legendary restaurant. Three Michelin stars since 1968. Fourth generation now running kitchen though father Michel still at César’s side.
They moved to Ouches, near nothing, but a lovely estate that seems quite Zen in central France, in Loire. We stayed two days. Rain and even snow precluded these southern Californians from too much outdoor exploits during those two days. There are fields, woods, and a small lake on premises.
Here is a much better written and complete story than I can tell: Maison Troisgros in Ouches, France - 3 Michelin stars (review by ElizabethOnFood)
Their motto is, “excellence lies in simplicity.” The rooms were beautiful, lots of wood, simple design, though warm and comfortable. Best hotel mattress in France from my surveys. A lovely iced tea and brioche bread greeted us in the room.
The kitchen was immaculate, 20 chefs to serve about 40-50 people a night. The dining room is called “les bois sans feuilles,” the leafless woods. I’ll add pictures.
First night, I asked our server about a dish I had had 20+ years ago at their prior location, one imbedded forever in my brain. He promised to ask Michel if it could be done, as it was not on the menu. I’ll come back to that. Service was perfect, paced and steady, water glasses filled often, wine list a pleasant value list of trophies. Their house champagne is a NV cuvée made by Duval-Leroy. Our wine was 2014 Cecile Tremblay Chapelle Chambertin, soft and full of finesse, amazing bouquet, gorgeous layered open red Burgundy, like a RSV and so fine. We did the tasting menu the first night, a la carte the next night. Second night wine was 2012 Coche-Dury Meursault Rougeots. Gorgeous wine. Each of the wines was about 500€, a third of retail.
Food is simply amazing. Asian spices, lots of Indian and Middle East influence, acidity—something they are known for, cuisine acidulée—pronounced and so delicious. I can’t do justice describing the meals. 11 out of 10.
At the end of the first evening, our waiter told us Michel might be able to make the requested dish if he could get a pigeon at the market the next day, “80% chance.”
The next day, it snowed and, with a brutal wind, it was hard to walk the nearby town, but there was little to see there anyway. We had lunch at the small bistro in town, run by Troisgros, drinking both red and white Coche Bourgogne by the glass. Food was good, bistro food.
Second night, graciously seated at the table my wife had asked for the prior night, the waiter announced that the requested dish would be made. What we didn’t know is that Michel would spend 10 minutes at our table talking to us about the dish and his life, then sauce my wife’s asparagus dish. The dish was one he developed when he ran a Moscow restaurant for three years long ago, pigeon à la Kiev. The original chicken Kiev, which I’ve often made, is a chicken breast pounded flat, a large dollop of butter and some chives placed on top, then rolled into a ball, breaded and fried. When one cuts it open, the butter and chives ooze out. It’s delicious. The Troisgros version takes it up about 500 levels. Breast of pigeon and a section of foie gras are wrapped in a little spinach, some black truffle added, then a coating of bread crumbs and other ingredients to make a crust about 1/8 inch thick. It is fried and served cut in half. Pictures follow.
Both evenings and the entire experience at Troisgros were wonderful. Can’t use enough adjectives to explain the graciousness, the beauty and elegance all provided, paradoxically, simplicity. An elegant simplicity.
