<p>So shall we seize the opportunity, Alexandre, and open a restaurant in Ann Arbor? </p>
<p>You supply the capital (we’ll call it “Chez Alexandre”), I’ll run it. I’m thinking a simple little French bistro-inspired place with top quality oysters, creative salads, soupe a l’oignon, and staples like steak frites, moules frites, cassoulet, coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, maybe an Alsatian choucroute garni (which also serves as a nod to Ann Arbor’s German heritage), a couple of simple seafood dishes (sea scallops a must,but also one or two simple fish dishes), a good bouillabaisse, and of course some vegetarian options, including a to-die-for ratatouille in the summer and maybe a vegetarian cassoulet in winter (challenging, but it can be done well). A hamburger, of course, with nothing but the best organic, local, pasture-raised beef, with a garlic confit and swiss-and-mushrooms as optional toppings, as well as a vegetarian/vegan burger alternative (maybe a black bean and quinoa veggie patty?) An optional cheese course featuring the best French and regional cheeses. A dessert menu featuring a stellar creme brulee, pastries, the finest of local ice creams (not sure what those are right now), Michigan apple and cheddar dessert crepes, and fresh seasonal local/organic fruits and berries, as well as some glorious seasonal Michigan fruit pies, cobblers, and crisps–apple, cherry, peach, wild blueberry, strawberry/rhubarb… A wine list featuring high quality but relatively affordable French wines, a few quality but high-value California and Oregon/Washington wines, and some of the best Michigan wines, coupled with a beer menu heavy on Belgian and Michigan craft beers/ales, as well as a few Michigan and French ciders. That’s the core. I’d also be tempted to add a Cajun/Creole side menu with dishes like New Orleans-style red beans & rice (with a vegetarian version optional), jambalaya, chicken gumbo, shrimp creole, and shrimp etouffee, and on the dessert menu beignets, pralines, and pecan pie. And since we’re going broader Francophone, maybe a couple of Quebecois dishes like a hearty pea soup, a meat pie, a top-of-the-line poutine, and on the dessert menu a torte au sucre d’erable (maple sugar pie). And on the broader Francophone theme, how about a Haitian dish like griot (fried pork) with a side of black beans and rice, and to go Francophone global, maybe a couple of North African savory couscous dishes, one vegetarian, one not, and a Vietnamese-French fusion dish or two.</p>
<p>Lunch menu: soups, salads, crepes, quiche, omelets, hamburger and veggie burger, muffaletta, po’ boys, red beans & rice, poutine, couscous, falafel sandwich, Haitian black beans & rice, and a Vietnamese dish or two.</p>
<p>Thing is, I cook about 90% of the dishes I’ve named, and if I do say so myself I do a fine job of it, though I’d have to scale it up to production level.</p>
<p>I think the concept sells in Ann Arbor. Done right, people flock to it. At the outset it doesn’t get a Michelin star–these ideas are all derivative, and it doesn’t deserve a Michelin star until it develops its own signature dishes–but I think the concept is a winner.</p>
<p>So what say you, partner? </p>