Eye-Opening Perspectives for Heroic Hearts

Eye-Opening Perspectives for Heroic Hearts

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Child's Bistro Belly Flops

Snapper Cafe Closes After 45 Days

Family and Friends Blame Unusual Menu

9.29.2010 By Winsip Custer WCP News Service

Jean Claude Lemaux Child, who claims to be the nephew of author of the French cooking classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child, has opened and closed his first restaurant, the Aimer Rouge Snapper, in Montreal, Canada, all within forty five days. Family and friends blamed Child's unusual menu and rigid insistence that he would never waver from his decision to create a restaurant where his passion for Red Snapper could be showcased.

Julia at the stove where Jean Claude
says he learned her finest recipes
 "I have always loved Red Snapper," said Jean Claude, "and I think that others should love it too. If that is wrong, C'est la vie. Aunt Julia always said 'good food is like good sex. The more you get the more you want.' And, of course, she had a profound effect on my career choices in life, but I kept coming back to Snapper. Especially after her book Cooking With Julia and Jacques came out in 1999 when she described her poached Snapper...."The flesh is no longer squashy and raw; it has taken on texture, and is lightly springy to the touch. When just done the juices have swelled in the flesh and are ready to escape; you can begin to smell cooking fish. That is the moment you are waiting for. A little longer and the juices will have left the flesh; you have overcooked your fish, it will have stiffened and the flesh will flake," said Jean Claude reading from the book as if escaping to another world.

I asked Jean Claude why he did not include Julia's poached Snapper on the menu. "No special reason," he said. "I don't have a recipe named after my Mother, Gwen, nor my Grand Mother Bridget. You can't always do everything, even if you might want to," he concluded.

Jean Claude's brother, Pierre Rousseau Child, was more circumspect in his criticism of the restaurant's fare. "Something just didn't strike the right nerve with about three quarters of our patrons.... and we really can't call them 'patrons' if they didn't come back. Couples came and went, but most didn't return. Well some did, but they usually had late night reservations and had been drinking before they arrived and they were good wine buyers and fun people and good tippers," said Pierre. "Some single men enjoyed the dishes and atmosphere and our wine list was one of the finest in Montreal. Some of the men would actually order two or three of our entree's on a single night, but not even that could sustain us and so we just had to close in order to regroup and redefine our mission and menu," said Pierre who pointed out the overwhelming consistency of the menu in reflecting Jean Claude's love of Snapper which included:

Cafe Aimer Rouge Snapper
Menu
Snapper Diana..........Baked Snapper Almondine with.............in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Suzanne......Sauteed Snapper with capers and............ in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Betty Lou....Grilled Snapper with lemon and lime.........in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Wendy........Flash fried Snapper lightly..........................in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Jill...............Stuffed Snapper with crab and cucumber stuffed.....in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Jacqueline....Snapper au grautin with French...................in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Adrienne......Snapper grilled over oak embers and stuffed with.....in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Sophie.........Snapper with chopped celantro in a white cream........in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Frances.......Snapper lightly breaded and baked with.............in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Renee'.........Snapper Provalonem, stuffed with....................in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Patricia........Snapper marinated in grapefruit and stuffed with........in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Colleen........Snapper with chives and pistacios in a......................in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Cheryl..........Snapper with eggplant and...................................in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Angelina.......Snapper and shrimp in an asparagus and basil roux and....in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Carol............Snapper stuffed calamari and mushrooms and........in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Sarah............Snapper stuffed with Spanish olives and................in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Janie..............Snapper baked with apples and .......................in a halo of angel hair pasta
Snapper Mary Jane.....Snapper and clams with mandarin oranges............in a halo of angel hair pasta

Jean Claude spoke about the changes he sees for the future of his restaurant. "I believe that I was short sighted in not putting in my recipe for rump roast and perhaps ham hocks. I don't know. And, of course, they serve nicely on a bed of angel hair pasta, too. Whatever I decide it will reflect the soul of my wonderful Aunt Julia."

When asked why he would be so focused on a fish which is not indigenous to either France nor Montreal, the Red Snapper, and a fish which has no known name in the French language, he said "I just like Snapper.  I thought I was thinking outside the box.  Apparently not."

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