I Sure As Heck Didn't Build It! (With some thanks to Helen & Al Kauffman, Jeannie, my folks and the US government)

Tweet Warning: This post isn't well researched (frankly, it isn't researched at all) and it isn't particularly well thought out.  Judging from much of the political discourse I've seen recently, that hardly matters.   In contrast to much of what I've seen, on both sides of the aisle, the author (me, in this case) genuinely believes what he is saying to be factually accurate.

I recently listened to a really compelling installment of NPR's wonderful show, This American Life (March 2, 2012).  In that podcast, they focused on some changes in Trenton and Newark, NJ as well as in the Midwest as a result of decreased government spending.  That got me thinking.

Shortly after that, my mom stayed at our home and discussed with my adolescent kids the sacrifices she and my dad made when it was time for me to go to college and earlier in my life.  I greatly appreciate the huge stretching my family did to provide those opportunities.  That's when it crystallized and I decided to write this down.

It is very clear to me that whatever I have today in terms of education and professional achievements, I wouldn't have accessed without the help of a seemingly innumerable set of government programs, luck and the kindness of people who, at the time, were strangers.  I'm not saying that what I've achieved is so great or that financial stability is success.  That said, because I grew up in a multigenerational row home which my parents shared with my aunt and grandmother (the latter two shared a bedroom), owning my own home complete with white picket fence and rooms for my 2 healthy kids is something I had wanted for a very long time.  I am delighted and appreciative that my wife and I were able to get there, but we certainly didn't get there alone. Here's just a little background.

My parents both went to college for free at Brooklyn College and my father, who grew up dirt poor (my mom grew up poor, but he was poorer), received medical help periodically throughout his life from the Veterans Administration and their various services.  I'm not saying it was the best care, but it was there for him and he couldn't afford more, especially after his military service and before he completed college.  Neither of them viewed the free college tuition as a handout, both worked during the day and went to school at night, which is where they met.  My father-in-law, who also grew up poor, went to NYU on the GI Bill after fighting in WWII.  Incidentally, my wife and I met when we were 18, right after she spent a year studying in Germany on a scholarship funded by the United States State Department and the German Bundestag (a post-war program designed to increase understanding between our nations).

All 4 of my grandparents were born overseas so I'm pretty appreciative that our immigration policy at the time let them all in...especially because they arrived jobless.  Certainly, none of them did particularly well financially so they were probably a drain on the government in a number of ways, especially my mom's family (she is one of 6 kids).  My father grew up with English as his second language. He learned English for free, in school, thanks to compulsory (and free) elementary education.

I was fortunate enough to get into a magnet program at a public high school in Brooklyn.  It was several miles from home but because we didn't have much money, I received a subsidy to take a municipal bus (or two) to and from school in High School.  I doubt that I'd have gone to the college I attended had I not had my perspective materially altered by attending that magnet program (so thank you Midwood High School).

We couldn't afford college but a combination of government loans, scholarships and, of course, tuition and other payments from my parents, covered the bills.  A work study program enabled me to work for all 4 years of college, during school.  Sometimes I worked 35 hours a week and my jobs did include cleaning toilets in an office building in Philadelphia (I didn't last long at that one, but I received more compensation per hour for that than for working on campus).

When it was time for law school, I took out more government subsidized loans and the student loans I had previously obtained were deferred until I finished school.  The mountain of debt I had amassed did very much inform my decision to go straight to law school because the thought of repaying what I had borrowed on whatever job I expected to get with a degree in Sociology & Anthropology was a bit daunting.  So when my college friends asked if I wanted to join them on an exotic trip after graduation, I declined and worked instead.  Not complaining and not bragging, just noting that these things informed my decisions but they also showed me a world I wanted to enter where kids could take those kinds of trips.

My first summer of law school at U of Penn, I received a grant to work for a Public Interest Law Group where I had been working during the school year.  This was consistent with my work the prior summer when I had been a camp counselor at an overnight camp for persons with retardation and those who had been labeled mentally ill.  At the camp, we received and dined on government subsidized food and while I never thought to ask where our funding had come from, I'm confident that there were government funds involved...this was not a luxurious camp.  For my time at the public interest job, our work helping people with developmental disabilities was funded by a series of government grants and while I remember my bosses applying for grants, I certainly don't remember them having to cozy up to private donors; ever.


I have nothing against soliciting funds from private donors (though I like the idea of a public interest law project not having to worry about which corporate interests it angers).  Quite the opposite.  In fact that's soliciting private donors has been the cornerstone of the HAPI Foundation -- http://www.hapifoundation.org -- , the charity my wife and I founded with some friends (and which I have chaired for more than a decade).  Through the HAPI Foundation, we raised and gave grants of several million bucks to dozens of worthy organizations.  Fortunately, the government enabled our friends to get a deduction for those donations and many of the wonderful organizations we've supported were government-run or government-funded groups (though certainly not all of them were).  One of those that is government funded, YCS, has become very special to our family because not only has the HAPI Foundation consistently funded YCS, but the interactions my kids have had with the people at YCS and the children served by YCS has greatly influenced my kids.

The point is that the public sector and the private sector must BOTH be involved in helping.  For instance, my older sister was born with severe disabilities (which is part of why helping special populations has always been important to me) and her life was saved by experimental surgery in the Philadelphia suburbs just over 100 miles from where we lived in Brooklyn.  My parents needed to be at her bedside when she was undergoing treatment (surgery, various procedures and post-surgical check ups) there and the good people who were geographically proximate to the hospital had volunteered to let families of kids like my sister stay at their homes when the families couldn't afford hotels.  We couldn't afford hotels and we stayed with volunteers.  In fact, we stayed so frequently, that it wasn't until I was older that I learned that Aunt Helen and Uncle Al Kauffman weren't related to us but were merely volunteers who took a young family with a very sick kid into their homes, repeatedly.  I have never forgotten that kindness nor have I forgotten that they always made us feel like welcome guests.  My eyes well up right now thinking about it.  I loved the muti-colored digital clock they had in the room I slept.  I still have vivid memories of being there as a pre-kindergartener.  Some of the grants I have pushed for and made through the HAPI Foundation are, in fact, directly as a result of that kindness and my desire to pay it back.  Being wiped out by a flood themselves didn't stop Helen and Al from helping us as soon as their house was reassembled.  Thank goodness for government emergency help for flood victims and others.  Again, I'm not saying FEMA and related services are perfect, but I'd hate to eliminate those services.


We also have a family member named Jeannie who further embodies that spirit in the private sector.  When Jeannie was a teenager she responded to an ad my parents placed looking for volunteers to help with my sister's physical therapy.  Jeannie's family also didn't have a ton of money but she wanted some experience because she planned to go to medical school.  She worked tirelessly with my family for years, while in school and even while getting a medical degree from Columbia University.  Now, more than 45 years later, she's a professor at Georgetown Medical School and is an amazing person who works tirelessly for a number of really important causes, including her professional focus on cancers affecting older women.  We're still close and I've never really been able to explain to people how she's part of our family, but she is very much a part of our family and always will be.  In fact, when I started teaching at Columbia University's Business School I was particularly pleased because it had been her alma mater.  I can't even express how much I look up to Jeannie.

My point is simply that we need both -- government programs and people like Helen, Al and, of course, Jeannie, who just step up and do the right thing over and over again.  I sure wish some of our politicians would take a look at Jeannie's life and the impact she's had on our family.  She's just down the block over at Georgetown...and she frequently seeks government grants for her research and work.  Thank goodness the government funding is there for her and for all of us.  Incidentally, I didn't tell her I was writing this and she had no idea I'd be talking about her.

So thanks for not cutting all the funding and shrinking away all the government just yet.

Pass it on.
Ed
PS This week we adopted a kitten from a shelter.  He was the runt of the litter and kind of stupid looking, in an adorable way.  His care and the rescue of other similarly situated kittens are thanks to the county (and the donations that families like ours have made when we adopt those kitties).  His care is, of course, given by human beings but we sure did notice that the woman who had been in charge of him was wearing a shirt that said Morris County Animal Control when we picked up this adorable little guy.

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Pause Points for Diligence in Venture Deals

Tweet Last night Mark Suster wrote a thoughtful post on How Much Information Should You Give VCs During Diligence and, jet-lagged, I read it this morning and posted a comment.  As I thought more about it and realized I was about to commence both a new semester teaching Venture Capital and Angel Investing to MBA Candidates at Columbia University's Business School (my 7th year teaching this with my partner Dave Haber at Lowenstein Sandler) and a new vintage of www.FirstGrowthVN.com, with its  15 or so teams of founders, it might make sense to spell out my thoughts on the topic here.

Here then are my Pause Points For Diligence in VC Deals -- points in time at which the founders need to consider whether, how and to whom to disclose.  I think Mark did a fine job of talking about what to disclose during the initial getting to know phase, though I think it is fine to talk to more VCs and to simply get to know them and update them on your business. I'd set expectations about that being the purpose of a meeting before you arrive at the meeting, but building your network of investor relationships early is a very solid strategy.  It also happens to be very rewarding...many venture investors are really charismatic and insightful people -- they have to be, they're in the business of convincing really smart and creative people that the same amount of money from one investor is more valuable than that amount coming from another investor!

I give three pause points in the body of the article covering the time period after things have heated up with investors and before the closing but give 8 pause points at the end of the article from the start of the process (before you meet) to the closing.

Quick note: this isn't legal advice (and it isn't illegal advice) so don't sue me for it!

Years ago I had a friend and client who, sadly, perished in the twin towers on 9/11.  She taught me a number of things which still influence how I lawyer today.  One of them was "Bad news isn't wine, it does not improve with age."  That one applies here quite nicely.  Once you've passed the initial getting to know phase, there's a huge pause point (1) when your sponsor or deal champion at the fund is socializing the deal with her colleagues before the partner meeting. One good test for founders is to try to put yourself in the shoes of your sponsor at the fund and ask whether she is going to need to go back to her colleagues and say "hey, I either didn't do my homework or the founder didn't have great judgment about what and when to make disclosure but here's something we need to consider before we invest..." Investors will feel embarrassed and burned if they receive material bad news after they've greenlighted a deal. As an angel who has championed deals and brought others into a syndicate (as recently as this month), I certainly am sensitive to having egg on my face because it looks like I wasn't thorough or the founder didn't trust me enough to share potentially off-putting news. Sure, as angels we can ask the really hard questions, but we worry about giving off a bad vibe and/or impacting our own reputations ("Zimmerman, he's the creep who asks everyone if they've previously declared bankruptcy..." No thanks!). My view, as an angel, is that the founder should be forthcoming about negative info rather than waiting for me to ferret it out. How would you feel as a founder if, as an angel about to make a small investment and bring in a bunch of my friends, I asked you whether you had declared bankruptcy or been convicted of a crime? I think that burden should fall on the person with that in his or her past. Of course that is something the lawyers will need to tackle in legal diligence, which comes after there's a signed a term sheet but I'd argue that is way too late to first be learning about those two types of disclosure.

There's another pause point (2) before you sign the term sheet and again (3) before the company sends the investors the first draft of the disclosure schedules. The disclosure schedules get attached to the purchase agreement and modify the representations and warranties in the purchase agreement. For instance, "there's no litigation except the matters listed on schedule 3.7." If there's anything embarrassing (criminal, bankruptcy, resume inaccuracies) those usually get disclosed before the schedules go out either in a call or face to face - you don't really want your investor to read about the fact that you went bankrupt, tell her in real time (preferably shortly before she brings it to the partnership for issuing the term sheet, but that may be an over generalization of complex facts). The diligence process is an important prelude to setting the tone for a relationship in which bad news will inevitably get shared (even at great companies), usually in both directions (investors do, sometimes, have disappointing news to deliver to their management teams). Set the tone for honesty and openness early in the relationship. This also holds true for personal things (a dissolving marriage could, for instance, impact your whereabouts during the day and your focus at work; it could also impact stock ownership, and it has).  There are plenty of things that may not have any legal impact but that your investor should probably know about before funding because it might just feel awkward if they learned about it later.  Again, this is relationship/trust building as much as it is legal considerations. For instance, I'd expect a severe illness in the family to have an impact and it is something that a founder might consider disclosing at some point before the closing even though it may not be relevant disclosure from a legal perspective. Of course if you, as a C level executive, have had 3 prior heart attacks and are about to take the helm of a company into which investors investors have poured millions and you falsify your pre-employment questionnaire (by omitting to reference your heart attack), do expect that to bite you in the ass...and hard! (I mention this one because in putting miles on my odometer, I've had this actually happen...he had a heart attack during the first week in the new role!).

It is important to know that you will be held to the standard of having needed to disclose anything a reasonably prudent investor should have known before she made the investment decision. This standard requires foresight and judgment, the kind of judgment that only comes from having considered these decisions and then lived with the results...for years and years. If you're uncertain but think that disclosure might be necessary, run it by someone who has put a ton of miles on the odometer in these types of deals, there's no substitute for experience in terms of whether, how and when to make the disclosure.

As Mark's post indicates, people don't forget it when you've breached propriety in diligence, whether it was contacting people when you were asked not to do so or whether you shaded something the wrong way or exercised poor judgment about what and when to disclose. As a lawyer representing numerous venture funds, I've certainly spent time with clients noodling through whether I thought the founder who had messed up the timing, tone or decision to disclose was simply inexperienced and getting bad guidance or was not forthcoming. The first of those two categories can be a problem and requires fixing and the second can be worse. I've also spent way more time counseling founders on whether, how and when to disclose. It is important to note that lawyers shouldn't just have a knee-jerk reaction saying "disclose everything." I'm not suggesting that you hide pending lawsuits or felony convictions, but I'm not sure, for instance, that it is a good use of time and paper to disclose speeding tickets...that you paid.  On the other hand, having been fired for cause may end up in that middle category where the reasons and timing may well be important.  I mention that because I have been fired for cause...more than once (though not since law school).

While the odds of a bad outcome (the thing to be disclosed may never come to fruition) may be low, the odds of the investor finding out either not from the founder or after the closing can turn an honest mistake into a failure to properly respect a relationship. These can be pretty subtle judgment calls more susceptible to being talked through than to a 5 Simple Rules approach.

So now that I've said I can't give you 5 simple rules, I can give you a handful of pause points when you need to strongly consider whether to make additional disclosures -- and it is a bad idea to be forgetful when trying to figure out if there is something important to consider, which is why overly inclusive diligence lists that ask whether you've been arrested or gone bankrupt are important and helpful:

PAUSE POINTS:

1. When introducing your business by email, especially through a middle person (friend of a friend) or cold

2. At first meeting -- if you aren't shopping/pitching, manage expectations about that and figure out in advance what you want disclosed

3. Before investors do a deep dive to figure out whether this is something they might want to fund

4. When your internal champion/sponsor at a fund or in an angel group is about to socialize your business with her colleagues/friends before greenlighting a term sheet or investment

5. Before signing that term sheet

6. Before sending the first raft of diligence materials -- call or do a face to face if there's anything icky or sticky to disclose

7.  Before sending the first draft of the disclosure schedules -- I hate seeing something that the founders knew about and just didn't want to disclose when I get a blacklined second or third draft of the schedules.  The junior lawyers and junior people at the fund will always read the blacklines and the senior folks often do as well.  Adding something negative that just arose is okay (of course, it may be so negative that it impacts the deal, but at least you won't look like a liar...unless it is a perjury conviction in which case, there's not much I can do to help you!), but a late addition of something material that was clearly known about previously is worth noting and not in a good way.  I'd want to understand why it had not been disclosed sooner so be ready to explain.

8. Before closing.  This is why lawyers for the company often do a "knowledge group call" with the management team members in the so-called "Knowledge Group" to go through the reps and warranties.  These calls aren't always done and in a cost-cutting/cost-conscious environment, people in seed and venture deals often omit them.  I'm a fan of doing them, especially in M&A and larger venture deals.

Hope that helps.  Please share your experiences and pose your questions!  Thanks.

Ed

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Ain't Nobody's Business...Not Exactly Bessie!

Tweet While some credit the song to Billie Holiday, "Ain't Nobody's Business" was apparently written by Bessie Smith's accompanist, pianist, Porter Grainger and Everett Robbins.  I've loved this classic blues song from the 20s for many years. I've listened to the lyrics repeatedly, as I have with many Bessie Smith songs.  So why is it that today, while I was washing dishes (using barkeeper's friend on stainless pots actually...which I really hate doing), that I heard something I'd overlooked on all prior listens? Here's what Bessie sings on Queen of the Blues Volume 1 (as transcribed by me so probably inaccurately transcribed):

There ain't nothing I can do
Or nothing I can say
That's folks don't criticize me

But I'm going to do just as I want to anyway
And don't care if they all despise me
If I should take a notion to jump in to the ocean t'ain't nobody's business if I do...do...do...do

If I go to church on Sunday
Then just shimmy down on Monday
t'ain't nobody's business if I do, if I do

If my friend ain't got no money and I say take all mine honey
t'ain't nobody's business if I do, if I do

If I give him my last nickel and he leaves me in a pickle
t'ain't nobody's business if I do, if I do

If I'd rather my man would hit me than to jump right up and quit me
t'ain't nobody's business if I do, if I do

I swear I won't call no copper if I'm beat up by my papa
t'ain't nobody's business if I do, if I do

[Incidentally, she seems to be saying "in" and then "to" the ocean, rather than "into" and I'm not sure I'm right about "despise" but I couldn't figure out what else it could be -- "defile"?]

This song has been recorded and performed by so many great artists (some versions predate Bessie's) and, in various instances, the lyrics changed.  In some instance, the lyric alterations resulted in omitting references to domestic violence.

One of the things I've always loved about Bessie is the personality that shines through in her vocals; a personality which paints her as a force to be reckoned with.  For instance, on Gimme a Pigfoot (which I love), she ends up somewhere between a growl and a roar.  On first hearing, it wouldn't be wrong to actually jump when she roars about the paino player bringing her down.  Vulnerable on many of her songs, sure, but welcoming abuse (in a song written by men from a woman's perspective)?

Maybe I've been thinking more about this since hearing Terry Gross' fabulous interview with Carole King and spending a bunch of time with my family listening to Tapestry (which I'm embarrassed to say I didn't own until this year) and Carole King's Legendary Demos disc (which may be better than Tapestry and is certainly more impressive a display of raw talent).  In the interview, Terry asks her about one of the seemingly innumerable hits she wrote for other artists, "He Hit Me & It Felt Like a Kiss," which she penned with her former husband, Gerry Goffin (he was the lyricist and she wrote the music).  Here are the remarkably troubling lyrics, but before I share them, what is so noteworthy is that in King's autobiography (which I've not read) she revealed that she was in a physically abusive relationship (years after writing that song and the songs comprising Tapestry and not with Goffin).  During the Terry Gross interview on Fresh Air, she said that she really regrets having had a part in writing that song, especially as a woman who later was herself physically abused.  Note the wikipedia entry for this song provides: "Goffin and King wrote the song after discovering that singer Little Eva was being regularly beaten by her boyfriend.^[1] When they inquired why she tolerated such treatment, Eva replied, with complete sincerity, that her boyfriend's actions were motivated by his love for her.^[1]"

"He hit me And it felt like a kiss. He hit me But it didn't hurt me. He couldn't stand to hear me say That I'd been with someone new, And when I told him I had been untrue He hit me And it felt like a kiss. He hit me And I knew he loved me. If he didn't care for me I could have never made him mad But he hit me, And I was glad. (instrumental break) Yes, he hit me And it felt like a kiss. He hit me And I knew I loved him. And then he took me in his arms With all the tenderness there is, And when he kissed me, He made me his."

I've been sharing Bessie, Carole, Etta James and others with my daughter (13) and son (11).  My kids also love Amy Winehouse who had commented that this was one of her favorite songs of all time and was a major influence (Winehouse's own musings about abuse are noteworthy and troubling).

I'm hoping that I'm right when I say that more social opprobrium would attach to work like this today than it did when these were penned in the 20s and 60s, respectively, though He Hit Me did not receive a warm welcome by any stretch.  I believe there's some real merit in discussing with the kids that King herself suffered through a physically abusive relationship while she was successful, affluent, incredibly talented and, in fact, really famous.  She suffered in silence as many do.  The fact of the matter is, however, Bessie got it wrong -- it is somebody's business and I hope that if my kids had a friend who was suffering abuse they'd find a way to help.

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Summer Dining in Paris...Lots of Luck!

Tweet Want to eat in Paris in August or late July? Try again mon ami...the city is closed.  Okay, overstatement? Maybe.  Here's an online list of which handful of restaurants are open when:

Summer Vacation Schedules: http://parisbymouth.com/paris-august-restaurant-closures/
Restaurants Open By Specific Dates: http://parisbymouth.com/paris-restaurants-open-august-july-summer-not-closed/

We had a lovely dinner at Relais de Comptoir on August 14...the day before the day on which everyplace in France is closed. No reservations and a pretty long wait on a line outside the restaurant (I had to bribe/appease the kids with a crepe from the Avant le Comptoir store next door).

Enjoy and best wishes for gustatory happiness in a country that so thoroughly expects its citizens to take August off that the highways feature electronic messages, in French, wishing drivers a happy vacation!

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DNR List (don't tweet this post...not that anyone would have)

Tweet I am always reluctant to publicly take a negative view on a restaurant, winery, hotel etc.  I was a busboy at a restaurant and worked behind the counter of a sandwich shop and a bagel place...I know that there are two sides to the story.  I also have a terrible memory and want to have a way of finding my mental list of places that I'd rather not revisit because life is short and I just believe that my odds of having a great experience will be better elsewhere.  There are exceptions to that rule -- Chez L'Ami Louis in Paris, for instance -- where they just simply deserve to be publicly berated.  Of course, it is easiest when someone else calls them out (was it Vogue magazine that made my day by recognizing Chez L'Ami Louis as the world's worst restaurant?  Of course, that was several years after the restaurant had crapped all over me (and my family), but vindication was sweet.

Here then is my list of places that have either been affirmatively awful (hopefully there will be very few of these) and those that have simply failed to be memorable and, accordingly, I will need to write them down so that I may sidestep in the future.  The list is by location, rather than in order

AFFIRMATIVELY AWFUL
PARIS
Chez L'Ami Louis

NEW JERSEY
Lorena (Maplewood)
Khun Thai (Millburn) -- changed owners, changed recipes, killed my taste buds...sorry.  Not offensive people by any stretch, just bad cooking (May 2012)

JUST NOT MEMORABLE
PARIS
Le Verre Vole (10th arrond.) -- amusingly inattentive service, food was pretty good, but not fantastic; kind of a "can't do" attitude (August 2012)
Restaurant Raja Preuk (thai food) (6th Arrond.) http://www.rajapreuk.com  -- food wasn't that bad, though it was crawling with bugs...place was pretty empty.  People were nice and reviews had been decent.  (August 2011)


PIEDMONT, ITALY
Il Boscareto -- staff at the restaurant La Rei and at the hotel were perfectly nice, they just didn't really know how to do the stuff that needed to be done.  The hotel itself is out of place in Piedmont.  They also advertised air conditioning (which is pretty important in the middle of the summer in Piedmont) and while they have a/c, it doesn't actually cool the place so you can't actually be in your room during the day (a quick search on the internet revealed that other travelers had encountered this problem).  The restaurant service was a bit comical and the food was nowhere near the quality of much humbler and less pricey places in the area.  Again, the staff was very nice so I feel a little guilty...but so should they. (July 2012)

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1/2Baked Paris Summer 2012: "Waiting on a Miracle"

Tweet My current wish list of food I want to eat in Paris in Summer 2012 while await the unattainable Yam T'Cha reservation (hence the reference to the Springsteen song title above, though I'm pretty sure the Boss wasn't thinking that scoring a Parisian hot reservation was so miraculous):
In the 7th:
LA TABLE D’AKI, 49 rue Vaneau, Paris 7. Tel: +33 1 45 44 43 48. Métro: Vaneau. Open: Tuesday-Saturday. Closed  Sunday & Monday.
www.latabledaki.com. Lunch & Dinner: A la carte 38-50€
--Here's what Patricia Wells had to say (and we love her): http://patriciawells.com/blog/3496

"Akihiro Horikoshi brings new meaning to the phrase "one man show." His new, 16-seat restaurant has a single employee: Aki. He shops, he creates the menu, he cooks, he takes orders, he serves, he cleans up. And this is the way the Tokyo native wants it. He has been on his own at La Table d’Aki since January 10, having worked under the tutelage of Bernard Pacaud at the Michelin three-star L’Ambroisie since 1991. The spotless, tiny restaurant is bathed in light and white from head to toe, with a few flashes of red from the lamp cables that bring the room together in a quiet, festive way. His food, too – pure, simple, and sensational in an understated way  – is white. A giant. alabaster ravioli filled with sweet, fresh langoustines dotted with herbs arrives with a thin but potent meat sauce that makes the dish look like dessert (photo). A delicate, moist fricassée of chicken with carefully turned potatoes and baby onions tastes as though it was dropped from on high by the angels. The delicate lieu-jaune (Atlantic cod) is offset with the punch of a brunoise of celery root, all those precision-cut cubes, and a nice hit of capers. Dessert, all white again, arrives as silken crème brûlée, paired with an apple baked with a touch of cake inside, a pleasant surprise on the palate. At night, Aki cooks only fish. On the menu now, the freshest scallops from Brittany. The food has the Aki signature, as well as the echo of Pacauad’s sublime perfection. La Table d’Aki is a nice little new star in Paris’s ever-glistening sky."
Also, check out Paris by Mouth: http://parisbymouth.com/our-guide-to-paris-la-table-daki/

COUTUME CAFE: I'm looking for Coffee (really good coffee!) and light bites (salad to justify all that carb-loading I do in Paris) at the hot new place described here: http://www.60by80.com/paris/restaurants-brunch/coutume-cafe.html

Address	47 rue de Babylone; 75007 Paris by rue Vaneau
Neighbourhood	7th Arrondissement | See on map
Metro	Saint-François-Xavier [M13], Vaneau [M10]
Telephone	+33 1 45 51 50 47
Website	http://coutumecafe.com/
Price	EUR 10-15
Hours	Tues-Fri 08-19. Sat-Sun 10-19

RESTAURANT LE CHARDENOUX DES PRES: This bistro in the 6th was dubbed among Gayot's top 10 new restaurants in Paris for 2012 and is open 7 days a week (and that means Sundays too).  It garners 14/20 from Gayot, which is pretty great praise, actually: http://www.restaurantlechardenouxdespres.com/fr/# and here's the Gayot link to the restaurant: http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/le-chardenoux-des-pres-paris-75006-france_10pa110707-02.html

SATURNE: A moderately priced new find in the 2nd where a Passard alum (our beloved veggie 7th heaven, Arpege) and a good sommelier, have teamed up to garner 14/20 and make Gayot's top 10 new restos of 2012.  Front room is a no reservation bistro. Back room is more upscale and takes res.  Here's the Gayot review: http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/saturne-paris-75002-france_10pa101001.html  And this review makes it sound like the perfect place for a pretentious foodie like me: http://www.60by80.com/paris/restaurants-popular/saturne.html

GUY SAVOY: It's time...for years, I have toyed with the idea and kept wondering whether the hype had outlived the quality but seeing the 3 star rating again from Michelin and the top ranking in Gayot this year (18/20) means that the time has come to take the plunge: http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/guy-savoy-paris-75017-france_10pa02293-04.html and here's the link to the restaurant itself: http://www.guysavoy.com/en/guy-savoy-autres-maisons and here's what Michelin has to say: http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Restaurants#description@poi=6477_41102

CHEN SOLEIL d'EST: I admit that I am on the fence on this one...with 16/20 from Gayot and a nod for best Chinese in Paris, I am intrigued (especially since they said that it has a wine list that matches well...) http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/chen-soleil-dest-paris-75015-france_10pa060204.html

What about Spring? Check out the GQ coverage: http://www.gq.com/food-travel/alan-richman/201105/best-restaurants-paris-alan-richman

And there's more for me to explore: like some of those in this article: http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2012/04/best-restaurants-in-paris-fran.html

Frenchie looks yummy and fairly priced: http://frenchie-restaurant.com/
These two women are causing a bit of a stir in the 18th: http://en.le-bal.com/

We have friends in the 9th and there's a wine store nearby that i quite like, so...http://lepantruche.com/

Is she the real deal? Not sure, but this Argentine chef has been feeding Paris' star chefs of late: Le Baratin, 3 rue Jouye-Rouve (20th); +33-1-43-49-39-70.  What I save on food, I will spend on the cab -- because this is in the 20th, no really, the 20th: 0
Nearest transport: Pyrenées or Belleville (11)
Hours: Closed Sunday and Monday
Reservations: Book a few days in advance
This is also touted in http://parisbymouth.com/le-baratin-2/ and here: http://www.wineterroirs.com/2004/07/paris_wine_bars.html (which mentions Edith Piaf's birthplace, right nearby)

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1/2Baked Scotland

Tweet In furtherance of my goal of publishing half-baked notes aggregating the research I've done and guidance I've received on a given location so that, over time, I can get feedback and incorporate my own experiences to refine these notes, Here's what's cooking in Scotland.  We plan to visit in mid/late August for family vacation.  Any tips are greatly appreciated!

Edinburgh
--Rhubarb, the Restaurant at Prestonfield -- this is supposed to have great food and won the AA award for best wine list in Scotland 2011(2012 edition).  see below for sibling restaurant, the Witchery by the Castle
--The Kitchin (Tom Kitchin) -- okay, I'm confused already -- who is better Kitchin or Kitching, both seem to be super hot chefs in Edinburgh(****)
--Restaurant Martin Wishart -- is this Scotland's finest restaurant? That's a claim I've heard and they have a hefty wine list too (****)
--21212/Paul Kitching -- this is the hot address in Edinburgh right now.  Can't wait to try it (and the wine list too)
--Witchery by the Castle - is this the better of the duo at Prestonfields?
--Balmoral -- this has the reputation of being Edinburgh's most prestigious hotel...the restaurant sounds intriguing, though is it stuffy? (Hadrian's is the less formal sibling)
--Hadrian's -- this modern scottish sibling to the high end Balmoral's primary restaurant is also noteworthy.  Is it heavy? May well be lower key though
--Norton House -- just outside Edinburgh and, apparently, amazing produce...no word on the wine list
--Cafe Royal -- winner of the 2011 Pub of the Year for Scotland
--Castle Terrace Restaurant (a *** run by a friend of Tom Kitchin's)
--Plumed Horse (another *** for which we won't have time, sadly)

GLASGOW
--Blytheswood Square -- hotel of the year for Scotland 2012
Where else should we dine in Glasgow?  Kind of wish we had access to Edinburgh's hot resto scene from here, no?

HIGHLANDS
--Culloden House in Inverness -- creative local cuisine ** in a great hotel, local produce and no jackets required! Book it Danno!
--Boath House in Nairn -- **** with local produce and their own organic produce and honey from hives and gardens on the property (not that I plan to eat honey...okay, a little I do plan to eat, but it portends great things, no?).  More than 125 bottles and I can handle the "No T shirts" dress code!
--Glenmoriston Town House Hotel in Inverness -- *** of refined European cuisine
--Inverlochy Castle in Fort Williams -- this looks pretty kicking with *** for food, more for lodging and a wine list too.  I might have to suck up the jacket+tie requirement and head over there for chow (why is Scotland currently in love with lemon grass?)
-Loch Ness Lodge -- serving large portions of filet of Nessy, I presume? (Maybe not) **
--The Cross at Kingussie in, where else, Kingussie! Female chef ***, 200+ bottles, serves only 20 people...sounds very worth checking out!  How far is this puppy from Inverness?
--The Torridon in, you guessed it, Torridon (and don't confuse it with the Torridon Inn in...Torridon).  Might be too far if staying Inverness. I do respect the "No jeans; no trainers" dress code and the *** rating.

ISLE OF SKYE
--Kinloch Lodge -- *** & 200+bottles run by cookbook author Lady Claire MacDonald and her husband with an emphasis on local/seasonal and a kick-butt hotel too.  This baby also has a star from Michelin!  This is, in fact, the only Mich Star on the Isle.
--The Three Chimneys & the House Over-By ...herbs & veggies from their own gardens and more than 180 bottles on the list at this Colbost-based ***  Here's what the NYTIMES wrote in 2008 about this place:  http://bit.ly/NYTDineScotIsles

"The Three Chimneys is the French Laundry of Scotland, luring food-loving pilgrims from near and far, a destination in its own right. And it was precisely the restaurant I was hoping for, one that can't be replicated outside Scotland."

--Toravaig House Hotel doesn't have a huge wine list but does do modern, local/seasonal food worthy of ** and might be worth a visit.
--Duisdale House may well have the same notes as Toravaig House Hotel...wonder if anyone could settle that coin toss?
--Ullinish Country Lodge is another *** doing modern French in a farmhouse which once housed Samuel Johnson and Boswell.  Not sure the menu sounds like it directly hits my sweetspot, but I'm open minded if time permits.  65 bottle list gets high marks, though it does make me wonder whether that's an ample enough list for my snooty tastes! (Self knowledge can be cruel but admitting I have a problem is, well, pretty easy for me).
--Hotel Eileen Iarmain is on the water, gets ** for traditional Scottish food and has a small wine list.


Moray - Perth & Kinrich
Not sure we will visit this area, but if we do, sounds like we should hit:
--Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles **** cooking from a local who trained under Michel Guerard and boasts 300+bottles.  Apparently this dude picked up the deuce from Michelin too!

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