The rise and fall of French cuisine

[Pepper Pig Profile]

From this morning’s Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/j ... ch-cuisine

[Alexandria Profile]

Pepper Pig,

Wow .. Quite an exceptionally written article.

I am sure Joan shall have alot to say about this article ..

Numerous grand chefs, for example, Sebastien Bras, had removed his Three Michelin Starred Status,
due to the enormous stress dealing with Inspections. He prefers to cook as he prefers. And is doing
remarkably well in Tokyo and his father´s former restaurant near Lyon, France.

Now that the late Robuchon, the master of approximately 30 Michelin Stars is gone, there is a
change in the dietary preferences of the younger generations and expatriates -- and how they eat ..

There are still the masters, Alain Ducasse, Alain Passard for example.

I shall re-read it this evening, when I am off work ..

Thanks for posting the link and have a lovely summer.

[Joanbunting Profile]

PP thanks for the link. Interesting and well thought out and to a certain extent I totally agree,

As the family were observing last week the French attitude to food and wine is and always has been extremely parochial - thats the French for you.

Very few wines other than French and even local wines in even fine wine shops. Very few restaurants with cuisines from elsewhere in Europe let alone the rest of the world with the possible exception of Paris but even then I have eaten better and far more diversely in London than in Paris.

Having said this there is still huge pleasure in the many small dedicated local restaurants, bistros etc that don't cost a fortune, have huge character and are memorable. Also many of the newer top chfs, like my heroine Anne -Sophie Pic, have take the classic techniques and turned them on their heads to produce stunning modern but still French cuisines.

[Binky Profile]

what we have found is that a lot of regional restaurants cook traditional foods such as gizzards, tripes, pigs feet, brains, snails and rabbit......items you would not find in an restaurants other than France.

There also used to be a tendency for sauces, thick with butter or red wine (and somewhat overpowering). Having said that, I had a lovely carbonnade of beef in Escales a few weeks ago. I fear that it might have been bought in and re-heated, having read some scathing reports of modern French cooking. Quelle horreur!

[Alexandria Profile]

Callos ( tripe ) and Mañitas ( pig´s feet ) are very common in Spain and considered a traditional delicacy.

There is a famous restaurant in The Madrid Capital called:
Casa Domingo.
Calle Alcalá 99. (Close to Retiro Park) ..
Opened since 1920.

Their callos are absolutely incredibly amazingly exquisite. Melt in the mouth tender.
The sauce that they are served in, is a Pimentón (smoked La Vera Paprika) piquant sauce.
And it is scrumptuous.

Businessmen and women, travellers and locals from all over
Spain have been lunching on "callos" (pronounced: kai yos ) since the restaurant
opened in 1920 ..

Mañitas, not quite my cup of tea.

[Binky Profile]

Member 461, I do love to read your posts about the foods of Spain.

I can no longer fly anywhere (long story, not for here) so our trips are limited to where we can drive easily. Spain is sadly out of the question, although I would love to do anywhere on the Camino de Compostela. Staying in paradores in Leon or similar would be a dream....

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Can you take the ferry to Santander Amy? It’s a good option for Northern Spain

[Alexandria Profile]

Binky,

Lovely compliment.

There are ferries to Bilbao, Vizcaya, I believe and from Bilbao, one can train or bus or drive to León or Santiago de Compostela ..

The Parador Network Hotels are extraordinary .. especially the castles, monasteries and the palaces.

All my best wishes for a lovely summer.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I got confused and said Amy when I meant Binky.

Brittany Ferries go to Santander and Bilbao from Portsmouth, and of course they are car ferries

[Sakkarin Profile]

[Renee Profile]

I read "Life is a Pain at first!" Sorry about that!

[karadekoolaid Profile]

I read the entire article - convincingly written. French cuisine has , for the past 150 years at least, been the bedrock of cooking; in every sense . The five basic sauces, the techniques and even the nomenclature of those who slave over a hot stove for 18 hours a day.
And then, in the 60s and 70s, wierd and wonderful dishes began to appear - nothing "authentic", I might add. Chinese sweet and sour; Indian curries; Mexican tacos; American( God Forbid!) hamburgers; Turkish and Middle Eastern kebabs; Spanish paellas; Italian pasta. SACRÉ BLEU!! None of them really authentic, mind, but all very different from Bouef Bourguinon and Canard a la presse.
C´est la vie - tastes have changed. There are hundreds of new, exciting cuisines available today. The last time I was in London, I ate authentic Burmese, Indian, Thai and Vietnamese food. I also ate in a French Bistro. Everything I ate was magnificent. But I had a choice.
In the Caracas of the Eighties, the top 6 restaurants were French: Le Gazebo, Le Deuxième Étage, Laserre, Patrick´s, Le Petit Bistro de Jacques, Members. These days, only Laserre remains - empty most of the time.
We´ve begun to discover the vibrancy of real Peruvian and Mexican food. We´ve discovered the enticing but delicious simplicity of Spanish, Italian and Greek cusine. We´ve woken up to the spicy allure of genuine Indian, Thai and Vietnamese cooking.
Now - we have a choice.

[Amyw Profile]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-dr ... ssion=true

Little write up from the very good Diana Henry. Maybe french good will have a renaissance

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I heard Diana Henry discussing this with Felicity Cloake and Alex Jackson of Sardine (Provençal restaurant and book) a few weeks ago, it certainly seems there’s something of a French revival going on, I discovered today there’s a newish French restaurant not far from here that has been recommended by someone who would know the difference, might have to pop down for a moules frites

Sardine
http://www.sardine.london/

Les Nėnettes (just for dinner the formule , looks like a bargain)

https://www.lesnenettes.co.uk/

[Amyw Profile]

The La Formule menu does look good . Think I’d choose the merguez sausage . I found the script of the menu really difficult to read on the screen though, bit of a personal irritant of mine . I hate it when places try to be fancy and result in a really difficult to understand menu .

The deep fried Babybel made me laugh though. Typical French cuisine , hey .

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I found the script (an attempt I assume at hideous French handwriting) really difficult, at least it was white on black which helped

[Joanbunting Profile]

I am still trying to work out was Buffalo frogs legs might be?

It looks to me like and establishment trying very hard to be typically French and not quite managing

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I didn’t spot that
I assume they are frogs legs marinated as for Buffalo wings, not very French S it originates in The town of Buffalo NY

But the prospect of reasonably priced moulds frites on my doorstep is appealing, and Nicola says it’s good and I trust her