Eating well in Paris sans fear
March 7, 2004 - The Santa Fe New Mexican
PARIS - Current transatlantic political tensions aside, Americans must admit the French have a historical advantage over us at the table.
While the first American “gourmet” meal many can think of might be the original (and probably barbaric) Thanksgiving in 1621, a relatively scant 50 years later, French palates were so demanding that chef Francois Vatel purportedly committed suicide because the fish didn’t arrive in time for a Louis XIV feast.
Dining out in France and doing it well can be a culture unto itself with a language of its own.
Flash forward a few hundred years to today. What do good travelers do? They open their eyes as wide as they go. They strive to learn just a few words of vocabulary, so when they say, “Ein Bier, bitte,” the barman simply throws a coaster in front of them and pulls back the tap.
In this context, the chapter, “How to Eat Well in a Restaurant in France,” the last chapter in Michael S. Sanders’ book, From Here, You Can’t See Paris, begins to sound less snooty. It’s a hidden guide to those seeking to crack the French restaurant code.
Saunders spent a year observing chef Jacques Ratier’s restaurant, La Recreation, in the French Lot region. He wrote the chapter as a sort of appendix at the end of his gastronomic version of A Year In Provence to describe the best way to do what the chapter title says.
As exhibited by the book’s last sentence, “Don’t overstay your welcome,” Sanders’ language can be brusque, leaving those who haven’t read the book wondering, “Don’t most people already know how to eat out? Isn’t this a bit much?”
Not if we’re looking for the French restaurant equivalent of that beer magically appearing under our noses.
Consider his advice on tipping. They don’t tip in France, right? Wrong. You need to look at the bill to figure out what’s best to do. What about making reservations—it’s not going to make any difference if you show up at a tiny restaurant in the middle of nowhere, right? Not if you want the best of what’s on the menu.
Calling the best meals “conspiracies between chef, waitstaff and customer,” Saunders illustrates key points of departure for dining in France. As he says, “(In a restaurant) nothing is obvious to the uninformed.” The most obvious foul we can commit is to act like we do at home.
Though he highly recommends prix fixe menus, he says, “don’t be afraid of ordering dishes for which you have to pay a supplement [often an extra 5 or 10 euros on top of the prix fixe price] They’re often for very good, local things (fresh cepes or morels, white asparagus, truffles) or special, labor-intensive dishes of more costly ingredients (at Jacques’, lobster fricassee or seared scallops with orange butter sauce, for example) and that’s why you’re there, hmm?”
Though people may gripe a bit the day following an expensive meal, the long-lasting memory of the experience is almost always worth the trip.
Gerard Fouche puts both a general and a Parisian spin on the “How To Eat Well ” theme. Fouche is the head chef at Le Bistrot des Capucins, a 50-seat restaurant in Paris’ 20th arrondissment. It’s the kind of place that lucky tourists will find only if they’re straying after a pilgrimage to see the graves of Jim Morrison or Chopin at the Pere Lachaise cemetery.
Fouche who calls his regulars “my parish,” explains everything from the mindset you should be in before you go to budget concerns to how certain items appear on his menu.
One of his first recommendations is to use a restaurant guide. “If we’re going to a town I don’t know, I’ll look at a couple guides, compare what they say and make up my mind.”
Both Fouche and Ratier are ranked in English-language guides such as Zagat and Time Out. The semiadventurous can fairly easily figure out the (French only) GaultMillau guide; both chefs are in there, and the food is rated on a 20-point scale.
“With a guide, not only will you be able to find smaller, or more out of the way restaurants,” continues Fouche, “but you’ll also see how locals eat and what their tastes are like.”
Fouche agrees with Saunders’ reservations idea, especially for nonsmokers: “First, you’ll be able to reserve the best tables in the restaurant. We give them to those who have taken the time to call. People can also ask to be in the nonsmoking section.”
For those looking to fully enjoy their dining experience, “don’t bother coming if you’re in a hurry” is the first item he offers. “When you go to a restaurant you need to want to go—you can’t just go because you need to. You won’t be receptive enough. If you just go and stuff yourself, you won’t appreciate things. Go with friends you appreciate and forget your worries.”
Indeed, you’re in it for the long haul at a French dinner, where tucking in from beginning to end can take north of two and a half hours. Fouche argues that you might as well do it with people you like.
Once you get to the restaurant, suggests Fouche, avoid blowing out your taste buds at the bar before dinner. “Pastis and whiskey aren’t great warm-ups for your palate,” he says. Instead, he recommends saving the money for a better bottle of wine. “If you are going to have something, have a sweet or dry white wine.”
In terms of choosing from the menu, Fouche recommends taking advantage of seasonal food, often seen in the form of daily specials, but he cautions, “the most expensive plates aren’t necessarily the best.” On this day in early February, his seasonal favorites turn into a dish of scallops with wild mushrooms and an eggplant puree.
One surprise Fouche offers seems to be more personal quirk than traditional French custom is sharing. “Everybody in your group should try something different, so there’s an exchange of tastes.”
At a tiny restaurant like the Bistrot des Capucins, it’s hard to go wrong. “It makes me happy to make what’s on my menu,” Fouche says. “When I don’t like it anymore—when it’s not fun—I don’t do it.”
Two Americans living in Paris, Tim Dunne and Katherine Kaess, chime in with their own recommendations on how to eat well. “We call Julian. He’s our food maven,” says Dunne, referring to people who know a huge amount about a subject and will share the information. In this case, Julian, a colleague turned friend and a serious foodie, is Dunne’s food guide on legs.
“People are always the best guides,” agrees Kaess, an interior stylist on both sides of The Pond. “When I don’t know someone, I research ahead of time. Or if you’re humble or enthusiastic about it, you can ask the locals what they recommend,” she says.
For hungry travelers who want to keep that tap flowing, some friendly advice is a far more indispensable guide than reckless abandon.
IF YOU GO:
La Recreation
Le Bourg (square)
46250 Les Arques
011-33-5-65-22-88-08
Prix fixe dinner at 25 euros (one euro equals about $1.27)
Bistrot des Capucins
27 avenue Gambetta
75020 Paris
011-33-1-46-36-74-75
www.le-bistrot-des-capucins.com
Prix fixe at about 20 euros (not available everyday)
When posed the question, “How do you eat well in a restaurant in France?” a Parisian restaurant critic interpreted this by divulging some of his favorite addresses in Paris. A selection with his commentary:
La Truffiere
4 rue Blainville
75005 Paris
011-33-46-33-29-82
www.latruffiere.com
“The place lends itself to wedding proposals. I’ve seen a couple while I was there.”
A prix fixe dinner is 79 euros
Aux Lyonnais
32 rue Saint-Marc
75002 Paris
011-33-1-42-96-65-04
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Chef Alain Ducasse’s highly successful classic. “It’s the perfect introduction to Lyon’s cooking.”
Prix fixe dinner at 28 euros
Au Trou Gascon
40 rue Taine
75012 Paris
011-33-1-43-44-34-26
Cuisine from the French southwest. “You’ve got to be going there to end up there, but it’s worth the trip!”
Prix fixe dinner at 36 euros
Le Cafe des Delices
87 rue d’Assas
75006 Paris
01-43-54-70-00
“The chef was cooped up in a classic restaurant in Chartres. Now he dreams of a plate in his sleep, and it’s on the menu the next day.”
Prix fixe dinner at 34 euros (sometimes less!)
