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None of the cinematic tropes that have come to define today’s food documentaries — sweeping pans, glistening surfaces, a climactic symphony of strings — are present in Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros, a spellbinding new four-hour documentary about the three-starred Michelin restaurant Troisgros. In place of the usual grandiloquent aesthetic of luxury spun up by docuseries like Chef’s Table and Taco Chronicles, the film offers up the unvarnished, observational style of Frederick Wiseman. The 93-year-old filmmaker — known for depicting the inner workings of societal institutions, including the New York Public Library, Boston’s City Hall, and a Massachusetts correctional institution — takes an exhaustive approach, filming hundreds of hours of footage and piecing them together without exposition or a dramatic arc. Sequences unfold organically and slowly, encouraging viewers to contemplate and engage with them in their own time. With his latest, Wiseman puts fine dining under his microscopic lens, demystifying it and providing a compellingly humanistic portrayal in its place. Nestled in the idyllic French countryside, Troisgros boasts a remarkable legacy spanning four generations, and since 1968 when it was under the direction of brothers Pierre and Jean Troisgros, it has maintained three Michelin stars — standing to beat the 55-year record held by Restaurant Paul Bocuse. (The Michelin Guide reevaluates restaurants annually and has been known to dock a star if its standards aren’t maintained, placing outsize stress on chefs, even causing some to voluntarily return their stars.) The restaurant’s current proprietor Michel Troisgros built upon the foundations of his father Pierre’s nouvelle cuisine — itself a radical departure from the heavier tradition of classic cuisine — by infusing it with his own perspective, inspired by Asian ingredients and his travels in Japan. Michel is in the process of passing the torch to his two sons César and Léo, who are also talented chefs. hubby and i have lots of things to watch, having said that, this is on our list. click for more