Table or Booth?
Chez Nous: Love in the Kitchen
by Bess Hochstein
It’s often said that love is the secret ingredient for all good food. This might explain the popularity of Chez Nous, a creative French bistro in Lee, where husband and wife Franck Tessier and Rachel Portnoy share the kitchen, ownership of the restaurant, and their lives.
Rachel and Franck had a French connection from the start. A native of France, Franck had worked at London’s famed restaurant Le Gavroche before moving on to The Point, an exclusive resort in Saranac Lake, NY, as Executive Chef. Rachel studied at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in London to become a pastry chef, and also worked at Le Gavroche, among other esteemed restaurants, such as Wheatleigh and Lespinasse in Manhattan. When she was hired as Pastry Chef at The Point, romance blossomed. The cooking couple moved to the Berkshires, where Franck was co-chef at From Ketchup to Caviar, and Rachel founded her own café & bakery, the Cakewalk. In 2005 they were able to reunite in the kitchen when they purchased the restaurant where Franck worked and renamed it Chez Nous, the French phrase for “Our Place.”
With two classically trained chefs in the kitchen, it’s not surprising to find French-accented starters such as Frog’s Legs à la Provençal, Warm Brie Filled with Black Truffles, Brochette d’Escargots with Local Mushrooms, as well as pâté and fois gras. Diners can choose from a wide selection of creatively prepared meat, poultry and seafood, or opt for the customer’s preferred cut of Black Angus Beef, one of four sauces, and two of ten side dishes. As is to be expected from a French restaurant, Chez Nous has an extensive wine list for oenophiles with wallets either thin or fat. What is surprising is that the menu always includes two vegetarian entrées. That’s because Rachel is a vegetarian – proof that love conquers all, even dietary preferences.
Omnivore and vegetarian alike will want to save room for Rachel’s sweet specialties -- including a tempting Tarte Tatin, Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding, or a Trio of Crème Brulées – or selection of artisanal cheeses. Those concerned about overimbibing from the comprehensive list of dessert wine, ports, cognacs and after-dinner drinks will be glad to know that Chez Nous also offers lodging upstairs from the restaurant.
About Bess Hochstein
Buzz chronicler Bess J.M. Hochstein came to the Berkshires as a second-homeowner before deciding to move here full time. Previously a communications executive, she's now a freelance writer living in Tyringham with her corgis Duffy and Hobbs and K. She writes for several publications, including Berkshire Living, the Boston Globe, New England Wine Gazette, and Healing Lifestyles & Spas magazine.