My French Heritage

Although I'm 100% American, every once in a while it's nice to appreciate my heritage.  Most people know that I'm Italian (50%), but I'm also Lithuanian (25%) and French (25%).  This post touches on the French part of me, but in reality I just ordered a bunch of things that had the word "French" in the title.

To start, a nice cup of French Onion soup.  French Onion is definitely not my favorite type of soup, but it's usually damm good.  If you've read this blog from the beginning you'll know that New England Clam Chowder in a bread bowl is my personal favorite, but French Onion definitely makes the top 10 list.  There are just too many great soups out there for me to put something that has so many onions in it near the top.  Matzo Ball, classic Chicken Noodle, Italian Wedding, and so on oust French Onion and they would really oust this version of French Onion.  I liked the two pieces of bread with cheese on them, but a great French Onion soup is one where a dome of melted cheese prevents you from seeing the soup at all.  When I order French Onion soup, I expect a thick blanket of cheese that seals in the warmth of the soup.  On a scale from 1-10, this soup ranked in at a 4.

 

Then came the main course.  I'd say 90% of the time I sit down at a diner and order something that's not breakfast, I'm thinking about ordering a French Dip.  Maybe it's because I get to dunk my sandwich in a delicious tasting Au Jus or maybe because it's the French in me, but I can't get enough of this sandwich.  Throw in some French Fries and we have a French trifecta!  Unfortunately there was something wrong with each French themed thing in this meal.  You already read about the lack of a cheese dome for my soup, but what about the cheese on my French Dip???  OH, THERE WASN'T ANY.  I don't care what kind of cheese comes on it (prefer Mozzarella, but I've had it with a few different kinds), but there needs to be some melted, gooey goodness on it!  This French Dip had none of that, but the Au Jus saved it.  I did have to request a second cup of it, but it was delicious.  Nothing like a bit of this bad boy after it soaked in the sauce and sponged up all that flavor.  As for the French Fries, nothing special at all.  No seasoning, no unique crisp to them, nothing special.  I actually didn't even finish them because they tasted so plain.  The Au Jus helped, but not enough.

 

So yes I'm French and yes I embrace that part of me, but the food really disappointed me.  I'll take Italian everyday of the week and twice on Sundays, but the "French" themed food has its moments.