Troigros

Roanne, France

Nick Lander
Posted: September 1, 1992

For the past century the citizens of Roanne, a city of 40,000 set among the rolling hills on the edge of the Beaujolais countryside, made their living in the local armaments factory in one of the nearby textile mills. Today, and for the past several decades, Roanne has been known around the world as home to the Troisgros family, one of the great culinary dynasties of France.

The family began with a modest restaurant just opposite the train station in Roanne. Jean-Baptiste Troisgros oversaw the comings and goings of the crowds of businessmen who were attracted to his good food and wine, communal dining table and a constant fare of local gossip. Jean-Baptiste was succeeded by his sons Jean and Pierre Jean died in the 1980s, but Pierre and his two sons, Michel and Claude, now tend the stoves. By repainting the railway station salmon-pink and green in honor of Troisgros' signature dish, an escalope of salmon with sorrel, the city council has publicly acknowledged the enormous debt it owes to the Troisgros family for putting the city on the culinary map.

The present design and layout of the restaurant do not resemble the humble beginnings of the family. Michelin describes it as a "contemporary design" but perhaps a more accurate description would be "space age." Inside and out, the restaurant is glass, chrome and very high-tech.

Although visitors may disagree on the appropriateness of the design, it must delight all those who work there. Except, of course, those who have to polish the glass and chrome. The huge kitchen has neither pillar nor post to obscure the view and is relatively cool; the vast subterranean cellar is temperature controlled and reached by wide, shallow steps which must ensure the minimum of breakages.

When it comes to stocking his kitchen and cellars, Pierre Troisgros starts with an enormous advantage. Troisgros is one of the most famous chefs in France, and every wine producer wants to sell to him-allocation is a word that he rarely hears. The cellar, 80,000 bottles in total, of which he sells 25,000 a year in the restaurant, contains all the top names.

Troisgros also realizes that not everyone can afford these wines. One recent meal included two mid-priced California Chardonnays and a Muscat de Mireval from the Languedoc. Finally, tucked away in his cellar is a range of half bottles of Château Petrus which Troisgros explains is the "cheapest" way for any diner to taste this fabled wine.

Having taken care of the wine lover, Troisgros does not neglect those equally passionate about food or cigars. His signature dishes remain on the menu-a thick creamy soup of frogs' legs, the escalope of salmon with sorrel and a fillet of beef pot-au-feu with a creamy horseradish. But the best value lies in the 10-course menu at 580 francs (about $105 U.S.), which includes the first two of these dishes plus servings of foie gras, lobster poached with Sancerre, and a pigeon roasted with garlic.

It is impossible to miss the cigar collection. Walk down the steps to the wine cellar and there on the right hand side, naturally at the correct temperature, is what can only be described as a "cigar vault." Excluding the smallest, there are over 60 different cigars on offer from all the top brands--Upmann, Punch, Quintero, El Rey del Mundo, Hoyo de Monterrey, Por Larranaga, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta, Davidoff, Montecristo and Bolivar, ranging in price from 26 to 250 francs ($5 to $45).

On one recent visit to Troisgros, two memorable dishes were available--a half a lobster perfectly grilled with a chive butter and a shiny white mousse of scallops which contained the last of the sea-son's sea urchins. Any gourmet heading for Troisgros would have a tough time trying to choose between the three main pleasures of this three-star palace: the menu, the wine list or the choice of cigars.

-- Nick Lander

Troisgros
Place de Gare
Roanne, 24300 France
Phone: (33) 77-71-66-97
Fax: (33) 77-70-39-77
14 rooms: 700 to 1,200 francs ($130 to $225)
6 duplexes: 1,400 to 2,000 frances ($260 to $370)
Menus from 580 francs ($105), à la carte 600-700 francs ($111 to $130)