Orange County

Restaurants - French Cuisine

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Warwick RestaurantsOrange - French Cuisine

10990, restaurant, bed & breakfast | Orange Chateau Hathorn Restaurant

845-986-6099
  Chateau Hathorn Restaurant is located in a Bed & Breakfast at 33 Hathorn Road, Warwick NY 10990, Orange County in the Hudson Valley.

From Chateau Hathorn: "The Chateau Hathorn offers fine Swiss and French cuisine in an authentically furnished 18th-century private mansion. We use only the finest ingredients, many coming from local farms. Our poultry is free-range and all natural with no hormones." Chateau Hathorn  Restaurant | Orange  website and more . . .
 All Washingtonville ListingsOrange
 

Washingtonville RestaurantsOrange - French Cuisine

10992, Cafe, Continental French cuisine, Washingtonville, NY, Orange County, Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville New York, Restaurant Review, French, 
Outdoor dining, Piano Bar, Tapas Wine Bar, The word is, restaurant, warm weather dining | Orange Vinum Cafe

845-496-9001
  The Vinum Cafe, serving Continental French cuisine, is located at 84 Brotherhood Plaza Drive, Washingtonville, NY 10992 in Orange County.

From Vinum Café: "Located on the historic site of the Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville New York, the Vinum Café occupies the ground floor of the original winery building circa 1839. The extensive renovation revealed the original brick wall giving a new life to this landmark, together with a brand new 140 seat fine dinning restaurant. Vinum Cafe | Orange restaurant review, website and more . . .

 More Hudson Valley  Restaurants - French Cuisine


Restaurants - French Cuisine | Dutchess Dutchess County
      [9 listings over 4 locations]


Restaurants - French Cuisine | Putnam Putnam County
      [2 listings over 2 locations]


Restaurants - French Cuisine | Rockland Rockland County
      [4 listings over 2 locations]


Restaurants - French Cuisine | Westchester Westchester County
      [18 listings over 16 locations]



Related Categories:
 Cuisines F-I


French Restaurants
Orange County
Hudson Valley, New York

Find French restaurants and places to eat that serve French cuisine in Orange County, New York. If you are dining out in Orange County NY, check this list of French restaurants. Read The word is reviews about a French restaurant's food, decor, service, and features.

In addition to cuisine, Restaurants Hudson Valley lists restaurants in Orange County by restaurant features such as Outdoor Dining, Waterfront Dining, Sunday Brunch, Catering & Receptions, Live Music, Family Restaurants, Small Plates (Tapas), Healthy Restaurant Options, and Local, Natural, and Organic ingredients.

About French Cuisine
Most people agree that one of France's most important attractions is its cuisine. The French are often said to have a "love affair" with food. French food is cooked to be enjoyed and savored, without being rushed. Traditional family meals, especially the Sunday mid-day meal, are prepared with great pride and attention. The French dine slowly and with appreciation, often pairing courses with a number of wines.

Modern French cuisine is characterized by its diversity. French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical "haute cuisine" and provincial styles. Many of the world's greatest chefs include Eugénie Brazier (first woman chef to receive six Michelin stars), Alain Ducasse, Paul Bocuse and Julia Child (famous for teaching America all about the art of French cuisine). French cooking techniques have been a major influence on virtually all Western cuisines. Most culinary schools use French cuisine as the basis for all other forms of Western cooking.

Origins of French Cuisine
In the early 15th century, the Renaissance flourished in Florence. Culture included not only art and music, but also the "art of cooking". French Cuisine originated from the cooking styles of Italy that were brought to the French court by Catherine de Medicis, wife of King Henri II of France. The word is that she was so disappointed by the cooking methods of the French that she brought her own entourage of Italian chefs to the French court. Catherine's Italian chefs taught the French the importance of enhancing various foods and fresh ingredients rather than smothering the ingredients and "hiding" food that was going bad. In addition to the new skills in preparing food, Italian chefs also brought more modern methods of food preparation and more elegant dining practices.

Regions of France
Each region of France is known for its own distinctive cuisine. French regional cuisine uses locally grown vegetables and ingredients helping to ensure a fresh and tasty meal. Local street markets are held on certain days in most localities; towns of a certain importance generally have a more permanent covered market in which food shops, especially meat and fish retailers, sell their fresh produce. French wine and French cheese are an integral part of French cuisine, both as ingredients and accompaniments.

The French, a nation of gourmets, know that the best food is made from local ingredients. Therefore, coastal regions (such as Brittany and Normandy, on the northwest coast of France) will favor sea fish, using it creatively and more often than areas further inland. Likewise, areas where fruit or herbs grow easily, will incorporate these into their local cuisine. Each region, in addition to boasting local specialities, also has a general style of cooking and choice of ingredients.

Regional Styles of French Cuisine

    - Cuisine from northwest France uses butter, cream (crème fraiche), and apples.
    - Cuisine from southwest France uses duck fat, foie gras, porcini mushrooms, and gizzards.
    - Cuisine from southeast France uses olive oil, herbs, and tomatoes, influenced by Spanish and Italian.
    - Cuisine from northern France uses potatoes, pork, endives and beer, influenced by Flemish cuisine.
    - Cuisine from northeast France uses lard, sausage, beer, sauerkraut, influenced by Flemish cuisine.

In addition to French Regional styles of cooking, there are many local cuisines. Unique and wonderful flavor abounds in the food of the Loire Valley, Basque cuisine, Roussillon and Catalan cuisine, and other local areas in France.

What is often known outside of France as French cuisine is the traditionally elaborate haute cuisine, served in restaurants at high prices. Haute cuisine is mostly influenced by the regional cuisines of Lyon and northern France. Average French people do not eat or prepare this cuisine in their everyday life.

As a general rule, elderly people tend to eat the regional cuisine of the region where they are located, while younger people often eat dishes from other regions including foreign dishes. Exotic cuisines, particularly Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine and some dishes from former colonies in Northern Africa have made inroads into France.

Typical Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

    Breakfast The day begins with a light breakfast in the morning, generally consisting of bread with jam and spreads, often replaced nowadays by breakfast cereals, a hot drink such as coffee, tea or chocolate flavored milk, some fruit or fruit juice. Hotel breakfasts often contain croissants, but it is uncommon for French people to eat croissants at every breakfast; they may be replaced with other kinds of viennoiserie such as pains au chocolat, madeleines, etc.

    Lunch and Dinner Lunch is usually eaten between noon and 2:00 p.m. Dinner is usually served after 7:30 p.m. However there are large variations depending on the local regional cultures. Dinner is usually between 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Alsace region while it is usually served after 8:30 p.m. in southern France. A typical dinner starts with an appetizer (crudités or salad), the main course is usually fish or meat served with vegetables, pasta, rice, or fries. The main course is followed by salad, cheese, fruit or a sweet such as cake. Espresso is often served after the noon meal.

    Drinks and Wine
    Although the legal drinking age in France is 16, there seems to be infrequent incidences with alcoholic beverages. Traditionally, France has been a culture that enjoys wine daily. Recently, wine seems to have been replaced with beer (among the youth). Other alcoholic drinks include pastis, an aniseed flavoured beverage or cider. However, many of the French still enjoy wine daily.

Brasseries
Brasseries often serve the following dishes - often with fries:

    Steak with fries.
    Poulet frites-chicken with fries.
    Croque-monsieur (grilled Swiss cheese and ham sandwich).
French Dishes - Or are they French?
Although the following dishes are considered typical of French cuisine in some foreign countries, they are rarely eaten in France:
    Frog legs
    Escargots

French Desserts

    Crêpes
    Chocolate Mousse
    Pastries
    Mille-feuille
    Choux a la creme
    Baba au rhum
    Tarts

French Restaurant Cuisine
Restaurant cuisine in France can be divided into three categories.

    Cuisine Bourgeoise
    Cuisine bourgeoise includes all the classic French dishes that have become popular over the whole of France, especially among the affluent classes. These dishes focus mainly on rich, cream-based sauces and involve some complex cooking techniques that are generally associated with French cuisine. This category makes use of haute cuisine, a very complex approach to food preparation and kitchen management. This type of cooking is often served abroad as "French cuisine" and is viewed by many (outside of France) as typical French cuisine. The French may eat "Cuisine Bourgeoise" for special occasions, while everyday meals are much simpler in preparation.

    Cuisine du Terroir
    Cuisine du terroir consists mostly of regional specialties, using quality local products in addition to traditional recipes. Many dishes that are included in this category aren't considered to be typically French. In many cases regional cooking styles are quite different from the dishes served in French restaurants all over the world.

    Cuisine Nouvelle
    Cuisine nouvelle originated around 1970. The characteristic features of this category are: shorter cooking times, lighter sauces and dressings and smaller portions offered in a decorative manner. Cuisine nouvelle is a modern style that is inspired by techniques and combinations from other countries, such as Asia.

Food Culture
It is common in much of France to take a two hour break for lunch, with many working parents (particularly in villages and smaller towns) returning home for lunch. In some areas, mainly in the south of France, even longer lunch breaks are taken. Due to the long lunch break, businesses often close from noon to 2:00 p.m. and then stay open until 7:00 p.m.




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