Today is National Escargot Day, a day in honor of the famous French dish of cooked land snails. Escargot is enjoyed by many- however, it is an acquired taste. It is usually served as an appetizer in French restaurants and I’m sharing my favorite spot tucked away (not too far from Shea/101 kind of!) for the delectable dish- Voila! French Bistro in Scottsdale.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, Escargot {es.kar.go} is the French word for snail. The dish of Escargot is usually prepared by removing the land snails from their shells, cooking them with garlic, butter and wine, then placing them back into their shells with the sauce for serving. The dish is served with a special fork and guess what? Escargot are high in protein and low in fat (without the butter that is!) I wonder if they are Keto for all you trendy Keto diet fans? Anyway- Voila! prepares Burgundy escargot with the traditional butter, garlic, and parsley and serves them with the most delicious loaf of warm French bread you’ve ever had. #notketo I highly recommend a date night at this quaint secret gem of a romantic restaurant if you’re looking for a Parisian adventure in Scottsdale.
A bit more about Voila! Bistro-
Renowned chef Jean-Christophe has over 30 years de experience working for several famous French restaurants in France with Michelin ratings between 1 and 3 stars. His reputation in the Vosges mountains area of eastern France precedes him. He was the proud owner of 3 Hotel restaurants and was known throughout eastern France for his exquisite cuisine. In October 2015, Jean-Christophe and his wife, Ségolène, decided to share their talents in the US and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona and purchased Voilà.
The food at Voila is exceptional and the menu is something you would find at a traditional French bistro. Classic bistro dishes like quiches, salad nicoise, and steak frites are served in a chic setting and be sure to save room for Crème brûlée!
Here are some fun Escargot facts:
In France the two most common edible snails are the Burgundy snail (also called vineyard or large white snail) which are about 1 3/4 inches long and the smaller Petite-Gris snail, about 1-inch long.
The French consume 40,000 metric tons of snails each year.
An escargot plate has indentations (usually 6) to hold the snail shells for baking and for serving.
Special escargot or snail tongs are used to hold the snail shells while using a small two tined escargot fork to extract the snail from the shell.
Heliculture is the science of growing snails for food.
Snails have been eaten as food since at least ancient Roman times. Apicius, the author of the oldest surviving cookbook (1st century B.C. – 2 century A.D.) has a recipe for snails in his cookbook.
Restaurants serve about 1-billion snails annually.
