Philippe Power
The French Cowboy throws the ultimate Bastille Day party — and doesn't show:Wigs & wine
Adieu Houston. Bienvenu en France; vive la liberté!
Tempting Francophiles on Saturday afternoon was Philippe Restaurant + Lounge's first annual Bastille Day fête with a montage of cuisine from across the French countryside, wooing gourmands to a six-course tour de nourriture inspired by chef Philippe Schmit's travels to Loire, Alsace, Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône and Bordeaux, paired with wines selected by sommelier Vanessa Treviño Boyd.
The only thing Texas was the size of the spread of the French fare — and the torrential rains, though the weather was easily ignored after a few flutes of bubbly and schmaltzy accordion-plus-guitar tunes courtesy of The Gypsies.
But where was the French Cowboy?
What's one to do after an endless flow of le wine and le food? Le big, long nap.
The chef himself skipped town to New York City for "research" — read that: to frolic from party to party to muse his bouche with cocktails and cuisine. Though Schmit's presence was missed, his parting gifts more than made up for his absence, among them bourride, a seafood melange of scallops, mussels and salmon; saucisson brioche with Dijon; duck and pork pâté; pan fried spaetzle and garbure — a beef and pork sausage, ham and cabbage stew.
Wait, there was more. Sweet endings of tarte tatin, nougat ice cream and cannelés — this was no place to stick to one's diet. Seconds? Mais oui, s'il vous plaît.
The cortège of 75 bowed to the Tricolour with themed duds and aristocrat wigs. And after three, four or five (eh, who's counting) glasses of wine, a handful tested their French patois. Tanya Gorowara and Alexandra Leon were a couple of the lucky ones winning door prizes, which included a $250 shopping spree at Calypso St. Barth, a basket of The French Farm goodies and a Le Labo perfume gift set.
Toasting to a joyeux quatorze Juillet were Viviana and Frederic Blandeau, Michael Firmian, Joe Edd Nelson, Jerry Remindo, Roberto Lange, Vicki Crown, Sarah Schlager, Dr. Olga Carmenates, Marcela and Alejandro Gaxiola, Cynthia Coleman, Carrie Schadle, Sandy Zeutschel, Jessica An, Alan Luan, Karen and Walt Krey, Mavis and Don Sandeis and Alan Welton.
What's one to do after an endless flow of le wine and le food? Le big, long nap.
