French Restaurants

French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking.

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The national cuisine known today has evolved from centuries of social and political change.

The term nouvelle cuisine has been used many times in the history of French cuisine. This description was seen in the 1740s of the cuisine from Vincent La Chapelle, François Marin and Menon and even during the 1880s and 1890s to describe Escoffier's cooking. The term came up again however during the 1960s used by two authors Henri Gault and Christian Millau to describe the cooking of Paul Bocuse, Jean and Pierre Troisgros, Michel Guérard, Roger Vergé and Raymond Oliver. These chefs were working toward rebelling from the "orthodoxy" of Escoffier's cuisine. Some of the chefs were students of Fernand Point at the Pyramide in Vienne and had left to open their own restaurants. Gault and Millau "discovered the formula" contained in ten characteristics of this new style of cooking.

The first characteristic was a rejection of excessive complication in cooking. Second, the cooking times for most fish, seafood, game birds, veal, green vegetables and pâtés was greatly reduced in an attempt to preserve the natural flavors. Steaming was an important trend from this characteristic. The third characteristic was that the cuisine was made with the freshest possible ingredients. Fourth, large menus were abandoned in favor of shorter menus. Fifth, strong marinades for meat and game ceased to be used. Sixth, they stopped using heavy sauces such as espagnole and béchamel thickened with flour based roux, in favor of seasoning their dishes with fresh herbs, quality butter, lemon juice, and vinegar. Seventh, they used regional dishes for inspiration instead of haute cuisine dishes. Eighth, new techniques were embraced and modern equipment was often used, Bocuse even used microwave ovens. Ninth, the chefs paid close attention to the dietary needs of their guests through their dishes. Tenth and finally, the chefs were extremely inventive and created new combinations and pairings.

Some have speculated that a contributor to nouvelle cuisine was World War II when animal protein was in short supply during the German occupation. No matter what the origins were, by the mid-1980s some food writers stated that the style of cuisine had reached exhaustion and many chefs began returning to the haute cuisine style of cooking, although much of the lighter presentations and new techniques remained

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All Seasons American Cuisine French, California Cuisine

One of the most popular places in town with visitors
1400 Lincoln Ave, Calistoga, CA 94515-1418 707 942-911
Average price: $40

Angele French
Full Bar, Serves Lunch Dinner Features: Cheese Tray Served, Dramatic Interiors, Outdoor Seating: Patio, Private Room Available, Raw bar, Serves Game, View, Waterside: River, Winning Wine List, Mixed Reviews.
540 Main, Napa Ca 94558 707 252-8115
Bus hours M-Sun 11:30AM - 10:00PM

Auberge Du Soleil Fine Dining French, Mediterranean
Banquet / Private Rooms, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Full Bar, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View, Wine Breakfast: 7 days a week: 7:00am - 11:00am; Lunch: 7 days a week: 11:30am - 2:30pm; Dinner: Monday - Thursday: 6:00pm - 9:30pm, Friday - Sunday: 5:30pm - 9:30pm
180 Rutherford Hill Rd, Rutherford, CA 94573 707 963-1211 email
Food RatingPrice $$$$

Bistro Jeanty Bistro French
A charming French restaurant with cozy, old French country decor.
One of the most popular places in town with visitors
6510 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599-1385 707 944-0103
Price range: $41-80 BE sure to make reservations
Traveler Rating
Reviews are mixed. A lot of 5 star reviews mixed with 2 stars. The food, especially their Tomato Soup en Croque specialty, entrées and their deserts are to die for many say. Seems like the food is spectacular here. Service is sometimes an issue it seems. When it's not, the reviews are very good indeed.

Domaine Chandon Fine Dining French California Cuisine
Fireplace, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome; corkage fee applies, View, Wheelchair Lunch: Thursday - Monday: 11:30am - 2:00pm; Dinner: 6:00pm - 9:00pm; Tasting Salon: Daily: 11:00am - 6:00pm
Dining Style: Casual Elegant Dress Code Business Casual
1 California Dr, Yountville, CA 94599-1426 707 944-2892 Food Rating N/R Price $$$$

Etiole (Domaine Chandon) - American Cuisine, French, Seafood
One of the most popular places in town with visitors
Fireplace, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome; corkage fee applies, View, Wheelchair Lunch: Thursday - Monday: 11:30am - 2:00pm; Dinner: 6:00pm - 9:00pm; Tasting Salon: Daily: 11:00am - 6:00pm
Dining Style: Casual Elegant Dress Code Business Casual
1 California Dr, Yountville, CA 94599-1426 707 944-2892 email
Food Rating N/R Price $$$$
1 California Drive, Yountville, CA 94599 707 944-2892
Traveler Rating

French Laundry Restaurant French Fine Dining
One of the most popular places in town with visitors
6640 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599-1301 707 944-2380
Average price*: $70 - Dinner of 200 to 400 per person (including Champagne are not unusual however. Reserve far in advance. Traveler Rating
Reviews are mixed. A lot of 5 star reviews mixed with 1 and 2 stars. You either like it or don't - many do it seems. The Negative reviews are those common to most French restaurants - why so little at such a high cost and why the slower service. Some people, on the other hand love the smaller portions as long as they are great and the leisurely service allows one to saver longer. "If you're going there for the epicurean adventure, and are OK with a $700 bill for two, then I'd highly recommend it." says one patron.

Julia's Kitchen At Copia
American Cuisine California Cuisine French
Banquet / Private Rooms, Bar/Lounge, Full Bar, Non-Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome; corkage fee applies, View, Wine Dining Style: Casual Elegant Dress Code Casual Mixed Reviews
500 1st Napa, Ca 94558 (bet. Silverado Trail & Soscol Ave.)
707 265-5700 Food RatingPrice $$
Lunch: Wednesday - Monday: 11:30am - 3:00pm; Dinner: Thursday - Sunday: 5:30pm - 9:30pm

La Toque at Rancho Caymus French
Paterned after La Toque in Hollywood features a dail prix fixe of innovative French Cousine with an emphasis on seafood and local farm fresh produce.
1140 Rutherford Rd, Rutherford Ca. 94573 707 963-9770

Pere Jeanty French
Banquet / Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Beer, Counter Seating, Fireplace, Full Bar, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair, Wine Lunch: Monday - Sunday: 11:30am - 4:00pm; Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 4:00pm - 10:30pm, Friday & Saturday: 4:00pm - 11:00pm
6725 Washington St. Yountville, CA 94599 (707) 945-1131 email Dining Style: Casual Elegant Dress Code Business Casual
Food RatingPrice $$$ Traveler Rating

ROUX American Cuisine French California Cuisine
1234 Main, St Helena, Ca. 94574 707 963-5330
Price range: $41-80

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Le dîner (dinner) often consists of three courses, hors d'oeuvre or entrée (introductory course often soup), plat principal (main course), and a cheese course or dessert, sometimes with a salad offered before the cheese or dessert. Yogurt may replace the cheese course, while a normal everyday dessert would be fresh fruit. The meal is often accompanied by bread, wine and mineral water. Wine consumption has been dropping recently in young people. Fruit juice consumption has risen from 25.6% in 1996 to 31.6% in 2002. Main meat courses are often served with vegetables along with rice or pasta

Traditionally, France has been a culture of wine consumption. While this characteristic has lessened with time, even today, many French people drink wine daily. The consumption of low-quality wines during meals has been greatly reduced. Beer is especially popular with the youth. Other popular alcoholic drinks include pastis, an aniseed flavoured beverage drunk diluted with cold water, or cider.

Le déjeuner (lunch) was once a two hour mid-day meal but has recently seen a trend toward the one hour lunch break. In some smaller towns the two hour lunch may still be customary. Sunday lunches are often longer and are taken with the family.Restaurants normally open for lunch at 12:00pm and close at 2:30pm. Many restaurants close on Saturday and Monday during lunch.

In large cities a majority of working people and students eat their lunch at a corporate or school cafeteria, which normally serve complete meals as described above; it is therefore not usual for students to bring their own lunch food. It is common for white-collar workers to be given lunch vouchers as part of their employee benefits. These can be used in most restaurants, supermarkets and traiteurs; however workers having lunch in this way typically do not eat all three dishes of a traditional lunch due to price and time considerations. In smaller cities and towns, some working people leave their workplaces to return home for lunch, generating four rush hours during the day. Finally, an also popular alternative especially among blue-collar workers is to lunch on a sandwich possibly followed with a dessert; both dishes can be found ready-made at bakeries and supermarkets for budget prices.

Le petit déjeuner (breakfast) is often a quick meal consisting of bread, butter and jam along with coffee or tea. Children often drink hot chocolate along with their breakfast. Breakfast of some kind is always served in cafés opening early in the day; .

The term French Fry in English denotes the cut of potato as they are cut in a "Frenched" manner, which does not denote their origin. In France, they are simply called pommes frites, ie. fried potatoes. Pommes frites may be a common side order in lower-end French restaurants. Many French people consider them to be of Belgian origin, not French.

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French Restaurants Napa Valley, San Francisco North Bay, Ca. USA Business Directory Visitors Center Hotel Reservation Wineries

French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking.

Looking for French Food French Cuisine ? Please scroll down.

French Restaurants
Napa Valley, San Francisco North Bay, Ca. USA
Business Directory Visitors Center Hotel Reservation Wineries