Menu or Kitchen? Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

I saw Julie & Julia weeks ago and, ever since, have had boeuf bourguignon on the brain. Or, as the movie's Julie Powell put it: "Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon."

But the desire for the dish didn't quite match up with the weather outside my window. I needed fall and Mother Nature was still handing me steamy. My taste buds are salivatingly happy to see that time has marched on and, with temps in the 50s and 60s coming to stay (and a Farmer's Almanac prediction of a colder-than-normal winter ahead), I plan to have boeuf bourguignon several times over the next months. I mean, seriously, beef stew in red wine with bacon, onions, and mushrooms? It's the epitome of cold weather comfort food. You too, right?

But, where should you eat your boeuf? Ms. Child's recipe has steps and ingredients a-plenty. If you have the time, what's the cost? Should you leave the cooking to your local bistro?

We performed a dollar-to-dollar comparison of what it costs to make it at home versus the average cost of adding an order to a restaurant check.

Oh, because the recipe runs on for a while, we decided to take a break from our regular practice of listing the whole thing here. Instead, grab a copy from the Knopf site, the publishers since 1961 behind the once-again best-selling Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Turn to page two for the cost for making boeuf at home. Page three reveals whether it’s more or less to order from a restaurant.