Le Francais

We went to Le Francais in Wheeling Saturday to check out what Chef Lachowicz has done with the place.

Very nice. While the food was not cutting edge, that is not what they are going for. Certainly, the strenghths of the menu appear to be the main plates, especially the red meat and game dishes. I had the "biggest" menu (which, oddly, the menu states is not available on the weekend, but they let me order it) because I hate to narrow my choices.

Kobe beef stuffed w/ duck liver and a melting braised short rib shared a plate. Lamb loin encased in a merguez-like sausage was a winner too. Seafood was good, but realtively straight-forward. Cheese plate was excellent. Maybe not up to Tru or Spiaggia, but very solid choices from the cart. My dessert was a Gan Marnier souffle, probably the best I've ever had (not that I've had so many, mind you). A little old fashioned, in a good way.

Service was easy going. Very friendly and knowing, but a little slow-paced. That turned out to be a blessing in later courses, which were really large for this format.

The best thing about the "new" Le Francais, for me, was the good cheer at every level. From the valet to the chef, who was out often, everyone was nothing but nice. Lots of laughter, and even pleasant conversation among strangers. Try that at certain library-like chef-shrines.

The tedious 80's monotone is out, as well, replaced by the comfortable (if a little generic) look of a fancy country home.

Prices, for this kind of food and wine, are reasonable. Whereas one would be lucky to do it up at one of the T's for less than $225 per person, I think you would have a hard time spending over $160 a head here, assuming similar wine choices.

The wine list has some nice American and French selections, whereas other countries are more-or-less non-existent. Our 2000 Paloma merlot wasn't in the same league as other vintages, but for 80 bucks we had a good wine at a decent price and got to try something that you can't really find in retail.

All in all, recommended. A very good value.

It is interesting that as he has continued to move upscale, Lachowicz seems to be moving more and more to a very traditional interpretation of French Nouvell Cuisine. Or perhaps it just seems less exciting because we have experienced the techniques applied to dishes utilizing a more exciting and bolder array of flavors?

I agree that both brothers are real sweeties, and their bonhomie infuses the place.

How busy was it, Jeff?

They were at around 70% capacity most of the night. The two-top next to us was never occupied. Not great for a Saturday, but not bad.

The "regulars" we talked with had been regulars at Les Deux Gras, not at Le Francais, which I thought was interesting. I'm not sure that Le Francais has much of name to sell anymore (as opposed to, say Trio, or the old Gordon, which seem[ed] to transcend chef changes because they were/are so good at finding and using talent).

I went because of Les Deux Gros, as well, having not visited Le Francais since the first Banchet regime. I wish them well, but have serious doubts. Wonder if the new Bistro Les Deux Gros, or whatever it is, has opened yet.

I realize I'm probably way out of the loop here (as well as a poor speller) but does anyone have the 411 on francais ? did bon-shay ( SP?) make it a bistro or something ? & what happend to those two brothers ? Tom & Mike I believe . What happend, & where did they land? anyway, I'm stuck out here in B.F.E.where the big news in the one page food section of our local fish wrapper is the taco bells new extended hours. So any & all info would be appreciated. ciao.

I celebrated my birthday last month at Le Francais. It is now under the direction of Chef Roland Liccioni.

Our meal was entirely pleasant, but I will tell you about two things that perturbed me:

1) Upon seating us, the Maitre D'Hotel asked us whether or not we had dined at Le Francais before. [We had.] He then launched into a spiel about the restaurant having--and I take liberty to paraphrase--"hit some bumps and taken some lumps in recent years, but finally getting back on track under the direction of Chef Liccioni."

Yeesh. What an unpleasant way to begin an evening.

2) The last (and only other) time that I visited Le Francais was during college, over a decade ago, and while the restaurant was under the direction of Chef Jean Banchet. While I do not remember what I had on that occasion, I could easily be convinced that it was the very same meal that I enjoyed on this recent visit.

But, that may mean nothing to you.

Regards,
Erik M.

Hi,

I have a friend who worked at Le Francais after Banchet sold it when Don Yamauchi was at the helm. There were substantial changes to the menu, which disappointed people who expected the classics a la Banchet and Liccioni.

The two Lachowicz brothers who subsequently inherited the Le Francais mantle oh-so-briefly never had a signed contract. After closing their operation, moving equipment and staff, then re-opening Le Francais under their direction. They suddenly realized they were never going to receive a signed agreement as promised and walked. More about this situation is here. A review from their short period is here.

Regards,

Le Francais spent several years in decline due to poor managment, poor chef choices, and poor wine selections. Perhaps the clientele was not ready to accept Don Yamauchi's menu changes immediately, but there were many other reasons for that failure. The Lachowicz tenure was also marked by many difficulties, and while trying to bring back the storied past, they failed on many levels and the dispute with the ownership has two sides to the story. While I won't get into that now, please know that for every side there is another side and the truth lies somewhere in between. The wine list took several years of hits and depletions, high markups, and general decline, of which it takes years to recover on that scale. The last time the restaurant had a great wine list was back when Roland and Mary Beth Liccioni ran it in the 90's.

Under Roland II, the restaurant is improving on many levels. The food is back to where it should be, Classic French. Liccioni has the ability to create this classic cuisine and at the same time infuse some modern and for lack of a better word "asian" touches. They are subtle, designed to compliment, and elevate certain classic preparations. He is not trying to reinvent the wheel, aka Alinea. He wants to put excellent food on the table, made with the highest quality ingredients possible. In fact, if you get there soon, you may be able to feast on the tomatoes from his garden.

The wine list is being managed by sommelier Bruce Crofts, who worked with Roland back in the Carlos days. The first thing he did was lower the markups. One of the bigest criticism of the previous two tenures was the exhorbitantly high markups. He does an excellent job with food and wine pairings, and is able to talk Burgundy minutiae with any wine geek but at the same time be able to recommend the best bottle of wine on the list for $40, as he has purposely sought out good value selections for this part of the list.

With that being said, do not hesitate to try Le Francais. I had a business dinner there last night and had a fabulous meal, my favorite course being the escargot with the parmesan and garlic flan. I followed this with a perfectly executed duck consomme and then a roast duck breast and confit leg with puy lentils. Nothing cutting edge here, simply classic French cuisine.

I just ate there on Saturday, and it certainly deserves its four stars.

Although now that Eric mentions it, they did make a point to declare the place as born-again. My dining companions had been there 18 years ago, and mentioned the change in decor to our waiter, who lamented the loss of the more rustic appeal of days gone by and how it was basically ruined by previous owners.

The food and service was excellent. I had the special Vietnamese lobster ravioli topped with Roland's signature stuffed squash blossom and the game entree, consisting of three different preparations of squab, rabbit and bison, all excellently prepared, all with different, but equally concentrated wine reductions.

Below - my ravoili first course.

Wine babe wrote:The Lachowicz tenure was also marked by many difficulties, and while trying to bring back the storied past, they failed on many levels and the dispute with the ownership has two sides to the story. While I won't get into that now, please know that for every side there is another side and the truth lies somewhere in between.

You're correct there are two sides to every story. Though in these situations, akin to divorce, I always recall the phrase, "We both have our truths, are mine the same as yours?"

Yet the Lachowicz did have a successful restaurant, which I imagine they wish they had not abandoned for their ill fated chance to steer Le Francais into the future. I also have not heard of them returning to the restaurant business since, do you know anything new?

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote: I also have not heard of them returning to the restaurant business since, do you know anything new?

Regards,

I thought one of them had gone on to be a consultant somewhere else in town. I wish I could remember the specifics.

Aren't they just a few posts up?

Mike G wrote:Aren't they just a few posts up?

Here's the link.

Hi,

I read it and promptly forgot about it.

I have heard rumors on the street that Michael is opening a restaurant in either Winnetka or Wilmette. Not sure exactly but when I know more, I will post. Tom is working for one of the wine wholesale companies.

Nice little item on the closing of Le Francais at the Trib's food blog (which must have been promoted in the paper, as this item has 47 comments so far which is, well, 47 more than most of them get).

Wow. I never went to Le Francais (and given the location, never seriously considered it) but I still hate to see it go.

Roland Liccioni is apparently looking for a position. Maybe the Ritz Carlton can revisit their idea of closing the dining room. He would be a great fit for that place.

Mike G wrote:Nice little item on the closing of Le Francais at the Trib's food blog (which must have been promoted in the paper, as this item has 47 comments so far which is, well, 47 more than most of them get).

The Truth Is Out There
By now, news of the trouble at Le Français (269 S. Milwaukee Rd., Wheeling; 847-541-7470) has appeared everywhere—but does the closing, due to a small electrical fire, really spell the end for the restaurant? The owner, Mike Moran, claims Le Français will reopen. When? “That’s up to the contractors,” he says. “But I imagine it will be a relatively short period of time.” We want to believe him, but other signs are slightly more ominous. When we asked chef Roland Liccioni what happened, he said, “[Moran] told me he was closing because he wasn’t making it.” Liccioni has already had offers for other jobs in Chicago, but plans to wait. “I need to see what it is before I make any decision,” he says. “This is the first time [in my 30-year experience] anyone closed the doors just like that.”

We should note that the above is from Dish.

Mike G wrote:We should note that the above is from Dish.

Sorry, I thought I had in the post subject.

Oops! So you did. I never notice those...

Hi,

I received an e-mail from a woman seeking a photocopy of a Le Francais menu when it was Chef Banchet at the helm. This request came just before it was known this chef died.

If you have a menu in your files, you don't find either scanning or photocopying, I know a lady who would be happy to receive it.

Regards,

A piece of Chicago's culinary history is on the auction block. Le Francais, the decorated French fine-dining restaurant from the late chef Jean Banchet that turned north suburban Wheeling into a global destination for foodies in the 1970s and 1980s, is up for auction with opening bids starting at $900,000.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... or-auction

It doesn't mention whether the house the Banchets lived in -- which is right behind the restaurant -- is included.

The photos bring back a lot of memories -- and make me want to get someone in there to polish the silver.

I hope it isn't bought and bulldozed.

Went there with my wife when I passed the bar. I was too young to really appreciate it.

In the 1980s it was THE place to go. It put Palwaukee Airport on the radar for destination dining travel options. Foodies in the know and folks with money flew in for a meal there-it added to the cachet of the place. My Mom wanted to dine there but alas my Dad would not and could not justify the price-even though they traveled to Paris and ate very well. My husband and I ate there once-as a wedding gift from a dear friend. We made a reservation for a Saturday night and dressed for the night. We were seated at a beautiful table and the service could not have been more perfect. My husband and the Mexican waiters talked about the World Cup Qualifier game held that day and there was an instant bond-they forgave him for ordering beer instead of an expensive bottle of wine. I remember there was not a great selection for the mains-I ended up ordering cod (which I love) and I think hubby had a chicken dish. Knowing what I know now I would have dined there mid-week as I feel the true gourmets ate then and the menu would have reflected more interesting fare. A great memory. I would think that perhaps the Alinea folks would find the location interesting-close to the airport to lure the international foodie crowd- a la Ferran Adria did in Spain.

Late '70s and early '80s, I was still pretty young (late 20s to early 30s), and getting my career started. But once I'd eaten there, I could not live without it. I saved up all year -- because I didn't know anyone who wanted to spend that kind of money, so it was always a Christmas or birthday gift for someone, just so I'd have someone to eat with. It did evolve during this period, from a totally over-the-top menu where specials outnumbered regular items, and dishes outnumbered patrons. There are foods I still dream about -- especially the classic salmon and truffles en croute with three sauces -- but everything else, as well. Simply an amazing place -- and with stellar service. Ate there once when Don Yamauchi owned it (coconut shrimp and oxtail risotto -- just wrong), a couple of times when the Liccioni's owned it (not quite Banchet, but still excellent -- and Mary Beth made a chocolate cake with crystallized ginger that was memorable) and Michael Lachowics (good, but problems with service -- but better than Yamauchi). Still, no one touched Banchet.

A memory not likely to be surpassed in my lifetime.
THE single most outstanding meal I have ever had.
Seafood puff pastry, Champagne sauce with Cordon Rouge.
Veal surrouned by a veal mousse in pastry, served and carved table side with a Pommard.
Desert escapes me.
Also ate there a few times when Roland was in the kitchen.
Fond memories except for the last time when we walked out because of the odors from a backed up sewer/cleaning.
That era is gone, Banchet is gone, without Banchet, you just cannot recreate the magic.-Richard

budrichard wrote:A memory not likely to be surpassed in my lifetime.
THE single most outstanding meal I have ever had.
Seafood puff pastry, Champagne sauce with Cordon Rouge.
Veal surrouned by a veal mousse in pastry, served and carved table side with a Pommard.
Desert escapes me.
Also ate there a few times when Roland was in the kitchen.
Fond memories except for the last time when we walked out because of the odors from a backed up sewer/cleaning.
That era is gone, Banchet is gone, without Banchet, you just cannot recreate the magic.-Richard

Indeed. This post captures what it was like, dishes with layer upon layer of excess. I went there 6-8 times under Banchet, and it was sheer magic every time. I didn't take it for granted at all; I realized it might not go on forever, and that's why I went back regularly, because I knew it was special and unique. As Bud mentions, those meals seemed like the most outstanding meal I have ever had or would ever have. Although since then, I would put meals at Alinea, Joel Robuchon (Vegas), and Per Se equally up there with Le Francais as among my best ever - each in its own way.

One aspect not yet mentioned: "The Show". That's what I call the 45-minute process shortly after you were seated, in which they would bring out cart after cart of dishes to show you what was being served that evening, before taking your order. I've never been anywhere, before or since, that did that.

We came close to capturing the magic a few years ago (2008, to be precise), when we had a special LTH dinner prepared by Banchet's long-time sous chef, Patrick Chabert. Stunning, 7-course meal -- very Le Français. If we had good cooking facilities available and a place that could also seat 20 people or more, we might be able to do it again, but the place we held the dinner is gone.

So we'll just have to cling to our memories.