http://thefrenchcuisineasitis.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/beef-bourguignon-boeuf-bourguignon/
This article seeks to show that there are many dishes which resemble each other, or can be adapted quite simply. Like the one above, a suggestion would be to use much cheaper wine and call it Bœuf Languedocienne..... maybe a little touch of sugar to take the 'roughness' from the cheaper red wine - why shouldn't one use ox meat with wine and you've got a speciality of my region here - 'Gardienne ....
....the difference is there are olives and local wine in it....
http://recettesdeprovence.louferri.be/16-viandes.html
Another classic is the 'Choucroute' - not everybody's favourite because of the pickled cabbage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut
Drink an Alsace wine or a German riesling - at the limit Champagne!
Another one.....? How about 'petit salé?'
http://www.gustave.com/recettes/1066/petit-sale-lentilles.html
Actually, when I'm in Germany, I love this dish with German style bread
Of the thousands of 'classics' one of my favourites is the simple ......'Steak Tartare'
complete with all the bits and bobs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_tartare
Not for everybody I dare say, and only to be eaten in places you trust!
There are so many classics that I will have to ome back again!
Starters,desserts, cheeses and all the rest, but you can make a start here, or - of course - you can just have .........