Who Says French Food Can’t Be Friendly?
Filed by KOSU News in Art & Life. October 28, 2009 Think of “fine French cuisine” and you imagine pressed linen tablecloths, a lineup of wine glasses, tuxedoed waiters ferrying trays of oysters or silver-domed serving dishes. It’s an experience that has persisted for generations: formal, classical and expensive. But the definition of the quintessential French dining experience is evolving, thanks in part to one Paris chef. For eight years, Chef Christian Constant ran the kitchen at Crillon, one of the city’s top hotels, where he earned two coveted Michelin rating-system stars. But at the height of his success he left the hotel restaurant to branch out on his own. “He had the impression that he was falling asleep in the kitchen,” Constant’s wife, Catherine, says. “He was getting a bit stagnating.” Constant now has four restaurants, each one small and relatively inexpensive, but still focused on quality food. (Take a look at one of the menus.) He’s leading a mini-revolution that’s reverb
