Sommelier's Chat
George Passot: The Americanization of a French sommelier
By GraceAnn Walden

It’s not easy being second banana, especially when the top banana is your younger brother. George Passot, wine sommelier at the four-star La Folie restaurant in San Francisco, is two years older than his brother, chef Roland Passot, owner of La Folie.
Even though, they are both in their fifties, as long as I have known them, there’s always been an undercurrent of sibling rivalry. But despite the occasional skirmish, you know there is great love and respect between these two Beaujolais-born brothers.

George Passot and his brother grew up in Ville Franche Saone, a small town 25 kilometers north of Lyon, the culinary capital of France.

“On our narrow street where we lived, there were many immigrants – Italians, Arabs … we all played together. My family wasn’t rich.”

George’s father worked for the train company, and then for 35 years he was an accountant for a transport company. His mother had a knitting and yarn shop in a nearby town.
George says when his brother was five, he said he wanted to be either a chef or a policeman.

“Actually, he’s become both,” he says laughingly, referencing Roland’s legendary temperament.

“When I get angry, I hold it in,” says George, and he adds, “Roland has mellowed – we haven’t had a screaming argument in at least two years.”

But we both understand the kind of life his brother experienced when he went into chef training at the tender age of 14. Roland has told tales of the abusive master chefs. Once he had to clean a walk-in refrigerator with a toothbrush.

George says he had his first taste of wine when he was quite small. His grandmother would put pieces of day-old bread in a bowl, pour on a small amount red wine, then water and sugar and serve it cold.

As he grew older, George became more and more interested in wine. Meanwhile he worked in the transport company for several years.

Roland, now a chef, had immigrated to Chicago to work at Le Francaise and later to Dallas where he started his own catering company.

On the suggestion of a friend who told him he had a good palate, George studied wine at the University of Bordeaux for over a year where he received a diploma. He studied enology, viticulture and “degustation” (tasting).

George continued his studies for two more years in Nice under a master sommelier. Following graduation, he worked as a sommelier in Biarritz, Nice and Evian.

Soon he immigrated to America and joined his brother in Texas.

“I know my brother and I fight a lot, but I miss[ed] him,” says George.

As George is regaling me with his life story, we are sitting in the bright sunshine on the outside seating area of Le Garage in Sausalito. After one meal there, I can say that it is the best and most French thing to happen to Marin in a long time. We started with phenomenal fried crabmeat-stuffed squash blossoms.

“This is a great dish,” exclaims George.

We’re both mussel lovers, so I ordered the Mussels du Mistral, a savory mélange of plump bivalves, aioli, shallots, saffron, cream, and white wine ($14). George ordered the Mussels Provençal made with aioli, shallots, cherry tomatoes, niçoise olives, and pastis ($14). We also got one order of skinny French fries, some of which I floated in the mussel broth.

I found it refreshing that George didn’t fuss over wine; he told the waiter to simply bring him a glass of Sancerre.

Twenty years ago, Roland and his wife, Jaimie, opened La Folie on Polk Street with George.

I remember the very first review. Since the name means “crazy,” the Chronicle photographer suggested they do something different. So, Jaime is standing on a table, Roland is nearby and George is looking laid back.

In those days, La Folie was very comfortable, with the famous marionettes of Lyon decorating the walls. George, ever the wine expert, was nonthreatening, weaving his magic in the dining room in his signature Perry Como sweater.

After the last remodel, which made the look of La Folie much more high-style and sleek, George had to match the room and now wears a jacket.

I asked George how he approaches the sale of wine to the restaurant’s patrons.
“I have to be a psychoanalyst, a little bit. If a couple appears to be on a date, I don’t ask how much they want to spend because it could be embarrassing.

For older couples, if I don’t know them, I ask them what wines they like, so I can find wines on our list that will appeal to them.”

To stay current on wine, George reads the Wine Spectator and Robert Parker, although he says he doesn’t always agree with their picks. He says the Chronicle’s wine section has become more interesting in the last few years, mainly because it is focusing on more unique wines, not just the big producers. Of course, he also goes to many wine tastings, but in recent years, he says, “I find I am searching the Internet for wine information more and more.”

Our entrees totally consumed, we split the molten chocolate cake served with raspberries and whipped cream. It’s a very good example of this ubiquitous dessert. George orders a glass of Banyuls l’etoile, which is the perfect match.

So, is he a French sommelier in America, or has he become an American sommelier with a delightful French accent?

“When I came here, I thought the wines were too big, too much fruit and high in alcohol. Over the years, American winemaking has become more refined. But when I bring American wine to France and taste with my good friend, sometimes he says, ‘Oh, that’s a big wine.’ So I guess, my palate has changed,” he says with a chuckle.

La Folie: 2316 Polk St. (near Green); Mon.–Sat. 5:30–10:30 p.m.; 415-776-5577, www.lafolie.com
Le Garage: 85 Liberty Ship Way #109 (near Schnoomaker Point Marina), Sausalito; coffee and pastries daily from 7:30 a.m., lunch Mon.–Fri. 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., dinner Mon.–Sat. 5:30–9:30 p.m., brunch Sat.–Sun. 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. 415-332-5625, legaragesausalito.com

E-mail: graceann@northsidesf.com