One thing that stands out about the New York restaurant scene: It is a very attractive crowd. Also, very French. There are a number of immaculate suits, a lot of man-kissing, a lot of cologne. I careened through the crowd assaulting whoever I could, and since there was no particular order, here are a few tidbits:

• Maura Maccioni of Le Cirque, one of the few names I recognized (albeit vaguely), told me that, despite the chatter all around us, France is almost dried up as a source of culinary inspiration. “They have a few new things to offer,” he said, “but it’s very tough for the French these days.”
• Andrew Jordan and Sarah McLellan of Aussie outpost Eight Mile Creek compared kangaroo meat to “sweet filet mignon.” Is this true? If any of you have sampled kangaroo, write in and let us know.
• Max Schrem of Formaggio Essex Market, a cheese vendor, tells me that French goat’s-milk cheese is excellent for spring. (Perhaps this is one of the things the French have left to offer us.) He says that goat’s-milk cheese is lower in fat, so you can taste more of what the goat has eaten. He also assures me this is a good thing, even though I’d always heard goats eat garbage and detritus that other animals won’t.

My last observation is that there was a lot of unsolicited animosity toward Times critic Frank Bruni. The restaurant folks flat do not like him. Do with that what you will.