The descent of restaurant Paul Bocuse and why

As I mentioned in my screaming Eagle wine post, a visit to Paul Bocuse during this trip turned out to be a interesting sociological experience, which I think would be interesting to discuss here.

Let me give some background, I lived in France as a student 40 years ago and was able to get to know most of the great chefs on a personal level . I was also able to work in several of their restaurants. I was able to learn a great deal through these experiences by discussing them with my mentors and colleagues at the College of France.

Chefs like the Troisgros brothers, were remarkable, charismatic people, with impeccable values. I am therefore not surprised that they were able to instill those values in their children, who continue to maintain this restaurant at extremely high standards. Paul Bocuse was a completely different person. He was not a bad guy, but clearly did not have the moral fiber or security of other great chefs I knew. He basically encouraged being used as a pawn by people who promoted him for their own self-interest, but at the same time enabling Bocuse to increase what Rousseau called “amour propre”. A few years after leaving France I came across a photo essay book on the great French chefs of that time. This guy did a brilliant job depicting the personalities of each great chef through photos and interview. The initial photo of Bocuse was him squeezed into a far corner of a room by all of his promotional items and publicity material. I suspected that Bocuse would never instill the qualities needed to be a great chef in any of the children of his three wives,or anyone else, and I suspected that this place would become a crummy experience.

The restaurant was on our path so I figured he might as well stop for lunch. I feel the money was well spent in that it validated my ability to perceive and predict such situations. I ate there several times 40 years ago and was impressed .

First of all, the restaurant has been turned into into a circus/hall of fame.

The formerly great Loup en Croute farci de mousse hommard , sauce choron., is now a disgusting catastrophe. The lobster mousse has been replaced by a cheap fish paste and the sauce Choron was absolutely disgusting- far too much egg yolk turned it into a thick mayonnaise. Just as bad was the presentation with the waiter dropping pieces of fish all over the place, and not caring over this in the least
The cookies served at the end of the meal were stale; this is mind-boggling for a three-star restaurant

Regarding the service, although formal, the personnel clearly had no passion for cooking or pride in working at this restaurant. (One of the greatest features of Troisgros is the pride/true warmpth of the staff - if a client was the least bit unhappy, everyone would be truly upset ). They were just going through the motions of being a waiter at an expensive restaurant. When they asked ( too repeatedly) how the meal was going, it was obvious they really didn’t care in the least whether I was happy or not. I could’ve told them the food stank and they would probably smile the same. On the two occasions that we were served bread, the waiter served to me by reaching directly across my wife.

The reason that this restaurant continues to thrive is that the people I saw there were clueless as to how bad their experience was. These were all (not trying to be a snob here) people with no true sophistication in what a great restaurant should be, or the self-confidence /ability to judge the restaurant for themselves. I suspect most of them were going to a great restaurant for the first time and picked Bocuse through the vulgar publicity that has surrounded this restaurant for 30 years.

The diners who surrounded us, spent a great deal of time sharing their experience with people at surrounding tables. They would talk about this being a “once-in-a-lifetime experience”. One couple went to the Bocuse souvenir shop in the restaurant and showed off a gold statue of Bocuse that they had purchased.

From a behavioral standpoint, the reason that this restaurant continues to thrive is that the people who go are not aware that this place is now terrible, and therefore the restaurant never gets “called out”, or as my psychologist wife says, they never have to deal with the consequences of their behavior. I strongly suspect that no, even minimally educated/sophisticated person would ever go there anymore. I was embarrassed to tell my French friends on this trip that I went there but they enjoyed the story that I am describing here and agreed.

I analyzed my own behavior after leaving and wondered why I did not follow my initial instinct and immediately tell the waiter not to reach directly in front of my wife when serving the bread. I’m sure a more sophisticated French person would’ve done that from any reflex type level. I also fantasized about calling them out on the disgusting level of the source Choron, my own sauce Choron is far superior, and I should’ve even offered to go back in the kitchen and teach the chefs how to create a decent sauce Choron.

thank you for your story.
I remember reading similar views on Bocuse and his restaurant in Au Revoir to All that by Mike Steinberger

This is very interesting. Thanks for this point of view.

I have never been to Bocuse but I can see how he was marketed through Epcot Center in Orlando.
Your story doesn’t surprise me.


It is very hard to stay on top in the world of 3 star dining.

Other opinions:

http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=67103&p=1448351&hilit=Bocuse#p1448351

I, too, was going to mention Mike Steinberger’s book, Au Revoir to All That. It is very similar to your experience. If you haven’t read it, its worth picking up a copy…will mirror your experience. From a review of Steinberger’s book: “Steinberger finds flavors that “seemed washed out.” Paul Bocuse, he portrays as “an elderly man with puffy raccoon eyes,” outing the legend as a has-been more interested in self-promotion than the food emerging from his kitchen (namely, “gummy” noodles, “tasteless” fish, and sauce “thicker than Plaster of Paris”).” - See more at: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/au-revoir-all-food-wine-and-end-france#sthash.obzwONPh.dpuf

Not surprising. I’ve seen it quite a few times where the expectation and high prices make diners rave about their meals even though the actual experience is below standard.

Phillip,
Your comments are not surprising, but sad nonetheless. Loup en Croute by Bocuse remains a dish that my wife and I remember fondly from the early 80’s. My wife was pregnant and had limited appetite. A larger party next to us was served Loup en Croute, which appealed to her, so she ordered a portion for one person. We expected that she would be served a slice of Loup en Croute. No; she was served a small Loup en Croute prepared and decorated precisely as the large one that was served to our neighbors. She was delighted by the effort and loved the dish. Our dinner was excellent.

When we have visited Lyon in recent years, it has never occurred to us to return to Bocuse, because we eat simply in anticipation of our next (or immediately preceding stop), which is always Troisgros.

The temptation for *** chefs to expand and profit must be enormous. Those who expand often seem to become brands, rather than remain chefs (Robuchon, Savoy, Keller, etc). We prefer those who focus their attention on one restaurant, like Troisgros and Passard. If the boss is in the kitchen, the cooking is most often better, as is the service.

This gets down to the nature of the person himself. I was present at Troisgros in the 70’s when various people would meet with them with sales pitches of endorsements/joint ventures that would have probably given them more fame and fortune. They listened politely but never accepted the offers. More money/fame would not have made them any happier.

Troisgros (the son) has four places in Rio de Janeiro:

For the record, the Troisgros family owns a fine dining restaurant in Tokyo, which chef Troisgros checks in on once or twice a year, more when there are special events.

We went in '62 and Loup en Croute was fine but the chicken in the pig bladder was a bore.
I did have my first Jura there was quite good.

Michel Troisgros puts his name to a number of supermarket products. We are in France now and I notice more and more chef endorsements, from the TGV to sandwich shops.

My sample size is small, but Michel has always been in the kitchen when we or our friends have gone. Can’t remember the last time I saw Joel Robuchon or Guy Savoy cooking; the 80’s probably.

Hmm, the only two times I visited Guy Savoy (1999 and 2002), he came out and visited us each time. I guess I got lucky. Both meals were bucket list great, but I also don’t even begin to have the sort of experience that you do with fine dining.

That was probably the fake Guy Savoy they keep on hand for the tourists. You know, like the guy who impersonated Churchill in the War.

Guy Savoy was greeting the three times I was there, dunno if he actually cooked though!

So, despite all of this the Guide Michelin still gives them stars?

I was there a month ago. Didn’t see him. I didn’t ask if was there either.

Had a pretty damn good meal though.

George

I’ve never been to Bocuse, but make an effort whenever possible to fit a side trip to Troisgros. Michel has been at the helm every time we have been there too. Maybe some of the best dining experiences we have had. A couple years ago we went to Guy Savoy in Paris - Guy was there but the meal had some highs and some very disappointing lows, incluing a disgustingly expensive wine list. Alan Weinberg and I couldn’t find anything within reason to drink. We won’t go back.

That’s what I was thinking.