Favorite trip itineraries

[jaybee]

Over the last 30 years, we've averaged quite a few holidays in France.  We have the good fortune to have great friends (and relatives) with whom we travel who are dedicated trip researchers and ace planners.  We agree on strategy, region and main goals, then he connects the dots. There was a three star trip from Paris to Nice that went through Baumaniere, Troisgros, Lameloise, Pic, Pyramide to name a few.  But my favorite was a recent two week visit to the Sologne during October.  It was game season. The misty, almost mysterious landscapes, small towns wth great antique shops and the food, oh the food in nearly every little restaurant, auberge and bistro we chose.  The game birds, hare, boar, venison, were prepared in rustic style.  A great fan of tarte tatin, we went to it's namesake hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron and oh joy, was not disappointed.  It was even better than my own! When I can, I will go into more detail.  Suffice to say that a warm glow comes over the four of us when we talk about that trip. Do you have a favorite trip?  Where did you go? Why does it stand out over all the others?

[Fat Guy]

I'd have to say that my first trip to France was my favorite, and I'll bet in a sense that's true for lots of people. You can never recreate that sense of initial discovery and wonderment, especially since on subsequent trips, when you come down from the high, all the bad things about France become more noticeable and annoying.

My first trip -- or rather my first trip as an independent, semi-self-aware adult with the means to eat well -- was a two week driving trip that started and ended in Paris. We drove all the way around Brittany, then through Burgundy, then over to Alsace, back to Champagne, and into Paris for departure. It was just so much fun to see all those regions -- their differences and similarities -- in a short period of time, and to sample some of the best restaurants in each. It changed my thinking about a lot of issues. I don't think I've ever recaptured that feeling.

[jaybee]

You can never recreate that sense of initial discovery and wonderment, especially since on subsequent trips, when you come down from the high, all the bad things about France become more noticeable and annoying.

I don't quite agree with you Steve.  Yes, the fesh charm of an ancient walled town and timbered buildings does wear off after your third or fourth tour.  But the wonderful aspect of France is that with all the trips and the years, my sense of discovery is still sparked by being in a region or town I've never seen.  The Sologne was so different from other regions, and so enjoyable, and this trip was just two years ago.  I suppose the same would be true for Italy and possibly Spain, but somehow no other country has captured us as has France.  I've yet to go to Britanny and Normandy!

[Beachfan]

Well my first trip had enough rude French that I didn't go back for 10 years.  I think they died off, because since 1988, I've been 4 or 5 times and it's been fantastic each time.

The second trip - magic in the Dordogne, canoeing (really just drifting) down the river, being transplanted back in time, my first taste of Duck gizzards, first truffles, cave paintings, chateaus, castles, really timeless.

My second to last trip - Paris, Provence and the Cote d'Azur.  Came back with three cases of Rhone wine and 30 hours of great stories.  Roman ruins, Van Gogh's shadow, tea at a villa open to the public on Cap d'Antibes, the delights of the French beach, jazz in the streets of St.Remy.......

[Steve Plotnicki]

Jaybee-Back in the days when the last generation of 3 star chefs meant something, guys like Verge, Blanc, etc. the Nice-Paris Autoroute trip was by far the best I took. Actually my trip started in Positano and worked our way up via Florence. But I think when you get down to it, it was the Cote D'Azur part of the trip that was the part that was mindboggling. Back in the 80's, just in that 25 mile region alone you could eat at Verge, Outhier. Rostaing and Maximin plus all the local places like Bacon, Tetou, La Cololmbe D'Or, etc. You had good beaches, good markets, nice drives to take, good shopping and good museums. And fantastic people watching too. The singular best vacation experience around in my book.

[cabrales]

Paris, Roanne, Paris.  :p

[jaybee]

Jaybee-Back in the days when the last generation of 3 star chefs meant something, guys like Verge, Blanc, etc. the Nice-Paris Autoroute trip was by far the best I took.

I know what you mean.  We took that route in the late 70s.  Raymond Thoullier was stilll in action at Baumanier, Madame Point was keeping the faith at La Pyramide, Jacques Pic was in the kitchen, Rostaing Sr. was making lobster consumme by the beach.  Verge was earning his three stars. For food, that was a highlight.  It was also memorable because just outside Avignon a stupid high school girl pumped both cars in our group full of gazole (they were petrol engines). It took the better part of the day to get the engines flushed and working well enough to bring the cars back to Hertz for replacements!

[StuDudley]

In '99 my wife & I retired (early) so that we could spend more time traveling - mainly in France.  Since we could therefore stay longer, we decided to slow the pace down quite a bit.  We typically take a 4 - 5 week Spring trip, and another 4 - 5 weeks in the early Fall.  We stay in Gites, which usually run $300 to $800 per week depending on location & time of year.  We normally stay for two weeks in one Gite & then move on to the next.  This allows us to buy food in the markets & cook it ourselves at the Gite - in addition to visiting the local restaurants.  Imaging my surprise when we drove up to our Gite in the Riveria & I saw a foie gras "farm" across the street !!!  It's also exciting to see cepe mushrooms come into season in the Fall (never been there for truffle season).  THIS IS THE TYPE OF ITINERARY I LIKE.

[robert brown]

The favorite trip of traveling gastronomes was for many years the Paris-Lyon one with stops taken in places where the three-star restaurants were: Joigny, Vezelay, Saulieu, Chagny Vonnas, Lyon. Now I would counsel going east to west  starting out on the Lake of Annecy eating at Marc Veyrat and staying (but not necessarily dining) at L'Auberge du Pere Bise. Then you could spend two or three days in Lyon and then head a little south through the Rhone Valley possibly dining at Restaurant de la Pyramide or Pic. You should  head west at Ampuis, spend a night dining and sleeping at the Auberge des Cimes in St.Bonnet-le-Froid, ending up in Laguiole to dine at least once at Michel Bras and to stay in his recently-built hotel-restaurant. It is a trip we have done once or twice and would do it again. In fact, Bux has just left for the airport to do an abbreviated version:Lyon-Lagiole-St. Bonnet-Lyon with a few other stops in the Auvergne. Bon Voyage, Mr. and Mrs. Bux. Oh yes, itthe route can be done economically except for dining at Marc Veyrat or staying at Pere Bise. However, there are lots of comfortable hotels around that are not expensive.

[ajay]

Robert,

I feel very hestitant to take issue with your itinerary on the account of my having very limited experience in France, but I shall do so anyway for the simple reason that it does not inlcude Paris.

Many have argued that the quality of dinning experiences in Paris has declined recently especially at the middle to low end of the spectrum.  My limited experience confirms this assertion though I think l'astrance is a sign of all that is possible in the higher portion of the moderate cost expereince.

That said, I believe that Paris is still a culinary mecca and I find it difficult to believe a traveling gastronome's trip (or understanding of French haute cuisine) can truly be completed without experiencing Paris at all.  It seems to me your itinerary or that of Mr. Mrs. Bux is one that is best tried after one is thoroughly familiar with haute cuisine and the French three star experience.

[robert brown]

Ajay, good points that I can elaborate on. The original post discussed provincial France; thus I starting thinking in that vein. But true, Paris is a must. If someone is making their first trip to France, I certainly wouldn't advise them to start out  from Geneva. The trip I proposed does take in two three-star restaurants (Marc Veyrat and Michel Bras) to which one could also add Paul Bocuse in Lyon. I believe, however, that his restaurant is one that knowledgeable gastronomes eschew these days. Classic or long-established three-star dining has its home in Paris, but I think the food is better and the chefs more interesting in the Haute-Savoie/Rhone/Ardeche/Auvergne route I suggested.

[ajay]

Out of curiosity, are restaurant de la pyramdie and Pic three star places??

By the way, I've heard similar rumblings about Bocuse in Lyon... It's a shame Roanne lies slighlty outside your proposed route as Troisgros provided me with one of the best dining experiences of my life.

Robert,

I stand corrected, I did not notice the provincial focus of the board.

[robert brown]

Ajay, Pic and La Pyramide used to have three stars. If memory serves me, the Michelin kept awarding the latter three stars long after Fernand Point died in 1955; but once his widow gave up either the restaurant or the ghost, that was it for three-stardom. Pic lost its star when Jacques Pic died about ten years ago. He was a nice man, but I was not ecstatic about either of my meals there. In fact, it was generally considered to be a lesser three-star.

I forgot about Troisgros. It almost makes my itinerary without going out of the way, but not quite.

[ajay]

Robert,

I'm curious of your experiences at Troisgros.  How were they in an absolute sense, and how would you stack it up against some of the other places you've been (Chapel for instance when he was still behind the stoves)?

[lizziee]

I hope you don't mind me butting into the conversation. For the past ten years we have spent at least one month in France with side trips to Spain and Geneva , We try to "hit" a different region each time.   We attempt to mix Michelin 3 and 2 stars with Michelin 3 forks, mostly in the countryside. In Paris we tend to stick with the 2 and 3 stars. Our dining experiences for the past two years have been  Pierre Gagnaire (6 times), L'Ambrosie (3 ) Apicius (2 ), L'Eysees de Vernet (3 ), Faugeron (2) , Bristol ( 1) Le Cinq (1), Le Divellec (2), Taillevent (4), Lucas Carton (2), Le Grand Vefour (1) Ledoyen (1), Le Pre Catalan (2), Jamin (1), Guy Savoy (1) and Benoit (1).Our favorite by far is Pierre Gagnaire. Not everything works and any resenblance between his description of the menu and what is on the plate is purely coincedental. However, this is the most extraordinary over-all food experience. Other favorites are L'Ambrosie -perfectly prepared food with the finest ingredients, Apicius,an innovative chef, L'Eysees de Vernet, often overlooked but worth experiencing - wonderful  Jambon Iberico - a beautiful room, Faugeron, his truffled egg perfect. We were very disappointed by Le Grand Vefour, Divellec and unfortunately Taillevent. In 2000, we had a wonderful meal at Tailllevent, last year with the new chef from Carcassonne, it was horrible and service which has always been their strongest suit fair.

During the year 2000 and 2001, ( excluding bistros)we have eaten at Les Loges de L'Aubergade (5 meals), Auberge et Clos des Cimes (3 ),

Michel Bras ( 2 ), George Blanc ( 6 ), Les Pres d'Eugenie (4), Le Jardin des Sens (2), Trois Gros (1), Pic (2), Domaine d'Auriac (2), Michel Chabran (1), La Pryamide (1), and El Bulli (3). I won't go into detail, but if anyone wishes detailed notes I do have them. Briefly, Trois Gros in Roanne is perfection - from the frogs legs beignet, salmon in sorrel to the sweetbreads - there was not a misstep. Auberge et Clos des Cimes is another fantastic experience. I honestly thought Regis Marcon would get his 3rd star.  Les Pres d'Eugenie has not faltered at all unlike some other 3 stars. Guerard is there every day, overseeing everything. Michel Bras is an unbelievable experience - although impossible to get to. Les Loges de L'Aubergade was also wonderful although Trama will probably never get a 3rd star as he has been very outspoken to the establishment. Georges Blanc is our warm, fuzzy experience- predictable, solid food. We were very disappointed with Jardin des Sens (horrible service, mediocre food), La Pyramide ( a disaster), Michel Chabran ( not worth the trip), Pic ( a good stopover on the way south) and El Bulli. probably the worst food experience we have ever had. (The year before -2000 was extraordinary but this past year a nightmare). We were with 2 other very well-known chefs and all four of us kept looking at each other wondering why we didn't get it. (Again I have detailed notes on all of this).

Memorable bistros: Cote Rotie in Ampuis, Auberge du Pont de Lanau (a perfect place to stop on the way to Bras - chef and his wife just bought it - they are from Quebec),Oustal de Barry in Najac, L'Epicerie in Valence, La Fontaine, Le Mimosa,  and Ca I'Isidre in Barcelona.

I hope I haven't been a bore. Our 2002 trip is all planned. Thanks to e-gullet I definitely have a reservation at L'Astrance. I am undecided about Hiramatsu.

[robert brown]

You are making me feel old, Ajay, but thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to reminisce. For better or worse, I cannot give you any recent experiences of mine at Troisgros. My last visit was in 1982. I always felt that Jean Troisgros was the intellect of the operation; at least he looked, acted, and spoke like he was, and when he died suddenly at age 51 soon after, I lost the overwhelming desire to go back.

I never saw two brothers who looked less alike. Jean was of normal build, quite handsome with a gray beard and Pierre, as you probably know, was (and still is) rotund and with a kind of porcine visage, to put it in a relatively polite fashion. The first time I went, either 1974 or 1975, the hotel and restaurant were all in their original structure, the typical dark wood interior of two-star provincial hotels. I do not think the new kitchens were in then. (At the time, Gault-Millau was calling it the greatest restaurant in the world). Pierre was more the meeter and greeter; doing the table-hopping and signing the menus, first drawing on the cover a sad face and then a smiling face, using the two "o"s in "Troisgros" and writing under each, accordingly, and in English, "before" and "after"; then on a inside page the words "bu et approuve" (drunk and approved) which is a play on words of what people sign on a French legal document, "lu et approuve" ("read and approved".) Jean stuck more to the front desk, but was approachable and friendly. In fact he told me he had a son who wanted nothing to do with the family business (and I seem to recall he was a chef also) and had gone off somewhere; it may have been Brazil even, which is where his cousin Claude was to spend a major part of his professional life. I have no idea what became of him. Does anyone know?

I have kept the menu of what may be my first visit. The maitre d’hotel wrote on the blank sheet opposite the printed part my meal on May 5, 1975. It is interesting to see how traditional-sounding most of it was: Foie Gras Frais en Terrine; Escargots de Bourgogne Poeles; Cassolette de Queues d’Ecrevisses; Escalope de Saumon a l’Oseille Troisgros (the most famous dish of the house, salmon in a sauce of sorrel, now a world classic that the restaurant has never stopped offering); Piece de Boeuf au Fleurie a la Moelle;and the cheese and dessert chariots which were both sights to behold in terms of variety or selection. Perhaps the food became more freewheeling after that. I remember most clearly the “Mosaique de Petits Legumes Frais Truffee” a terrine of baby vegetables and pieces of black truffle bound with an aspic and arranged to look like a small mosaic. Scrambled eggs with truffles were another big specialty; I think once I had them make the dish for my breakfast.

So now Ajay, tell us about your visit so I can convince my wife to make the arduous drive from Lyon.

On our very first drive in provincial France, at least for dipping our toes in gastronomic waters beyond Paris, we had our first three-star meal outside of Paris on May 20, 1974 at Restaurant Pic in Valence, drove the next day to Condrieu and stayed at Le Beau Rivage, a hotel-restaurant that has since seen its best days. We envisioned having a three-star meal at Paul Bocuse or even Restaurant de la Pyramide, but when looking through the Guide Michelin, I saw a three-star restaurant I had never heard off called “La Mere Charles (Alain Chapel)” Being a bit of a speculator and contrarian, I told my wife about it, and we both agreed to try it for lunch the next day, my birthday. We arrived to a nearly empty restaurant in farm country just north of Lyon that was on the main truck route between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse. Yet, it was a hidden oasis of restrained luxury and sober, good taste. In fact, as soon as we were seated at a table on the edge of a beautiful garden for an aperitif (a remarkable Champagne aux Framboises made with the juice extracted from fresh raspberries) and equally remarkable “friture du lac” (little fried fish) by a dashing, handsome Spanish maitre d’hotel who we came to know as Antoine (ex-Troisgros, Pere Bise, and after Chapel, Le Divellec in Paris) we knew we had gotten lucky. We also sensed we were in a restaurant that could not be more magical and could possibly have no competition in this regard. We lunched on three dishes, two of which had begun to become well-known to the advanced gastronomes of which we were hardly a part:  the salad of lobster with slices of guinea hen, and black truffles; and the “Gateau de Foie Blond au Lucien Tendret”, a cylindrical shaped “cake” of delicate-tasting pureed chicken livers (the consistency of a flan) bathed in a sauce of crayfish tails and presented with a crayfish on top. As our main course we shared a Bresse chicken in a raspberry vinegar sauce with a puree of carrots the intensity of flavor of which we could not believe. Of course, there was a huge selection of cheese and a chariot of dozens of desserts including Chapel’s intense fruit sorbets and ice cream (at least twelve of them) served from small sterling silver milk cans, all followed by a large assortment of chocolates, little pastries, and petits fours.

As we were about to leave, we told Antoine we would like to meet Monsieur Chapel. He went to the kitchen only to return to tell us that he had left for the afternoon. A year later for our second visit, in a way I never understood how it happened, as we walked across the highway from the parking lot opposite the restaurant, Chapel and his wife were standing in front waiting to greet us and accompany us through the main portico, along the pathway that passed the kitchen, and into the dining room.

To answer the rest of your question, Chapel was always our favorite. His technique was massive, his cuisine both powerful and delicate and he could coax flavor out of food unlike anyone. We never abandoned his restaurant until he died. We have been back one time since, not quite two years ago. I will write my impressions for sure if asked, but maybe I will write about it unsolicited as well. We always had our best times and most of our best meals there, though one or two of the meals misfired, which is actually a low percentage given the number of lunches and dinners we had there over 16 years. Troisgros and Michel Guerard in those early days were right behind, however. Perhaps I should not have abandoned Roanne so quickly

I hope you can get a small idea of how the place has changed because I certainly do not know. I loved the four or five meals I had. I wish Jean Troisgros were still around or at least had stayed with us for a lot longer.

[lizziee]

Robert,

Here are my notes on St Bonnet.I will post my notes on Roanne later.

Auberge et Clos des Cimes in St Bonnet is an extraordinary place in the middle of nowhere - lots of hills and cows. The room we stayed in was very contemporary. The design is similar to Cote St Jacques in Joigny. Like Cote St Jacques there is an underground tunnel from your room to the restaurant that includes several sculptures of mushrooms (the restaurant's symbol) made out of real chocolate.

The dining room is beautifully designed - the room directly opposite the salon ( for aperitifs and later cigars) is all white with an etched glass enclosure that gives the feeling of dining in snow. There are a number of tables by the stairs leading to the hotel, then a beautiful room by the windows where we sat.

With the aperitifs there were 4 amuse - most notably a cheese tuile served in a specially designed glass holder and salami studded with mushrooms. At the table there was another amuse - a salmon tartar plus a fish (not sure what it was) mousse.

We had the mushroom tasting menu - most of the dining room did the same. One table ordered a la carte - this is not the way to go. We were given the menu at the beginning as a souvenir - great idea - so we could follow along.

1st course- crusty foie gras with cereal underneath

2nd course- braised lobster with cepes, oyster mushrooms and chanterelles

3rd- omble chevalier again with mushrooms. The chef's food speaks for itself - perfect ingredients,blended perfectly, no over the top excesses.

4th - ragout of lentils with truffles and a poached quail egg - extraordinary

5th - champagne granita(could have had consomme)

6th - roast pigeon with fresh peas, cepes and a ginger toast

7th - cheese

8th - a whole series of small amuse desserts plus one main dessert - I had cocoa coffee based chicory ice cream.

I know the descriptions do not sound like much, but the food and service were flawless. Believe it or not, our second night equaled our first. Alain, the general manager is wonderful He had had his own restaurant in Lyon for 15 years, closed it, then worked at La Tour Rose and is now at Clos des Cimes. He talked to the chef and worked out the menu. He would not tell us what we were having, he wanted it to be a surprise.

Again, there were 4 amuse with the aperitif.Then we went to the table.

1st- gateau of crab with lines of quinoa plus wild mushrooms - this was a perfect marriage of tastes, nothing extraneous.

2nd- filet of bar with mussels and clams

3rd - out came 2 hot plates and a table for tableside prep- the most perfect dish - crusty sweetbreads served en brochette

4th - consomme of mushrooms as a digestive - intense flavor

5th - again a table was wheeled to our table with a large cutting board. Presented was a lamb cooked en croute with a mixture of fresh herbs. The croute was bread dough. Alain carved the lamb and the dough was sent to the kitchen to be re-crusted and then eaten with the perfect rare lamb. Also presented was a plate of spices to be sprinkled on the lamb - sel de mer, pepper, rosemary, thyme. Alain replaced the extra lamb in the dough shell and said he would save it in the kitchen for our second serving. The vegetables were crunchy asparagus, wild asparagus, favas, small spring onions.

6th - fromage

7th - pre-desserts

We skipped the main dessert.

Also, the sommelier, Laurent, is very young,but knows his stuff, Most outstanding was 1996 La Barbarine, Cote Rotie from Mathilde et Yves Gangloff.

As I re-read the above I am afraid my food descriptions do not do justice to what was on the plate. What makes Regis Marcon's food extraordinary is that he blends flavors perfectly. He does not put 30 different ingredients on your plate and hopes some of it goes together. This is beautifully presented food using the finest ingredients with perfect restraint. We were excited by every phase of the meal - service, style and the food itself.

We had such a wonderful experience that we already have our reservations for this year

[jaybee]

I wish Jean Troisgros were still around or at least had stayed with us for a lot longer.

Robert, your description of Troigros is very accurate, as well as the that of the brothers.  We had the delightful cooincidence of agreeing to put up Jean Troisgro's step son, (then nine or ten) in our New York apartment about two weeks after our return from a trip that included eating at Troisgos.  It seems Jean was planning to move to New York with his wife Yannick and her son, and they wanted the boy to feel comfortable with New York. My son, age twelve, was pressed into being an ambassador to a boy who spoke no English. We looked forward to getting into Roanne and meeting the parents.  When our party of six arrived at the inn, we were greeted warmly and when seated in the dining room, the menus were pulled from our hands and the maitre 'd announced that "Msr. Jean will make you a meal."  I have notes somewhere on the meal which I will attempt to retrieve and post here. (this was 1982).  I recall it started with pan seared fois gras in a sauce that included pears (my first taste of such a dish), accompanied by a glass of chilled sauterne.  One dish followed another in a splendid succession and I finished off the meal with a Hoyo De Monterrey Double Corona from Cuba. The rooms (we stayed in the inn) were air conditioned (fortunately since this was the hottest summer on record in France) and decorated in rich dark wood, much like a ship's cabin.  The sad ending of the story is that one month later, (the boy had been with us for about five days) I  picked up the New York Times on my way out the door and saw a small article on the bottom right front page headlined "Famed French Chef Dies." Apparently he was playing tennis in 100 degree heat and had a heart attack!  We were asked not to tell the boy anything until his mother could come and get him in a day or so.  A very sad ending to a wonderful encounter.

A brief note about La Pyramide.  We ate there in the late 70s when Madame Point was still overseeing the place.  We had some trepidations, knowing what can happen when a restaurant turns into a museum.  Our fears were groundless.  We ate at a table in the garden in a beautiful setting. One dish I remember well was a large bowl of crayfish in a clear stock that was startingly tasty.  (My notes on this meal are also buried in a drawer with old menus). I recall at the end of the meal I asked if we could get the famous "marjolane" (sp?) chocolate cake and the waiter smiled happily and said "toujours."  Madame greeted us after dinner, showed us the kitchen and signed our cartes "Unne hommage gatronomique."  It was also a very good meal.

[jaybee]

I hope I haven't been a bore.

Lizziee, Lizziee, Lizziee,  how could you imagine such posts as yours would be boring to ahhemm such enthusiasts as we?  They were just the kind of thing (as well as the others here) I was hoping to elicit from this well travelled and super knowledgable gang. This is way better than porno! (not that I ever....) :D :D

[jaybee]

The original post discussed provincial France; thus I starting thinking in that vein. But true, Paris is a must.

Ajay and Robert, you are both right.  I neglected to say that Paris has been the jumping off point for every trip we've taken. I took that for a given, but it should have been said.  A typical itinerary includes two or three nights (meals) in Paris at the start and often one or two before flying home.  Our Paris meals have been mostly in bistros for the past few years, owing to research for my in-law's guide book "Paris Bistros", and also because we enjoy the food and the less formal atmosphere that one finds in the starred places.  My one regret, never having been at Robuchon's places.  My sister-in-law found him in Jamin when it was a tiny place and raved about his food.

[ajay]

Lizziee,

Welcome.  Thanks for posting on egullet; your knowledge will be an asset to us all. :p

I'm curious about your experiences at Bras and El Buili.  I haven't had a chance to try either one, but they're both on my list of must dos.

Robert,

I'm digging through my notes, when I find them, I'll post on my expereiences at Troisgros.  Thanks for that eloquent and informative post.  this is what egullet is all about.  But your post leaves me feeling a bit dispondent.  It seems to me that many of the great lights in French cuisine have passed on, and few others (at least judging from your experience) have come forward to carry the torch. (Though, here I must say that food-wise I can't imagine much more than Troisgros). This feeling adds a bit of urgency to my desire to try Bras Buili and possibly Veryat.

[robert brown]

Ajay, you're a veteran!! Your story about Jean Troisgros makes me almost teary-eyed. What a situation to be in. What is the step-son doing now? Did you ever hear about the older son who jumped ship? How do you compare the cuisine now to the way it was in the old days? Was Jean truly the innovator of the house? Was the father there when you were-Jean-Baptiste. This is quite a group we are getting together. Bux will be very happy when he returns. He is in Lyon now. Thanks so much, Lizziee, for your great post. We surely look forward to more.

I remember the New York Times front-page obituary. Jean Troisgros was playing tennis in Alsace-Lorraine. Chapel's obituary was inside the paper. I remember that I was reading the paper in a coffee shop-July 4, 1990-and lucky for me I didn't get to the obituary page. Instead, my fiancee called me at our gallery and said "Chapel died". I burst into tears as if he were a blood relative. It's a risky profession. I suspect these chefs were too busy to go to a doctor, though the care back then surely wasn't as good as it is now. I wasn't a big fan of Jacques Pic, but he sure was a nice fellow who left too soon.

[jaybee]

Ajay, you're a veteran!! Your story about Jean Troisgros makes me almost teary-eyed.

Robert you're mixing up your Jays. 'Twas I, JayBee, who told the story of Jean Troisgros.  It was one of the most unreal situations we have been in, not to be able to tell this boy anything for two days, knowing the way his life was going to change! To answer you, I don't know what happened to him.  I understood that the family did not take too kindly to Yannick after Jean died (I think she was a second wife), so I imagine she and her son left the restaurant.  I've had no further contact with the family and have not been back to Roanne since. Jean was a very warm and serious person and, as you describe, Pierre was the more dramatic one.  I understood that Jean was more the "student" of cuisine and Pierre is a master in the kitchen, but these are only impressions. I do recall that the salmon in sorel sauce was one of the dishes on the meal that Jean prepared for us.  It is isad (and too bad for us New Yorkers) that Jean did not live to realize his plan to move to New York and open a restaurant here.  BTW, isn't the CT in CTs Claude Troisgros, his oldest son?

[robert brown]

JPB, I am sorry for the mix-up. How did you get to look after the little boy? At first, I thought Claude was the son of Jean who left home; but articles in the Times and elsewhere about CT always said he was Pierre's son. Did he return to Roanne or is he back in Brazil?

[jaybee]

I was contacted by a gourmet food importer who was friends with Jean and his wife. I don't recall how she got my name. I was running a large advertising agency at the time and we may have met at some media event. She was aware that I had a young son and thought he would make a good "companion" for the boy for two weeks.  They offered to host my son for two weeks at the inn in Roanne in return.  (I suggested I would be a better exchange student :)). As I said, JT was planning a move to New York, and since the boy had a French father (Yannick's previous husband), they wanted the boy to be as comfortable as possible with the move.  This was during the period when several French chef's came here (La Coze for one).  I think they wanted to escape the punative taxes and labor policies in France (this may be worth a separate thread), and also tap into the energy of New York that the Parisians seem to adore.

I have no knowledge of the others in his family.