Maybe it’s the rapid expansion — this St. Pete institution opened outposts in Carrollwood and South Tampa this past year — but standards seem to have taken a dive at Chateau France. The glorious and delicate cassoulet de la mer of old, a dish we have actually had lascivious dreams about, has degraded into a $35 bowl of flavorless cream hiding unseasoned seafood and a few white beans at the Carrollwood location. Forget dreams — the shade of pink tainting the outside of the SoHo location is enough to induce waking nightmares. Zut alors!
This article appears in Sep 12-18, 2007.