Dijon

Down on the factory floor, where it smells of sweat and soldered metal, Alain Hauvel is counting the days until he goes on the dole. "Never thought such a thing could happen here," he muttered the other day. "Never could have imagined it. " He tapped a foot, took a puff and stole a glance at the assembly line, where the women busied themselves with the next batch of vacuum cleaners. Within the year, they will all be on the street. Hauvel had a good deal while it lasted. He had worked his way up to supervisor.

At dawn, the sudden sun flashes through spider webs spun overnight between the iron railings of lock No. 9 on the Burgundy Canal. The spider webs, dew- laden, glisten like silver lace doilies. Early morning fog hangs over the surface of the canal, swirling in slight air currents. The fog reaches almost up to Chateauneuf on a hilltop three miles away, causing the 12th-century castle to seem to float on a cloud. Two hours later, after Capt. David Bourne has eased the barge Lady A out of her berth and pointed her downstream, the fog has evaporated, but Chateauneuf seems no nearer than it was. And with good reason - the Lady A is moving at a leisurely - nay, languid - pace.

Not garden-variety Others may simply coat and deep-fry chicken pieces, and call them "chicken nuggets. " You can taste the difference at the Dilworthtown Inn's new companion Blue Pear Bistro. They take two days - a complex process of wrapping/refrigeration, poaching at exactly 165 degrees, shocking in ice water, breading in panko and chicken mousse, and frying in peanut oil. They're skewered and served in a flowerpot anchored with black beans, with a honey Dijon white truffle oil sauce.

Feeling adventurous? Here are a few of Zack Lemann's favorite creepy-crawly dishes. ODONATE HORS D'OEUVRES 10-20 dragonflies, thawed from the freezer 1 egg 1 small bowl of seasoned fish fry 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon soy sauce 10-20 thinly sliced Portobello mushrooms (1 per dragonfly) Olive oil Canola oil Pour 1/2 inch of canola oil in a medium skillet, heat on medium. In a separate, small skillet, heat butter, Dijon mustard and soy sauce together at a low heat, then set aside in a small bowl.

Admittedly, kielbasa isn't the sexiest item in the deli case, but it is perhaps the most versatile. The garlicky smoked meat has been the base of many clean-out-the-refrigerator dinners. Best of all, when the well-flavored kielbasa is an ingredient, my impromptu specials are well-received. The hits include a skillet dinner of sauteed onions, garlic, caraway seeds, cabbage and kielbasa; cooked lentils with kielbasa, either served hot as a stew or cold in a salad; bean soup with kielbasa; grilled kielbasa with onions and a mustard sauce, and kielbasa and sweet-potato soup.

Eurostar passenger train service through the Channel Tunnel is becoming more frequent - nine round trips daily between London and Paris as of this month. That's almost twice as much service as the previous five trains a day. Service between London and Brussels also has increased recently to five from three trains daily. Rail Europe, a subsidiary of the French National Railways, also announced that in late September passengers going between London and Dijon in France's Burgundy region will be able to bypass Paris by taking Eurostar to Lille and then boarding a TGV train to Dijon.

Now nearly five years old, the Baron's Inne seems to have settled quietly and comfortably into the warp and woof of suburban culinary life. But this romantic place must not be overlooked, for it remains one of the region's finest restaurants. Chef Frank Bourque, a graduate of the Restaurant School in Philadelphia, has fashioned an imaginative French-based menu rich with interesting, seldom- found dishes, subtly sauced to bring out their finest qualities. A recent dinner began with two superb soups - thick puree of broccoli ($3)

2-3 pounds lamb spareribs, or lamb breast 1 tablespoon rosemary 1 tablespoon thyme 1 tablespoon marjoram 1 tablespoon tarragon 1 tablespoon sage 1 tablespoon parsley 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 1 Meyer lemon, zest and juice 2 tablespoons honey 1/2 cup good olive oil Salt and black pepper 1 cup black olive caramel glaze Wash and trim the lamb spareribs. Season with salt and pepper. Wash, pick and finely chop all the herbs and place in a large bowl.

Welcome to my fridge, Kenmore, circa 1978. Posted on its mustard yellow doors are postcards from friends' visits to tropical islands, an old gym schedule, takeout menus, newspaper clippings of Eminem, and an ad for those cute new Keds sandals. Outside, my refrigerator reveals a bit about me, your average twenty-to-thirty-something woman. Inside, however, my trusty icebox reveals a deep, dark - and entirely common - secret of a growing population of single eaters. Here's what's in there: Water pitcher (filter expired)

The White Dog Cafe in University City is best-known for the imaginative menu served in its casually chic dining rooms at fine dining prices. Less well-known is the grill menu served only in the bar area from midafternoon until 10 p.m. or later, depending on the night of the week. Here, bookbag-toting students and briefcase-toting profs from the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University settle in for inexpensive meals, late snacks and pitchers of beer. The priciest item is an 8-oz.

2-3 pounds lamb spareribs, or lamb breast 1 tablespoon rosemary 1 tablespoon thyme 1 tablespoon marjoram 1 tablespoon tarragon 1 tablespoon sage 1 tablespoon parsley 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 1 Meyer lemon, zest and juice 2 tablespoons honey 1/2 cup good olive oil Salt and black pepper 1 cup black olive caramel glaze Wash and trim the lamb spareribs. Season with salt and pepper. Wash, pick and finely chop all the herbs and place in a large bowl.

Now let us consider how a presumably innocent come-on can create a misunderstanding, and a bit of heartache - or let us just leave it at a twinge of disappointment . Certainly the advance billings for Stephen Starr's retro-American chophouse, Butcher & Singer (in the grand sarcophagus of the late Striped Bass at 15th and Walnut), meant no harm: They'd rattled on about the clubby look and plaid curtains, the Fontainebleau Hotel's rescued chandeliers, the nods to Frankie Bradley's, the bygone Philadelphia steak house, the "coveted" Hollywood booths and "perfectly charred prime steaks," none of which I have any reason to quibble with.

Feeling adventurous? Here are a few of Zack Lemann's favorite creepy-crawly dishes. ODONATE HORS D'OEUVRES 10-20 dragonflies, thawed from the freezer 1 egg 1 small bowl of seasoned fish fry 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon soy sauce 10-20 thinly sliced Portobello mushrooms (1 per dragonfly) Olive oil Canola oil Pour 1/2 inch of canola oil in a medium skillet, heat on medium. In a separate, small skillet, heat butter, Dijon mustard and soy sauce together at a low heat, then set aside in a small bowl.

Not every restaurant the Discreet Diner visits deserves five out of five stars. But every restaurant does have something to recommend it. So much is happening on the South Jersey restaurant scene that there really is something for everyone. Always in search of a new place to eat, the Discreet Diner stopped by Elements Cafe in Haddon Heights last week for lunch. I had read about Elements, opened in 2003, online first, and was looking forward to trying a variety of the tapas , Spanish for appetizers or small plates.

Not garden-variety Others may simply coat and deep-fry chicken pieces, and call them "chicken nuggets. " You can taste the difference at the Dilworthtown Inn's new companion Blue Pear Bistro. They take two days - a complex process of wrapping/refrigeration, poaching at exactly 165 degrees, shocking in ice water, breading in panko and chicken mousse, and frying in peanut oil. They're skewered and served in a flowerpot anchored with black beans, with a honey Dijon white truffle oil sauce.

Welcome to my fridge, Kenmore, circa 1978. Posted on its mustard yellow doors are postcards from friends' visits to tropical islands, an old gym schedule, takeout menus, newspaper clippings of Eminem, and an ad for those cute new Keds sandals. Outside, my refrigerator reveals a bit about me, your average twenty-to-thirty-something woman. Inside, however, my trusty icebox reveals a deep, dark - and entirely common - secret of a growing population of single eaters. Here's what's in there: Water pitcher (filter expired)

If April is the cruelest month, then what you want on a raw and ragged April evening is comfort - comfort food, that is. It was in fact on a recent blustery Tuesday evening, with an overcast sky, that my friend Renee and I went to Marathon on the Square, which retooled its menu last fall to feature huge helpings of chicken pot pie, hot turkey sandwiches and meatloaf, at reduced prices. When MOTS replaced the former resident of that space, DOTS (Diner on the Square), in 1998, I didn't really want to like it. After all, MOTS is part of a mini local chain, the Marathon Restaurant Group - six eateries in all. (The newest opened just this month at 2001 Market St.)

Certain months mean certain foods. Period. Our cravings will settle for nothing less. In March, it's the first asparagus. By June, it's strawberries. In August, we want juicy, tree-ripened peaches. But with the first cooler breezes of October, our taste buds turn to . . .bratwurst. Oktoberfest celebrations are under way at every turn, just dripping with sauerkraut, sausages and beer. What we need is a midweek solution to satisfy our October appetites. The vast array of German sausages is no longer just the property of big cities with large ethnic populations.

Popi's Ristorante sits just south of the Penrose Diner, about a cannoli's throw away, kind of hidden by the wide, grass-plotted avenue and the giant neon. When the restaurant opened about six years ago, it was a small, simple, one-room BYOB with plenty of pasta. But when you do things right, you create a following. Lots of new people start coming around to see what's going on. And so you accommodate them as well. Which is what brought us back to the new and expanded Popi's, now two dining rooms with a bar and a banquet room that can accommodate 150. What hasn't changed at Popi's is the cast of characters who run the place and their commitment to good value.

At first glance, Remi's Italian-American Cafe, in the middle of Haddonfield's chic main drag, looks like the kind of restaurant that caters only to adult diners. Its minimalist decor, moody blue neon lighting and faux marble table tops easily set the stage for romantic dinners for two. But one look at the menu shows that children are important to this family-run bistro - kids can dine on such favorites as pasta, pizza, chicken parm, ravioli and grilled cheese with fries, all for $3.95-$5.