This is a repro-duction drawn by one of our staff artists, inspired by the painting of Frenchy's Restaurant by C. L. Peterson in the Ford Times Cookbook, Volume 5, published in 1968.
The recipe listed in the cookbook is for "Braised Calves' Sweetbreads in Wine Sauce."
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In 1973/4 I traveled with David Paul Greg (the inventor of the laser disc) and his partner to Milwaukee to make a presentation at the Milwaukee Wire Corporation, I was 19 years old. We were all from Los Angeles, California. I was a surfer, had never been to a real city in the winter, and was unnerved by the snow on the ground without skiers.
After our presentation, we went to Frenchy's for lunch. I had never been to such a place. First, all the "booths" had "back doors," for easy escape, in case your wife came in and you were dining with your mistress. This was a special restaurant I was sure, in fact there is now a restaurant in Los Angeles called Delmonico's which is based on Frenchy's.
I was so moved by the menu that I took one home with me and still have it. The wild animals on the menu were really wild, such as Bengal Tiger. I wanted to order it but my father had always told me that when I was a guest at dinner I should not order the most expensive meal. Therefore, I was torn, between a TIGER and a steak.
I took the steak out or respect, but I always wonder.....first, was it a real Bengal Tiger as opposed to perhaps and Old Lion, or Lioness? How would I actually know the difference? And, would I be able to appreciate it? What if my ordering the most expensive meal would have given the wrong impression of us "Westerners" and squashed the deal? I had no way of knowing, so I played it safe, but we did not make the deal. So, in retrospect I now think, I should have ordered the Tiger. At least now nearly 40 years later I could say "I dined on a Bengal Tiger once", before it was P. I.
Sig Shonholtz
Los Angeles, California
My Grandpere, Paul Wilfred La Pointe was the owner of Frenchy's. My father, Paul R. La Pointe is still alive. My Grandmere, Paul Sr.'s wife, has just passed away at the age of 98 and is buried near her summer home in Elkart Lake.
The tiger was real, as was the lion. My father used to get the wild game from game farms in Africa (Kenya) and India. Typically the animal woudl arrive at the restaurant frozen. I have a picture of my father in his tux and overcoat astride a frozen lion on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. We had a couple of large walk-in deep freezes in the old Ruggles Marine building next door that my father bought and converted for the restaurant. The lion or tiger would be placed in the deep freeze. I am not sure how it made it from the deep freeze to the plate, but there were large saws and such in the building.
It was quite a place. In the 50's the Milwaukee Braves used to come in. In the 60's it was Curtis LeMay and Barry Goldwater, John F. Kennedy, and of course, the Green Bay Packers (Vince Lombardie always came after the two Milwaukee game at the old County Stadium). I remember when Rudolf Nureyv cam to Chicago, and drove up with his entourage. My father kept the restaurant open until he arrived, and they ate and drank until wee hours of the morning. I still have the autographed picture that he gave my mother. My favorite person when I was young was Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and several other characters.
Wasn't it amazing that such a place existed? It was created by a man who left home at the age of 13 and struck out on his own. It was a unique place. But there are many uniqye places and wonderful experiences all over this world. You just have to look and be willing to follow your own instincts.
Paul La Pointe (son of Frenchy)
These comments refresh wonderful memories of Frenchy's Restaurant on University Avenue where we savored many delicious steaks in the 1960s. Now, as my granddaughter is about to become a Badger, and am sad that Frenchy's is no more.
The Wisconsin Historical Society has one nice image of Frenchy's, but no in formation about how and why it closed. I did find allusion to a kitchen fire, suggesting that this was the death blow. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows why it closed and when that happened.
I was one of Frenchy's girls. One of his last hires before he sold to the two men (or a group?) who became the new owners. I was only 19, so I worked downstairs in the pub. Only the "older" waitresses were allowed upstairs. When I interviewed for the job, I was told to wear a dress. A woman interviewed me and lastly I was taken to Mr. LaPointe's office for the final say on my status. Mr. LaPointe was seated, greeted me, spoke with the woman, and then she left. He asked me to remove my coat and slowly turn. I did so. He asked me why I wanted to work there. I told him I was on a four year full scholarship for math at Marquette University, but I needed to work to pay rent and the rest of my living. He next said that I was to never, under no circumstances, accept a date or any money outside of tips from any of the customers, or I would be fired immediately. And that was that. He told me I could go. Short, and to the point. Within about four weeks we all found out that he had sold Frenchy's. He spoke to us as a group and said, as was his brevity with us, that it was time and he was looking forward to it. It was the only smile I had ever seen on his business face, a slight, maybe dreamy smile. Or maybe that was just my hope for him that interpreted that. I stayed four more weeks and quit. The new owners were nothing like Mr. LaPointe, nor was Frenchy's. Not bad, just not the same.
Hello, what would Wire have to do with optical laser disc?
Well, in those days companies were trying to diversify, even if it seemed outside their expertise. Greg, the inventor had no boundaries in thinking either. The company wanted to get into the medical field and my device was medical and mechanical and they were not actually going to make it just market it.
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