Do and don't, eating in France
Jun 21st, 2013, 08:35 AM
#61
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I love Rosé but only tend to drink it on the patio or front porch in warm weather - sans food.
I cannot think of a meal I would pair it with. Maybe a leafy salad or light vegetarian dish? Certainly not beef, chicken or fish.
I cannot think of a meal I would pair it with. Maybe a leafy salad or light vegetarian dish? Certainly not beef, chicken or fish.
Jun 21st, 2013, 09:08 AM
#64
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<I> Rosés are the wine of choice in Provence during the summer months. We save the reds for those cold mistral-tortured winter days with a a nice daube de sanglier, for example.
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Having spent time in Provence in the warmth of September and the cold of February, we heartily agree with Kevin.
We have found a nice rosé here at home and keep a bottle chilled for aperos. Not quite the same as gazing out at The Grand Luberon but it works~
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Having spent time in Provence in the warmth of September and the cold of February, we heartily agree with Kevin.
We have found a nice rosé here at home and keep a bottle chilled for aperos. Not quite the same as gazing out at The Grand Luberon but it works~
Jun 21st, 2013, 11:16 AM
#66
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StCirq, down here it is easy to get to know the wine reps who service the independent wine shops and restaurants. There is a "French expat rep" we have met numerous times and he has gotten two locations to stock Bergeracs, simply because we and a couple of our friends have cheerfully pestered him. They don't export much to begin with, and the results have been mixed, but I think we're going to pick up a case of that rosé before it gets sold out.
Bardo -- you really do need to try more matches. One of our favorite meals is a chicken bouillabaisse and a rosé goes with it VERY well. Had some night before last (that aforementioned Bergerac, as a matter of fact) with crab cakes we serve with a homemade pesto that has been spiked with a bit of jalapeno. A nice dry rosé with a good bouquet and a touch of sweetness (not too much) is hard to beat.
I can easily picture myself sitting on the harbor in Cassis with a platter of mixed shellfish and a Provincial rosé.
Bardo -- you really do need to try more matches. One of our favorite meals is a chicken bouillabaisse and a rosé goes with it VERY well. Had some night before last (that aforementioned Bergerac, as a matter of fact) with crab cakes we serve with a homemade pesto that has been spiked with a bit of jalapeno. A nice dry rosé with a good bouquet and a touch of sweetness (not too much) is hard to beat.
I can easily picture myself sitting on the harbor in Cassis with a platter of mixed shellfish and a Provincial rosé.
Jun 21st, 2013, 11:22 AM
#67
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uh_oh, when I lived in VA there was a wine store that would happily order Bergeracs for me and a couple of other customers - but never rosés, even though I inquired often. Here in DC there's one store that will occasionally order for me, but often doesn't come through. I keep trying, though.
And can you spare the recipe for the chicken bouillabaisse? That sounds wonderful!
And can you spare the recipe for the chicken bouillabaisse? That sounds wonderful!
Jun 21st, 2013, 12:08 PM
#68
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Here's a chicken bouillabaisse we return to time and time again. I feel a little guilty because it's SO simple and quick - less than 45 minutes includes time for (an extensive) mise en place.
Good bread to sop up is essential.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/a...-bouillabaisse
I may try it with a rose' next time....
Good bread to sop up is essential.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/a...-bouillabaisse
I may try it with a rose' next time....
Jun 21st, 2013, 12:16 PM
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I'll need to check our bardo's next time. It looks good and 45 min is interesting! I just use Ina Garten's and have it on file on my Mac. It is really messy to make, but SOOOOO good. I use skinless chicken thighs, and sometimes we'll throw in some fresh shrimp at the end. But yes, don't forget the potatoes and have some bread for soppin' I also do the whole thing in a pot on the top of the stove. Never got the oven part to work to my liking, and it really smells fantastic simmering away on the stove top. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/i...ipe/index.html Oh, and since I rarely have saffron, I use tumeric instead. So maybe this isn't Ina's anymore but MINE!
Jun 21st, 2013, 12:51 PM
#72
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Thanks, uhoh. That looks really good, too. I may try them both!
And we always have saffron - it's one culinary luxury I simply can't live without (and we have Indian and Pakistni markets galore here, so it doesn't cost a fortune). We use a boatload of turmeric around here, too, so we buy that in bulk.
And we always have saffron - it's one culinary luxury I simply can't live without (and we have Indian and Pakistni markets galore here, so it doesn't cost a fortune). We use a boatload of turmeric around here, too, so we buy that in bulk.
Jun 21st, 2013, 08:27 PM
#73
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One more chicken bouillabaisse:
http://aplatefulofhappiness.com/2009...-yard-cleanup/
This one is from Cook's Illustrated. It's cooked in the oven, uncovered, so the skin gets crisp.
http://aplatefulofhappiness.com/2009...-yard-cleanup/
This one is from Cook's Illustrated. It's cooked in the oven, uncovered, so the skin gets crisp.
Jun 22nd, 2013, 03:18 AM
#75
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In a nutshell.
1. Be specific when asking for advice. Know what you want.
2. Consider upon entering using the bathroom facilities before being seated, since the tight quarters will make getting up later difficult.
3. The menu is not a starting point for negotiations, except where one's life is at stake. In that case, be sure to give advance notice.
4. Oh for pity's sake. Reading this, I think I'll subscribe to Big Alenstein's school of thought.
5. Ditto. Just reading it makes me want to stick two straws up my nostrils, and drool over the fine linen tablecloth.
To treat people with respect is one thing, to insist that a business is the equivalent of a private home is silly and affected.
I have contracted for someone to do the cooking, cleaning and washing up when I go to a restaurant. At a private home, I am there to be the company, the food is incidental.
Anyone who writes, 'remember that people' to any edict that she proclaims must be all of twenty five years old.
6. One must play social interaction as the situation calls for it: engage in (limited) conversation if the parties are mutually inclined, extract gracefully from an overenthusiastic conversationalist, and refrain from imposing on those who wish privacy, etc. Odds are a population of sixty-five million people will present one with all three possibilities. Remember that blogger. Which reminds me: anyone who says "remember that people" in an article has just betrayed that they are likely all of twenty-five years old.
7. It is never a good idea to react to rudeness with more rudeness, e.g. 'treat a snob like a snob.' It just spreads the disease.
8. Re payment forms: I don't have an AMEX card, but if I were to present one, I expect the staff to courteously suggest alternatives.
It is in the mutual interest of seller and buyer, that the seller advise in advance, what forms of payment are acceptable. It is that, or be prepared to accept payment in kind (washing dishes) for the meal.
That someone might panic if their card is refused, likely has less to do with their perceiving it as an "anti-American gesture" but with their wondering how in heaven they are, in fact, going to meet their primary obligation to the restaurant, which is less about worrying about the staff's sensibilities, than to pay them for services rendered.
This is, after all, a nation with a history of sending people who think money is beneath consideration, to the guillotine.
1. Be specific when asking for advice. Know what you want.
2. Consider upon entering using the bathroom facilities before being seated, since the tight quarters will make getting up later difficult.
3. The menu is not a starting point for negotiations, except where one's life is at stake. In that case, be sure to give advance notice.
4. Oh for pity's sake. Reading this, I think I'll subscribe to Big Alenstein's school of thought.
5. Ditto. Just reading it makes me want to stick two straws up my nostrils, and drool over the fine linen tablecloth.
To treat people with respect is one thing, to insist that a business is the equivalent of a private home is silly and affected.
I have contracted for someone to do the cooking, cleaning and washing up when I go to a restaurant. At a private home, I am there to be the company, the food is incidental.
Anyone who writes, 'remember that people' to any edict that she proclaims must be all of twenty five years old.
6. One must play social interaction as the situation calls for it: engage in (limited) conversation if the parties are mutually inclined, extract gracefully from an overenthusiastic conversationalist, and refrain from imposing on those who wish privacy, etc. Odds are a population of sixty-five million people will present one with all three possibilities. Remember that blogger. Which reminds me: anyone who says "remember that people" in an article has just betrayed that they are likely all of twenty-five years old.
7. It is never a good idea to react to rudeness with more rudeness, e.g. 'treat a snob like a snob.' It just spreads the disease.
8. Re payment forms: I don't have an AMEX card, but if I were to present one, I expect the staff to courteously suggest alternatives.
It is in the mutual interest of seller and buyer, that the seller advise in advance, what forms of payment are acceptable. It is that, or be prepared to accept payment in kind (washing dishes) for the meal.
That someone might panic if their card is refused, likely has less to do with their perceiving it as an "anti-American gesture" but with their wondering how in heaven they are, in fact, going to meet their primary obligation to the restaurant, which is less about worrying about the staff's sensibilities, than to pay them for services rendered.
This is, after all, a nation with a history of sending people who think money is beneath consideration, to the guillotine.
Jun 22nd, 2013, 05:59 AM
#77
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La Méditeranée is what I would term an "old school" restaurant. I thought the fish was very good. Their sole is 42€.
http://www.la-mediterranee.com/
http://www.la-mediterranee.com/
Jun 22nd, 2013, 02:50 PM
#79
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I always find that the biggest difference about France in general is that the French are much quieter in public. We Americans need to remember to take the volume down a notch, especially in restaurants. I've been in restaurants where the conversations were almost in whispers, but as the evening wears on and the wine is drunk, people do begin to be a bit louder.
Parisians, or at least people eating in Paris, seem to be a good bit louder than those in other areas.
Parisians, or at least people eating in Paris, seem to be a good bit louder than those in other areas.
Jun 22nd, 2013, 04:09 PM
#80
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I posted this link on another forum where Harriet Welty, author of French Toast, French Fried and Joie de Vivre answered
,Harriet Welty Rochefort • This is so true and so excellent I wish I'd written it myself! The article gets at most of the cultural misunderstandings that often make the French dining experience less than perfect for tourists who don't know the drill. Now they will!
,Harriet Welty Rochefort • This is so true and so excellent I wish I'd written it myself! The article gets at most of the cultural misunderstandings that often make the French dining experience less than perfect for tourists who don't know the drill. Now they will!
