"Chez Billy is about cooking what I love—classic French cuisine," says Brendan L'Etoile. The former sous chef at Marvin has been put in charge of his own kitchen as part of operators Eric and Ian Hilton's fast-growing empire of bars and restaurants in the District. L'Etoile's chosen French theme is a first for the Hiltons, [...]
Back in June, Y&H colleague Lydia DePillis reported that big-time Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr was close to signing a lease at the old Shirt Laundry space at 14th and Q Streets NW for his très français concept Parc Brasserie. Another food blog downplayed the report. But lookie here: placards are now up on that corner, [...]
"The bane of my existence is that I cannot find a restaurant in D.C. that serves escargots as the French make them: in butter and shells. I have found restaurants in Washington that serve escargots, but they don’t do it right. They put their own tilt on it. I would have a favorite restaurant if [...]
Jacques Haeringer’s favorite punch line used to go something like this: “Maybe in 40 years, I can retire.” He never had to provide the setup, which was understood: Haeringer’s father, François, was a machine of a man who, even at 91, continued to run his namesake Great Falls restaurant with his own style and single-minded [...]
Earlier this week, I received an e-mail informing me that Jacques Haeringer, the "Chef de Cuisine of the legendary Great Falls, Virginia restaurant, L’Auberge Chef François," would be appearing on the Today show. The morning show appearance was well and good, but the news that caught my attention was that Haeringer was apparently cooking again [...]
Duck l'orangeKimberlée Anne – Marie Elisabeth | MySpace Video Given the wealth of proteins that may have been on the original Thanksgiving table, I'm not sure how we Americans ended up so obsessed with the turkey. I'm sure it had to do with some confluence of agri-business, Madison Avenue, and JFK's undying love for bronzed birds. (Insert [...]
It's a question, no matter how trite and stupid it sounds, that you have to ask a 90-year-old who still shows up for work every day: What's the secret to living a long, active life? When I put the question to François Haeringer, the founding chef/owner of L'Auberge Chez François and the subject of this week's Young & [...]
For this week's Young & Hungry column, I spent part of the afternoon with François Haeringer, the 90-year-old owner and founding chef of L'Auberge Chez François, the French country restaurant in Great Falls that can trace its roots back to 1954 in downtown D.C. In reporting the story, I spoke with Mark Furstenberg, the master [...]
French cooking, whether haute or country, feels about as trendy as parachute pants. Italian, Spanish, Indian, and Chinese cuisines all generate much more buzz with contemporary diners, who seem to view the Gallic, butter-intensive approach to cooking as barbaric as Hummers in Berkeley. It's a sorry state of affairs for French food, which has been [...]
