A French “American Grill”
Thursday April 13th 2006, 6:54 am
Filed under: cultural differences, food and drinks, signs
americangrill1

While taking a walk through a tiny old village called, Chagny, my S.O. suddenly stops in mid-step and says, “whoa.” He was looking at this French “American Grill,” mouth gaping. It was somewhat of an eye sore with its OH SAY CAN YOU SEE decor. The place definitely grabs your attention whether you like it or not.

The only thing, though, is that we wondered why the logo of the American Grill in Chagny had a picture of what appears to be a sombrero sporting Mexican man with a poncho draped over one shoulder. Perhaps not such a bad thing we thought, “Maybe they have Mexican food!” (we simultaneously screamed hopefully).

americangrill3

But we could see the “moules/frites” (mussels and fries) sign plastered outside loud and clear, which didn’t instill much confidence in our hopes of finding some Mexican yummies. The menu was posted outside and we hurried over to check it out. S.O.: “Snails! Beurk. More Snails! Beef Bourgignon. Prawns. Scallops.” There was something called “Indiana Beef” which was grilled pieces of beef in salsa. If they just threw in some tortillas and grilled onions, bell peppers and some guac, they could’ve called those Fajitas! In all fairness, they did have all kinds of burgers, a milk shake, hot fudge brownies – we weren’t in the mood for, but it’s a place to keep in mind when we feel like some burgers or babyback ribs or coq au vin.

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12 Comments so far
Leave a comment

You must eat at the American Grill. Such things must be experienced and then reported on.

Indiana Beef. TeeHee.

Comment by Angry B 04.13.06 @ 7:34 am

ok angry, i’ll do it for you even tho it looks scary. this time we were on our way to another place for dinner but i wouldn’t mind trying the milk shake at the “american grill” and the brownie for the next time we’re there.

Comment by ptinfrance 04.13.06 @ 8:04 am

No way dude, it’s “Indiana Beef” or nothing.

Comment by Angry B 04.13.06 @ 8:09 pm

i’ll think about it.

Comment by ptinfrance 04.14.06 @ 2:03 am

I also like the spelling error on the menu – hehe. Les “spécialitées,” I know it’s a feminine word, but it does not need that extra “e” at the end. And the Indiana steak sounds purely foul.

Comment by Elisabeth 04.14.06 @ 7:01 am

heehee elisabeth and good catch. my s.o. thinks the error might indicate that the owners are non-french speakers which sort of gave him hope that some of the american things would be good (if they were american). he’s so optimistic!

Comment by ptinfrance 04.15.06 @ 6:37 am

Hmm, this reminds me of the now defunct “Catfish Café” in my neighborhood that promised an authentic patty melt. I always thought patty melts were made with rye bread grilled in butter and smothered in onions. This was a small hcheese burger with no buns. When I asked for a bun, they said they didn’t have any buns.

That is when I knew the place was a front for laundering narcodollars. Perhaps the logo is some sort of secret code for cross-border trafficking ?

And why is maisonin quotation marks ?

Comment by Marvin Gardens 04.24.06 @ 5:42 am

interesting remarks about the secret code for cross border trafficking. you never know! and also the “maison” thing: that place gets scarier and scarier :D maybe if you order the coq au vin “maison” for your dinner guest it’s code for like putting a hit on that person. or maybe you have to go into the back of the resto for your dish…

Comment by ptinfrance 04.24.06 @ 10:04 am

I’ve been visiting Chagny for years. Originally this restaurant was the Cafe Bourgogne. Afterwards it became the American Grille. I’ve eaten there twive and found it quite good. I had the escargots, a Bleu-burger and the brownie with hot sauce and ice cream. They renovated the area outside of the restaurant… and it is beautiful with six modern fountains and art exhibitions that change periodically. The restaurant’s name has also changed to something like the restaurant de six jets d’eaux. They still have the burgers on the menu but they are adding more regional specialties like les oeux en meurette (eggs poached in red wine) sounds weird but actually it’s very good

Comment by Mark 08.20.07 @ 5:54 pm

thanks for the update on that place, mark. we’ll have to investigate. now, if i can only remember where it was… ;-)

Comment by ptinfrance 08.21.07 @ 6:45 am

the restaurant is in the center of chagny. Its across from one of the best restaurants in France Lameloise It’s also next door to the Cave a Bieres with a huge selection of foreign beers. The owners Nanu and Carmen are very nice and it is air-conditioned

Comment by Mark 08.22.07 @ 4:02 pm

thanks so much, mark! we actually want to try the lameloise soon. we will definitely make return trips. i’m curious about the american grill, and i really want the brownie!

Comment by ptinfrance 08.23.07 @ 5:39 am



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