THE GREAT NEWS FOR SOUTH BAY EATERS IS THE GROWING SUPPLY—AND DIVERSITY—OF FRENCH RESTAURANTS THESE DAYS. “Classic techniques are classic techniques, and while the pendulum may swing away from them for a little while, that’s how (good) food has been made for a long time,” according to Cooper, who has been turning out wonderful-tolook at-and-eat cuisine for 22 years at his respected fine-dining establishment. Newer French bistros in the South Bay include Zola and Pastis in Palo Alto, and chefs insist they won’t be the last to appear on the scene. Notes Cooper: “I think you will see more start opening as the economy continues to improve.” Another positive trend when it comes to French dining is how new audiences are learning about the gustatory delights of such food. Gallic cuisine “is somewhat new to younger diners,” Cooper says. “The millennials—the 20- and 30-somethings—haven’t had a lot of classic French food around. They’re discovering that now. I’ve been noticing for awhile that our clientele is younger and younger; from the Yelp generation.” While having young guests Instagraming and blogging about their plates during dinner can be annoying for restaurateurs, it’s become de rigueur in our media-centric age, and having new audiences appreciate French cooking is what keeps doors open. At fine-dining mainstay Chez TJ in Mountain View, chef Jarad Gallagher not only is seeing foodie patrons photograph their entree but also is noticing an international tilt in clientele. “I’d say that 60 percent of the diners here, at Manresa, Plumed Horse and similar restaurants are Asian,” Gallagher says. “I don’t know if French food would exist now if it weren’t for the growing Asian appreciation for fine food. If you’re outside Silicon Valley, you don’t understand the amount of diversity. It’s like the United Nations here.” While Gallagher acknowledges that the recent upsurge in bistros and brasseries— everyday French restaurants, that is—is great for French dining in general, 84 South Bay Accent his heart lies in creating the kind of painstaking, exciting, contemporary cuisine that wows sophisticates, critics and Michelin inspectors. For chefs like him, “The great part about being in fine dining is that we are the ones that set the trends. That’s why I work in fine dining,” he explains. Gallagher thrives on the challenge implicit in a sphere of dining where expenses for food and labor are high and chefs compete for patrons, awards and even ingredient sources. “I was on a waiting list for two years to get the squab that I use,” Gallagher reveals. While “the concept in the majority of American restaurants is maximization and table turns,” according to Gallagher, in his world, it’s all about creating pyrotechnics in the mouth through quality and creativity. “I have to stay relevant. (Diners) need to see new things and new techniques that they can’t do at home. Otherwise, what’s the point?” In his mind, sublime food is just one element that defines a high-end French restaurant. “When you’re paying exorbitant prices for fine dining, you’re not just paying for the food,” says Gallagher. “It’s the Christofle silver, the crystal glassware, the service, the sommelier, the manager, the way the food is presented— before you even taste the cuisine.” A few miles north in Palo Alto, young French-American chef Guillaime Bienaimé, who earlier helmed fine-dining establishment Marché, is focusing on a different sphere of French eating. “Culturally, it’s been ingrained in us that French food is expensive. Caviar and foie gras. That’s the stereotype that I want to fight,” he explains. After all, French people themselves don’t consume sevencourse tasting menus every night and sit at the table for three hours. But that doesn’t mean the kitchen at Zola, Bienaimé’s year-old bistro, isn’t focused on quality. Bienaimé carefully sources his ingredients and turns out California influenced cuisine that riffs on French classics in a fresh way. But doing this in a casual bistro with approachable prices took some effort, he admits. “The problem with French food is that it relies on protein,” explains Bienaimé. “There’s no pizza, there’s no pasta. Italians can put an $18 pasta on the menu and it’s got a great margin; it’s cheap for the customer. Everybody’s happy. In French food, you really can’t do that because we don’t have those options. Everything’s a piece of filet and a sauce.” His solution was in staying away from the super-costly ingredients that drive up menu prices. Zola serves flounder, not lobster, and hanger steak, not filet mignon. After all, people savor French cuisine because of the great-tasting results, not the specific ingredients. Any foodie will tell you that French cooking techniques are what underlie superb cooking, and that’s what chefs learn in culinary school. “Every fine-dining chef is a French chef,” Bienaimé says. “There may be different influences, but it’s all French food. Even clam chowder is a velouté. Mac and cheese is béchamel. And so on.” The great news for South Bay eaters is the growing supply—and diversity—of French restaurants these days. There are haute cuisine haunts like Chez TJ, Le Papillon and other fine-dining destinations that deliver an appropriate venue for special occasions and slipping on the Jimmy Choos. Meanwhile, our region has long happily supported a handful of classic eateries that have been serving the same French comfort food for years. And there are the newer spots like Zola that bridge the gap, with freshness and creativity applied to familiar dishes. “In the general culture, French food will keep moving forward,” asserts Bienaimé. Yes, indeed. So here’s a list of dining options to help you rediscover in all its glory this exciting, satisfying, sometimes decadent cuisine in the South Bay.
South Bay Accent - Aug/Sep 2015
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