The preference for French words over equally-strong English words is the tendency and crutch of pompous writers. Just as some people find the need to display their wealth in gaudy exhibits of poor taste, some writers find the need to display their linguistic flair with the unnecessary exhibition of French words in otherwise English prose. The habit of borrowing from French in place of usable English tends to convey an inability to communicate clearly in our native language. While this habit may be excusable if our language were lacking in vocabulary and idioms, English is the most well-endowed of all modern languages, even without the inclusion of many Gallicisms.
Prefer English words when possible and when equal to tempting French words in brevity and meaning. Head-to-head is as short as tête-à-tête, without as simple as sans, and both are better for being English. But so many Gallicisms appear in English that I cannot simply list the words to avoid or use carefully or use freely. Peu à peu shows only a writer’s inability to think of little by little, cul-de-sac improves on dead-end in certain contexts, and café is so standard that coffeehouse may be best reserved for historical writing. Pay careful attention to the foreign words you do use and ensure that they cannot be replaced with an English word of equal brevity and meaning and purpose.