January 2008 - Foie Gras – Traditional French Fare to Celebrate the New Year

Since the year 2003 we have been investigating and reporting on foods that the French traditionally serve around the holiday season. This year is no exception. In December we opened our kitchen in Paris to a fois gras tasting, inviting our guests to record their impressions of three different preparations of this delicacy. Read our account in this month’s Paris Insights and learn about our wine vendor’s suggestions for pairing wine with this fare.

And now for the really good news! Effective January 1st, a no-smoking ban in France applies to restaurants, bars, hotels, discothèques and casinos. The application of this law is a great victory for long-suffering diners who have been longing to enjoy their food in an atmosphere free from the poisonous effects of tobacco smoke. The days of having to seek out smoke-free restaurants are over! Hence, we are changing the name of our restaurant review from Quest for Smoke-Free Dining to Le Bon Goût (Good Taste). We begin the new smoke-free year with a review of Le Fin Gourmet, a romantic spot for traditional French dining on Ile-Saint-Louis.

Finally, in our feature Paris, Past and Present we take a look at Chez Pantagruel, a wine shop whose owner expounds passionately on the concept of terroir – the traditional French approach to wine making. Proprietor Laurent Foubert was recently featured in a provocative new book on the subject by film producer Jonathan Nossiter.

Happy New Year and bonne lecture!

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Paris Insights Newsletters for 2008