The brasserie trend
Gailor, whose hipness quotient is still up there even though she's moved to Evanston, Ill., sent me an e-mail alerting me to the brasserie trend happening in Los Angeles. Apparently she learned about it because she still subscribes to Los Angeles magazine.
Then the other day I saw that USA Today did a trend story on brasseries in LA, and how all the stars are eating at them. (Who knows? Maybe the paper "borrowed" the idea from the magazine. Or maybe it's a real trend that various people are noticing.)
Why do we care? Because these trends that start in California usually work their way east, and eventually to us. ...
We already have one Baltimore brasserie, of course, Brasserie Tatin -- although I don't know that in the U.S. we make much of a distinction between bistros (Petit Louis), brasseries and French cafes (a la Cafe de Paris in Columbia).
Basically the idea of them all is French and casual (although Tatin can be quite formal about its food). I'm not sure what the trend is except maybe that traditional casual French food is making a comeback? I'm thinking of coq au vin and steak frites.
(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)
Comments
What is the difference between a brasserie and a bistro?
Posted by: Hal Laurent, VoR | October 22, 2008 6:59 AM
Hal -- see this Chowhound board discussion.
Posted by: hmpstd | October 22, 2008 8:15 AM
brasserie - an informal usually French restaurant serving simple hearty food
bistro - a small or unpretentious restaurant
So I guess a brasserie is more pretentious.
Posted by: omg | October 22, 2008 8:55 AM
Ah, Tart Tatin...
Posted by: Rosebud | October 22, 2008 9:12 AM
I was watching a rerun of Anthony Bourdain's return to the kitchen (for 1 night) at Basserie Les Halles in NY. He said one of the defining characteristics of a brasserie is having a vast number of items on the menu.
Posted by: Greg S | October 22, 2008 11:20 AM
no updates for the past 5 hours? boring
Our network has been down. Think how bored I've been. EL
Posted by: Anonymous | October 22, 2008 12:15 PM
Brasserie: an informal usually French restaurant serving simple hearty food
Bistro: 1: a small or unpretentious restaurant
2 a: a small bar or tavern b: nightclub
Posted by: sean | October 22, 2008 12:20 PM
Since the downed network apparently ate my original response to Hal, I'll repost a link to a Chowhound discussion on the subject. Basically, brasserie is the French word for brewery, and a "classic" brasserie would offer a limited beverage menu apart from its own beers. A "classic" bistro, by contrast, would have wine or a full bar.
Posted by: hmpstd | October 22, 2008 12:51 PM
Talk about boring, Anonymous! I read The Midnight Sun blog where there lurk pimple faced 13 y.o.s discussing Lindsay Lohans breasts and giggling at her lesbian relationship. What twits!
Posted by: Joyce W. | October 22, 2008 8:02 PM
Is there anything better than casual french? Steak frites is my favorite, Goes great with bourbon, too. We can only hope this trend comes our way.
I was thinking of serving steak frites and coq au vin (and okay, fish if we must) at the wedding, but I think Kate (et al.) scared off my man.... he approved the china (wedgwood) yesterday, but today all he wants to talk about is how the Os are doing. I don't think he even knows their season has been long over. Sigh. At least it will be a while now before we have to argue about how the duck he wants to serve is too expensive.
Posted by: Bourbon Girl | October 22, 2008 9:26 PM
Joyce, come back to the Dark Side! Don't go there! It is much more important to discuss, say, where to get real onion rings, or the reservation policy at Tio Pepe's than young, drunk celebrity tourists!
Posted by: Lissa | October 22, 2008 9:28 PM
Don't worry, Lissa. I have no intention of visiting pre-puberty land again. I prefer the intellectual pursuit of real onion rings! It was like drinking grape juice when you really want a good glass of wine!
Posted by: Joyce W. | October 23, 2008 5:17 AM
And on this blog no one cares about anyone's sexual preferences ... but we can have a good fight over foie gras or bacon.
Posted by: Dahlink | October 23, 2008 6:31 AM
Fear not Bourbon Girl, I am sure that we can accomodate our different tastes in food, which ironically for this venue, have very little overlap. As for duck, my side of the wedding are all raptors so it may have to be BYOD. I've had the Pretender's song I'll Stand By You in my head all morning. So even if you want steak frites and coq au vin (which I interpret as chicken fried steak with monkey bread), we can work it out. Maybe we could get Chrissie Hynde for the music, since my first choice Richard Hell is currently unavailable. And I still want my fugu bar. Can Snickers be the best man?
Posted by: owl meat gourmet | October 23, 2008 10:42 AM
I'm all smooth down there. I have no preference.
Posted by: Ken | October 23, 2008 10:46 AM
I don't remember where I heard or read this distinction: brasserie's offer a wider and more standardized menu of things they can do all the time, while a bistro owner creates a smaller menu that varies from season to season or even week to week. The rule of thumb that went with this was always order off the menu at a brasserie (instead of the specials) and always order a special at a bistro. My guess is that this pertains to French establishments rather than American ones.
Posted by: MD Canon | October 23, 2008 11:36 AM