The Failure of Haute Cuisine

[Steve Plotnicki]

As a lifelong Francophile (okay it's only been 21 years,) one of the things that has bothered me most about travelling in France is the lack of restaurants that we often describe on eGullet as the "upper middle." Places like Union Square Cafe or Craft, Aqua in SF or Norman's in Florida or countless others that are appearing around the country. Even London has its version of this with places like Bibendum or The Square. But France, the country where they invented modern cooking seems to have missed this boat. In France you have cafes, brasseries, bistros and formal restaurants. Nothing I can think of in France is similar to any of the restaurants I described in either casualness of cuisine or ambience.

This past September at the suggestion of Robert Brown, I dined at a restaurant named Jerome in La Turbie, which is a lovely town on the Grand Corniche between Nice and Monaco. I was hoping for a nice casual country style meal but when we got there, we were met by waiters in white dinner jackets and bow ties and the place, service, and clientele was far more formal then I had hoped for. And I think this uneccessary formality spilled over into the cooking because this place that prides itself on top market ingredients, let what I thought was overly fussy cooking get in the way. And what could have been a French version of Craft ended up being an inferior version of a place like Arpege or L'Ambroisie.

I find that this is prevalent all over France. Take the one star restaurant La Beaugraviere in Mondragon. Waiters in tuxedos and bowties serve you simple food on fine linens that is gussied up to be "fancy" because the place is a truffle specialist and has an amazing wine list. Why couldn't they serve the best ingredients of the region prepared simply in a casual environment? In fact if you travel throughout the region, you will find two dining choices. Formal or rustic. Why on earth have they not created something in the middle?

I find this the most disappointing aspect about dining in France. And don't get me wrong, I love dining there. But I would love to have a meal prepared by a top chef in an environment that seats more then 40 people, doesn't have tuxedoed waitstaff hovering over me, serves top quality but simple food based on the highest quality ingredients, and doesn't cost 50 euros a person for a veal chop, and most importantly, a place that is lively and fashionable and where I feel comfortable eating a top quality meal without a suit and tie. I mean I can go to a place like Craft and wear a shirt and slacks and the waitstaff will be dressed in an appropiate but not overbearing way and I can have a fine time. Why can't I do that in France? In France I can hardly pour my own wine. At Craft I've had some rather large BYO dinnner and they managed to keep our glasses full at all times without a team of sommeliers hovering around us.

So why do you think the French haven't sorted out this style of dining? Two recent attempts done by outsiders, Nobu and Jean-Georges' Market, have either failed or are said to be on the verge of. I don't really understand why this is the case? And the French have a more casual version of the sort of ambiance I am describing and it is called a brasserie. But they all serve brasserie food. Why hasn't a single chef or restauranteur in France not done the obvious and create a contemporary brasserie menu that is the French equivelent of what was done originally at Odeon in NYC or Kensington Place in London? Why is always just a cafe, bistro, brasserie or restaurant? Will the French ever be able to redefine their dining experience? Or are we stuck forever with a simple fish restaurant like Bacon in Antibes serving bouillabaisse in silver tureens served by tuxedoed waiters?

[Gavin Jones]

So why do you think the French haven't sorted out this style of dining?

It's Italian.

[Ron Johnson]

So why do you think the French haven't sorted out this style of dining?

It's Italian.

Now, THAT is funny.

[cabrales]

Steve P -- Could the following potentially qualify as "upper middle" in Paris? Helene Darroze, L'Astrance (even though the cuisine at L'Astrance is considerably more sophisticated then the "upper middle" examples you provided in the US), Passiflore (which I have never visited), Maison Blanche (which I have never visited), Hiramatsu, Flora, Le Cantine des Gourmets, La Regelade, Chamaree. Note I wouldn't classify The Square as an "upper middle" restaurant in London; it's aspirationally and outcome-wise better than that.

Edited January 6, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[fresh_a]

Passiflore and Maison Blanche would qualify as well. Passiflore I really enjoyed as the chef has a two-star pedigree (ex-Pre Catelan), but loves travelling (especially in Asia), and brings alot of cooking techniques and produce from these regions..so it's a sort of real fusion food... Maison Blanche has a very spacious, contemporary, New York feel in terms of design, and the weight of the Pourcel brothers behind the cuisine.. the view is great, but I've been consistently (only went twice) let down by the cuisine...nothing special for the very expensive prices... I go there from time to time to their hidden upstairs bar, as one of their managers is a friend...more to soak up the ambience.

[cabrales]

fresh a -- Do you have a sense that one is well-received at the Maison Blanche bar for drinks even without a dinner reservation?

[Steve Plotnicki]

Cabby - I think those places are close but they fall shy of the mark. When you go to Helene Darroze, they have pretensions to being a 2 star restaurant so the service and atmosphere are geared that way. And whether we agree on The Square being upper middle or not, however you define it, it is that type of restaurant I think is missing from the French dining scene.

[cabrales]

If The Square is removed, and we address the "upper middle" level in London as I see it (e.g., Club Gascon, Putney Bridge, Pied a Terre, Zafferano to take a non-French example, Corrigan at Lindsay House), the Parisian examples I have provided do not fall short.

The Square is closer to something like The Capital, RHR and the former La Tante Claire than it is to the "upper middle" restaurants I have set forth for London. Thus, it is an unfair comparison to utilize The Square, particularly when the NY comparable is Craft.

Another aspect that one has to consider is that in Paris, service tends to be slightly more formal for the restaurants at any given level, and some restaurants have a more history-imbued decor. Thus, focusing on a certain level of informality and modernity of decor is going to leave out certain potential contenders for "upper middle".

Edited January 6, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[baphie]

Has this niche, especially in Paris, been taken by ethnic, particularly Asian restaurants? Everything aside from Pierre Gagnaire's is a blur from the last time I was there (9/01), but I remember being taken to Asian restaurants whose food was not striving for star-dom, but was still very good and presented in a more personal fashion than traditional Asian dishes. The service was less formal than a starred restaurant, but more formal than a brasserie. As I said though, most of this was a blur and we were primarily there for drinks.

Secondly, the dining culture of France is much different. Some place like Norman's, which I love, I don't think can exist in France. To charge the prices they do, they would need to increase the level of formality and sundries to meet with French expectations. Our upper mid-level dining has very much relaxed both in terms of the restaurant itself as well as the expected attire and bearing of the customers. The same is not true across the board in Europe.

A.

[Steve Plotnicki]

To charge the prices they do, they would need to increase the level of formality and sundries to meet with French expectations. Our upper mid-level dining has very much relaxed both in terms of the restaurant itself as well as the expected attire and bearing of the customers. The same is not true across the board in Europe.

This is at the heart of it. Our middle class is probably wealthier then theirs, and more homogeneous then theirs. I guess it goes back to the simple GDP of $30K a year for Americans and $20K a year for Europeans. Also, in countries that don't have historical class divisions like European countries, like Israel for example, their high end restaurants were more like the US/UK upper middle then they were like French restaurants. That same level of formality just doesn't exist there.

[fresh_a]

cabrales- I work with a lot of establishments in Paris, so I know a lot of people.. as far as I know the bar is open only to diners.. and as it doesn't really have a view (except of the back of the restaurant), it isn't much in demand. I think you do have to eat there though to use the bar...

[cabrales]

fresh_a -- If you are comfortable responding, what kind of work do you perform relating to Paris restaurants?

[baphie]

This is at the heart of it. Our middle class is probably wealthier then theirs, and more homogeneous then theirs. I guess it goes back to the simple GDP of $30K a year for Americans and $20K a year for Europeans. Also, in countries that don't have historical class divisions like European countries, like Israel for example, their high end restaurants were more like the US/UK upper middle then they were like French restaurants. That same level of formality just doesn't exist there.

Our middle-class, I think, is less homogenous than in Europe. That is why we have a plethora of middle and upper-middle restaurants that do very good and creative cuisine, are able to charge relatively high prices and attract a diverse clientele. We have a large enough middle class who have the means and desire to go to these restaurants on a whim as well as a strong business class which helps support them as well. In Europe, the price level of some our middle restaurants would make them special occasion only restaurants.

[cabrales]

I'd like to note that income and economic/social class (whatever those terms mean) for a community should not be conflated with the "upper middle"-level types of restaurants.

[fresh_a]

I work in a luxury hotel, and advise people on a lot of different things...

I also review restaurants from time to time for various unknown publications...

[baphie]

I'd like to note that income and economic/social class (whatever those terms mean) for a community should not be conflated with the "upper middle"-level types of restaurants. 

For an individual diner, no. As a general rule, yes. There must be a critical number of diners who can both afford to eat at a restaurant and who wish to eat there at the prices set. "Upper-middle" restaurants rely on some pretty tricky economics which very nearly equate to income/class analysis. Business and speaker dinners, theatre/sporting events and local-enough-to-drop-in diners who can afford 100$/head are what keep these restaurants afloat. Those conditions both require and generate the economic critical mass in which a restaurant can thrive.

[cabrales]

I work in a luxury hotel, and advise people on a lot of different things...

fresh_a: In Paris? How wonderful. What five or six restaurants do guests at your hotel prefer, and why? What restaurants do you have the greatest difficulty securing reservations at?

[fresh_a]

Well, obviously the three-stars are in high demand, especially L'Ambroisie and Grand Vefour. The Jules Verne is also in high demand (probably only for the view...) and Amil Louis and Le Voltaire are very popular. The latter two establishments are not very helpful, although they are sent excellent clients on a regular basis... We also get a lot of requests for Astrance, and the Costes restaurants...

[cabrales]

fresh_a: Do you have special arrangements with one or more of the three stars that facilitate your placement of clients, if you are comfortable responding? Do you generally succeed in securing reservations sought by your clients? How do you go about establishing relationships with the people who control the reservations process at key restaurants?

Are you surprised that the newer three-stars, like Ledoyen and Guy Savoy, are not more requested than they are? Do you believe many of your clients understand haute cuisine?

Edited January 6, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[Steve Plotnicki]

I think someone is going to have to give Cabby a valium now that she has met Fresh-a.

[cabrales]

I'm actually a bit ill right now in a way that affects restaurant going, for reasons unrelated to anything described on the board. Also, I am on a diet following recent excesses.

[marcus]

These are all good questions, and I for one am looking forward to the answers.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Steve, am I being too simplistic in suggesting that the absence in France of the level of dining you describe is a direct result of the Michelin star system? In the US, a restaurateur can, theoretically, serve up the same excellent level of food and casual service over a long period of time without becoming increasingly formal, providing that he continues to satisfy a large enough customer base. It is simply casual restaurant that serves excellent food. In France, a restaurant that opens to raves is expected to be awarded a star, and begins to increase formality as it looks for its second macaron. There is an axiom, "Do not dress for the job you have; dress for the job you want."

[Steve Plotnicki]

Margaret - That is probably 90% of the problem. But one would think that since 1970, some French chef would have told them to screw themselves, gotten a lot of publicity for it, and opened the equivelent of Union Square Cafe in Paris. Actually I kind of like my contemporary brasserie idea (even if I am patting myself on the back ) because a chef could upgrade the food without the Michelin star pressure on his back.

[jaybee]

even if I am patting myself on the back )

Now I know why your right arm is six inches longer than your left one.