Serving a little dinner with your French

Exquisite roast beef, among certain other things, draws Tom Rensink to dinner at the University of Wisconsin-Madison French House.

"It's simply unbelievable," waxes Rensink, a senior in physics.

The French House, the nation's oldest residential language immersion community, was founded in 1918 and began opening its doors to the campus and the public for weekly lunches and dinner shortly thereafter. Director Andrew Irving warns that there is but one restriction on these soirees: You must speak French.

"Our language program, like all the university's soon-to-be five immersion programs in the International Learning Community, strives to maintain the use of the language throughout the house," he says. "Of course, the best way to accomplish this goal is 'a table.' Our chef, Betsy Piper, develops a menu to appeal to a variety of tastes and includes dishes from around the world and around Wisconsin. And good food and good conversion seem to go hand in hand."

Indeed, Rensink says he welcomes the chance to expand his linguistic - and social - horizons.

"Dining at French House offers a practical opportunity to slaughter the language. It also gives me an opportunity to woo women in my broken French," he says.

Often Rensink converses with native speakers, sometimes in the sciences. One such is Alain Peyrot, president of Power Line Systems, Inc. of Madison. Before that, he was a professor of engineering for 25 years. Not only is he a fan of Piper's excellent cuisine, he has a sentimental attachment to French House, he says.

"I met my wife there 42 years ago, the first year the current building housing the French House was open," he says. "Chef Betsy is a pro - everything she makes is excellent! Beyond that, I always look forward to this informal place where I have met many fascinating people and have had heated discussions about business, careers and politics. I always look forward to the weekly dinners."

As does Gary Dahl and his wife Malgorzata, whom Peyrot often sees at the Wednesday night dinners. Dahl says table talk frequently focuses on politics, American and French. At the time of this writing, France is coping with protests about the economic and employment reform. "About a quarter of the population under 26 is unemployed," he says. He adds that he relishes the varied political perspectives that he encounters at French House meals. However, he says that political differences seldom interfere with the pleasant dining experience that French House provides.

"In the 20 years we've been going to these dinners we've developed some wonderful friendships with Francophiles from all over the world," he says.

Politics also color Judith Siers-Pierson's life. She is the associate director for the Center for Media and Democracy; her husband Jean-Marc is an academic staff member who teaches French at UW-Madison and is a professional translator.

"My husband is a native speaker, and his daughter is bilingual. We have been going to dinner almost every week, and to an occasional lunch, for about six years now - they have been going much longer. It's a wonderful opportunity to immerse ourselves in a French atmosphere," says Siers-Poisson.

She admits that her family most enjoys the North African dishes.

"We spent our honeymoon in Morocco," she says. "We especially enjoy couscous and mafe' (a hearty stew of meat, tomato and peanut butter made all over West Africa). And the fabulous deserts always are a treat!" she says.

Irving says that the food is a sublime revelation for the students as well as the community members, who may have a bit more experience with "francophone" cuisines.

"Our residents seem to develop a real appreciation for fine dining," he says. "After their first few weeks at the French House, their days of chicken sandwiches and soda give way to poached salmon, ratatouille, tabouli and portobello mushroom burgers. The students become real fans of that sort of fare!"

Dinners are served Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at 633 N. Francis St. The cost is $8 general and $7 for students. A luncheon is served Fridays at 12:05 p.m. at $7 general and $6 for students. To make reservations, call (608) 262-2941.

Lunch on Friday, April 7, will feature pasta and cheese gratin with wild mushrooms; dinner on Wednesday, April 12 will consist of chicken breast stuffed with apricots.