Travel is Broadening

It is a truism that travel is broadening and travel from France to other countries brings home what’s so great about dining in the hexagon.  Recently I had the opportunity to visit and eat in Greece and Seattle and I was struck by several things we take for granted when eating in France. First the product.  While Seattle had the edge for edgy herbs, spices and fall vegetables, day in and day out, my Parisian street market has a variety and quality of product that is impressive. Second, the professionalism.  In France, wait staff are neither unemployed actresses nor sullen family members pressed into service but rather men and women in a profession.   Third.  The care.  We (or at least I) take it as “normal” in a Parisian restaurant that the silverware facing you is that you need for the next course and one never has to ask for a sauce spoon or sharper knife.  And, crumbs are swept up before dessert in the most humble of places. Fourth, the routine.  It’s always “good day,” “may I take your coat,” “would you like an aperitif,” “are you ready to order,” “would you like to see the wine list,” “what sort of water do you prefer,” etc.  It’s a reassuring ritual that reminds you that you are indeed the customer and the service is intended to help you. Fifth, the amuse gueule/bouche.  Again, no matter how humble, most places in France offer you a token starter, even if it’s one more thimble-full of pumpkin soup. And finally, the check is all-inclusive and the prices reasonable for the most part.  It always strikes me as strange when the fish in Greece is charged for by the kilo or when there are no “menus or formulas” in the US. In Greece, I was struck by the poorer price-quality ratio of the wine (there is no equivalent of a 20 € Bordeaux); the lower quality of the cuisine (especially when compared with Greek restaurant or Greek home cooked meals in the US); the amount of smoking (so much greater than elsewhere in the “old Europe”); and the lackadaisical service. And in Seattle, which has among the best, if not the best restos in America, while the wait staff were enthusiastic, they were amateurs (in the Anglo sense); and the American habit of clearing the table dish by dish as folks finish their plates was annoying beyond belief.   My first meal back home was at a rather ordinary looking place in Levallois-Perret called Les Autodidactes, which despite its name is super-professionally done, and it reinforced all my opinions above.  It was a splendid end to my time away, demonstrating once again that travel is not only broadening but reveals in contrast how lucky we are. So after a month or so away, my opinion of the final score is France 8 – Rest of the world 4. My two favorites in Levallois-Perret are: Les Autodidactes 9 place Jean-Zay, Levellois-Perret (Metro : Anatole France) T: 01.47.39.84.02 Open only for lunch Mon-Fri Menu = 35 € L’Instant Gourmand 113 rue Louis-Rouquier, Levallois-Perret (Metro : Anatole France) T: 01.47.37.13.43 Closed Saturday lunch and Sundays Lunch menus: 2 dishes = 29 €; 3 = 31 €, a la carte 45-50 € ©2006 John A. Talbott