And I heard that the owner of Umberto used to have either a poster or a full-size James Dean cutout that had a picture of his face covering the original. Makes me love the place even more!

And I was only in NY/NJ for 3-4 days, and then I went almost directly to Yosemite for camping. Being away from my chocolate and the farmer’s markets for 1.5 weeks made me feel so out of the loop.

And I think I’d like the byaldi more than the movie — I’m going to give it a try. I’m surprised it’s not popping up on blogs, given the popularity of the movie.

I did see Ratatouille. I haven’t made up my mind about it yet. I think I need to see it again. There was so much hype about it (especially in Napa Valley) that I’m willing to wait a while and go see it again. Yes, TK’s vocal cameo was a nice little treat, especially to hear him give a jab to “the old foie gras standby.”

And you are right on about the byaldi recipe from TFL cookbook. Check out Chef giving a demo:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2007/06/28/MNGGIQNA7M1.DTL&o=2

Enjoy the rest of your trip to the East Coast. Will you be coming back to the West Coast soon?

Napa misses you, Nina. Did I mention I’m a Greystone grad, too?

=Non Cognomina

I didn’t know that you could have a drink in the Per Se lounge! That sounds terrific. I googled it, and someone said that they also serve complimentary canapes and flavored popcorn for those who stop by.

I saw Ratatouille this weekend, and I was surprised that I didn’t like it. The concept is fun, but the story just seemed weak and aimless — with the heavy-handed portrayal of the critic, drawn out sequences, obligatory love story, and a frustratingly one-dimensional Linguini. It ended up wanting to have two good guys and two bad guys, but it didn’t examine their differences and similarities in service of the story in an interesting way. It relied more on simple knee-jerk sentiments than perceptive original thought — which was in especially stark contrast to its thoughtful and detailed visuals. Sure, it’s a kid’s movie, but even so, it could have been so much better than it was.

hehe I did like Thomas Keller’s voice cameo though.

What did you think of it?

A funny thing is that the ratatouille in the movie looks more like the byaldi recipe in The French Laundry cookbook than the ratatouille dish on the Per Se menu… though I’d love to try either!

Hope you’re enjoying Yountville! I miss being up there so much!

Great post. I, too, was disappointed by the ramen at Momofuku on my last visit last month. I lived right around the corner when they first opened–when you could walk in any old time. The Fried Green Tomatoes sound awesome, though. Brilliant description of the flavors, too.

Thanks for the photo of the Per Se menu. If you go back into the city, know that you can go into the lounge for a drink even if you don’t have a reservation. Get a glass of champagne and enjoy the view of the park–and the dining room. By the way, have you seen the movie yet?

Greetings from Yountville, and safe travels.

=Non Cognomina

Susan - Thanks! I haven’t picked my own food in such a long time, and it was such a simple treat. I want to investigate farms where you can pick your own fruit in the LA area for an excursion this summer.

ChocolateApprentice - Thank you. Eek, I hope I’m right about the prices (I actually didn’t write them down this time), but I think Yountville is cheaper. I looked on the web and found accounts in the past couple of months of the donuts costing either $3.50 or $4.25. So, maybe there’s some price variance and/or changing going on.

And wow, your site brings back a lot of memories. Say hello to everyone at the school for me!

Emily - Thanks! And oooh, you’re so lucky to have your berries! I’d stick with the red raspberries. The black are mostly good b/c they come in earlier, but they’re more bitter and not as lusciously textured as the red.

Come to think of it, my last visit to the Yountville Bouchon was lacking, too.

I heard that Bouchon Bakery in NY has gone downhill recently, but who knows.