Chas
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,715
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Still looking for a French girl who digs the sax and likes to cook. If I find her, you will never hear another complaint from me. Unless she refuses to cook French, of course.
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French Cuisine
- Thread starter Smithy
- Start date
Them's slim pickings here in the States; you might what to go where they grow'em.
olive bleu
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,667
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Mr. Bingley
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 50
- Location
- NJ
Seared Foie Gras with some sort of reduction sauce.... my favorite.... yum
Many moons ago my Bride and I took advantage of Granma Baby Sitting, LLC., to go into Manhattan and have dinner at Le Perigord.
For my appetizer I had the seared Foie Gras and I totally splurged by washing it down with a split of '88 d'Yquem. Words can not describe how divine that was.
- Messages
- 13,319
- Location
- California native living in Arizona.
I dream of sampling Chateau d'Yquem. The closest I've got is Chateau Rieussec, the vineyard of which is literally next door to that of d'Yquem. It is considered second only to d'Yquem, but a distant second. To say I am envious would be understatement.
Puzzicato
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,843
- Location
- Ex-pat Ozzie in Greater London, UK
I've been lucky enough to try both d'Yquem and Rieussec. The Rieussec does come second, but I wouldn't called it "distant". Maybe I never had one of the really sublime vintages of d'Yquem?
Mr. Bingley
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 50
- Location
- NJ
I just completely totally adore sauternes. luckily i realize that i can not afford to feed this addiction!
Oldsarge
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,440
- Location
- On the banks of the Wilamette
Here in the South Bay, we've had a couple of French restaurants but none of them really lasted. I think it's related to the fact that a lot more Southern Italians immigrated to the U.S. (or at least the West Coast) than did the French.
However, the Mrs and I took a river cruise up the Rhone a couple of years ago and were positively enchanted with the French countryside. Paris is simply another big city (though with better than usual food) but there is no overstating the charm of the countryside. Personally, I prefer Normandy and the Alsace to Provence. The cuisine of the last seems like a pretentious attempt to re-do Italy, though I know that's unfair. After all both Savoy and Provence share so much in the way of mobile population and, at times, governments that it would be strange if they weren't similar. And I share the enthusiasm for brassieries. We were fortunate enough to stumble on Le Coupoule the second night we were in Paris. If we get back there some day we will likely eat no where else! And a little place in Honfleur served the most exquisite seafood . . .
However, the Mrs and I took a river cruise up the Rhone a couple of years ago and were positively enchanted with the French countryside. Paris is simply another big city (though with better than usual food) but there is no overstating the charm of the countryside. Personally, I prefer Normandy and the Alsace to Provence. The cuisine of the last seems like a pretentious attempt to re-do Italy, though I know that's unfair. After all both Savoy and Provence share so much in the way of mobile population and, at times, governments that it would be strange if they weren't similar. And I share the enthusiasm for brassieries. We were fortunate enough to stumble on Le Coupoule the second night we were in Paris. If we get back there some day we will likely eat no where else! And a little place in Honfleur served the most exquisite seafood . . .
This is comforting. I love sauternes but I'm hardly an expert (or even vaguely knowledgeable), I just go what more learned wine enthusiasts have told me. Some of the local wine dealers are offering half bottles of d'Yquem for 'only' $200AUD, apparently quite a bargain.
Mr Bingley, you might try De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon. It is an Australian sauternes style wine that is really excellent and a fraction of the price.
Haversack
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,194
- Location
- Clipperton Island
San Francisco has had an organized and well-established French Community almost from the start of it becoming a city. Between September and December of 1848, over 20 ships arrived here directly from France. By 1852, the French vied with the Chinese and Australians in having the largest foreign contingent in the city. Many of these émigré's became very successful not in the gold fields but in running restaurants, hotels, laundries, and as merchants. Hence, San Francisco has had a familiarity with French Cuisine which continues to this day.
Many of the city's neighborhoods have small French restaurants, brasseries, and bistros that thrive on local patronage. A couple examples of these are: Chapeau, in the Richmond: http://www.chapeausf.com/ and Chez Maman, on Potrero Hill: http://www.chezmamansf.com/menu.html.
There are also destination French restaurants here as well. One of the best is La Folie on Polk Street on the west slope of Russian Hill. http://www.lafolie.com/ A family-run operation, Rolland Passot is the owner and chef. His wife, Jamie runs the front of the house. His brother George is the sommelier. The first time I ate dinner here was a revelation.
The largest concentration of French eateries, (along with the French consulate, French Roman Catholic Church, and several Franco-phone hotels), is today found along Bush Street on the east slope of Nob Hill. (From about Mason Street down to Montgomery). A few of these are:
The Jeanne D'Arc in the basement of the Cornell Hotel. http://www.cornellhotel.com/jeanne/index.shtml Not avant-garde but very competent traditional Lorraine cuisine. Not on foodie radar. Reasonable prices for the area. I would say that regularly almost half the customers are Francophones.
Le Central is not Francophone but has a good atmosphere. A lot of regulars. House wines, the cassoulet, and the onion soup are to be recommended. http://www.lecentralbistro.com/
Cafe Bastille is down an alley filled with other eateries. It has very hearty bistro fare, is Francophone, and is a nice place to sit outside for a late lunch. http://www.cafebastille.com/
Note: From the 1850s to about the 1950s, the term, "French Restaurant" had a particular meaning in San Francisco. Typically, these restaurants served French cuisine and had at least three floors and often had separate entrances for the first three floors. The ground floor was perfectly respectable and one could bring one's wife and family. The second floor featured small, private dining rooms which in addition to a table and chairs featured a chaise lounge, a door that could be secured and a buzzer to summon the waiter. The third+ floors was an outright bordello. The most famous of these restaurants, the Poodle Dog also had a banquet hall on a sixth floor that could accommodate particularly large but discrete parties. The hall had a space from which a band could play music without seeing anything in the hall. This bit of history got reintroduced to people back in the 1990s. One of the French restaurants which went back to the 1860s was having its building seismically retrofitted after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. In the basement, the workmen found stacks of old mattresses and questions publicly arose about why would a restaurant need to have such items.
Many of the city's neighborhoods have small French restaurants, brasseries, and bistros that thrive on local patronage. A couple examples of these are: Chapeau, in the Richmond: http://www.chapeausf.com/ and Chez Maman, on Potrero Hill: http://www.chezmamansf.com/menu.html.
There are also destination French restaurants here as well. One of the best is La Folie on Polk Street on the west slope of Russian Hill. http://www.lafolie.com/ A family-run operation, Rolland Passot is the owner and chef. His wife, Jamie runs the front of the house. His brother George is the sommelier. The first time I ate dinner here was a revelation.
The largest concentration of French eateries, (along with the French consulate, French Roman Catholic Church, and several Franco-phone hotels), is today found along Bush Street on the east slope of Nob Hill. (From about Mason Street down to Montgomery). A few of these are:
The Jeanne D'Arc in the basement of the Cornell Hotel. http://www.cornellhotel.com/jeanne/index.shtml Not avant-garde but very competent traditional Lorraine cuisine. Not on foodie radar. Reasonable prices for the area. I would say that regularly almost half the customers are Francophones.
Le Central is not Francophone but has a good atmosphere. A lot of regulars. House wines, the cassoulet, and the onion soup are to be recommended. http://www.lecentralbistro.com/
Cafe Bastille is down an alley filled with other eateries. It has very hearty bistro fare, is Francophone, and is a nice place to sit outside for a late lunch. http://www.cafebastille.com/
Note: From the 1850s to about the 1950s, the term, "French Restaurant" had a particular meaning in San Francisco. Typically, these restaurants served French cuisine and had at least three floors and often had separate entrances for the first three floors. The ground floor was perfectly respectable and one could bring one's wife and family. The second floor featured small, private dining rooms which in addition to a table and chairs featured a chaise lounge, a door that could be secured and a buzzer to summon the waiter. The third+ floors was an outright bordello. The most famous of these restaurants, the Poodle Dog also had a banquet hall on a sixth floor that could accommodate particularly large but discrete parties. The hall had a space from which a band could play music without seeing anything in the hall. This bit of history got reintroduced to people back in the 1990s. One of the French restaurants which went back to the 1860s was having its building seismically retrofitted after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. In the basement, the workmen found stacks of old mattresses and questions publicly arose about why would a restaurant need to have such items.
Mr. Bingley
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 50
- Location
- NJ
I'll take a look for it, thanks!
The Bonny Doon vin de glaciere used to be a pretty tasty, reasonably priced sauterne style wine.
I've developed an affection for Tokajii Aszu wines from Hungary. They have a very concentrated raisin character (unlike the crisp honey of the Sauternes) and at $40 or so for 500ml are much more "reasonably" priced.
Carla Bruni is French?
I stand partly directed...she grew up in France but is Italian born. My apologies, another wrinkle in my brain. Tomasso, thank you Sir.
We are still talking about cuisine right?
M.
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- Messages
- 13,319
- Location
- California native living in Arizona.
Do you have a good recipe for that Tomasso??
- Messages
- 13,319
- Location
- California native living in Arizona.
Sure, but I'm a bit like Coca-Cola when it comes to my recipes....
New recipe all the time?
Share anyway... pretty please
fortworthgal
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,646
- Location
- Panther City
I can hardly wait for cassoulet season.
I second that!