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Le Bec Fin Now
Nicolas Fanucci and Walter Abrams on the evolution of Le Bec Fin's menu.
Le Bec Fin Now
A little over four weeks ago, Nicolas Fanucci and his old friend, chef Walter Abrams did the (at one time) unthinkable: they opened their 2.0 version of Le Bec Fin (1523 Walnut St.), Georges Perrier’s legendary French restaurant that closed its doors in March.
No sooner than the still-gilded doors swung open came comments good and bad: why was the food and décor still so traditional (hadn’t these gentlemen had the famed French Laundry in their pedigree)? What would become of the much despised basement boite Tryst? What was the story with the tasting menu? Where was the Galette de Crabe?
Talking to both Fanucci and Abrams, seeing the re-dux of the upstairs dining room (chandelier in tact, deep royal blue accents) and the de-tacky-facation of the basement, now named Chez Georges and done up in warm organics, matching blue tones and sans Tryst’s shininess, the first thing to note after LBF’s first month is relax. Each man is busy making Le Bec Fin their own while maintaining the traditions that made the grande dame of Philly dining a giant throughout most of its tenure in Philly.
“I knew what I wanted to do with it last summer when I first looked at Le Bec Fin to purchase,” says Fanucci. “I wanted to keep it traditional.” Fanucci revealed that he was inspired toward the direction of the classics when, two summers ago, he took a dining tour of France with Laundry man Thomas Keller. “The best places that we ate were all about tradition. The old world French. Nothing trendy. Very formal. The food was incredibly rich. The presentation was perfect. We had the most amazing meal. I don’t care what people say: when the French they do it best. That experience touched me. Le Bec Fin was the right place for me to share that experience.”
Though LBF is not quite finished with its re-do (“we are still today not done with construction, the waiting is highly frustrating”), the one major move that Fanucci is happy about is Chez Georges, the work-in-progress basement space. When Fanucci first saw the space, it was the beautiful carved wood-filled Bar Lyonais. “It was old fashioned, yes, but people enjoyed the atmosphere. There were always businessmen sitting at the bar for cocktails and it was a great place for roasted chicken.” When Fanucci saw the overly-lacquer-ed Tryst upon his return the first thing he said to Perrier was “what did you do?” Suddenly the basement was too shiny and too cramped for the staff to get around. So Fanucci took Tryst apart, renamed it after its one-time owner but made it warmer and more elegant and roomy with wallpaper and draping. “We took the shiny out,” says Fanucci. “Anything that was modern or crazy is gone.”
What isn’t gone is the traditionalism of LBF’s menu, a fact that has impressed some and aggravated others (“most of the diners wish to speak to the chef at the end of each night, and most of them are positive about the experience,” laughs Fanucci). There is, of course, change daily as LBF deals with some of the finest purveyors in the area. Chef Abrams sees to that. “The tradition of French cuisine comes down to our sauce work, our stock work, the way we flute a mushroom or tourney our vegetables,” says Abrams proudly. “Making a consommé – it just isn’t seen anymore. The way I do things though is a little more intricate, cleaner and more modern. Especially the plating. That’s how my way is different from old school classic French.”
Abrams has been evolving LBF’s menu since that first week, first creating a template as part of the restaurant’s menu but adding options so to please diners feeling confined by the fixed price. “The template allows me to create a beautiful garnish with similar vegetables but to plug in the options of different proteins. It could be chanterelle mushroom purée, peas and carrots finished with a Bordelaise sauce then add either a beautiful piece of beef or lamb.” That’s where Abrams introduces change to the tradition. As local farmers bring him fresh meats, fish and vegetables daily, Abrams improvises the day’s menu. “I love that challenge. It’s keeping me on my toes and making the menu a little more radical.”
Along with hosting a compost situation that’s beneficial to his purveyors, Abrams refuses to waste an ounce of what he’s cooking for the main dining room. That’s where Chez Georges comes in. As Abrams wishes to keep the downstairs dining arena hearty and classic (“even home cooked”) he’s going for dinners not as refined as what’s served upstairs but larger in their portions. Halibut brandade on toast, cassoulets and mussels are but a few of the items.
“We might have halibut on our menu upstairs but downstairs, we’ll use the bellies, salt them and make a brandade. We might serve duck upstairs and use the breasts but downstairs I’ll cure the legs for a duck confit and take the bones roast ‘em up for a nice sauce.” As for some of the LBF signature dishes such as Galette de Crabe that one-time customers of Perrier’s have been asking for, Abrams is forthright. “The Le Bec Fin cookbook is a nice thing to have and the Crabe is a classic but out of respect, we won’t serve it. Maybe we might showcase it as a canape. Either way, I like the challenges and I like the changes. That’s why have options are best. It makes diners more open to what ever changes we make.”
Fanucci says the changes will come quite simply to Le Bec Fin while maintaining old school traditionalism. “Change is easy,” he laughs. “All you need is a printer.”
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