THE OLD AND THE NEW
ESTAMINET CUISINE
Au Vieux de la Vieille, in Lille’s old town, is a curious spectacle. Step inside and you’ll find a space that feels like a cross between a front room and a rustic pub. Shelves are stuffed with trinkets and bric-a-brac, the ceiling is strewn with dried hops, and diners sit on and at wooden chairs and tables that have likely served generations of visitors.
This is an estaminet, a traditional tavern found across northeastern France. And the menu is almost as curious as the decor. Estaminet classics include potjevleesch, a terrine-like dish comprising four kinds of meat suspended in a cold aspic jelly (better than it sounds); carbonnades de boeuf, also known as carbonnade flamande, a rich beef stew made with beer and brown sugar; and le Welsh, the region’s version of cheese and ham on toast. When I visit, it’s rammed. Although the city has plenty of modern and international restaurants, the demand for traditional regional dishes is still strong. “They started more like a bar,” explains my server, Marion. “When mining was a big industry here, the miners would leave work and go to an estaminet for a beer. The tables
