Once again we have been searching for a good burger in the $10 range, since our latest fave,  Joy Burger Bar, closed. Last night we tried the 6th Ave. location of New York Burger Co. (there is another on West 23rd), and were really happy with the result. Like at Joy, you order at the counter, and are notified when your food is ready (they are very efficient). There are plenty of tables. I had a double burger with cheddar, and Stanley had the Tribeca Burger (blue cheese, avocado and bacon). They were perfectly cooked, the meat had good flavor and the buns are of high quality. The onion rings were absolutely delicious. We got a pitcher of beer, which was brought to the table. There is a good selection of sauces to top the burgers. I loved it and will make it a regular stop.

http://www.newyorkburgerco.com/

Click on the image below to view, and enlarge as needed:

UPDATE:  Dover has closed due to lack of business.  Surprising.

U

Last night, we visited friends in Brooklyn, and were treated to a lovely dinner at Dover, a modern American restaurant on Court Street. The food was excellent, so I was surprised that it was not at all busy.

They have a happy hour that runs until 8 pm, during which they offer oysters, raw or broiled, for $1 apiece. I had a half-dozen each of raw and broiled. I love oysters so this was great fun. They give you delicious little gougeres to start, then an amuse-bouche of tomato soup.  The lamb loin I had for my main was perfectly done, and served with Brussels sprouts and chanterelles. I also got to taste the ravioli and pappardelle, both excellent. I drank a milk stout (Against the Grain from Louisville, KY), very tasty.

Main course choices include three meat and three fish dishes. The fish can be had as a large or small portion. A pasta and a small fish course could make a filling meal.

I could definitely see returning to Dover.

This past Saturday we attended the Hudson Valley Dance Festival in Catskill, sponsored by Dancers Responding to AIDS. As always, Stanley and I were members of the host committee. The pre-performance reception began at 4 o’clock, at historic Catskill Point, and though it was a cloudy day, rain held off until after the performance. This was the first time there were two performances, and both the afternoon and evening were sold out. Seven hundred attended in total, and ticket sales and donations resulted in more than $135,000 being raised, well above last year’s numbers.

DRA Development Director Sarah Cardillo with Stan Ackert and Hayden Coleman

Wine and snacks under the tent

After the reception, we moved indoors for the performance. Five companies were represented, and each gave their all to keep everyone happily engrossed for the duration.

The following photos of the performance are by Daniel Roberts:

Caleb Teicher and Company

Jennifer Muller – The Works

Les Ballets Trockaderos de Monte Carlo

Madboots Dance

Nick Kenkel Choreography

Following the performance, we headed to the VIP reception. this time held at a new event space  on Main St. in Catskill called Joe’s Garage.  The very good food and wines made for a nice early dinner, and we had a great time schmoozing with old friends and making interesting new acquaintances.

To view the Hudson Valley Dance Festival website:

https://www.dradance.org/hudson-valley-dance-festival-2016

Temerario opened in February, but surprisingly, I was not aware of it until I received a Blackboard Eats offer yesterday. The fourth venture of the team behind Black Ant, Ofrenda, and Gardenia, it immediately looked promising to me, and we decided to try it last night. Some reports I read criticized food, service or both, but we loved the dishes we had, and the service was perfect.

Knowing that the portions at their other restaurants tend to be generous, we ordered two appetizers and one main course, and it was indeed plenty of food. We shared the fish tacos to start, and accompanied it with a smoky jalapeno Margarita (delicious!) and a “Bad Habit” (rum, cherries, etc., also very good).  For a main course, we shared the duck tacos and the burger. The burger was full of flavor, perfectly medium rare, and came with delicious fries, a pickle and a pickled jalapeno. We accompanied this course with a Negra Modelo.  This is a nice addition to the neighborhood and we will be back soon to try out more dishes.

http://www.temerarionyc.com/

September 30:

We got an early start from Annecy, drove to Lyon where we said our tearful farewells to “Jean,” our devoted GPS lady, and dropped off the rental car, and after buying some splendid sandwiches and apricot tarts at Patisserie Paul in the station, we boarded the TGV to Paris. Arriving at Ana and Bertrand’s in La Varenne in mid-afternoon, we got settled and walked into town to see if the lady who runs the Spanish store had been able to get more Pedro Ximenez sherry.  Sadly not, so we stopped at the local Nicolas and bought a bottle of port.  In the evening, we drove into Paris, enduring a terrible traffic jam and arriving half an hour late for dinner at L’Os a Moelle.

L’Os a Moelle

The last time we were at L’Os a Moelle was five years ago, not long after it opened. Since then, there was a change of chefs, but in the last couple of years the original chef returned. We enjoyed our meal this time as much as the first. The five course menu for 42 euros is still a bargain. These are the dishes we had:

Amuse bouche

Soupe de poisson

Boudin noir terrine

Quail topped with a quail egg

Saddle of veal with potatoes, vegetables and mushrooms

Duck breast with mushrooms and potatoes

Bass with carrots, eggplant and parsnips

Duck hamburger with foie gras

Saint-Nectaire cheese with endive salad

Banana crumble

Gratin of fruits

Chocolate quenelle

Wines are very reasonably priced too. They sell them to go, and add only 8 euros if you are having it in the restaurant.  Our server was lovely. I am so glad we decided to return here, and would highly recommend it.

October 1:

Ana and Bertrand prepared a capital picnic lunch, and we set out on a day trip to the Abbaye de Royaumont and Chateau d’Ecouen. The abbey is set in a beautiful park, and though the cloister is pretty much intact, the abbey church which was once attached to it is gone, with just a bit of its foundation and one tower remaining.  There are computer generated reconstructions of what the church looked like.  It was a special devotion of Louis IX, a/k/a Saint Louis, and is now owned by a private foundation.

As we were not permitted to have our picnic on the grounds, we asked in the gift shop for another suggestion, and drove off to find the recommended place, which turned out to be very nice. After lunch, we went to the Chateau d’Ecouen, established by (Mr.) Anne de Montmorency, Constable of France, which houses a museum of renaissance art and artifacts.

For dinner Saturday night, Stanley and I took the train to Le Baratin. This bistro gets rave reviews, but my main reason for wanting to try it was that they serve a lot of organ meats. It turns out they do it very well. I have mixed feelings, though. We spent more here than at any other place we went to in Paris. The wine I chose, a Bourgogne rouge 2014, was their lowest priced one, at 42 euros. It was drinkable but not at all special. The typical retail price would probably be 6 to 8 euros.

Everything is a la carte, there are no set menus. The appetizers and desserts are reasonably priced, but the main courses are quite high for a bistro, at 24 to 34 euros. All this being said, the food was great. I started with cervelle (calf brain) in a butter and lemon sauce, a generous portion, delicious and light as a feather. Stanley had an intensely flavored veloute de poisson. My main was barbue (brill), a tasty piece of fish, while Stanley’s coeur de ris de veau was a large block of sweetbreads, perfectly done and much less heavy than this dish can often be. For dessert, he had roasted figs and I had a sable biscuit with raspberries and whipped cream, both excellent. The bill came to 142 euros.

October 2:

We spent Sunday in La Varenne. Bertrand made an early dinner of stewed rabbit with prunes, served on noodles. Stanley and I went to the farmers’ market to get some additional items and for a light evening supper, which we would be cooking. We bought a piece of fromage de tete (head cheese), filets of daurade, and some cherry tomatoes for a side dish, and picked up some more Cotes du Rhone and another bottle of port at Nicolas.

Alex, Ana and Bertrand’s son, joined us for dinner, which began with kirs and canapes of mussels on bread. Next came the appetizer of head cheese, followed by the main course of rabbit, ending with an assortment of cheeses including epoisse and the robiola with black truffles we brought from Alba.

After dinner, we went out for a stroll. Ana had discovered that there was a tour of artists’ studios in the town of St. Maur, which includes La Varenne. There were far too many for us to see more than a handful, but we went to the closest ones. These are serious artists: painters, sculptors, ceramists and photographers. Some worked in more than one of these media. The artworks were quite good for the most part, and it was an interesting experience for us to see the works in their homes or studios and to experience the passion of the artists.

In the evening, Stanley and I prepared a supper of daurade, sauteed cherry tomatoes, and potatoes sauteed in duck fat with truffle cream and truffle salt. We dined dans la cuisine, and it was all quite delicious.

October 3:

This was our last day, and since we did not have to leave until evening, we had another chance to enjoy Paris. Being a Monday, almost all museums were closed, but the Louvre was open, so we went there. I hadn’t been in many years, and it looked quite different from what I remember. There is now a shopping mall on the lower level. The whole building was mobbed, with idiots walking around staring at their phones and taking selfies. What has happened to our society? We didn’t have a lot of time, so decided, out of perverse curiosity, to check out the British and American paintings (there were about a dozen British and one Thomas Cole; this is primarily a European museum) and the apartment of Louis XIV. The rooms had been recently restored and were quite splendid.

We had lunch at Le Radis Beurre in the 15th arrondissement. The design of the restaurant and spacing of tables feels more upscale than the typical bistro, similar to Mensae and Pirouette.  The 3-course menu at 34 euros (2 courses are 25) includes a good choice of dishes.

Le Radis Beurre

I had the pig’s feet and the Guinea hen, while Stanley had chicken liver terrine and veal kidneys. The pig’s feet were particularly impressive, but it was all excellent. My ris au lait reminded me of the one I had at Pirouette several years ago, just perfect. Stanley had a poached pear in chocolate sauce with speculos ice cream. With a bottle of Brouilly, the bill was 98 euros.

After lunch we hurried back to La Varenne, finished packing and were ready for our taxi at 4:45. Our evening return flight was just as pleasant as the one going. We again arrived ahead of schedule and were home before midnight, having had another memorable European trip.

September 27:

We got an early start from Alba and headed to Annecy, where we would spend the next three days. We stopped on the way in Chambery for lunch and sightseeing.

As we walked around, we checked out several restaurants listed in Michelin to find the most promising for lunch. We ended up choosing very well.

Onze Grandes et Trois Petites

The 19.50 euro menu included 2 choices for the appetizer and main. We both started with roasted baby eggplants in tomato puree with parmesan, topped with prosciutto. Main courses were leg of pintade (Guinea hen) and lieu (pollock) tempura style in a curry sauce with cabbage. Both showed real creativity. The cheesecake with raspberry coulis was a nice  dessert.

With a bottle of 2014 Luberon and coffee, the bill was about 68 euros.

http://restaurant-chambery.fr/

Continuing on to Annecy, we found our hotel, the Ace Hotel Annecy, after an hour of searching. Poor “Jean” was beside herself.  The hotel is fairly new, as is the street where it is located, so it cannot be found by GPS. It is in Seynod, three kilometers from the center of Annecy, in a new commercial and residential district. It is however very worth seeking out, as it is an incredible value at 54 euros a night. Our room is very comfortable, of decent size, with air conditioning, a good size bathroom,  and a comfortable queen size bed. Sitting on the bed, however, resulted in its collapse due to a wobbly leg.  The intrepid concierge came up quickly to tighten the screw, but that did not last.  She returned with a replacement leg and a tool kit, which did the trick.  All this whilst booking in a steady stream of customers.  Kudos to her. The hotel was packed.

https://www.hotelscombined.fr/Hotel/Ace_Hotel_Annecy.htm

Once settled, we drove five minutes into Annecy and strolled around before dinner at Le Bilboquet. The old part of town has a number of canals, reminiscent of Bruges, Strasbourg and Colmar.

Le Bilboquet

Amuse bouche – Cauliflower soup with mussels

Assortment of vegetables with a parmesan biscuit

Tartare of saddle of veal

Filet of fera (fish from Lac Leman) with vegetables

Duck breast

Assortment of vanilla-based desserts

Raspberries with meringues (vacherin) and ice cream

The cooking here is creative, presentation is beautiful, and the chef obviously likes to work with vegetables. We drank a Chignin from the local area, and the bill came to 110 euros.

Home – Full Screen

September 28

We headed into town in the late morning, and walked along the canals to the park that borders the lake, checking out restaurants as we meandered about.

Contresens

Raw fera with marinated onion, potato slices, potato chips and a green sauce

Prawns with curry sauce

Artichokes and fennel

“Hamburgout” from boudin noir, peppers, onion and tomato confit

New potatoes (fingerings) sauteed

Contresens is owned by Laurent Petit, the Michelin 2-star chef of Clos des Sens in Annecy-le-Vieux. He also runs the traditional bistro Cafe Brunet, which is also in Annecy-leVieux. Contresens is large, with a quirky modern design. Service is friendly and attentive. Everything here was simple and delicious, with a wide choice at reasonable prices. There is one price for each course, regardless of which dish you choose, and you can have as few or as many courses as you want. We had a bottle of Cotes du Luberon from Provence for 23 euros. Total with coffee came to 73.

http://www.contresens-annecy.com/

After lunch we drove the entire circumference of the lake, stopped back at the hotel, then headed to Annecy-le-Vieux, which was of little interest until we headed up some steep hills to a point with magnificent views over the city to the lake and mountains in the distance.  Gabriel Faure is the local hero, and his “Requiem” received its premiere in the small church of St Laurent on the plaza at the top of the hill in Annecy-le-Vieux.

For  dinner, as it was Stanley’s birthday, we decided on La Ciboulette, a Michelin-starred restaurant. The menu offered two choices for each course, so we each chose one and shared tastes.

La Ciboulette

Canapes –  mini pastry with Roquefort cream, puff pastry with olive tapenade, escargot in parsley foam

Amuse bouche – tomato soup with whipped mozzarella

Foie gras sauteed with fig and onion

Mousseline of fish with crayfish from the lake  in a cream sauce

Saddle of veal with mushrooms, whipped potatoes and vegetables

Monkfish medallions with artichokes, tomatoes and a tomato confit

Cheese course – A selection of cheeses from the Savoie, chosen from the cheese trolley

Poached pear with chocolate cake and chocolate mousse, vanilla ice cream

Raspberry croustillante

Mignardises

Everything was beautifully presented, as expected. Portions were generous, particularly the foie gras, which was two massive pieces. The desserts were particularly beautiful to look at, but were not as intensely flavored as one would hope. We drank a bottle of Saint Joseph 2014, priced at 42 euros. With two aperitifs of kir a peche, the total came to 190. All in all, it was a pretty good value for a four-course meal of this quality.

http://www.laciboulette-annecy.com/

September 29:

We took a day trip to Grenoble, parked at the Grenoble Museum, and walked through town checking out restaurant possibilities for lunch.Grenoble is not an exciting city. There is some charm to the older part of town, but mostly Grenoble needs a fluff.

As it turned out, the first restaurant we looked at, Le Chasse-Spleen, right across from the museum, had the best looking lunch menu, and the most reasonable price, 18 euros for two courses. The decor is a bit strange, but don’t be put off by it. They also have outdoor seating but of course there were smokers there so we opted for inside.

We both had a game terrine with warm potato salad and greens. It was a huge portion and very good. Stanley had mussels stuffed with nuts in a saffron sauce with basmati rice and spinach. I had veal shank in an intense reduction, with miniature ravioli, also a very generous plate of food. With a very good bottle of a Cotes de Provence rose at 24 euros and 2 coffees  (served with a chocolate candy) the total was 64.

After lunch, we crossed the street to the museum. The artworks on display range from the 13th to the 20th Century. It wasn’t bad, but was mostly second and third rate artists, with a few works by top artists, though not their best work.  The contemporary art, however, really does have a very well balanced representation of the leading early 20th Century artists.  The building itself is well-designed, with good lighting and plenty of space for viewing the art. There was a special exhibit of Henri Riviere, “Deux etes en Savoie” 1917 to 1918. It was one room with a dozen small paintings: think “how I spent my summer vacation”.

In summary, the high point of a visit to Grenoble could be lunch at Chasse-Spleen. The trip back to Annecy on local roads was a nice scenic drive, though. “Jean” was a stalwart presence.

For dinner, we decided to go back to Contresens, as we had enjoyed yesterday’s lunch so much, and the menu has so many choices. This time we had cold pea soup, mozzarella with red and green tomatoes, lamb chops, hanger steak, artichokes with fennel, fried polenta with a Parmesan crust. For dessert we had a “cafe gourmande”(an assortment of desserts normally served with a cup of coffee, but I left the coffee out so I would be able to sleep later) and “M & M’s reinvented”, a chocolate bombe topped with vanilla ice cream, surrounded by a sauce of chopped M & M’s and peanuts. With aperitifs of kir a peche and a bottle of Madiran, the bill came to 101 euros.

We’ve had a wonderful time in the Haute Savoie.  Tomorrow morning we will drive to Lyon, drop off the rental car, and take the TGV back to Paris for the last four days of our vacation.

September 24:

We set out in the morning for our 2-hour TGV trip to Lyon, where we picked up the rental car.  We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the car came with GPS, complete with one of those nice ladies with a plummy English accent (Hampshire?).  But we quickly learned that as we approached any French town named “St. Jean de something,”  our GPS lady pronounced it “St. Gene.” As a consequence, we decided to call her “Jean” (not the French pronunciation). We headed off with “Jean” through the Alps to Italy, arriving in Alba in the late afternoon. We quickly located our hotel, just a few kilometers from the city center in Biglini. The Hotel Medea is a 3-star with spacious, nicely decorated rooms and air-conditioning. The furniture is traditional and the bathroom is large and well-equipped. The king-size bed was very comfy. All this for only 70 euros a night is quite a bargain. The location is very convenient both to Alba and to all the restaurants and country drives we had planned.

Here are some photos of our room:

http://hotelmedea.com/

After getting settled, we drove into Alba for the early evening “passeggiata,” the Italian custom of strolling the main streets, perhaps stopping for a snack or drink at a cafe, shopping etc. We managed to find a bottle of Pedro Ximenez sherry, which is not often seen outside of Spain.

I had planned all of our lunches and dinners well in advance and made reservations, important as these places are all busy and walk-ins are often turned away.  The first dinner was at Osteria Veglio in La Morra,.

Osteria Veglio

Set on a hillside, the Osteria has a terrace with a view over the valley, but it was a bit chilly so we sat in the very attractive dining room.

Dishes we tried:

Vitello tonnato

Agnolotti with meat filling

Pappardelle with lamb ragout

Tripe

Veal tongue

Raspberries with vanilla gelato

Everything was just right. The vitello tonnato was perfect, rosy veal with a delicious tuna mayonnaise, agnolotti were light as a feather, and the raspberries were plump and sweet, with a huge scoop of wonderful gelato. We had a lovely bottle of 2015 Barbera d’Alba from Renato Ratti, for 14 euros. Total bill was 100 euros.

http://www.osteriaveglio.it/en/

September 25

We headed into Alba in the late morning, where there was a Sunday market in the main Piazza, and the main street was being prepared for a wine festival later in the day. Then we headed off to lunch at Trattoria Marsupino in Briaglia, about a 40 minute drive South.

Trattoria Marsupino

This restaurant is rustic but elegant, and the dishes show real creativity. We had:

Carpaccio of sturgeon

Baccala ravioli

Testina di Vitella (parts of veal head, including cheeks and gelatinous parts, in Barolo sauce)

Capretto al forno (roasted baby goat)

Liquorice mousse with lemon sauce

All pretty good, the sturgeon was nice to find as it is seldom seen, the goat was a bit tough and had a lot of bone, but was tasty nonetheless. The standout was the dessert. We only ordered one to share, but the kitchen sent out an extra, and we devoured them in minutes, they were so good. An unexpected combination, but a very clever one. With coffee we were served a nice plate of mignardises. The wine list is noticeably more expensive than the other places we went to, but I chose a 2006 Langhe Rosso, “Yeta” from Farigliano, which was very rich and full-bodied, for 23 euros. Total bill was  106 with water and coffee.

http://www.trattoriamarsupino.it/ita/

After lunch, we took a scenic drive around the Langhe.  We have found that, when a bit of road falls over a cliff, our Italian friends are inclined to put off mending it, and, instead, put out barriers and flashing signs. Our dear “Jean,” however, is overly cautious, and at a number of points tried to steer us down narrow side roads to avoid the barricades. It seemed to get her rather frazzled, but we persevered finding our way back to Alba, where we bought a few food items to take back to Ana and Bertrand when we return to Paris at the end of the week. Cheese with black truffles and a jar of salt with white truffle.  The town was mobbed due to the wine festival, which was very festive.

For dinner, we drove to Ristorante Rabaya in Barbaresco. “Jean” was at a loss and couldn’t find it, but after driving into town and asking at another restaurant for directions, we found it easily.

Rabaya

There was a nice terrace, but again too chilly to eat out there. Dishes we ate were:

Salad of guinea hen (faraona) with shaved fennel

Cauliflower soup with prawns

Agnolotti with shaved black truffles

Bollito misto

Sweet and sour rabbit

Chocolate semifreddo

We shared the generous portion of guinea hen. The agnolotti were smothered in a blizzard of truffles, which made the dish special. All very nice.  The wine was a 2014 nebbiolo from Barbaresco. Total bill was 100.

Home

On our way home, we thought we could hear the tinkling of ice cubes in “Jean’s” glass.  The poor dear needed a stiff one.

September 26:

We headed off in the morning to Acqui Terme, an ancient Roman spa town South of Asti. It was quite impressive. Here are the photos I took:

The “source” of the hot water in a central plaza, where people stop to let the water run over their arms or legs.T

We found the organist in the Cathedral doing his Monday morning scales.

We thought the restaurant “Arsenic and Old Lace” to be a particularly interesting reference. We did not stop to see if elderberry wine was on the carta dei vini.

We then headed to lunch at Ristorante Belbo da Bardon in San Marzano Oliveto, near Canelli, where we were surrounded mainly by senior citizens  having lunch as their main meal of the day, just like we have seen in England.

Da Bardon

Gnocchi with meat ragu

Roasted rabbit

Finanziera

Fresh local Peach in Moscato wine

Chocolate panna cotta in coffee sauce topped with nuts

I had hoped to try finanziera and this was the first restaurant that had it on the menu, so  of course I ordered it. I love organ meats, so this was quite a treat. It was mostly sweetbreads, there was liver, little meatballs of some kind, several parts I could not identify, mushrooms and peas.  I could eat this every day. With a 2013 Barbera “Mati” (14 euro), coffees and water, the total was 81.

Dinner that night was at La Coccinella in Serravalle Langhe. It’s a bit of a trip from Alba, but well worth the journey. An elegant room, warm and professional service, and superb food make this very special.

Trattoria La Coccinella

Tagliatelle with seafood

Canneloni with duck topped with mushrooms

Rolled roasted goat

Fried veal with fried zucchini and mushrooms

Croccante of gianduja

We had a bottle of Grignolino d’Asti, which was only 13 euros and an exceptional wine, a bit more delicate than most of the others we’ve had, really delicious. Total with wine and water was only 86 euros.

http://www.trattoriacoccinella.com/

This was our last day in Piemonte, leaving on Tuesday for Annecy in France (Haute Savoie).

September 22:

Our eleven day trip to Europe began with a very pleasant flight on Norwegian Air, a fairly new discount airline, and we arrived in the Paris suburb of La Varenne at the home of our friends Ana and Bertrand.

After unpacking, we set off to the Spanish gourmet shop in La Varenne to pick up a bottle of Pedro Ximenez Sherry. Our dinner plan was for Mensae, a relatively new contemporary bistro in the Belleville district of Paris (20eme), a working-class neighborhood that seems to be rapidly gentrifying. The chef, Kevin D’Andrea, was a finalist on Top Chef in 2015.  We drove in with Ana and Bertrand, found a parking space and strolled to the restaurant.

Mensae

After an aperitif of kir a peche, we got two beers to go with the meal. They only offered one beer and it was very, very good. Stanley and Bertrand started with tete de cochon, and I had squid in a scrumptious sauce with hints of Asian spices. Ana had a shrimp dish that looked very good. My main course was saddle of veal, while the others had hake with pasta in a shellfish reduction. I had a white peach dessert and the others had figs. Service was warm and professional. All in all, a wonderful meal and the total bill was about 190 euros.

http://www.mensae-restaurant.com/

September 22:

Another sunny day in Paris. The four of us headed to the Musee Cognacq-Jay, housed in a mansion in the Marais. It is a very interesting exhibit of painting, sculpture and decorative objects of the romantic period, late 18^th century. Like other small museums in Paris that we have visited, it was, to us, a special pleasure. Then, off to lunch just off Place de la Bastille.

Amarante

This pleasant small bistro is known for its bargain lunch, 19 euros for two courses and 22 for three. They are also known for organ meats. Bertrand and I started with cold veal tongue with mayonnaise and greens, Stanley had a plate of thin slices of sausage, and Ana had fois gras. Next, Stanley and Ana had a delicious breast of Guinea hen (pintade) while Bertrand I had tripe with olives. The tripe was a huge portion, deliciously gamy, and served atop buttery whipped potatoes. Stanley and Ana opted for dessert, he for the Camembert cheese and Ana for a fruit salad (apple and white peach). We had a very nice bottle of a light red wine for 25 euros, a Mariseppe, and with 3 coffees the bill came to about 115 euros.

 » quand on veut aller au théâtre on regarde le résumé avant et on arrive à l’heure « 

Ana and Bertrand headed home while we went to the Musee de l’Orangerie in the Tuileries gardens. The collection of late-19^th and early-20^th Century paintings, mostly impressionist, was impressive. We strolled through the Tuileries to the Metro and headed back to La Varenne. That evening Stanley and I went back into Paris for dinner at Les Arlots, highly recommended by Alec Lobrano. It is near the Gare du Nord, in a somewhat gritty neighborhood, but not unsafe, it seemed to us. It is also very near the Goutte d’Or, which is where our artist friend Kate Browne mounted her “Cocoon,” one of the projects she has done in other locations around the world:  https://robertrems.com/2014/06/07/cocoon-art-project-fund-raiser/

Les Arlots

Another lovely dinner. A warm welcome, a highly knowledgeable sommelier who is the co-owner, a great bottle of wine from the Ventoux (Provence), Chateau Landra 2012, for only 22 euros. We started with quail and sardines, then sausage with pureed potatoes and beef tartare with roasted potatoes. Desserts were exceptional here, including a plum clafoutis,and a combination of coffee mousse and white chocolate mousse with tuiles. Total bill was about 100 euros.

We left Saturday morning for six days, going to Alba in Italy and Annecy in the Haute Savoie. I will be posting reports on these next. We return to Paris next Friday.

Fall means foliage and outdoor activities that take advantage of the splendid autumn weather.  Copake and Copake Falls on Route 22 in eastern Columbia County have a number of attractions which have drawn us back over the years and are personal favorites.

Bash Bish Falls is a famous destination, favored by a number of artists of the Hudson River School. http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/bash-bish-falls-massachusetts-33184  It is right on the border between New York and Massachusetts, and we often drive through the area on our way back from outings to Great Barrington. It can be approached from both states, but the New York entry offers a flat and pleasant stroll through the woods until you come upon the Falls themselves.  Here’s a helpful guide that covers the Falls from both sides:

www.hikethehudsonvalley.com/bash-bish-falls/

Adjoining the Falls are the remains of the Copake Iron Works.

There will be special tours on September 17 and November 12.  More information at www.friendsoftsp.org

Running through Copake Falls is the Harlem Valley Rail Trail which again offers a wonderful flat and paved hiking trail through some incredibly beautiful wooded areas.

http://www.nysparks.com/parks/attachments/TaconicCopakeFallsAreaHarlemValleyRailTrailMap&Brochure.pdf  We haven’t hiked the rail trail, but Stanley does remember taking the train all the way to Chatham (and back) on two occasions.

One of our favorite fall road tours starts just off of the Copake Iron Works.  Valley View Road takes you down to the Iron Works, but just before the Iron Works, Valley View Road branches to the right and takes you along the east side of the Harlem Valley.  This long valley to the east of Route 22 is an extension of what was known further south in Dutchess County as the Oblong, a portion of land that was disputed between New York and Connecticut.  New York got most of it, and it is a Fall foliage orgy.  Don’t be afraid to get lost.

But while you’re still in Copake, be sure to check in on Copake Auction which has many events throughout the Fall.

County Route 11 in Copake and East Taghkanic is known as “Beauty Highway”, having received an award some years ago.

Scenic driving tours also abound in the town of Chatham.  The hamlets of Old Chatham, North Chatham, Malden Bridge and New Concord are very picturesque, and some roads that offer beautiful views are Haddock Hill Road and Riders Mills Road. Carlson Road in Claverack is also worth a detour.

Heading back toward Hudson, you should think about a Fall visit to the Hudson-Athens lighthouse and cruises out of Hudson when the trees are ablaze with color.

See my earlier posting:

Columbus Day Weekend brings the Fourth Annual Hudson Valley Dance Festival to Catskill, New York.  I have written about this exceptional event, right on the banks of the river, before.

See:

https://robertrems.com/2015/10/14/third-annual-hudson-valley-dance-festival/

and

https://robertrems.com/?s=dance  

This year, two performances are scheduled for Saturday, October 8 at 2 pm and 5 pm.  Go here to get tickets: https://www.dradance.org/hudson-valley-dance-festival-2016

Hudson Valley fruits are at their peak, and picking your own apples, pears, raspberries and pumpkins is an unforgettable seasonal ritual.  Our first choice is our neighbor’s “apple plantation” across the road from us (Route 9H in Claverack)- Philip Orchards: http://www.philiporchards.com/

“Talavera” is the family home.

Family history comes with the superb apples and pears: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/01/garden/an-estate-lives-on-thanks-to-apples.html, and our favorite apples are Jonagolds.

Careful not to run over any chickens as you drive in, and you might just ask if they happen to have any fresh eggs, although they are now featured at Olde Hudson on Warren Street.

There is an extensive list of farms and orchards offering a broad array of farm products that will offer great destinations for a Fall driving tour: http://columbiacountytourism.org/seeing-and-doing-columbia-county-ny/farms-columbia-county-ny