Point me to the French Food

I know very little about French food...in particular REAL French food. After an awesome meal at the Blanchard, I realized how little exposure to classic French cuisine I've had. ( Yes, I realize there is nothing "classic" about the Blanchard.) So I am on a quest for all things classically french that I can put in my face.

Meal one is tomorrow night, and we're trying to decide on a restaurant. At the top of our list right now is Chez Moi. In very close 2nd/3rd are either Le Sardine or Le Bouchon. Can anyone weigh on comparisons of the three or offer additional suggestions? As far as price point, we're not really planning on going off the deep end this weekend.

Everest is the real deal, though a bit pricy, but you get what you pay for.

First, you may want to define what "classic" means to you. There are distinct differences between "bistro" cuisine--places like Chez Moi, Le Sardine, Le Bouchon and a few other well-regarded spots like, Maude's, Bistro Campagne, Kiki's Bistro and Mon Ami Gabi v. the more formal "haute cuisine" that you'll find at places like les Nomades, Everest (though Everest, actually, isn't true haute cuisine but more of a very elevated country cuisine with an emphasis on Alsace), Tallgrass out in Lockport, Michael in Winnetka and, finally, some contemporary takes on haute cuisine like Brindille and Tru.

It's a pretty wide landscape--though one with an equally wide variation in pricing. Interestingly, the Blanchard looks to be kind of a hybrid between all three--definitely some formal elements (Dover Sole Meuniere), along with some of the more common bistro menu staples (Steak Frites) and the contemporary (four different preps of Fois Gras with non-traditional ingredients, such as apricot gelee' and candied lavender). I haven't been yet--kinda put off by some of the service issues that folks have raised.

Hope you'll report back on your exploration--sounds like fun!

In the topic on the Blanchard, I drew a distinction between French bistro fare and traditional high-end French cuisine. Things aren't necessarily so cut-and-dried, but in general, bistros tend to be more casual and to feature dishes like cassoulet (a casserole) whereas fine dining French is sometimes more formal and more expensive, and more typically concentrates on classic dishes that are often accompanied by sauces requiring extensive preparation time.

I consider the following restaurants to be in the French fine dining category:

Michael (north suburban Winnetka)
Tallgrass (southwest suburban Lockport)
Everest (Chicago/Loop)
Brindille (Chicago/River North)
Les Nomades (Chicago/Streeterville)
Cafe Pyrenees (north suburban Libertyville)
The Blanchard (Chicago/Lincoln Park)

All are very good; I've listed them in order of my personal preference.

There are several dozen French bistros in the Chicago area; I haven't been to Chez Moi, but La Sardine is excellent. (Le Bouchon is the sister restaurant to La Sardine, same ownership.) La Sardine has a bargain prix fixe special on Tuesdays; make reservations, as that deal is very popular.

boudreaulicious wrote:Everest, actually, isn't true haute cuisine but more of a very elevated country cuisine with an emphasis on Alsace)

Will mention that to Joho when I see him next.

Jazzfood wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:Everest, actually, isn't true haute cuisine but more of a very elevated country cuisine with an emphasis on Alsace)

Will mention that to Joho when I see him next.

Pretty sure I saw the description on their own website but maybe not. I wasn't saying that it wasn't amazing or special--just that it wasn't traditional HC. I also could be mistaken. Not really that big a deal. And I don't know Joho so feel free to tell him I'm an idiot.

IMHO, true French fine dining in this area is pretty much restricted to Les Nomades, Michael, and Everest. That order is my opinion on quality and authenticity, with Les Nomades and Michael are equal, with Everest behind them. The others I've seen listed as higher end in this thread are really more French-inspired at best, but not truly French.

For classic French bistro fare, I would go with Chez Simo, Kiki's Bistro, and La Sardine/Le Bouchon as the best of the bunch.

Thanks for the input everyone! Tonight we're looking for something a little more Bistro-esque...like I said, we're not looking to go off the deep end. I love Joho and can't wait to try Everest, and while I've been really looking forward to trying Brindille, my dining companions and I had a fairly poor experience at Naha last year and it has been difficult convincing them to step back into one of Carrie's spots.

All things being equal, I think we're going to try Le Bouchon, as my friends are quite excited about 1/2 price wine bottles. I don't drink, but it sure helps lighten the load for the whole group. Will report findings later.

JerDGold wrote:All things being equal, I think we're going to try Le Bouchon, as my friends are quite excited about 1/2 price wine bottles. I don't drink, but it sure helps lighten the load for the whole group. Will report findings later.

Always good to pay 1/2 price! Just FYI, Chez Simo is BYOB, which really helps lighten the final tab.

Along those lines, Michael is BYOB no corkage on Tuesday nights and Les Nomades is BYOB no corkage on Thursday nights.

Le Bouchon. One of my friends from Europe, when he lived in Chicago, had some friends from Paris who would visit Chicago and would ALWAYS go there and highly recommended it. They stated it was the best French food in town (this was 5+ years ago last they came). I have another friend from Europe in Chicago who had it not long ago and she loved it.

John Danza wrote:

JerDGold wrote:All things being equal, I think we're going to try Le Bouchon, as my friends are quite excited about 1/2 price wine bottles. I don't drink, but it sure helps lighten the load for the whole group. Will report findings later.

Always good to pay 1/2 price! Just FYI, Chez Simo is BYOB, which really helps lighten the final tab.

Along those lines, Michael is BYOB no corkage on Tuesday nights and Les Nomades is BYOB no corkage on Thursday nights.

With half price bottles at La Sardine on Mondays - I assume Le Bouchon is the same, as they share most of their specials, including the Tuesday prix fixe deal - you could do a tour all in one week, with La Sardine or Le Bouchon on Monday, Michael on Tuesday, Chez Simo on Wednesday, and Les Nomades on Thursday.

Bistro Campagne is one of my favorite French spots, very authentic, always reliably good food, service is impeccable. Kiki's is fun and cute and a classic, and Chez Simo is charming and the food is good. I thought Chez Moi was ok, and Bistro Voltaire, tiny, but good, however Bistro Campagne blows these all away by far in my mind.

I liked Blanchard, the meal I had was a bit uneven, but overall our group walked away wanting to go back, and the space is fantastic.

I also love love love Brindille , it is excellent for a more refined French meal vs. bistro fare.
Bon Appetit!

nsxtasy wrote:
I consider the following restaurants to be in the French fine dining category:

Michael (north suburban Winnetka)
Tallgrass (southwest suburban Lockport)
Everest (Chicago/Loop)
Brindille (Chicago/River North)
Les Nomades (Chicago/Streeterville)
Cafe Pyrenees (north suburban Libertyville)
The Blanchard (Chicago/Lincoln Park)

All are very good; I've listed them in order of my personal preference.

Just a note to point out that for the past few years, Café Pyrenees had only been open for lunch in the month of December. For 2016, they will also be open for lunch on Fridays.

What is perhaps their signature dish, Beef Bourguignon, is $28 at dinner but a slightly smaller version is $17 at lunch. http://www.cafepyrenees.com/dining_menus/lunch

This might be a nice destination for one of the LTH lunch groups.

I haven't been in a while, but just to add some sense of completion to the list, Bistronomic has strong French bistro leanings in both style and offerings:
http://bistronomic.net/hostalt/

jbw wrote:I haven't been in a while, but just to add some sense of completion to the list, Bistronomic has strong French bistro leanings in both style and offerings:
http://bistronomic.net/hostalt/

There are approximately 30 French bistros in the Chicago area. They're a bit different from the more traditional upscale French food, as already described in this topic. If someone is looking for a complete list, they ought to be considering all of them. (Nothing against Bistronomic, as I'm a big fan of Martial Noguier.)