Parfym

Other than the taste of course.
You Fodorites spend an inordinate time and print on "good places to eat in Fransce". So what makes French food so great? I mean greater than good food in other places?? Is it because it took a lot of effort and money to get there? Belgium's food is superirior, but no one talks about that.
The french food in San Francisco is better than in a lot of restaurants in France.
So dear Guys what is it about french food in France that make you rapsodic??
I find France very interesting, but not because of the food.
Just wondering out west.

cigalechanta

Maybe because that's where we are going or have gone. I will say in S.F. that the French Restaurant the "Fleur de Lis" was superb. Parfym, it's more than the food, the ambiance, decor, and the professionalism of the waitstaff. I'm so tired of , Hi, my name is ****and I'll be your waitperson tonight and then, rattle off the specials of the night and usually not quoting the prices, or standing around in groups. In France, they consider their job a profession and not a temporary stop.

Michael

French food has a certain <i>cachet</i> that may often be undeserved. On the other hand, you can get what I call honest cooking in France for far less than you would pay in SF. But it would never be called <i>haute cuisine</i>, which is what gave France its reputation. After all, a cassoulet is not more worthy than an Asturian <i>fabada</i>, both of which can run from bad to excellent.

Christina

Other than the taste? that's the only thing I judge food by -- well, okay, presentation and appearance has some effect, but I can't think of any cuisine that looks great but tastes terrible

Parfym

Hello Cigalechanta;
Of course you are right: Ambiance and Elegance is a real turn on. I agree and I go for it every time. Thanks for the response.
Michael: Cassoulet!!!!!
Do I have a recommendation for you, next time you are i San Francisco quot;Le Central&quot; on Bush st. The best Cassoulet in town, a classy place.

Parfym

Hello Christina,
Sometimes one is fooled by the &quot;bells and the whistles&quot;,but only temporarily. Thanks for the response.

SalB

We're not foodies but we do enjoy eating in France for a few reasons. First, of course, the taste. It's possible to get a bad meal in France but it's not the norm.

Secondly, value for money. You get a much better meal for the price than in the US.

Thirdly, ambiance. It's nice to sit and enjoy a meal with pleasant conversation and not feel pushed or rushed by a waiter who wants you to put down a tip and get out for the next person.

Fourthly, variety. There are more menu choices in France. How often have you seen hare, boar, venison or even lamb on American menus? It's nice not to have to choose between beef, pork and chicken for a change. (I must admit, US restaurants are getting better in this respect.)

Fifthly, this is probably part of the ambiance too, but cigalechanta mentioned above that it gets tiring to sit through the &quot;Hi, my name is _____ and I'll be your server tonight and then, rattle off the specials of the night . . . &quot; We enjoy the fact that our waiter isn't appearing to start a relationship with us but is simply taking care of our dinner needs for the evening. It seems a bit more sincere.

Lastly, portion sizes. I hate having a huge platter of food put in front of me. I invariably eat too much. It's nice to have a single portion on my plate that I can eat and not feel guilty . . . and not gain weight. I always lose weight in France and it's odd because I nearly always clean my plate and have dessert, often twice a day. Admittedly, we walk a lot, but often we are touring in the car and are not walking so I think some of it is portion size.

Neil_Oz

SalB, I think there was some previous discussion about why most French are slimmer than most Americans (and Australians, says he, shamefaced). My former doctor favoured the red-wine theory, but it doesn't seem to be working on me, no matter how much cab-sav I drink. The most likely explanation is the size of servings.

Ironically, I found that serving sizes in the US tend to be inverse to the price you're paying - the cheaper the food, the more fattening it is and the bigger the serve it arrives in. So in contrast to most human experience, the poorer you get, the fatter you get. Much the same story here. I've convinced myself that I should get off to France fast, and stay a long time. Perhaps my health insurance fund will see the logic. Perhaps not.

sheila

good fresh ingreiemts, well-cooked. Usually you can tell what season of the year it is by looking at the menu.

That's not true here any more.

SalB

Neil, I think your health insurer should happily pay for a prolonged stay in France if it helps you lose weight!!

It is odd about portions and price. The only reasonably priced restaurant I know in the US that serves sensible portions is Mimi's. The expensive restaurants do tend to serve more reasonable portions. I'm not a fan of doggy bags so I appreciate smaller portions. My mommy taught me (60 years ago) to clean my plate . . . but I'm getting over it.

Neil_Oz

My father used to tell us that you should always get up from the table feeling a little bit hungry. Unfortunately he had my mother to deal with. Her philosophy was that any child's unhappiness could be dealt with by shoving more food down its mouth. As a result we grew up fat.

ira

Hi parfym,

I go with SalB.

In addition, the French seem to have a greater appreciation of dining as an art form than most other Europeans.

Judyrem

I have to tell you quite honestly that a lot of the classic French cuisine place too much emphasis on &quot;organ&quot; meats ....that just turns my stomach BIG TIME. I favor the Nicoise, more Mediterranean stle French. Which really means I really prefer ITALIAN food .

mamc

I think it starts with the ingredients. The French (and Italians) have such wonderful fresh ingredients and, as noted previously, tend to use them in season. The menus are often innovative and a bit surprising. The old traditionals (Cassoulet)on the one hand, something new and different (carpaccio with lemon thyme ice cream!)on the other. Maybe it is because I am a foodie and the food always tastes wonderful or maybe it is because we have been walking all day in the fresh air and are hungry or maybe because I am a bit obsessive about researching here and other places on the best restaurants, but we always have wonderful food in France - and in Italy.

SiobhanP

I am a half foodie...i.e. a pick eater who knows what she loves to eat. I eat mostly vegetarian since I was a kid. I love a good filet steak a few times a year. I find that I have more food that I like on menus in europe and always in france compared with upmarket restairants in the U.S.

I have been looking up restauirants to go to in NYC for a splurge night out and I find very little on many of the menus that appeal to me. Its either too fussy or full of seafood and I find little for a veggie to eat.

It is never an issue or a big deal when eating out in europe as there is always a few choices on the menu for veggies. As well the options are not a plate of steamed vegetables that I saw on one menu for a nice place....I got that as a veggie option at a wedding in America and it was awful and I starved.

Fresh prefuce, traditional combinations served in smaller portions to taste more...thats sounds like my kinda eating!

P.s. when I first moved to Ireland I asked my pal if she wanted to split a starter/appetiser with me and she thought I was mad. I did not realise a starter is for one person and the portions are sized so that you can eat a complete meal without exploding!

JulieVikmanis

I once answered a question about which was my favorite city for food by saying San Francisco, much to the consternation of the asker who was sure my answer would be Paris. However, at the time I was thinking primarily of latest trends and how San Francisco food seems always to be on the cutting edge without jumping over into the bizarre. (Thanks for the rec on cassoulet in SFO. I'll check that out) On reflection I have to agree with the rest. French food is the best for all/many of the reasons cited but to my mind chiefly because of its variety, their efforts to preserve the past while still forging new ground, and most of all because of how they revere food. They spend time preparing it. They spend time eating it. They talk about it. They believe working with food is noble. They raise it to an art form. They worship the humble as well as the exalted dishes and meals. It's everywhere and everything for them. The feeling is contagious and most of us who have been to the country to eat at the source have caught it.

ira

Hi Judy,
&gt;... a lot of the classic French cuisine place too much emphasis on &quot;organ&quot; meats ....that just turns my stomach BIG TIME. I favor the Nicoise, more Mediterranean stle French. Which really means I really prefer ITALIAN food ....&lt;

As I am sure you recall, it was the Italian chefs that Catherine de Medici brought with her who taught the French how to cook.

Italians are as fond of &quot;the fifth quarter&quot; as the French, eg, Trippa alla Romana.

Parfym

Thanks for all the insightful observations.
But where is Ron Z on this??
Parfym

cigalechanta

About the food itself. It isn't always heavy, depends what kind of restaurant. What I like is that the places I will go to, The chefs buy their fresh produce and often have fish tanks that you can pick your own fish and some grow their own herbs and vegetable. I can think of only one here and it's in Ogunquit, Maine, '&quot;Arrows.&quot; And in NYC, The couple that own Provence grow alot of their own vegetables and herbs.

Judyrem

Yes, Ira, that may be true...but nothing beats an Italian feast as far as nutrients goes, eg olive oil, nuts, fish, fresh veges, cheese....the Mediterranean diet...loved by doctors and nutritionists. I still don't like the organ meats ,,,perhaps I am turning into a vegetarian ;-)!!!! Yikes.....no I did not know about Catherine teaching the French how to cook....good info here .