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Chicken a la Arsenic In 2005, in the U.S., we ate 87 lbs of chicken per person, per year. Until recently, there was a high chance that if you ate chicken, it contained arsenic. Arsenic was a government approved additive used in poultry feed to kill parasites and promote growth (Imagine pink cheeked chickens) until it was identified as a cancer causing agent and a risk to heart disease and diabetes. Organic, antibiotic free chickens are the safest to eat. But if even if a chicken you buy at the supermarket contains arsenic, removing the skin will reduce the arsenic and risk levels significantly. Jacques Pepin (the other French chef) told Julia Child that he doesn’t wash chicken before he puts it in the oven. He said “the cheekeen will cook at 425 degreeze for tree hour. If zee bacteria can survive that, they deezerve to live.” To your health ... British Medical Journal reports that an alcoholic drink can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease in men and women. For men, one drink a week lowered the risk of coronary heart disease by 7%. Two to four drinks by 22% and five or six drinks a week by 29%. Men who drank every day had a 41% lower risk of heart disease than those who did not drink at all. The 41% protection persisted among men who had up to 35 drinks a week. For women the number of drinks or amount of alcoholic they consume doesn’t matter. One drink a week or one drink a day reduced their risk of heart disease the same, by 37%. What does this mean? The other French Chef says that he and his wife look forward to dinners at home. They begin each evening with cocktails (his is Scotch) before dinner. Then, they open two of their favorite bottles of wine which they enjoy with dinner. The score is still 41 to 37. Attention Shoppers On your next visit to the Village, Northgate or Vintage Oaks, enjoy the merchandising game. Here are some tricks of the trade used by retailers: When you enter a store, most shoppers turn right, probably because most are right-handed. The right hand thoroughfare attracts the highest traffic anywhere in the store. It is the perfect location for high-profit merchandise. Coincidentally, at Christophe, if you turn left, you will walk into the wall. Stores like Target and Old Navy that provide a shopping cart or basket to hold potential purchases, sell more than stores that don’t. Shoppers tend to move quickly through stores. To slow them, retailers provide mirrors wherever they can be “most people like to check out their hair as much as they do the clothes.” Those neatly folded piles of clothes intimidate some shoppers who are afraid of messing up the stacks. “So today’s salespeople are trained to leave a few items unfolded, encouraging shoppers to look and touch.” The best place to put the cosmetic counter is across from the shoe department. “Waiting for their size, shoppers are a captive audience.” (Macy’s and Nordstrom). Michelin Guide vs Zagat Survey The Michelin Guide was created in 1900 to help drivers maintain their cars find lodging and eat well as they motored through France. The Michelin critics are “inspectors” who use secret criteria to rate and review restaurants. The Zagat Survey was developed in 1979 in New York City when a group of about 200 friends began comparing notes and personal opinions about local NYC restaurants. Zagat now has 250,000 surveyers and you can enroll on-line. The Michelin Guide uses three stars (worth a special trip), two stars (worth a detour) and one star (worth a visit) to rate their selected restaurants. They also have a category of “good meals at moderate prices”. The Zagat rates by numbers which range between 0-30. A number value is given to a restaurant’s food, décor and service. Christophe Restaurant received a 22 (outstanding) for food, 19 for décor which has since be renovated and 22 for service. (The French Laundry received a score of 28) So, who can you trust? A secretive paid “inspector” or, diners like you and me who pay for their own meals? How can you you compare a moderately priced restaurant average bill $34 with an expensive venue at $ 154 per person? When the Bay Area Michelin Guide debuts in October 2006, you can compare it to the Zagat Survey. For the record, when Christophe Restaurant receives three Michelin stars, Pierre promises not to imitate the Paris eateries and raise his dinner prices to $400 per person. See our website for other recipes: www.french-restaurant-marin.com Summer Recipe Oven or Barbeque
Salmon with Hot Mustard Glaze 1. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Mix mustard, sugar and ½ cup water together and set aside. 2. Cut salmon into four portions and dry with a paper towel. Most Important: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet with high heat. Add salmon skin side up and sear quickly for 2 minutes on each side. The thickest part of the salmon should be raw in the center. This is the technique Pierre uses for searing meat, fish and fowl. 3. Brush the salmon with the remaining olive oil and then with the mustard mixture. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes until the salmon is medium rare in the center. Remove from oven and serve. |
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The finest french food restaurant in the entire San Francisco Bay Area is located in beautiful Marin County. |
E-News
08/06