Why fly to France when you can take the bus?

The United States requires you to have at least 6 months' validity on your foreign passport in order to come into the country.  My Australian passport will expire in 5 months, so I’m effectively grounded until I get a new one.

But New York would never let a trivial thing like immigration law stop anyone from experiencing international taste sensations.  Enter the Sud de France Festival, an annual event that is currently delighting the palates of New York's food, wine, and culture fans.

The spotlight for the 2014 Festival is on the Langeudoc-Roussillon region of France, a mountainous and sunny spot at the southern-most curve of the Mediterranean Sea.

Map of "The Languedoc" region - image credit here

Aside from the scenery, "the Languedoc" is famous for its food and wine - especially its wine.  They've been doing it well for centuries, but it wasn't until 2006 that the region adopted the marque “Sud de France” on their bottles so that customers could start to recognise and easily remember the varietals coming out of the area.  The Languedoc is also starting to label its produce (notably the seafood, cheeses and olives) in a similar way, which just helps to further brand recognition in the overseas market.

Carcassonne - image credit here

I’ve been to France a couple of times, and I came to the Languedoc in the middle of winter in 2005.  A friend had spent a number of happy years in Béziers with her family, and on her recommendation I visited the medieval, fortified city of Carcassonne.  I recall having dinner within the city’s ancient walls, at a cosy restaurant in front of a roaring fire and with minstrels playing music in the background.  And I will never forget the gutsy, rich red wine that we enjoyed with our hearty meal. 

So when the offer came up to revisit that delicious Languedoc experience, albeit under the hot sun of modern-day New York, and without any passport required, I needed very little encouragement indeed. 


Our evening started with a glass of wine at Alain Ducasse’s brasserie in Midtown called “Benoit New York”, where Philippe Bertineau is the chef.  Bertinau is also from Carcassonne and is widely recognised in the industry as the Ambassador to the Universal Cassoulet Academy (which I'm overjoyed to know is an actual thing).  Not surprisingly, Chef served up small but steaming bowls of this venerable and stomach-lining stew for us to enjoy.  I even got some crunchy bits of bacon in mine and I was so happy.  Chef's reputation for champion cassoulet is well-deserved, let me tell you.

Before long we jumped aboard a “Frenchified” open-roofed double-decker bus to start our Languedoc wine crawl across the city.  Local brass band “Lucky Chops” entertained us live the whole way, and they were amazing.  As we drove in bumper-to-bumper traffic, initially down Fifth Avenue, tourists and locals along the street were waving up at us, and dancing along to the fun party tunes the band was playing.  It gave the whole evening a fantastic atmosphere - and it was just the beginning.

We started weaving in and out of the city streets.  In just under an hour, we were in the Meatpacking District and we hopped out at Beaumarchais.  Taking the bus is thirsty work, so it was great that some delicious Languedoc-Roussillon wines awaited us at this pretty French restaurant and nightly entertainment spot.  I committed to some dry white wine and enjoyed the fresh air on the footpath of West 13th Street, rather than hiding out inside the restaurant itself.

But we had lots more music to hear and wines to drink, and soon we were back on the bus and bound for Brooklyn.  I was so glad that the rain held off tonight, because it was heavenly to just sit atop that double decker bus, bustling over the Williamsburg Bridge and listening to the lively brass band, with the cool East River breeze on my face.  A full belly and a wine buzz didn’t hurt either.

We pulled up at Battery Harris in Williamsburg, which is a Latin American/Caribbean-inspired restaurant and bar.  I wasn’t really sure how the venue fit in to the French theme of the evening (and I'm still not really), but does it matter when they have refreshing white wines on the list just for you?  And besides, as we relaxed in the front bar area, we marveled at just how amazing Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" can sound when played by an energetic brass band.  The patrons who were already at the bar when we arrived couldn't believe their ears.

In no time at all though, the bus security officer and tour guide reappeared and invited us to either stay on in Brooklyn, or we could join him back on the bus to Manhattan.  Hmm, a boring yellow cab or a fantastic double-decker bus?  Not a hard choice really.

Leaving the band (regrettably) behind we made the journey back across the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge to Manhattan, and my fellow bus passengers and I were certainly a sombre bunch.  I think the festivities had taken their toll.  We had sampled some delicious cassoulet and tasty wine direct from Languedoc-Roussillon with no airfare, visas, or jetlag to concern us.

I wasn't able to capture any good photos of tonight's festivities myself, but I'll share them with you when  I can get hold of some.

Events for the remainder of the New York Sud de France Festival are selling out, but you should definitely check their website and see if you can squeeze in to some of them before the party ends on June 30. 

For my part, I've already pledged to don a pair of stretchy pants and show up to La Guinguette du Languedoc-Roussillon Block Party on Sunday 22 June (12-5pm, on 74th Street between 5th and Madison Avenues).  I'm told there will be a giant picnic table set up the length of the city block that day, covered in a red-check tablecloth and festooned with regional dishes available for immediate consumption or to take home.  YUM!  It's a kid-friendly event too, and it's open to the public.  Plus there will be live music playing, and a fantastic icecream truck on-site, offering "surprise" flavours of artisinal treats.

Leave your passport at home and join me, won't you?  Allons-y!