Here’s one of my favorite dishes from our fall visit to France. This gorgeous zucchini blossom stuffed with langoustines was served at lunch with friends at Ze Kitchen Gallery, just off the Quai des Grands Augustins. Chef William Ledeuil’s love of fresh, clean uncomplicated flavors is visible as is his artistry. (We often make mid-day our main meal of the day. You’re served great food at much lower prices than dinner and the chef has time to come around to chat.)
On the eve of our return to the States, I read an Op-Ed dining article in the NYTimes that chilled my enthusiasm for what I was going to find at home. Frank Bruni’s review of Romero New York was not exactly complimentary. He skewered its pretentious claim to “neurogastronomy” (There’s no Wikapedia definition as yet - I checked). Romero charges $285 for a fixed menu of eleven courses each of which comes with its own glass of flavored water. Diners are asked to form ‘scent memories’ and call back in the morning. (OK, I made up that last part.) Yes, Chef Romero is a former physician who has become a chef, but his arrogant billing practices are still intact.
I’d feel better if Romero New York was an isolated example of our country’s ego-driven dining. But Chicago has its own entry in this dining sweepstakes. At Next, Greg Aschutz and his deep-pockets partner manage to come up with a time and place specific menu every three months. Americans seem to love dining as theatre and reserving at Next is geared to stoking this addiction. One has to call at the right moment and then enter a lottery that may (or may not) result in a reservation! Think of all the prospective diners who won’t be able to brag about spending hundreds of dollars to eat there? And what self-respecting restaurant changes its entire cuisine every three months?
Now, bread. Once revered as the staff of life, it has become the food world’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, depending which side of the Atlantic you’re on. In Montmartre there are now three terrific bakeries within minutes of each other. This year’s winner of the Best Baguette of Paris competition as well as last year’s winner are within a block in either direction from the the Place des Abesses. A new contender that bears the name of its owner, Anton Cherrier, just opened few steps west off rue Lepic. I have to share with you this photograph of Cherrier’s dark Rye with Miso loaf. Look at that beautiful crumb. The taste is so satisfying I would designate it a food group all by itself.
I didn’t realize that wheat has become the new enemy ingredient in the American diet until I stopped recently at my local Barnes and Noble. My attention was drawn to the color photograph of a plump loaf of country bread on the cover of a new hardback. Was it about breadmaking? Not with the pejorative title Wheat Belly, and an MD after the name of the author. I’d fallen victim to bait and switch marketing. Instead of praising bread, Dr. Davis, a cardiologist turned nutritionist claims wheat is at the the root of all our health problems. The book banishes bread from the dining table. Amazing, n’est pas? Let Dr. Davis try to convince sixty-six million French bread eaters.
Enough ranting for now. Let me tell you how the well prepared croque-monsieur (grilled ham and cheese sandwich) pictured above became a memorable meal. I ate it in a café during the French rugby semi-finals against Wales. The restaurant was filled with men eating, drinking but mostly focused on watching the large flat-screen TV at the end of the room. George and I watched both the game and the audience through the last tense quarter. And Les Bleus won by one point! Sometimes a great meal is a matter of being at the right place at the right time.
