Originally Posted by
slawecki
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like to see other comments about charolias. i only had it once. a steak of some sort in either a michelin 2 or 3* somewhere south of burgundy. was sort of like range fed longhorn, but with less taste and a whole lot tougher. i do not know what cut, but it was supposed to be special, and it certainly cost special.
Charolais is a breed (the cattle are all white) and there is better Charolais and more pedestrian Charolais, just like you have better and worse Angus, for example.
The best Charolais is comparable to the best U.S. prime beef in terms of tenderness. The flavor is excellent but different because the French don't age their beef the way Americans do, so it isn't quite as pungent.
The Charolais is a region of France, named for the town of Charolles, in the Burgundy region.
The best Charolais I have ever had was at Bernard L'Oiseau, one of the best restaurants in the Burgundy region. But there are a number of excellent steakhouses in Paris that specialize in Charolais.
We also have Charolais in North America, especially Canada, but I have always found the French breeds tastier.