Originally Posted by biggestbopper
As a French gentleman I knew who worked at one of California's most famous French restaurants told me once when I asked how he thought his place would fare if it were in France: "We would close within a week."
I just ate at Pierre Gaugniere's in Tokyo. IMHO: It was very good, but the real thing in France is much better.
It's veering a little off-topic, but I don't think French cuisine "travels" all that well. Think about it: in the US, there are many menus that are "French-influenced," but we really don't have many truly "French" restaurants. I'm not exactly sure why: expense may be one of the reasons, but I think a lot of Americans wouldn't like a lot of French dishes. We like a small subset of them. Hence, the culinary "influence" instead of the real thing.
I'm sure there are many more Chinese restaurants in the US than French restaurants. Sure, most of them are bad, but I would have a much easier time finding "authentic" Chinese food in America than I would "authentic" French food.
And it would also be a heck of a lot more affordable!