The new year is upon us, and if you’re like me, you’re thinking at least a bit about trying to set goals and establish healthy patterns for the upcoming year. And while I believe our entire menu consists of foods that are both healthy and flavorful, I thought I’d point to a couple of standout dishes.

First of all – let’s talk about Kale. Kale is incredibly good for you. I mean check out its ANDI score (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) on this Whole Foods chart. Only one problem – did you ever taste Kale? Let’s just say it’s very hearty. (Coach Hooton once tried to get me to mix it with my scrambled eggs in the morning, and I still haven’t quite gotten over it.) Well, Ben & our kitchen crew have come up with a lovely pesto made from Kale, fresh herbs, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil, that more or than even’s the whole kale score. We’re serving it tossed with our homemade pappardelle pasta and fresh goat cheese. I think it’s a winner.

Next – I would point you to our Pot au Feu. As most of you TFB regulars know – Pot au Feu is classic French grandmother food. Composed of braised meats (ours has short ribs, lamb shank and Dai Due sausage) and lightly blanched vegetables (Boggy Creek turnips, carrots and cabbage) in a mild broth – the fun part is the condiments – sea salt, Dijon mustard, and pickles – that are served on the side to be liberally mixed with this stew-like dish. It’s delicious, beautiful, and good for you (and it was also what I had for dinner last night – yum.)

Finally, during this cold snap, we’ve been making a wonderful soup with Romanesco broccoli, er… cauliflower and parmesan cheese crisps.

Hope you can join us this week – bon appetit,

murph

Well, it’s that end time of year again, and not to toot our own horn, but where else would you rather spend New Year’s Eve? First – and perhaps most importantly – we’re going to serve dinner at a reasonable hour that adults can stay awake til (if we get really ambitious, we’ll ring in the new year with our friends on the east coast). Next – we’re going to serve you a minimum of five fabulous courses of food made from the finest locally obtained, sustainably farmed goodness, plus some surprises – a cheese plate designed by our friends at Antonelli’s in Hyde Park, fabulous sweets (and other perks I can’t get into because I don’t want to actually talk to anyone representing the TABC). Then there’s the fact that you can bring as many of the finest offerings from your very own wine cellar as you think it wise to consume (corkage is included) – and of course anyone who shows up with a decent 2005 Margaux for me gets to eat free (cause I’m like that). Finally – we will have the ever fabulous song stylings of one of my dearest (I started to say oldest, but she wouldn’t care for that at all) friends – the lovely – the many talented – the only – Ms. Kara Bliss. But wait, there’s more. Ben will be in the kitchen – I’ll be entertaining you with amusing anecdotes – all that for only $75 per person. RSVP@texasfrenchbread.com.

hope you can join us – bon appetit,

murph

ps – we’re also open Tuesday through Thursday & Saturday evenings.

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2010 – DINNER MENU December 31

FIRST

CHARCUTERIE, PICKLED BEETS & TURNIPS, OLIVES
or
POTATO LATKES, CRÈME FRAICHE, AMERICAN CAVIAR

SECOND

ANGEL VALLEY FARM SALAD
or
GRILLED BABY OCTOPUS, PRESERVED LEMON, MARCONA ALMONDS

SOUP

LOBSTER BISQUE
or
WILD MUSHROOM SOUP

MAIN
MIXED SEAFOOD RISOTTO
or
BRAISED SHORT RIBS, KALE MASHED POTATOES
or
RUSTIC VEGETABLE TART

CHEESES
THREE AWESOME CHEESES FROM ANTONELLI’S

SWEETS
TFB BUTTERSCOTCH BUDINO & CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TART

As we roll into the solstice next week and (shhh, wait for it…) Christmas – I wanted to share a thought or two on THE HOLIDAYS. Upon careful observation over the last couple of decades, it seems the holidays are more fun for kids. Most of us adults on the other hand, seem to go into more or less complete emotional paralysis and terror as we approach this lovely time of year where we’re a supposed to get together with (wait for it…) family… and share this time of love and togetherness. You remember family, right? – those crazy people that you can’t do with and you certainly can’t do without, probably on their way to your house now…what in the heck are you supposed to do with/without them, anyway???

I have a couple of thoughts to share on the subjects of togetherness and family and the holidays: First, a word about gratefulness and reverence. While this time of year can be stressful, it’s also the perfect time to wind down, reflect and remember that we live in a wonderful city that has remained somewhat immune to the larger economic and social dislocations – even warfare – happening all around us on this ever smaller planet. Personally, I’m so very grateful to have had the opportunity to do work that I love over these past several years, for a community of people who seem to genuinely appreciate what I do. And who very often treat me, my brother, and our whole crew, like family in all the best ways, inspiring us to do our best work – to come back in day after day, night after night, and try harder to be better.

Second? Sometimes it can helps if you just get out of the house. A change of scenery can do wonders to ease those icky seasonal tensions that sometimes spring up and result in things like – (wait for it…) telling the truth? I’d bring a good bottle of wine (or three – you never know). Get down here and eat some of Ben’s awesome seasonal bistro fare. Everyone is happier when they are eating something good and if you join us, you won’t have to do the dishes.

New on the menu this weekend – we got a shipment of fresh sardines – hard to procure, easy on the palate. Also – last night, in deference to the chilly weather – we made our first batch of Pot au Feu for this year – Ben’s and my very favorite classic French grandmother dish. At the moment, we’re piling it up with local root vegetables and cabbage, short ribs, and wonderful sausages from Dai Due, including Cotechino – an Italian style holiday sausage that Jesse makes in very limited quantities at this time of year.

Hope to see you all soon – bon appetit,

murph

ps – We’re open Tuesday – Thursday of next week. We will reopen after Christmas on Tuesday, December 28.

OK – for those of you who missed the post below – a good time was had by all – especially Ben.

Yes – we are having a belated 2nd year anniversary party this Saturday night at TFB – the festivities will get started around 9pm.

But before we go into all that, I’d like to say a work or two about the menu this weekend. I’m assured by Ben that several new items will be on the menu tonight. First – we recent got in some geese from our man Sebastian at the farmer’s market. Ben has set some aside to make confit for our upcoming new year’s bash (details soon) – but the balance is going into a clear broth soup that should be just be just perfect for this somewhat cooler weather we’re having. I’m told it will have some mirepoix-like tiny diced turnips (Johnson’s Backyard), dikon, carrot, & kale (Boggy Creek), along with Heritage turkey, and Jane and Terry’s chicken.

We’re also choosing this weekend to bring back Ben’s take on what Daniel Boulud calls “American Cassoulet” – a crazy vegetarian concoction he developed that that features white beans, root vegetables, and a bread crumb topping – made in our case with TFB Ciabatta. It’s delicious – it nods vaguely in the direction of the duck fat and pork infused treat developed and popularized in southwestern FRANCE – but this DB style formulation is available to those with more delicate culinary sensibilities. For the rest of us cretins – we’re cooking up a mess of short ribs and we intend to fully smother some nice vegetarian potato and kale goodness with the forgoing along with a rich red wine reduction made from the scraps left in the short rib pan. Take that.

OK – as for Ben’s gig – the idea is to (belatedly) celebrate the second anniversary of dinner at TFB, this Saturday, December 4th at our place — beginning around 9pm. We’ll be open for dinner — but we’re going to start shifting into party mode toward the end of the evening. All of you are invited, as well as anyone you feel like bringing. We will have a keg and something to snack on — chili is looking like a pretty good idea. Please do bring a bottle of really good (expensive) French wine for me – I’ll be your friend?

THERE WILL BE MUSIC! Our sous-chef, Mike Hamley, will start at 9pm with some acoustic guitar and singing. Ben will play 2nd (unless additional special guests pop up). He’s “put the band back together” — on a mission from God, Jimi Hendrix, Julia Child, somebody. Its a 5 piece band, people, including Adam Sultan, Kevin Witt, and Artell from Do Dat (for those of you who are old). Ben claims to be stoked, psyched & foolishly optimistic to be playing in public for the first time in two years – unless he gets, you know, chicken…

AND BY THE WAY – WE’RE OPEN FOR DINNER TONIGHT, SO YA’LL COM’MON DOWN.

As I said below – we will indeed be serving dinner tonight. What does Ben know, anyway??? Salade lyonaise is back on the menu, and we’ll have coq au vin this evening if I have anything to say about it.  (Oh – also we’re closed tomorrow, but we’ll be open again on Friday.)

Who knows, maybe – as the cork says – you’ll get lucky (or is that Lucy?). Well, either one of those should be good, right? Anyway – hope to see many of you this evening.

Bon Appetit,

murph

We’ll be open for Dinner until 10pm tonight.
Wednesday: 7am – 9pm (yes, we are open for dinner, but will close a little early)
Thursday: closed.
Friday/Saturday: 8am – 10pm
Sunday: 8am – 5pm

greens are in – salads are back. will have pics up soon.

Coq au vin, that most quintessential of French dishes.  A fricasee (that is, the chicken pieces are seared at high heat before being slow simmered in a sauce or broth) is paired with button mushrooms, pearl onions, bacon lardons — and of course wine.  The origins of the dish are said to come from bygone days back on the farm when a tough old bird, maybe a rooster, was retired to the dinner table.  First he was marinated for a few days in the local plonk to tenderize him, give him a little flavor.  (You can sort of imagine an old cook in the French countryside looking around for something palatable to pair with a chicken.  What would be good with chicken, what would be good with chicken, what…oh, I know.  Wine!)  Then he is braised in the marinade.

In America most people think of coq au vin as a dish involving a marinated bird and a deep, dark red wine sauce.  In fact, there are all kinds of versions — with all kinds of wines.  And in fact, to my palette, I find this style a little bright, acidic and generally, well, pretty winey.  There is another prominent style which involves making a rich sauce with shallots, tomato paste, cognac or brandy and red or white wine first — and then simply cooking the bird in the sauce.  The result is thicker, richer, with more depth of flavor and a more amber color.  If you had our coq last year, this was the style we worked off of — based on an early Julia Childs recipe.  When temperatures started to drop a few weeks ago and our thoughts turned to coq, we thought….why not combine them?  The best of both?  Stack the deck, gild the lily. Go for broke.  So for our first batch of coq of the autumn  we have marinated our chicken in red wine, aromatic herbs and vegetables – - but we’re finishing the sauce with a little cognac and tomato, a la JC.  We’re searching for perfect middle.