Passing Through Bordeaux...

Bordeaux, France

December 11, 2007
N44°49.597
W000°33.404

As we passed through Irun, Spain into Hendaye, France, we were instantly thrust into another language and culture. Our quick “si, si” became “we, we,” and our “gracias” became “merci”. After spending the majority of the past two months in Spain and Portugal it was a challenge to just switch gears and turn on our grade school French, if you want to give us that much credit.

Today’s relatively short journey finished in Bordeaux, France where we grabbed a room close to the train station, since we are only staying for one night. Plus, the train station is only a short walk from a restaurant I scouted out and have been looking forward to visiting over the past 2-3 weeks, Cassoulette Café. After tapas and pintxos for nearly every meal over the past two weeks, I was really looking forward to a piping hot cassoulette, the perfect cold weather dish.

I fondly remember my first cassoulette. It was at Angel’s of Russian Hill, a very exclusive, invitation only restaurant in San Francisco. One winter night, when we were invited to the restaurant, the set menu included a savory cassoulette complete with duck confit, chicken, small chunks of pork and haricot beans. The entire dish was baked to perfection in a small casserole dish, with the right amount of bread crumbs on top. As we ate with the chef, we complemented her on the tasty dish; perfect for the cold, foggy San Francisco evening.

It was this exact dish, complete with duck confit and cannelini beans, I envisioned and craved, on this chilly winter evening in Bordeaux, France. I was positive Cassoulette Café, where you pick your ingredients, would provide us, well me, with what I desired. As we walked through the city of Bordeaux, cold winds making our noses and eyes water; I couldn’t stop talking and thinking about the warmth of the dish. We even made sure to walk by the restaurant to ensure it still existed—Marc suspected, with all its build-up, it would be closed-down, like so many other over-hyped restaurants on our trip.

When dinner time rolled around, we bundled up and set out for Cassoulette Café. After we were seated our waiter explained the menu and I quickly realized I wasn’t going to find the savory fare I was looking for. Instead, in France, a cassoulette, or casserole, is anything cooked in a terra cotta casserole dish. The taste of beans, duck and chicken evaporated and I quickly had to male a choice between zucchini or potatoes au gratin.

I have to admit, the dishes were good, but I am still in search of the perfect cassoulette. I hope I don’t have to wait for another invitation from Angel’s of Russian Hill, because as everyone who has been invited knows… the menu is never the same twice!