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Menus Plaisirs is a film about the Troisgros family and their three restaurants: Troisgros, Le Central and La Colline, located in three neighboring locations in central France. Troisgros, a restaurant founded 93 years ago, has had three Michelin stars for 55 years and in 2020 was awarded a Michelin green star for exemplary sustainable practices. Much of the film takes place at Troisgros. The present chef, César Troisgros, is the fourth generation of the family to be in charge at Troisgros. The film shows the day-to-day operations involving the purchase, preparation and service at this restaurant.
Scenes in the film also include purchasing fresh vegetables at the market, visits to a cheese processing plant, a vineyard, a cattle ranch working on best farming practices, and an organic farmer whose farm, along with the garden of the restaurant, provides organic produce for the restaurants. The Troisgros family’s interest in biodiversity is illustrated in their choice and preparation of their distinctive menu and their efforts to reduce food waste. The film shows the great artistry ingenuity, imagination, and hard work of the restaurant staff in creating, preparing, and presenting meals of the highest quality. Additionally, the collaboration within the Troisgros family is evident as the father, Michel, transfers the leadership in the kitchen to his son, César and collaborates with his wife, who runs the hotel and his other son, Léo, who runs La Colline.
(Venice International Film Festival)
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Everything you wanted to know about this fancy French family-run three-Michelin-stars restaurant, but were afraid to ask. Meticulous, without the slightest exaggeration riveting (yes, watching the routine performed by proper professionals for four hours of footage in this rendition can indeed be, and is, riveting), all revealing insight as if you were standing right there working with them (to the point that after completing those four hours you are entitled to be paid for a half shift worked). Frederick Wiseman keeps a watchful eye on everything from food preparation, debates over the investment wine list, the work of the journeymen as well as the managers, the clientele, the suppliers, the interconnectedness of departments and activities... A heaven for process analysts, and anyone else who is interested in "how and why things get done". I went into this with the expectation that I would inevitably watch parts of it, but I ate it up like a raspberry. There are so many interesting areas to delve into in even greater detail that, as much as that enormous running time seems like an unbearable obstacle, it is the only blemish on the beauty in the finale. It could have done with an hour longer director's cut.
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Photo © Zipporah Films
