A PERMANENT DIALOGUE BETWEEN A FRENCH FATHER, ALAIN, LIVING IN CHICAGO AND HIS SON, STEPHANE, LIVING IN SILICON VALLEY. BOTH HAVE A SERIOUS FIXATION ON ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING INVOLVING FOOD, WINES, SEARCH FOR NEW EXCITING RESTAURANTS AND RECIPES BOTH IN FRANCE AND IN THE U.S. THE FATHER HAS ALSO AN EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF FILMS AND IS AN AVID MOVIEGOER AND VIDEO WATCHER. THEY WELCOME ANYBODY WHO SHARES THEIR PASSION TO ASK THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT RELATED TOPICS.
60 INTERESTING FRENCH FILMS PRODUCED BETWEEN 1999 and 2009 available on DVD
I liked them, or at least found them interesting. My favorites are preceded by an asterik
All these films are available in DVD format in the U.S.
(NETFLIX is my regular source)
How many times friends and other people I meet in restaurants and theaters ask me when they find out that I have a strong interest for foreign films and know a few things about them if I can recommend a few French films. But they always add: " we want to see recent French films, not old classics in black and white". And most of the time they add: "films that we can rent in the U.S, not films that you have seen in obscure art theaters in Paris".
So, I went back to my notes in my calendars of the last 10 years since I write down the title, the name of the director, and the year of production of each film I see, either in a theater or from a DVD on my TV screen at home. And I made a selection of some French films I liked, or at least found interesting, essentially because of their artistic value, essentially from a directing standpoint, and also because they offer an unusual point of view on contemporary France.
In a couple of cases the directors are not French, like De Oiveira, or Raul Ruiz, but because they directed these films in French, with French actors, on French locations, I consider these French-produced films as French.
There is no chronological or preference order in this list. I tried to regroup films by the name of their director. My favorite films are preceded by an asterisk. If you want to read a short description of the storyline and of the cast, go to NETFLIX.com to find it. This is my essential rental source .Y ou can also find info on most of these films on IMDB.com.
Good viewing.
Alain
* PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES (COEURS) by ALAIN RESNAIS 2006
* HERBES FOLLES by ALAIN RESNAIS 2009 ( to be released in DVD in late fall 2010)
* THE DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS (NE TOUCHEZ PAS LA HACHE) by JACQUES RIVETTE 2007
* AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN (36 VUES DU PIC ST, LOUP) 2009 (released soon)
* SENTIMENTAL DESTINIES (LES DESTINEES SENTIMENTALES) by OLIVIER ASSAYAS 2000
* SUMMER HOURS (L`HEURE D’ ETE) by OLIVIER ASSAYAS 2008
BOARDING GATE by OLIVIER ASSAYAS 2007
* STRAYED ( LES EGARES) by ANDRE TECHINE 2004
* THE WITNESSES ( LES TEMOINS) by ANDRE TECHINE 2007
* THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN ( LA FILLE DU RER) by ANDRE TECHINE 2009
* BEAU TRAVAIL by CLAIRE DENIS 2002
35 SHOTS OF RUM ( 35 RHUMS) by CLAIRE DENIS 2007
THE INTRUDER ( L’INTRUS) by CLAIRE DENIS 2005
FRIDAY NIGHT ( VENDREDI SOIR) by CLAIRE DENIS 2008
* OUR MUSIC ( NOTRE MUSIQUE) by JEAN-LUC GODARD 2004
* IN PRAISE OF LOVE (ELOGE DE L'AMOUR) by JEAN-LUC GODARD 2001
* THE LADY AND THE DUKE ( L’ANGLAISE ET LE DUC) by ERIC ROHMER 2001
TRIPLE AGENT by ERIC ROHMER 2003
* THE BEACHES OF AGNES ( LES PLAGES D’AGNES) by AGNES VARDA 2008
THE GLEANERS AND I ( LES GLANEURS ET LA GLANEUSE) by AGNES VARDA 2000
* COMEDY OF POWER ( L’IVRESSE DU POUVOIR) by CLAUDE CHABROL 2006
* MERCI POUR LE CHOCOLAT by CLAUDE CHABROL 2000
REGRETS by CEDRIC KAHN 2009 (released soon)
THE LAST MISTRESS ( UNE VIEILLE MAITRESSE) by CATHERINE BREILLAT 2007
* A CHRISTMAS TALE ( UN CONTE DE NOEL) by ARNAUD DESPLECHIN 2008
* KINGS AND QUEEN ( ROIS ET REINES) by ARNAUD DESPLECHIN 2004
* TOKYO EYES by JEAN-PIERRE LIMOSIN 1999
NOVO by JEAN PIERRE LIMOSIN 2002
THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ( LE PETIT LIEUTENANT) by XAVIER BEAUVOIS 2005
* WHEN THE SEA RISES ( QUAND LA MER MONTE) by YOLANDE MOREAU 2004
* TOSCA by BENOIT JACQUOT 2001
RIGHT NOW (A TOUT DE SUITE) by BENOIT JACQUOT 2003
* LADY CHATTERLEY ( Uncut special edition) by PASCALE FERRAN 2006
READ MY LIPS (SUR MES LEVRES) by JAQUES AUDIARD 2001
* THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED ( DE BATTRE MON COEUR S’EST ARRETE) by JACQUES AUDIARD 2005
* A PROPHET ( UN PROPHETE) by JACQUES AUDIARD 2009
* THE PORNOGRAPH ( LE PORNOGRAPHE) by BERTRAND BONELLO 2001
* TIRESIA by BERTRAND BONELLO 2003
THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN (LA GRAINE ET LE MULET) by ABDEL KECHICHE 2007
UNDER THE SAND ( SOUS LE SABLE) by FRANCOIS OZON 2003
* TIME OUT ( L’EMPLOI DU TEMPS) by LAURENT CANTET 2001
* HUMAN RESSOURCES ( RESSOURCES HUMAINES) by LAURENT CANTET 2001
THE CLASS ( ENTRE LES MURS) by LAURENT CANTET 2007
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGENES) by RACHID BOUCHAREB 2006
* IN THE ELECTRIC MIST by BERTRAND TAVERNIER 2009 ( In English)
IT ALL STARTS TODAY (CA COMMENCE AUJOURD’HUI) by BERTRAND TAVERNIER 2000
* HENRI LANGLOIS CINEMATHEQUE by VARIOUS DIRECTORS 2005
LA CAPTIVE by CHANTAL ACKERMAN 2000
REGULAR LOVERS (LES AMANTS REGULIERS) by PHILIPPE GARREL 2005
LA FRONTIERE DE L'AUBE by PHILIPPE GARREL 2009
* THE SON ( LE FILS) by JEAN-PIERRE DARDENNE 2002
WITH A FRIEND LIKE HARRY by DOMINICK MOLL 2000
* BELLE TOUJOURS by MANUEL DE OLIVEIRA 2006
I'M GOING HOME (JE RENTRE A LA MAISON) by MANUEL DE OLIVEIRA 2002
* TIME REGAINED ( LE TEMPS RETROUVE) by RAUL RUIZ 2000
* SABINE by SANDRINE BONNAIRE 2009
PERSEPOLIS by MARJANNE SATRAPI 2008
GABRIELLE by PATRICE CHEREAU 2005
LA FRANCE by Serge BOZON 2007
THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN (LE PERE DE MES ENFANTS) by MIA HANSEN-LOVE 2008
COMPLICES by FREDERIC MERMOUD 2009 (released soon)
Côtes du Rhône : The reds from the Southern region are perfect companions to an end of summer barbecue or dinner in the back yard
Côtes du Rhône red are high up in my list of favorite French red wines. As you know Stéphane, I lived for a couple of years in Avignon and became at that time (between 1959 and 1962) much more familiar with this family of wines, that was rarely visible on my parents, grand parents, or aunt tables. As a matter of fact during my Parisian years (1963-1970) your mother and I practically never drank Côtes du Rhône. Don’t ask me why. In those days we were more into Bordeaux, Côtes de Provence, Languedoc wines like Corbières and Minervois, Sancerre, and sometimes Crus du Beaujolais. But since we moved to Chicago in 1970, we became addicted to good Côtes du Rhône. I have to say that the quality of Southern Rhône wines found in both retail stores and restaurants in Chicago increased in an exponential way over the last 15 years. And during my frequent trips to France since 1970, and particularly during our vacations in the ‘’Midi’’ I discovered lots of little gems from small winemakers of the Southern Rhône Valley. Many of them eventually came to Chicago to sell their wines to importers and restaurant owners
It is important to differentiate Côtes du Rhône wines and Rhône Valley wines. The Rhône Valley follows the Rhône river, that starts in a Swiss glacier, crosses Lake Geneva before entering France, and runs all the way South before ending its course in a small delta in the beautiful and wild area of La Camargue on the shores of the Mediterranean sea. The vineyards of the Côtes du Rhône, côtes meaning hills, per se can be found on both banks of that river between the cities of Vienne, just South of Lyon, and Valence. These vineyards belong to the Northern Côtes du Rhône. Then farther South, the vineyards of the Southern Côtes du Rhône start South of Montélimar and can be found all the way on both left and right banks to Avignon. The Northern vineyards are often planted on hills. Most of the Southern vineyards are planted in flatter grounds. There are a few other AOC wine-producing areas which belong to the Rhône Valley wine group but are not considered as Côtes du Rhône. They are the Côteaux du Tricastin East of Montélimar, The Côtes du Vivarais in Ardèche on the Right bank, the Côtes du Ventoux, near Carpentras, The Côtes du Lubéron, just South of Ventoux reaching East to the Haute-Provence, and my dear Costières de Nîmes located between Nîmes, Beaucaire and the Camargue. Costières de Nimes is officially part of the Rhône family of wines, but in fact it should be one of the Languedoc appellations (AOC). Way South-East of Valence, in the ‘’département’’ of Drôme , is another Rhône wine that can be quite charming with its slightly ‘’muscat’’ tones and refreshing in its sparkling version, La Clairette de Die.
A few facts and figures that you may want to know: The first Côtes du Rhône vineyards were planted by the Romans. But the development of these vineyards and the reputation of the wines were greatly enhanced in the 14th century when the Popes had moved their headquarters from Rome to Avignon. As you know one of the most celebrated CDR from the Southern area is the famous Chateauneuf-Du-Pape. Unfortunately, over the last 10 years prices of the best Chateauneufs have become quite exorbitant placing them out of reach to many average wine drinkers. I do not think yet that they will reach the extravagant prices of some of the best Northern Côtes du Rhône such as Côte Rotie, Hermitage, or Saint-Joseph. I also would like to mention that the CDR got their ‘’ Appellation d’origine Controllée’’ (AOC) certification from the French government in 1937. Nowadays CDR is the second largest AOC wine producing area in France after Languedoc. It covers 190,000 acres, counts 6,000 wine growers who sold 420 million bottles in 2008, according to INTER RHONE the Rhone Valley Professional Trade Organization.
The CDR production area is comprised of 171 villages or “communes” (townships). 95 of them carry the official appellation (AOC) of Côtes Du Rhône Villages and only 18 can add a specific geographical name to that appellation: 5 in the “département’’ of Drôme, 10 in the Vaucluse, and 3 in the Gard (my native département). But there are only 8 Crus des Côtes du Rhône in the North: Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Chateau- Grillet, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas , and Saint-Peray And 9 crus in the Southern region : Vinsobres, Gigondas, Vaqueiras, Beaumes de Venise, Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, Lirac, Tavel, Rasteau, and Muscat de Beaumes de Venise.
The Northern Côtes du Rhône I will not talk much today about the marvelous, and quite expensive, wines from the Northern Côtes du Rhône. Their main AOC crus, based essentially on Syrah for the reds and Viognier, Marsanne and Roussane for the whites are: Côte Rotie, Saint Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and Cornas. The very fragrant Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet are probably the best whites made from Viognier grapes that you will find in this world. At the most Southern tip of that Northern CDR Region another cru Saint Peray is also made exclusively from white grapes and is much more affordable than Chateau Grillet. . Cornas is the only cru that produces reds exclusively. The best Reds from the North are in my opinion in the Côte Rotie area of production Problem is they have become so expensive (close to $ 300.00 for a La Mouline from Guigal) that neither you and I can afford the best of them. If one day you really want to treat yourself to a very good Northern CDR buy a bottle of red Hermitage from Jean-Louis Chave, or a Saint-Joseph (my favorite affordable reds in that region) from Coursodon. But expect to pay close to $100.00 for each in a good year (1997, 2000, 2005, 2006,) The Southern Côtes du Rhône The largest majority of these wines are red, and most of the times are blends of 2 or 3 types of grapes. The most common red grapes are Grenache Noir, Mourvède, Carignan, Cinsault, Syrah and some other lesser known varietals such as Counoise or Terret Noir. They can be medium or full bodied, rarely light for the reds in better sunny years. Their distinctive aromas, concentration, bouquet, fruit, acidity, vary from one area to the other according to their respective terroir parameters: nature of the soil that can be made of pebbles, limestone, granite, sandy clay, alluvions, chalk, etc. and from their exposure to sun and winds. But some of their secondary aromas and flavors can be sometimes related to the wild herbs that grow in the ‘’garrigues’’ such as thyme, rosemary, and way farther in the Southwestern part of the department of Vaucluse, lavender. They quite often have notes of prune, licorice, violet, or cassis. Most of the ‘’Côtes du Rhône’’ without additional apellation can be drunk young.
The best Côtes du Rhône Villages and Crus benefit from additional aging. Some Chateauneuf and Gigondas can age up to 15 to 20 years. Do not be confused by what some reviewers say and by their totally arbitrary ratings. Some lesser-known ordinary Côtes du Rhône made by small but very creative or traditional ‘’vignerons’’ (wine growers) are as good and much less expensive than their Crus or specific ‘’village geographic secondary appellation’’ better rated cousins. They are usually imported by smaller but very astute regional companies such as, in the Midwest, Fine Vines, Julienne, Wine Adventures, Michael Corso, H2Vino, or in other regions Robert Kacher in Washington, Kermit Lynch in Berkeley, CA, European Cellars (Eric Solomon) in Charlotte, Kysela in Virginia, or LouisDressner.
But some larger Wine makers and brand name owners such as Guigal, Paul Autard, Perrin, Jaboulet, Jaume, Delas, Michel Chapoutier, and others sell some very good and respectable CDR in the U.S. There are also some regional French ''négociants-éleveurs'' most of the time wine makers themselves, essentially in Vaucluse, who buy wines from other small local ''vignerons'' from the CDR , give them advice about the vinification and aging process (élevage), assemble the wines, bottle them locally, and put them on the market. They sometimes choose a pretty label and a nice-sounding name for the wine, that occasionally can be a completely imaginary ''domaine name'', and market it most of times under an apellation of ''Vin de pays de...''. These wines, most often found for under 10 dollars a bottle, are not as complex as real AOC's but can be very nicely vinified and very enjoyable. Such a company, Ravoire et Fils , produces a very juicy and fragrant Vin de Pays de la Principauté d'Orange, sold under the name of Le Grand Destré. It is imported by Wine Adventures in Iowa, a very good importer of nice Rhône, Provence, and Languedoc wines, such as the Château Beauchêne that you will find in my list of some of my favorite CDR below. I already wrote about Grand Destré on this blog last year in a piece under the title ''Provençal lamb stew''. Côtes du Rhône Rosé can also be very good in the summer time. Some of the best Tavel, on the right bank, are delicious, but often overpriced. You might find better buys in good and cheaper rosés from Languedoc or the Southwest (Bergerac, Côtes de Saint Mont, Corbières, Minervois, Coteaux du Languedoc) Two delicious fragrant fruity and sweet AOC wines from Southern CDR, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and Rasteau, can be enjoyed slightly chilled with a cold appetizer such as melon with prosciuto, foie gras, or salmon carpaccio or with fruit deserts. And they are good companions to Roquefort, Stilton or Gorgonzola with nut bread.
Food pairing with Southern Côtes du Rhône: CDR wines are very versatile as far as food pairing is concerned. I always try to match them with dishes that are typical of the cuisine from the Northern area of Provence, such as: Any lamb dish like Leg of lamb with garlic and Tyme, Daube d’agneau ( a type of fragrant lamb stew cooked in wine), Lamb skewers, lamb chops coated with herbes de Provence , rack of lamb, either roasted or grilled on the barbecue. Meat-stuffed baked red peppers, zucchinis, eggplant, and of course tomatoes. Ratatouille Stewed wild mushrooms Provençal casseroles made of beef Or more generally-speaking, dishes from the Mediterranean or North-African regions such as: Tagines of lamb or chicken Couscous Royal Osso Bucco Grilled chicken coated with garlic powder, olive oil and herbes de Provence (delicious on an outdoor grill) Chicken wings or drumsticks in a barbecue sauce Any kind of pasta, cannelloni, ravioli, with a tasty tomato and meat or mushroom sauce. Duck breast in a peppercorn sauce Beef sirloin grilled Steak au poivre Any type of pork sausage grilled on the barbecue Grilled venison fillets Duck with olives Fresh Tuna steaks Braised ham And why not a good hamburger ? Several types of cheese can be enjoyed with CDR wines: Reblochon, Cantal, even ripe Camembert.
The dry white CDR AOC's are perfect with grilled fish such as salmon steaks, swordfish, or spicy grilled shrimps, as well as with spicy grilled chicken and plain grilled veal chops.
And now, as you asked me, a few suggestions of Southern CDR that you may want to try. Most of them are priced between 13 and 20 dollars: The 2007 vintage that you presently find in most wine stores is a very good year in red Southern CDR. The 2005 were also fantastic .
Domaine Alary Côtes du Rhône Villages 2007 Domaine André Brunel Cuvée Sabrine 2005\ Le Pont Du Rieu Vacqueiras 2007 Domaine de Piaugier Sablet 2007 Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel rosé, 2009 Domaine Brusset, Le Grand Montmirail, 2007 Saint-Cosme Côtes du Rhône Red 2007 White 2009 Le Fond Du Vent, Signargues Notre passion 2007 Domaine Damien, Les Souteyrades Gigondas 2007 Domine Charvin CDR rosé 2008 Domaine de la Solitude CDR 2007 Domainde de Beaurenard Rasteau 2007 Damaine Alary Cairanne 2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Champauvins CDR Villages 2007 Domaine des Apillhantes Cairanne l’Ancestrale 2007 Laurence Feraud Seguret 2007 Duseigneur Lirac 2007
Chateau Beauchêne CDR Villages 2007 (this one is one of my recent favorites and is damn cheap for such a great wine) But I would strongly suggest that you spend 2 dollars more and buy the marvelous Chateau Beauchêne Premier Terroir 2007. This very luscious and rich but harmonious and well balanced win is labeled as a Côtes du Rhône Villages but in fact this particular vineyard is separated from their Chateauneuf Du Pape vineyard by a tiny dirt path. So when you drink that CDR you are sort of enjoying a Chateauneuf Du Pape '' déclassé''. And for $ 12.99 ( at Binny's in Chicago) it is probably the best value I have found in CDR over the last 2 years.
And of course do not forget 2 of my favorite bargain-priced CDR from Trader Joe's: The very flavorful Valreas Cuvée Prestige from the Vignerons de l’Enclave des Papes at $ 6.49 And the always reliable and Juicy Perrin CDR Réserve 2007 at $9.99 A ta santé and Bonne fin d’été
Hi Dad,
We just enjoyed the bottle of Unti Petit Frere Cote de Rhone style blend from Dry Creek you bought us! Given it's made by a french wine maker it truely has characterstics similar to a french Rhone.
Given it was Bastille day we wondered what French Rhones we could buy that were similar but for a lower price. Can youu reccomend a few ones commonly found in the US as we now have a craving to have some real Rhones!
Joyeux 14th Juillet!
Stephane
PART 1 : 1924-1959 A few glorious years and then a big gastronomic desert
Prologue: Me and Jacques French Restaurant in 1968
When I came to Chicago for the first time in August of 1968 to visit my wife’s relatives, everything was hot, hot, hot here: The weather, with temperatures shooting up to the mid 90s’, and the political atmosphere that was dominated by the very tense Democratic Convention and the riots in the streets.
From what I could observe during the 3 weeks I spent in Racine, Wisconsin, and Evanston, IL, the local food landscape did not appear very hot and exciting to me: Lots of meat, roasted, grilled, or barbecued, usually much more tender and juicier than what I was used to in Paris though, hot dogs and bratwursts, fried chicken, good corn on the cob, potatoes in all kind of shapes and cooking styles, iceberg lettuce, and cherry pie. This gastronomic environment seemed a bit limited to me. The few restaurants where I was invited were essentially steak houses, hamburger joints, and pizza parlors.
Of course not speaking English at that time, having no car at my disposal, and staying at my sister in law’s house in Evanston during the week I spent here, I did not have any opportunity to visit Chicago’s neighborhoods and even fewer chances to explore the local restaurant scene.
But I was told that Chicago was basically a “meat and potato” kind of town. And the idea of drinking ice tea, coffee, or a Pabst Blue Ribon beer with my meal was not a comforting element.
I sort of puzzled my in laws when I explained after a few days that we were used to drinking wine with our meal. So my mother-in-law took me to the local pharmacy in Racine to explain my problem to her buddy the pharmacist who had 6 remedies to suggest: Paul Masson’s Burgundy or Gamay Beaujolais, Christian Brothers Chablis or Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon from a vintner’s who’s name I forgot, and the terrible Portuguese Lancers rosé
I first tried to adjust to the softness and fruitiness of the so called Burgundy. Eventually I found out that the Cabernet Sauvignon was a bit dryer and I switched to it.
When I arrived to Evanston I found a “tap” that also sold some mediocre Italian Chianti, and it proved to be a better choice.
At the time I ignored the existence of Schaefer’s in Skokie, though it was very close to where I was staying, which actually was a very good wine shop that I discovered only 3 years later.
Anyway, back to 1968. One day, after the convention was over and the streets were returning to a more peaceful status, I took the El to go to downtown Chicago and met my sister-in-law’s husband at his office on Michigan Avenue. When lunch time came he told me that he was taking me to a French restaurant. I felt very excited at this idea.
We went to Jacques French Restaurant, a popular eatery that was at the time located at street level in the marvelous old-fashioned building at 900 N. Michigan Avenue. That building was demolished in the 80s’.
We were seated in a very charming room that was separated from the inner garden by high French windows. I was impressed by the environment and the apparent elegance of the décor and the customers.
Things started to go bad when the headwaiter who was speaking with a phony French accent came to take our order. My brother in law insisted on telling him that I was a Frenchman from Paris and that I was an expert on food.
Oui, Oui, Très Bien… that was all that the poor man could mutter.
I had an hyper-refrigerated avocado with shrimps topped by a pink, sweet sort of vinaigrette sauce, a ham omelette that was overcooked and almost compact, with soggy fries, and I believe a very sweet, gooey lime sherbet for dessert.
The worst part was when the waiter asked what kind of dressing I wanted on my salad, made of course of shredded iceberg lettuce with some filament of carrots and slivers of tired red radish. He suggested the “French” dressing of course. I could not swallow that sweet and creamy stuff that was anything but French.
I had a glass of a very jammy California Cabernet-Sauvignon. It was so bad that I switched to a Michelob beer.
I asked for an espresso, but the waiter told us that the machine was not working. I think that there was, in fact, no real espresso machine.
That was my first “French” restaurant experience in Chicago.
I became suddenly very aware that I needed rapidly a fix of real French cuisine and started to count mentally the days that separated me from my return to Paris: Only 3.
What I did not know at that time, and that I discovered while doing a lot of research for this piece on French restaurants in Chicago, was that in fact there were some French restaurantsin Chicago in August 1968, but very few were authentically French.
For the time being, let’s just mention a few of these authentic French places that obviously none of my local contacts had ever visited at the time I was there: La Chaumière, Les Champs-Elysées, La Brasserie de Strasbourg, and of course Maxim’s de Paris and Jovan.
I will not mention all the so-called French restaurants of theRay Castro and EdisonDick mini empire, of which Jacques was one of the flag bearers, that existed in 1968. We will say a few words about them later on.
The interesting itinerary of Jacques Fumagally: From the Ritz in Paris to Chicago.
Let's go back for a minute to the origins of that phony French restaurant, Jacques French Restaurant which was actually started by a French man named Jacques Fumagally. I suspect that when he arrived in the U.S., his name probably ended with an I, rather than a Y.
To be more exact, Jacques Fumagally was born in 1879 in Monte-Carlo, in the Principalty ofMonaco on the French Riviera close to the Italian border. His father was a restaurateur in Monte Carlo.
Early in his career Jacques Fumagally did stints in prestigious establishments like the Ritz on Place Vendôme in Paris, and the SevillaBiltmore in Havana, Cuba.
John Drury, in his marvelous book Dining In Chicago, (published by John Day Books in 1931) tells us that in the late 20’s Fumagally was the very stylish Maitre d’Hôtel at the180 EAST DELAWARE, a very classy restaurant just half a block east off Michigan Avenue, across from what is today the John Hancock Center.
The chef at that time was also French, one Julliard Medou according to John Drury. A complete table d’hôte dinner would cost around $1.50. Jacques Fumagally morphed that restaurant into Jacques French Restaurant in 1928 and it would remain at that location on Delawareuntil 1935.
The new occupant of the space at 180 East Delaware was a new French restaurant, Chez Emile. The restaurant would keep that name until 1945 when a Chicagoan born in Greece, Paul Contos, leased that same place and started another French-Continental restaurant called Chez Paul.
Chez Paul would stay there until 1965 when it moved to 660 N. Rush in the old Mc Cormick mansion.
At that time Jacques Fumagally decided to lease the space occupied by the ‘’900 restaurant’’ at 900 N. Michigan. He invested lots of money in that new place, including creating the soon to be famous summer terrace in the inner open yard of the building, 3 dining rooms, a cocktail lounge with a very modernistic bar. Everything was air-conditioned. The new Jacques French Restaurant opened on June 1, 1935.
Problem is, I could not find any information on what kind of French cuisine they served in the thirties at Jacques French Restaurant. I do not even know who was the chef then. But I’m pretty sure that it was at the time a real French restaurant. In fact in 1939 they servedbouillabaisse at the restaurant.
What is interesting is that the restaurant on Delaware was taken over first by an Italian American restaurateur named Gino Ritenutti. Then in 1945 (or perhaps even 44), that same place was acquired by Paul Contos who transformed it into Chez Paul.
Jacques French Restaurant was acquired byRay Castro, a Cuban immigrant that had arrived in Chicago in 1930 and worked as a bus boy, then waiter, and eventually captain at the celebrated Pump Room in the Ambassador East Hotel, with his partner EdisonDick, the heir to the copying machines company, in 1953. It is probably at that time that the restaurant lost its original French identity and became more ‘’continental’’ in style and cuisine.
Jacques Fumagally retired in Florida in 1953, and died in 1969 . He was 90 years old and at that time very few people in Chicago remembered the important role he had played on the scene of French restaurants in the city.
Very few French restaurants in Chicago before the end of WW I
I had wrongly assumed for a long time that the first real French restaurants in Chicago had started to exist after WW II.
I had done some brief research trying to find out if at the time of the World ColumbianExposition of 1893, some French restaurants might have opened in the city since France was part of the “food scene “ at the expo. But I could not find any.
In fact even though there was a big French Pavilion at the fair, and several French-inspired exhibits, pieces of architecture, and even streets modeled after the exotic venues at the Paris Fair a few years earlier, I could not find a single French eatery there.
The French chocolate company Menier had a big booth, there was a cider press in the French pavilion, and a French chef in…. the German pavilion, but that was about it.
In fact, I could hardly find any substantial evidence of a strong French presence on the Chicago restaurant scene before and after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
I found a mention of a French restaurant called Doussang, that seems to have been very successful around 1807. Located at 35 W. Adams St. it occupied 5 floors and offered many private rooms.
Much later, in 1882, there was another French restaurant at 77 N. Clark St. simply named The French Restaurant.
And of course the famous DeJonghe restaurant, located on Monroe Street, that is in fact better known for its introduction of French snails than for its eponymous shrimps.
The owner of the restaurant Barbara DeJonghe, a Belgian woman who arrived from Europe in 1891 and started the restaurant just before the World Columbian Exposition had a hard time at first selling her snails, imported live from Burgundy in 1894.
But according to an article published in the Chicago Daily Tribune in November 1901, the World Columbian Exposition, and the exposure to all kind of different food products from different counries that it generated, modified the eating habits of many Chicago diners who developped a strong taste for snails.
DeJonghe restaurant started to sell a lot of French ‘’escargots’’ in exponential numbers: from 1,000 snails in 1896, to 24,000 in 1898, 500,000 in 1900. In 1901 they were expecting to import, serve, and resell to other restaurants in N.Y and San Francisco, 5 million of them.
According to this Trib article, in the early years of the 1900's it took 10 hours to process, cook, and put the escargots back in their shells for serving.
A similar new craving for clams and oysters had occurred in the late 1800’s.
Similarly, a Loop restaurateur told the Tribune that when he tried in 1891 to offer a free pint of French Claret wine with its $ 1.00 dinner, customers did not want the wine.
10 years later the Tribune said, 9 out of 10 guests dining in fancy restaurants in the Loop were ordering wine with their meal.
But there must have been some French chefs working in Chicago in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. I read that a French chef named Jean Bonnet was doing cooking demonstrations to wealthy housewives at Mrs. Cotton’s Cooking School established in the AthenaeumBuilding in 1894. He would prepare, and help them cook traditional French recipes such as Coq au Vin or Veal Stew.
The experience of Le Restaurant du Pavillon de France at the New York World Fair of 1939 that stimulated the creation of French restaurants in New York in the early 40’s and 50’s.
My reason for thinking that the World Columbian Exposition and its French influence might have had a stimulating effect on the creation of French restaurants in Chicago was that such a phenomenon happened in New York at the end of the World Fair in 1939.
At this huge event, the French Restaurant Owners Association had put together an incredibly popular beautiful 350 seats restaurant called Le Restaurant Du Pavillon deFrance. Its “brigade” of 24 chefs and cooks introduced a very large variety of dishes representing all aspects of traditional French cuisine to their American guests who never in their lives ever had an opportunity to taste so beautifully executed and served food in such spectacular settings.
At the end of 1939, the war was already raging in Europe. Henri Soulé, the Maitre D’ and some of his staff members returned to France, but then decided to return to New York to work at the Restaurant du Pavillon for the new season 39-40. With the aggravation of the situation worldwide and France being now occupied, the World Fair collapsed and so did its famous French restaurant. Soulé, who was already in his early 40's decided to stay in the U.S. as did some other staffers. In 1941, he opened his own restaurant Le Pavillon in Manhatan with the help of a great French chef, Pierre Franey, who a few years later would become a star in his own right. It was an instant success, and it rapidly became, in spite of the restrictions caused by the war, the most popular French restaurant in the U.S until the mid 60’s when Soulé’s health declined and he could no longer impose his very strict ‘’quality control’’ principles on the restaurant's operations. It not only imposed high quality French cuisine and service but also inspired a whole generation of young chefs and restaurateurs all over the country. Many of them, turning competitors, opened French restaurants in N.Y.C in the 1950’s and 60’s, such as La Grenouille, Le Périgord, or La Caravelle.
Flashback 1: Chicago must have been quite a city where to eat French food in the 1920’s
According to the marvelous book ‘’Dining In Chicago’’ written by John Drury, and published by John Day in New York City 1931,several very interesting French restaurants operated in this town between 1925 and the end of the Prohibition in 1933.
Drury was a journalist who after starting his career in N.Y.C joined the Chicago Daily News in 1927.His book is easy to find and to download on the web.
Speaking of Prohibition, John Drury who besides being a writer, poet, painter, was also a pipe-smoking bon vivant who once took a trip to Canada just to have a few drinks, describes early in the book the various French wines you should pair with French food. He amusingly recalls that in spite of the application of the 18th amendment, you can find wine in the city’s establishments, but of course he refuses to tell the readers which ones have the best wine lists.
It is interesting that, according to John Mariani’s America Eats Out, ‘’ De Luxe dining rooms fared poorly in Chicago under Prohibition and the owner of the defunct Richelieu restaurant once cried: I lost a million dollars trying to make Chicago eat with a fork’’.
It is true that you had to wait until 1938, when famous Chicago restaurateur Ernest Byfield opened the Pump Room in the Ambassador East Hotel, to find a restaurant in Chicago that could become a pole of attraction for celebrities nationwide and even attain world-wide fame.
In fact the evolution of the restaurant industry in the United States during the 1918-1938period was dominated by the progressive but massive creation of cafeterias, drive-ins, soda fountains, ice-cream parlors, hamburger stands, diners, and lunch rooms. Names like Thompson, Howard Johnson, or WhiteCastle, became much more familiar during the Prohibition and Depression years, than “21 Club”.
Americans needed to feed themselves and their families as cheaply and conveniently as possible. The idea of dining out was more focused on hamburger and soda than on fancy French food, especially in small towns and rural areas. Obviously in large cities like New York, L.A and Chicago, fancy supper-clubs, especially with dancing and entertainment, as well as speakeasies, never complained about a lack of clients.
Besides there were also some strong reactions in the restaurant and hospitality industry in the U.S. towards anything too French. The International Association of Hotel Stewards in 1922 was eager to endorse “the elimination of French terms on menus”, according to the blog Victualling.wordpress.com’s “taste of a decade”.
So it was quite a surprise to me, when I read Drury’s book, to discover the existence of the following French restaurants in Chicago which obviously opened sometimes between 1918 and 1928. Some of them seem to have continued their operations way into the thirties, and one of them, L’Aiglon, into the fifties.
The locations of these French restaurants were not necessarily concentrated in the Loop, especially around the Randolph Street Theater district called “The Rialto”. You could find French restaurants around Rush Street, around N. Michigan Avenue, and in the Northwest suburbs.
All the following notes are directly inspired by Drury’s book.
JULIEN’S . 1009 Rush Street.
Nowadays it could almost be called a family-owned bistro and would certainly have been my favorite. Started after WW I by Mr. Alex Julien, a former chef at various major hotels in town, this restaurant was the oldest French establishment in Chicago around 1931. Before he died the owner-chef transferred to his wife his recipes for the famous frog legs that he introduced for the first time in Chicago. He also had created a garlicky salad dressing that the giant food company Armour tried to buy from him for 15,000 dollars. But Julien refused to sell his ‘’secret formula’’. The small dining room, very simply decorated and furnished with long communal tables covered with oil-cloth, could not seat more than 99 people who were waited on by the 2 Julien's daughters. This very successful restaurant (you needed to reserve) attracted local politicians, judges, millionaires, and French Consuls. Full Table d’Hote dinners were priced $ 1.50 and $ 2.00 in 1931. Lunches were even cheaper: 65 cents.
CHEZ LOUIS 120 East Pearson
The owner, Louis Stefifen, a French-speaking gentleman from Switzerland opened that fancy place in a old townhouse off Michigan Avenue in 1930. A very accomplished operator he knew through his European personal flair, how to please his guests and rapidly managed to attract a well-to do client base from the Gold Coast. The room was very elegantly and tastefully appointed and the Bordeaux-born French chef who had trained in good kitchens in Paris, provided a blend of French and good quality Continental cuisine that was not overpriced or pretentious. Table d’Hôte dinners were $ 2.50.
180 EAST DELAWARE RESTAURANT 180 East Delaware Place
For Drury, it was the “most charming and interesting French restaurant in Chicago”.
For the time it’s decor was quite fancy: beamed ceiling, tiled floors, draperies, fireplace, candles on tables, And of course, as mentioned earlier, the sophistication and charm of the host, Maitre d’hôtel Jacques Fumagally, whose experience at the Ritz in Paris was a big asset, contributed to the popularity of the place. The traditional French specialties by chef Julliard Medou, could be enjoyed for 75 cents during the Table d’Hôte luncheon and $ 1.00 and $ 1.50 at dinner.
BON VIVANT 4167 Lake Park Avenue in Hyde Park
Opened in the early 1920’s, this modest red brick house had become a bastion of French seafood cuisine that attracted the wealthy locals who lived in mansions, luxury apartment buildings and hotels in the University of Chicago, Hyde Park and Woodland area.
Two specialties were very popular: The fresh “homards” (lobsters) that came twice a week from Boston and Maine and the oysters, and soft-shell crabs with a salad that was served with a special French dressing that people raved about. The chef-owner, Henri Delaloye, was also a very considerate Maitre D’ who provided personalized attention to his regulars. He also had “invented a special butter that permeated the oysters during the cooking process which made them the talk of the town” according to Drury who said that that place felt like a little café in Paris.
Table d’Hôte dinner was $ 1.50 and a lobster dinner only 25 cents more.
L’AIGLON 22 East Ontario
Filet Mignon Béarnaise, Moules Marinières, Escargots à la Bourguignonne, Poulet Meunière, Cuisses de Grenouilles (frog Legs) , Côtes d’Agneau Maison d’Or (lamb chops), Pâté de Foie Gras, Sole Marguery (in a sauce created at the famous Petit Marguery restaurant in Paris) those were only a few of the traditional dishes that you could find described in French on the menu.
By the way they had their fresh sole shipped from France on ice.
The French waiters would politely explain these specialties and even put together a sample French menu for you.
The atmosphere was very Parisian. And its wine list was probably one of the most extensive you could find east of New York City and included some rare Bordeaux.
Since the owner and General Manager Teddy Majerus, a native from Luxembourg, had been working at La Louisiane restaurant in New Orleans, there were also Creole dishes on the menu.
But he also had an extensive professional experience in French cuisine having worked as a caterer in some of the best places in Paris and London.
The restaurant, that was located in an old mansion that resulted from the junction of 2 old brownstone houses belonging to a millionaire, had a client base made up of essentially wealthy and well-dressed business people from the Loop and celebrities from the Gold Coast, New York or L.A. All the rooms of the former mansion had been transformed into dining rooms, public and private, ballrooms and banquet halls.
I believe that prices were among the highest in town.
Opened By Teddy Majerus and his brother Alphonse in 1926, it was sold by Teddy in July of 1962.
MAILLARD’S 301 South Michigan Avenue
Opened around 1926 , this branch of a popular New York restaurant started in 1850 by Henri Maillard, a French caterer who was in charge of Lincoln’s inaugural banquet, was perhaps the largest restaurant in Chicago. It was comprised of several rooms, located at the street and lower level of the StrausBuilding,and could serve up to 1,200 diners.
It was very well furnished and elegantly decorated and the food was very well prepared. Many high society women loved the Afternoon Tea on the top floor of the building tower that was open in the summer time and where the view of Chicago was beautiful. Many well dressed Opera-goers as well as local celebrities from the art and entertainment fields enjoyed post theater dinners there.
Other Restaurants that either served French food or had French chefs:
NEW COLLEGE INN in the Sherman Hotel at Randolph and Clark
The head chef in this famous hotel owned by the Byfield Brothers, was a Monsieur JeanGazebat, who had worked at Chez Prunier and at Café de Paris, in Paris.
He was one of the most renowned seafood chefs in Chicago and his specialty was a Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise, that Drury says was as good as the one you could eat at the original Prunier in Paris
CAFÉ FRANCAIS 1922 Calumet Avenue
Drury says that this elegant mansion transplanted from the Gold Coast, that catered to a clietele of publishers, offered an excellent French cuisne with the best filet mignon in town.
CHEZ DORE 212 East Erie Street
It had a very good French chef and catered to employees of businesses, art studios, and office buildings of that neighborhood .
The cost of luncheon and dinner was $ 1.50
VILLA VENICE Milwaukee Road and Desplaines River Road in Northbrook near Wheeling
This was perhaps the only Theatre-Restaurant in the United States, It had a fantastic architecture and decoration with fountains, high trees, a river with gondolas, colored lights and terraces where you could dine and dance. It included a casino and a ballroom where millionaires from the NorthShore loved to dance after a good French dinner made of very elaborate and special dishes created by French chef Pierre, a veteran of the Tour D’Argent in Paris.
In the Casino and Main dining room you could dine while watching a show or listening to musicians from Havana, Cuba, or European singers.
The owner of this Monte-Carlo like ‘’pleasure palace’’, as Drury describes it, was also a Frenchman, Albert Bouche who also owned a similar Villa Venice in Miami Beach
The bills were quite high for the time: from $ 3.50 to $5.50 for Table d’hôte dinner + $ 3.00 cover charge on week-ends.
This place, that had the reputation of attracting both patrons and entertainers who might have had mob connections, burned and was re-opened many years later in the sixties.
Flashback 2 : From 1939 to 1959
Not much happened in terms of creations of authentic French restaurants in Chicago between 1939 and 1959
Even though a record number of restaurants were created between 1939 and 1945, the war and its restrictions, the amplification of the ‘’cooking at home’’ movement or eating out in casual restaurants did not stimulate the arrival of new French chefs in our town.
Besides, other immigrants like the Chinese, Eastern-Europeans, Russians, and Germans, as well as Greeks and Italians started modest Mom and Pop ethnic family-oriented eateries that better corresponded to the needs and palates of that era.
There was also an exodus to the suburbs of young families who were not naturally inclined to go out and eat French food .
And generally speaking this period was marked by a strong return, as it had been the case in the early 20’s after WW I, to a sort of ‘’eat American’’ tradition, partially facilitated by the expansion of frozen foods, fast food, TV dinners, etc.
The Korean war reinforced this return to American values and a certain isolationism in eating habits that did not stimulate the popularity of fancy French food or restaurants.
The restaurants that really attracted a lot of new customers where fancy places patronized by celebrities like the new Pump Room in 1938, and restaurants, or supper-clubs with entertainment, like Chez Paree, or ballrooms in large downtown hotels.
Several of these places offered steaks and lobster as well as exotic cocktails rather than Coq au Vin and Bordeaux wines.
One of the rare exceptions was the launching in 1941 of Café De Paris in the Park Dearborn Hotel at 1260 N. Dearborn Parkway, where famous French chef Henri Charpentier created his signature dish ‘’Duckling Belasco’’ flavored with a Grand Marnier or Cointreau sauce. For years Charpentier claimed to have invented by chance the ‘’crèpe Suzette’’ when he was working at another much more celebrated Café de Paris in Monte-Carlo, as an apprentice waiter in the late 1880’s.
Charpentier had solid references. He worked for celebrities such as Escoffier and Cesar Ritz.
The restaurant was acquired by Edison Dick and Ray Castro in June 1952.
That same team (Dick-Castro) also started in 1959Maison Lafite, in the Churchill Hotel at 1255 North State, a very French provincial looking restaurant that remained successful until the early seventies. Its menu looked very traditional French (Coq au vin, Veal scallopini, Dover sole, Chateaubriand Bearnaise, etc). But my impression is that it was, like many of the Castro restaurants, probably more French in appearance and style than in authenticity of its cuisine.
One interesting case: John Snowden, who would become better known in the late 60's and early 70's with his cooking school and catering services, Dumas Père, opened a French Restaurant, Le Provencal, in Hyde Park in 1951. He had a very solid knowledge of classic French cooking that he acquired during a 6 year stay in France and 3 years of studying at the Ecole d'Hotellerie of Lausanne in Switzerland. But, in spite of the backing of some investors linked to the University of Chicago, Le Provencal failed, in part due to the difficulty to find adequately trained staff , and probably a lack of a local client base, in that part of town. In a Tribune article published in 1979, the very good Chicago chef John Terczak (Biggs, Gordon,) who studied under John Snowden, said that in spite of the fact that he was a very demanding teacher, Snowden was "probably the best chef in the city".
In 1964 he would try again with his Cafe La Cloche in Old Town.
I believe that L’Aiglon, Jacques French Restaurant and Le Café de Paris are the only 3 major French restaurants that survived that difficult period.
Most photos are coming from John Chuckman's marvelous collection of vintage postcards that can be found on his website Chuckmanchicagonostalgia.worldpress.com
