"French gastronomy is an art that has evolved over centuries and that evolution continues today," French Consul General Bertrand Lortholary said last night, as he kicked off the second annual Goût de France ("Good France") dinner, which celebrated French cuisine and culture. "Suffused with that hint of extravagance so necessary for quality, flavor and pleasure, French gastronomy symbolizes the very French synthesis of tradition and innovation, and it stands as testament to our endless pursuit of excellence." So naturally one of the courses was Daniel Boulud's decadently elegant take on veal Orloff, with a gratinée of Comté.
The French Consulate on Fifth Avenue was one of 150 embassies—not to mention 1,500 restaurants—around the world taking part in the event. Last year, Goût de France was launched to honor the French gastronomic meal's inclusion in UNESCO's "world intangible heritage list". This year, the feast at the Consulate paid tribute to the three wine-making regions of France that have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List: Saint-Emilion; Burgundy; and Champagne.
The menus have been many months in the making: The evening's co-host, Omar Khan, a consultant and founder of the International Business and Wine Society, says he started talking to the heads of Château Cheval Blanc, Domaine Faiveley and Champagne Heidsieck last October to determine what vintages would be part of the night.
Then, Khan consulted with four chefs—Sébastien Baud of the French Consulate; Frederic Duca of Racines NY in Tribeca; Boulud and Daniel executive Jean-Francois Bruel; and Jimmy Leclerc of Ladurée—to create the perfect pairings for the wines. Wine collector George Sape selected the cheeses.
The 2nd Annual Goût de France menu, which featured a very special 1989 vintage of Champagne Charles Heidsieck Brut, 2011 Domaine Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru and a luscious 1998 Château Cheval Blanc (Scott Heins / Gothamist)
An hour before dinner service, Consulate Chef Baud paused to take stock of the night's five-course menu, which included his dish of bay scallops in leek foam as the appetizer. "It's very traditional," Baud said. "It's a form of cuisine that was launched by Alain Ducasse, the minister of foreign affairs to promote French gastronomy across the world." He bemoaned that, in many Manhattan kitchens, this kind of cooking has fallen out of style.
"It used to be that you had many French chefs moving about New York, but now—no. And I'd love to see that change."
Duca, head chef at Racines NY, had brought his own dish to last night's dinner: saddle of rabbit stuffed with chard over a cider vinegar jus with sweet potatoes. "French cuisine is simple: it's fundamentally about using good ingredients in the proper season." Duca beamed with pride over his rabbit, but said he couldn't wait for the upcoming spring harvest of green beans, fava beans, and morels.
This is one of many meals, which emphasize other-worldly pairings, that the Consulate hosts throughout the year. One series, Chefs du 934 (the Consulate is at 934 Fifth Avenue), led the Village Voice to wonder, "Is this the best pop-up restaurant in New York City?" Organized by Lortholary, Khan, Sape and Le Bernardin's Eric Ripert, Chefs du 934 is held four times a year, tickets are $150 (reservations can be made on Resy).
"We love those nights, they're all about promoting French restaurant cuisine," Baud said.
As Khan toasted guests, he quoted Brillat-Savarin, "Burgundy makes you think of silly things, Bordeaux makes you talk of them and Champagne makes you do them."
