Brasserie Georges

Last updated
Brasserie Georges. Brasserie Georges.JPG
Brasserie Georges.

The Brasserie Georges is a restaurant located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. It is the oldest brasserie in the city and one of the largest brasseries in Europe. [1] Its reputation is now international. With a history closely linked to that of Lyon, the brasserie serves typical dishes including the famous sausage of Lyon with pistachios, and recipes from other regions such as sauerkraut, baked Alaska or the seafood on their menu. [2] In 1986 the brasserie served the biggest sauerkraut in the world; it weighed a ton and a half. In 1996, the largest baked Alaska (34 metres) was served. The Brasserie Georges brews its own beer, a tradition from its inception, when water in Lyon was considered of exceptional quality. The restaurant never closes throughout the year. Over 700 guests can be served at each service. [3] On 8 December, during the fête des lumières, over 2,500 meals were served in a service. It is sometimes called the BG or Le Georges.

Contents

History

Dining room. Salle - Brasserie Goerges (1).JPG
Dining room.

The brasserie was built in 1836 by Georges Hoffherr, from Alsace, and was opened the same year. [4] The location of the brasserie, on a land reclaimed from the swamps of the confluence of the Saône and the Rhône, was chosen because it corresponded to the stage coaches on the axis Paris-Lyon-Saint-Étienne-Marseille. On 1 June 1857, Perrache station opened next to the Brasserie Georges. The construction of the Brasserie Georges was an architectural challenge: 710 m² ceiling are supported only by four 25-foot fir beams, [5] brought from Chartreuse by oxen.

In 1873, after the death of Georges Hoffherr, his son-in-law, Matthew Umdenstock took over the business. After the 1870 war, the Brasserie Georges had 18 maids called "Hébésé" (goddess of youth), of Alsatian origin for most. In 1879, the Brasserie Georges and Brasserie Rinck are, with Antoine Lumière, the first ones of the Lyon city to get their own electric lighting.[ citation needed ]

In 1890, the red leatherette banquettes and the tables replaced the straw chairs and long tables in walnut. A pediment bearing the image of Gambrinus is framed by two barrels of beer. In the late nineteenth century, the brasserie had five pool tables and walls were painted with a backdrop composed of vegetation with animals such as peacocks and monkeys.[ citation needed ]

In 1924, painter Bruno Guillermin redecorated the dining room in an Art Deco style. [6]

Architecture

Entrance. Lyon - Brasserie Georges.JPG
Entrance.

The outside sign of the Brasserie Georges was made in 1946.[ citation needed ] On the facade, there is a portrait of Gambrinus, the king of beer.[ citation needed ]

In the entrance, four windows from the early twentieth century represent sculpture, geography, painting and music. Above the entrance there is a huge copper cauldron decorated with a head of lion.[ citation needed ]

Famous people

Many famous people have eaten in the restaurant, including Paul Verlaine, Jules Verne, Émile Zola, Édith Piaf, Colette, Ernest Hemingway, Jacques Brel, Alphonse Daudet, Anatole France, Léon Blum, Auguste and Louis Lumière, Luis Mariano, Auguste Rodin and many others. [7] Alphonse de Lamartine, who ate there frequently, would have left a slate of 40 francs. [6] Twelve ministers have come to restore it in 1995. [ citation needed ] Bernadette Chirac ate there in 1998 and 1999.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auguste and Louis Lumière</span> French filmmakers and inventors

The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas Lumière and Louis Jean Lumière, were French manufacturers of photography equipment, best known for their Cinématographe motion picture system and the short films they produced between 1895 and 1905, which places them among the earliest filmmakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French cuisine</span> Culinary tradition

French cuisine is the cooking traditions and practices from France. In the 14th century, Guillaume Tirel, a court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. In the 17th century, chefs François Pierre La Varenne and Marie-Antoine Carême spearheaded movements that shifted French cooking away from its foreign influences and developed France's own indigenous style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of the Midwestern United States</span> Regional cuisine of the United States

The cuisine of the American Midwest draws its culinary roots most significantly from the cuisines of Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, and Indigenous cuisine of the Americas, and is influenced by regionally and locally grown foodstuffs and cultural diversity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Restaurant</span> Single establishment that prepares and serves food

A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearance and offerings, including a wide variety of cuisines and service models ranging from inexpensive fast-food restaurants and cafeterias to mid-priced family restaurants, to high-priced luxury establishments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Profiterole</span> Cream-filled pastry

A profiterole, chou à la crème, also known alternatively as a cream puff (US), is a filled French choux pastry ball with a typically sweet and moist filling of whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or ice cream. The puffs may be embellished or left plain or garnished with chocolate sauce, caramel, or a dusting of powdered sugar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambrinus</span> Culture hero of European legend, celebrated as an icon of beer

Gambrinus is a legendary European culture hero celebrated as an icon of beer, brewing, joviality, and joie de vivre. Typical representations in the visual arts depict him as a rotund, bearded duke or king, holding a tankard or mug, and sometimes with a keg nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baked Alaska</span> Dessert of cake, ice cream and meringue

Baked Alaska, also known as Bombe Alaska, omelette norvégienne, omelette surprise, or omelette sibérienne depending on the country, is a dessert consisting of ice cream and cake topped with browned meringue. The dish is made of ice cream placed in a pie dish, lined with slices of sponge cake or Christmas pudding, and topped with meringue. After having been placed in the freezer, the entire dessert is then placed in an extremely hot oven for a brief time, long enough to firm and caramelize the meringue but not long enough to begin melting the ice cream. Another common method of browning the meringue is to torch the dessert, sometimes even lighting it on fire for presentational purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithuanian cuisine</span>

Lithuanian cuisine features products suited to the cool and moist northern climate of Lithuania: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, greens, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialties. Various ways of pickling were used to preserve food for winter. Soups are extremely popular, and are widely regarded as the key to good health. Since it shares its climate and agricultural practices with Northern Europe, Lithuanian cuisine has much in common with its Baltic neighbors and, in general, northern countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brasserie</span> Type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting

In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves dishes and other meals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prosper Montagné</span>

Prosper Montagné was one of the most renowned French chefs of the Belle Époque and author of many books and articles on food, cooking, and gastronomy, notably Larousse Gastronomique (1938), an encyclopedic dictionary of the French culinary arts. While Montagné was once as famous as his friend Auguste Escoffier, and was one of the most influential French chefs of the early twentieth century, his fame has faded somewhat. In the 1920s, Montagné, Escoffier, and Philéas Gilbert—their close friend and collaborator, and an acclaimed chef and writer in his own right—were the French chefs and culinary writers esteemed above others by many French journalists and writers. After Montagné's death, the chef and author Alfred Guérot's description of the troika as the "celebrated contemporary culinary trinity: Auguste Escoffier, the father; Philéas Gilbert, the son; Prosper Montagné, the spirit" reflects the reverence in which all three were held by the French culinary community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Boulud</span> French chef and restaurateur

Daniel Boulud is a French chef and restaurateur with restaurants in New York City, Palm Beach, Miami, Toronto, Montréal, Singapore, the Bahamas, and Dubai. He is best known for his eponymous restaurant Daniel, opened in New York City in 1993, which currently holds two Michelin stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parisian café</span> Type of café found mainly in Paris

Parisian cafés are a type of café found mainly in Paris, where they can serve as a meeting place, neighborhood hub, conversation matrix, rendez-vous spot, and a place to relax or to refuel for Parisian citizens.

Restaurants fall into several industry classifications, based upon menu style, preparation methods and pricing, as well as the means by which the food is served to the customer. This article mainly describes the situation in the US, while categorisation differs widely around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in France</span>

Most beer sold in France is pilsner lager, mass-produced by major breweries which control over 90% of the market, although there are also traditional beer styles, such as top-fermented Bière de Garde, and a number of microbreweries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brasserie Lipp</span> Restaurant in Paris, France

Brasserie Lipp is a brasserie located at 151 Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It sponsors an annual literary prize, the Prix Cazes, named for a previous owner.

Paris in the <i>Belle Époque</i> Historical period

Paris in the Belle Époque was a period in the history of the city during the years 1871 to 1914, from the beginning of the Third French Republic until the First World War. It saw the construction of the Eiffel Tower, the Paris Métro, the completion of the Paris Opera, and the beginning of the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur on Montmartre. Three lavish "universal expositions" in 1878, 1889, and 1900 brought millions of visitors to Paris to sample the latest innovations in commerce, art, and technology. Paris was the scene of the first public projection of a motion picture, and the birthplace of the Ballets Russes, Impressionism, and Modern Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fouquet's</span> Restaurant in Paris

Fouquet's Paris is an historic brasserie restaurant in Paris, France located at 99 Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Part of Hotel Barrière Le Fouquet's Paris, the site is known for its red awnings spread over two terraces on the Champs-Élysées and Avenue George V.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bardot Brasserie</span> Restaurant in Nevada, United States

Bardot Brasserie is a French restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States. Owned by Michael Mina, the restaurant is located at the Aria Resort and Casino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georges Perrier</span> French chef (born 1943)

Georges Perrier is a French chef who emigrated to the United States in 1967 and lived in Philadelphia, where he founded and ran Le Bec-Fin and other restaurants, bars and cafés across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mère (restaurateur)</span> Female cooks of the 18th through 20th centuries in France

Mère is an honorary title given to talented female professional cooks, many of whom had no formal training, in France during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Between 1759 and the end of the 20th century multiple women have been called Mère. Their work turned the city of Lyon and its environs into the gastronomic center of France and the world, and the most famous of them, Mère Brazier, is regarded as "the mother of modern French cooking".

References

  1. Pautrat, Isabelle; Toby Garrad; Jacques-Bernard Taste; Christine Delpal; Marc Carbonare (1998). Lyon: les lumières de l'Europe (in French). p. 93.
  2. Solène (2023-10-10). "Brasserie Georges Menu Prix France 2023 et Photos". frmenu.org (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  3. "Brasserie Georges" (in French). L'Internaute. April 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  4. Bihl-Willette, Luc (1997). Des tavernes aux bistrots: histoire des cafés (in French). L'Age d'Homme. p. 134. ISBN   9782825107737.
  5. Dominique, Al.; Laure Roosen; Anthony Serex (2009). Escapades autour de Lyon 2009 : 2010 Petit Futé (in French). Nouvelles Editions de l'Université. p. 11. ISBN   9782746925410.
  6. 1 2 "Histoires de Lyon" (in French). Lyon Photos. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  7. "Brasserie Georges (Lyon): célébrités et annecdotes" (in French).

45°44′54″N4°49′42″E / 45.74833°N 4.82833°E / 45.74833; 4.82833