According to Osselin, the inherent saltiness and crunchiness of fries are the ideal accompaniment to Champagne's delicate bubbles and zesty acidity.
But don't go adding any other flavours to the mix: “champagne is a wine that asks for simple ingredients, no more than three,” she said. That includes cheese and ketchup or any other extras.
What's more? It's one of the food industry's best-kept secrets. According to Town And Country, the most famous appetizer at New Orleans' famed Sylvain restaurant is the order of Delamotte Brut champagne and French Fries. The “perfect combination” as it is described on the menu can go for up to $100 dollars per serving.
Sylvain’s owner, Sean McCusker, got the idea at a Veuve Cliquot event where one of the champagne company’s “head guys” told him that “pomme frites” were his favourite food to eat with champagne.
“The next afternoon, a friend and I hit Les Halles where Anthony Bourdain was the chef and was making what I thought were the best fries in New York,” McCusker told Eater New Orleans. “We ordered a plate and a bottle of champagne. We each grabbed a fry, stuck it in our mouths and followed it with a gulp of champagne and it was a revelation."
This story originally appeared on Marie Claire
