Gascony invades New York

Les Gascons Invade New York.
Week of Feb.15-22.

Chefs from Gascony, France, met their counterparts in NYC this week to pitch battle over hot stoves. Open to the public, the celebration is being sponsored by the French, who else, to toast one of their own-a 25 year old U.S.company ( D’Artagnan ) that markets French-style provisions to French restaurants here in the U.S. and to those Francophiles who savor anything French on the kitchen table.

Armagnac is the drink of choice at a bevy of 3-4-and 5 star dinners
set by the toques in the best of the best restaurants in the Big Apple. That’s 32 stars of talent in one week’s time. Wow! Bar Boulud, Bar Tabac, Daniel, David Burke, Eleven Madison Park, Jean-Georges, Le Bernardin, Le Singe Vert, Per Se are among them. And they’ll sample the wines of Gascony- Madiran, Gaillac, Gascogne, Pacherenc, Fronton, Saint-Mont, Jurancon and Cahors along with their fare, -all being introduced by the Company of Musketeers of Armagnac, an ancient order founded by D’Artagnan, the mythical leader of the Three Musketeers of yore. And to even the score on Sunday, the 21st, the toques will fight it out on the open planes of Central Park where rugby players from SW France will do battle with a band of toques from this side of the Atlantic. The winners will then toast each other at an undisclosed restaurant of choice, a la Francaise, of course. More wine, more vitals. All this in the name of Gaulic cuisine and vin blanc, vin rouge and vin des esprits. Before they leave us however, a night of La Grande Fete is being planned by the emigres from Cahors and SW France thanks to Air France, the Toulouse Office of Tourism, Open Skies, the SW French Wines Trade Board and the trade councils of Cahors and Armagnac. One thing is for sure, the French like to party when they’re here.

Viva La France!

Michael/ LET’S TRAVEL! Radio
www.letstravelradio.com