March 2014 Newsletter

Our Family Dinner Tradition

This year we’re celebrating 60 years since my father first founded the original Chez François restaurant in Washington, D.C. The restaurant has been part of my brothers’ and my lives since we were young children and one of the many traditions that has remained unchanged over the years is our daily family dinner at the restaurant. Each afternoon before the dinner service begins, our family sits down together for an early dinner in the dining room. Over the years, the make-up of the family table has changed, my father passed away in 2010, but the tradition has remained. The family dinner is a chance to talk about the business, as well as catch up before the nightly dinner rush begins. Although our ninety-five-year-old mother, Marie-Antoinette, retired as the restaurant’s bookkeeper years ago, she still comes to the restaurant every day to join my brother Paul and me for the customary meal. Last week when the temperatures were in the single digits and there was snow on the ground, we tried to convince Mom that it was too cold for her to go out. Cancel family dinner? Mon Dieu! She absolutely wouldn’t hear of it and that night we ate together as we have almost nightly for 60 years.

Chasing Winter Away
Cooking Demonstration

On Saturday, March 15, at 11:00AM, Chef Jacques is hosting a Chasing Winter Away Cooking Demonstration at L’Auberge Chez François. With a nod to the coming Spring, Chef Jacques will show you how to make his Smoked Trout Timbale, Diver Scallops in Citrus Sauce, Dacquoise, a hazelnut & espresso cake, and other Spring dishes. The demonstration culminates in a five-course luncheon accompanied by wine pairings.

Reserve Tickets

Copain Wine Dinner

The next event in our series of sommelier-curated wine dinners will be Thursday, March 20, at 6:30PM. Our sommelier, Alex Bardsley, AIWS, recently sat down with the winemaker at Copain Wines and selected offerings for this special tasting to compliment Jacques’ five-course dinner menu. The pinot noirs from Anderson Valley and syrahs from Yorkville Highlands all demonstrate the elegance and character that wines grown in cooler climates can achieve.

Reserve Tickets

Ravenwood Wine Dinner

Join us on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30PM for a special evening of tasting the full-flavored wines of Ravenswood, a California winery that specializes in elegantly rustic and robust wines. Winemaker and founder of Ravenswood, Joel Peterson, known as the Godfather of Zin, will be there to discuss his wines. Chef Jacques has created a five-course menu to complement the evening’s wine selection.

Reserve Tickets

Two For Tonight Episodes

To help celebrate the 60th Anniversary of L’Auberge Chez François, we’ll be sharing all 13 episodes of Chef Jacques’ acclaimed television show Two for Tonight on Jacques’ TV located our website home page. The first in the series begins in March. Each month three new episodes will be posted. Follow along as Jacques’ demonstrates how you can cook-up a little romance by preparing these recipes for that special someone.

Jacques’ TV

Eat, Drink & Be Merry

Austrian wine enthusiasts take note: This summer our Austrian wine importer and friend, Klaus Wittauer, is hosting a wine, food, and culture tour of Austria. Klaus will take guests to some of his favorite places in Austria to eat, drink, and see the best of the country. The trip includes private vineyard tours and tastings, as well as meals at some of Austria’s best restaurants. The trip begins June 16, 2014, in Vienna.

Austrian Tour

Diver Scallops with Citrus

This is the perfect recipe to help chase the winter blues away. Diver scallops are more ecologically friendly and less gritty than the boat-harvested variety. Divers select mature scallops from areas with strong sea water currents, which helps assure they have firm, plump flesh and nice color. Harvested from November through April, Diver scallops tend to be fresher, since they are shipped directly and not held in boats while they are sorted. They are more expensive but worth it.

See the Recipe

Reservations

Wine of the Month

Our wine of the month for March is the 2011 Esencia Divina Albarino from the Rias Baixas Region in northwestern Spain. This fresh, herbaceous, Spanish wine is prime for drinking in 2014 and pairs particularly well with Chef Jacques’ Diver Scallops in Citrus Sauce. You’ll be able to taste Esencia Divina Albarino and learn to make Diver Scallops in Citrus Sauce at the March 15 Chasing Winter Away Cooking Demonstration.

Rias Baixas Wines

Purveyor of the Month

Our featured purveyor is TrueFarms, a hydroponic farm in Northern Virginia that supplies lettuces to L’Auberge Chez François and Jacques’ Brasserie. Like L’Auberge, TrueFarms is a family-run business and they are committed to environmentally sound growing practices. TrueFarms keeps the roots of their lettuce plants attached during harvest which means the lettuce is still alive when it arrives here at the restaurant.

TrueFarms

Monsieur François Compétition

I want to congratulate Marianne T. of Arlington, VA for winning the February Monsieur François’ Profile Embellishment Competition. Marianne will receive a $200 gift certificate to L’Auberge Chez François.

Be sure to follow L’Auberge Chez François on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on our nightly specials, events and recipes!

As we look forward to Spring, we want to thank all our customers for making us part of their own family traditions over the years and we hope to see you soon.

Best Culinary Wishes,

Chef Jacques