French 75
Bonjour Amis, I’m wearing my virtual beret this morning because over the years many have asked how I came up with ‘French 75’ as the name for what becamemy iconic, Bistro in Laguna Beach. Well, actually that was not the first name I was going to call it. Originally, it was going to be ‘The Snail Club’ as kind of a tongue in cheek name for a French Bistro. I even had a blade sign designed that would hang over the front door showing a snail with a burnished brass shell. However, my partner John Martin, who was the sitting CEO of Taco Bell at that time, didn’t think that was such a great name. In fact, in our years together as partners, having opened 9 restaurants together, it was the one and only time he ever insisted on overruling me on any decision…I’m glad he did. We were in the midst of our remodel so I needed to come up with another name quickly. One day I was asked by a Guest about how I got started in the business and what the first restaurant was that I had ever worked in. I was telling him the story about my first job at the very popular ‘Maxwell’s Plum’ in Manhattan and how I had lied my way into being hired as a captain where I opened wine and prepared Ceasar salads and steak tartare tableside for guests. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my 2 summers spent working there during my college years played a significant role in my ending up in this business. I’d like to share a little bit of history here in order to provide some context. Maxwell’s Plum was a flamboyant restaurant bar that operated in New York City from 1966 to 1988. Located on the Upper East Side, it was highly influential for its eclectic menu, Art Nouveau decor, and role in launching the 1960s “swinging singles” bar scene as it was widely considered one of the first and most prominent places to popularize the concept. It fundamentally altered the NYC social scene by merging dining, socializing, and casual mingling in a vibrant, relaxed setting. Owned by restaurateur Warner LeRoy (son of Hollywood producer Mervyn LeRoy), the space was famous for its kaleidoscopic stained-glass ceilings, glowing Tiffany lamps, and whimsical ceramic animals hanging from the ceilings. The expansive menu featured everything from gourmet burgers and chili to Iranian caviar and wild boar, even earning highly coveted stars from the New York Times. During its heyday, it was a massive magnet for the “in-crowd,” frequently hosting celebrities, artists, and notable figures like Warren Beatty, Cary Grant, Danny Kaye, and Barbra Streisand. The name itself was simply chosen on a whim by its creator, who wanted an offbeat, warm-sounding name that also included a food word. Anyway, I was sharing some of my stories with the guest, including my steak tartare ‘cookoff’. One lunch I had prepared several steak tartares and at the end of my shift the General Manager confronted me. Frenchman Jacques Alliman was an imposing 6’-4” version of Gerard Depardieu and he had noticed that I was not following the house recipe that I was taught. Naively, I responded that I had received numerous compliments on my version to which he said “Well, we shall see…you prepare your version, I will prepare mine and we will compare.” So, in the company of half a dozen waiters we did just that. After we finished Jacques took a taste of his version and then mine. He looked at the group and said “My version of zee tartare is very good…but David’s is better.” From that point on, every server came to me to prepare a tartar when ordered by a guest. My secret ingredient?… touch of A-1 sauce. Little did I know then that somewhere deep inside me it instilled the confidence in my own taste buds. So back to French 75, as I was telling this story I remembered another incident that was a lightning bolt that hit me at the time. One chilly and windy afternoon as lunch was winding down, I was waiting at the service bar for a bottle of wine a guest had ordered, when a tall, blonde bombshell walked into the restaurant and sat at the bar just a couple stools from me. She was dressed in fur, a gorgeous shimmering dress and dripping with jewelry. The bartender came over to her and asked her what she would like to drink. She said, “I’d like a French 75.” I remember thinking….OMG…that isthe sexiest sounding drink I have ever heard of. Well, that was it…when I remembered this incident, I had to call my new place French 75. But I wanted to do some research into the history of this drink and how it got its name. I discovered that in 1898 a modern new cannon was introduced by the French onto the battlefield. This 75-millimeter field gun was renowned for its speed, accuracy and explosive power. During the 1910’s, when military culture permeated everyday life, a potent new cocktail made with Cognac and Champagne was named after this beloved French weapon as it hit with the same force as being shelled by one. I wrote a back story behind almost every concept I developed and the one for French 75 was a nostalgic look back as a GI stationed in Paris remembering the little bistros and the beautiful French women….even the logo I had developed included an image of an old DC-3 right out of Casablanca. The finishing touch was the mural above the bar I had commissioned depicting a ‘Champagne War’ with naked cherubs and monkeys playfully shooting corks at each other. A guest once told me that they took it down when the restaurant closed…I sure would like to get it back. So, like Paul Harvey used to say…”And now you know…the rest of the story”. I hope some of you enjoyed reading this. Au
