Tuesday, February 5, 7:00 P.M.
Members $85, guests $110

Dominique Tougne is happy to be living the American dream. When he arrived in this country in 1995, he was 30 years old, big as a rugby player, bald, and (depending on whom you talk to) possibly out of his mind. Already regarded as one of the best and brightest chefs of his generation in France, Tougne was a protégé of Joël Robuchon and had been recruited personally to be executive sous-chef at Le Relais du Parc, a restaurant under Robuchon's command in the same hotel as his eponymous three-star Parisian temple. Not content with the status quo, Tougne had chucked it all, bought himself a one-way ticket to New York, and arrived with two suitcases, $100 in his pocket, no work permit, no references, and nary a word of English. (Not something you can do these days without alerting a lot of airport security.) With an excellent résumé and a bit of luck, however, Tougne did not go unnoticed for long. He was whisked off to Chicago, and in very short order found himself reshaping the kitchens at Bistro 110.

Long touted as Chicago's "original and most popular French bistro," Bistro 110 had a devoted clientele wedded to many items on its menu. Tougne had his work cut out for him. He worked slowly, emphasizing traditional French techniques and maintaining customer favorites. Salade niçoise, French onion soup, and steak au poivre, for instance, kept their hallowed places, but soon new specialties quietly appeared alongside. Tougne introduced tuna "filet" mignon with wild mushrooms in a pink peppercorn sauce, escargots en croûte with shallot-garlic butter, and star anise-poached duck foie gras served with a sweet-tart plum compote. And when no one complained, he continued to tinker and fuss, and does so still, changing an entire third of Bistro 110's menu every two weeks.

Tougne is a graduate of the Ecole Culinaire in Blois, France. An outstanding student, he was awarded two of France's most prestigious awards for young chefs while there. He apprenticed at the Hotel Intercontinental restaurant in Paris, then moved on to the Hôtel Nikko de Paris. After a short hiatus for military duty, Tougne became chef de cuisine at the Château des Reynats in Périgueux, helping to establish its reputation and earning that restaurant a Michelin star.

Tougne says he has not turned his back on France, but clearly he has settled happily into American life. He is pleased as punch to be cooking at the Beard House in New York, where his American odyssey began.