck am I now? 38.951551 -92.32858438.951551-92.3285841424172Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Everything that Bryan Sikora and Aimee Olexy touch turns to gold, and they deserve any success they receive. Their shop is beautiful, welcoming and has a higher-quality product average than pretty much any other shop I've ever seen�.anywhere. Dinner once the shop closes ain't bad, either.39.846693 -75.71186639.846693-75.7118661424288Sun, 04 May 2008 17:35:18 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A terribly posh, outrageously expensive, yummy-mummy-filled bakery lunchery that I could nevertheless NOT stay away from. The kind of place where your caf� au lait comes, like, in a cereal bowl.37.761574 -122.42386437.761574-122.4238641430075Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Ed Witt tried and failed at Varietal. Unfortunate. I believe he is talented and ambitious, but not necessarily in that order. He's trying again in Garden City. I hope it works. 40.996167 -74.19870940.996167-74.1987091430076Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.thetastingroomnyc.com I worked here for six months in 2007 and it remains a mandatory stop every time I'm in New York. I love the people that gravitate to working here (a lot of them are still the same) and I love Colin, the chef, and I love his food, and I love that it's both the best brunch in town and some of the best cocktails, but no one knows it. 40.723697 -73.99348440.723697-73.9934841424176Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:52 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797In the Housewives Market (Swans Market), all kinds of homemade gumbo, Italian, boudin blanc, Filipino Longanisa and BBQ sausage.37.801453 -122.27456537.801453-122.2745651424160Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Weird smelly tea and herbs shop smack in Chinatown. Six locations in the boroughs 40.716346 -73.99802140.716346-73.9980211424255Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797When I traveled around the U.S., I was saved at the very last minute from sleeping in my car by a good number of people, but when LeAnne Gault told me she'd booked me a room at the Alluvian, I knew there was a God, and he was good. Or maybe he was LeAnne. What a bathtub. What a bed. This might have been the best sleep of my life.33.519331 -90.18233133.519331-90.1823311424219Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A cooperative bookstore! Two of my favorite things!37.800373 -122.27520337.800373-122.2752031424154Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:51 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A random place to come across Amish pastries, but so be it.30.789443 -84.15300130.789443-84.1530011424098Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797323 644 7511 L.A. has a cheese shop? And it's GOOD? What the fuck?34.092118 -118.28004434.092118-118.2800441430077Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797605 343 5070 http://www.cornexchange.com/gourmet_10_03.htm "Although they didn't need it, Middle America needed M.J. Adams." Damn right they did, and still do. Alex and I stumbled upon the Corn Exchange totally randomly, but it was the best meal, by far, that we had between Minneapolis and Seattle. Imagine a restaurant in Rapid City taking as its inspiration the Zuni Cafe and Clarke's? Rock on, Adams.44.081482 -103.2293544.081482-103.229351424223Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797www.curiosityshoppeonline.com The coolest thing I saw in this shop was an old-school phone handset with a curly cord that you can plug into a cell phone.37.759216 -122.42105937.759216-122.4210591430078Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Suggested by Southern foods guru and all around Bad Girl LeAnne Gault and as such gospel.30.408102 -87.2110430.408102-87.211041430079Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797http://cabbagesandkings.typepad.com/cabbages_and_kings/2005/02/dinner_at_the_f.html In many ways, the best and most important meal I ever had in my life.38.404448 -122.36480238.404448-122.3648021430080Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797When I crossed into Alabama, I stopped at the border and picked up a flier called "100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die." (available online at 800alabama.com) I had the whole day to kill, and the turkey and hoop cheese sandwich in Thomasville sounded okay and not too far away. I sat at a table and ate it and a mountain of fries and wrote postcards while generations of men in hunting gear stared at me suspiciously. It was okay, but i still want to get to the other 99.31.928292 -87.73873931.928292-87.7387391424266Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Got my star touched up here40.731393 -74.0016140.731393-74.001611424185Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797I never go here without buying anything cool and crazy that I end up not wearing but being proud of having.40.724194 -73.99528140.724194-73.9952811430081Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Who could imagine something made only of chickpea flour and olive oil could taste so goddamn GOOD? This is the kind of dish I would never try and make at home. No, the only way to really understand the nuances of socca is to eat one while driving down the Promenade des Anglais on a rented piece-of-shit moped...43.695546 7.27494643.6955467.2749461424136Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Feisty back-to-the-lander who loves her land, her animals and her llama. 44.7399 -123.79551244.7399-123.7955121424192Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Any Shoppe in New York is suspicious, but this is so disarming you'll leave with any number of useless sympathy purchases, like an old mechanical egg-beater you'll NEVER use. Must be the fact that come 5 pm in the summertime happy hour starts and everybody--customers and staff alike--get little plastic cups of sweet wine.40.759107 -73.99181540.759107-73.9918151430082Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Okay, I'm not really the best judge of this, but to my mind the dim sum at Tropical Chinese rivals New York and Hong Kong's. Actually, I must be the worst possible judge in the world to have come to this conclusion, but whatever, I like it here, especially coming with my mom.25.733336 -80.32467425.733336-80.3246741430083Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This restaurant makes it on the list by virtue that it was the first time I ever felt like a celebrity anywhere, and I liked it. 41.894549 -87.62315741.894549-87.6231571424140Sun, 04 May 2008 17:03:23 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797970 247 8395 This weird empty commune has a bicycle-powered blender for smoothies and lots of cobwebs and no people. Where were they?37.27222 -107.87803637.27222-107.8780361430084Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797There are a million romantic places to eat in Corsica, and many of them serve really tasty food. This one was so good that I deliberately left it out of the travel guide I was writing--I wanted to keep it selfishly to myself (I only did that with a few places). We had a carafe of Cap Corse rose and fish soup with rouille and mussels and Corsican cheese. The table sat on a balcony, and waves crashed into the rocks below. 42.773713 9.4746142.7737139.474611424099Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797When globalization sucks: Wal-Mart. When globalization rules: a young Welsh couple starts up a terrific Spanish tapas bar and sells Welsh and Spanish honey, hams, and cheeses, then wins Independent Retailer of the Year. I hope they live happily ever after.51.79911 -4.74395951.79911-4.7439591430085Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/6079747.607857 -122.33910247.607857-122.3391021430086Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797If you stayed on College Hill all the time it could be easy to forget how Italian Providence is, but cross the highway and e tutto differente, my little friend. If you're lucky you'll run into a local politician at Venda, scheming over money-laundering schemes over homemade ravioli. 41.823592 -71.42669641.823592-71.4266961430087Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This pizzeria used to slaughter live kids (goats, not people) in the back kitchen. No joke.40.515956 -74.23331440.515956-74.2333141430088Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Glitzy but substanceless. Guess there's a reason you can get a Christmas Eve rez there a week ahead.40.758318 -73.96891540.758318-73.9689151424259Sun, 04 May 2008 17:32:38 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Folk art, haven't been32.438385 -86.42957932.438385-86.4295791424225Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797First editions of Chez Panisse and really big fucking dogs.37.812875 -122.24663937.812875-122.2466391430089Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797When I worked at Neal's Yard, I took a visting chef who worked at the restaurant around to visit the Arches. Then, when I was working at Kitchen Arts & Letters a few years later, another chef from this restaurant came in. I asked him did he know Billy from Watershed. What do you know, it was Billy from Watershed! We must both have aged dreadfully. 33.775636 -84.30266933.775636-84.3026691424216Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797The Original. Disappointing somehow.37.788697 -122.4074737.788697-122.407471424243Sun, 04 May 2008 17:27:39 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797212 431 1998 One of those gigantic Chinese-run restaurant supply shops that has everything you might need, supersized and cheap. 40.725604 -73.99489540.725604-73.9948951424177Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:52 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797A Dutch Ottolenghi's with a XXX quote on the door. 51.217543 4.40234251.2175434.4023421424100Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:55 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Yes, it's a very pretty and decent cheese shop, but with so many other good Montreal cheese shops I didn't see why this one got the lion's share of connoisseur attention (especially since it's such a schlep to get there if you're not on the usual tourist track) I was less impressed than most, but I still bought a shitload of cheese there, all of it terrific, so maybe it was a case of unrealistic expectations. 45.520306 -73.60850245.520306-73.6085021430090Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797Hoboken's only saving grace. Remarkably sophisticated (even if casual) for most places, actually.40.740688 -74.03351540.740688-74.0335151430091Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:45 -0400http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/azurenath/60797This restaurant, to me, epitomizes everything that's sunny, fresh, and relaxed about California. Plus, it does the PERFECT Caesar salad. 37.773432 -122.42155537.773432-122.421555