degustazione's Profile
Restaurant in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat
the restaurant at plage paloma is very good and a short walk from town--have only had lunch there but believe they have dinner as well
another good option is "le sloop" which is on the restaurant row by the boats in town.
St Remy and Paris (7th Arr.)
to boredough's st.remy area list I would add La Maison Jaune in St Remy (wonderful terrace setting and food) and the bistro of chez bru in eygalieres center (their formal restaurant is a few km away and very expensive but also worth considering).
How to contact Ferme Auberge Le Castelas (Luberon)
Thanks Parigi. Unfortunately that is the number I tried.
How to contact Ferme Auberge Le Castelas (Luberon)
I am trying to reach someone at Castelas to inquire about hosting an event there. The phone number I found in a travel book (lonely planet) is out of service, and emails have been returned as undeliverable. Does anyone have current contact information? Thanks in advance.
Restaurant Le Mimosa in Languedoc - open again
Does anyone know whether le mimosa will be open summer/fall 2012? Thanks
Casual for rehearsal dinner in menerbes vicinity
Looking for something on the casual side. Had looked into ferme auberge le castelas but it may be a bit too far. Thanks in advance
Luberon - Wedding Reception Recommendation
I'm bumping this post to see if anyone has any additional/updated suggestions. Including perhaps near Menerbes or St. Remy de Provence. Thanks in advance.
Provence restaurant recommendations_Arles and Cassis
Rabanel had some excellent courses (they serve approx 15 small plates) but some were a bit too experimental/strange, particularly the tomato-focused desserts. Extremely expensive. Consider le cilantro instead. Avoid place du forum. In st remy area you are right to go to bistrot du paradou. Consider having more than one meal there (eg one lunch, one dinner on different days). In cassis try la stazione which has some of the best pizza and pasta (get the amatriciana) that I have had in france (or italy for that matter--the chef is from naples).
Violon d'Ingres - takes reservations or not??
I successfully made a reservation about three weeks ahead of time for dinner on July 14. There was no problem. I only wish I had spoken up about the not-great table I was given rather than one on the banquette. I suggest asking for the banquette.
Need approval for Paris itinerary!
I believe Joel Durand has a Paris location (not sure where). Amazing chocolate.
Paris report July 14-17 2011: Sola, Le Violon d'Ingres, KGB, Regalade St. Honore
Sola: Dinner in downstairs tatami room. We had the larger of the two prix fixe (no choices), which had two entrees, two plats, two desserts for 60 euros per person. Began with an excellent cold lobster salad with mango and some fresh herbs, followed by a second entree of razor clams with chorizo and a pepper sauce (not as good as the lobster), followed by a small fillet of bar (bass) fish with eggplant and other flavors, followed by steak with some tempura-ed and grilled vegetables. Best were the lobster and the steak. The only dessert I remember had a very good mint sorbet that was basically pure mint flavor. This was our best meal in Paris, though not cheap.
Le Violon d'Ingres. Dinner. Disappointed not to be given a table on the banquette when several were available; perhaps should have complained but I didn't. Excellent lobster salad. Also there was an excellent special entree salad with green beans foie gras and peaches. We then both had the turbot which was the "rotisserie" special--was good not great. Desserts were good not great. The list of wines of the month was well priced and we had a great burgundy (i think it was a 2004) for 40 euros or so.
Regalade St. Honore. Dinner. Good but not quite as good as it was last year. Best dish was the gaspacho w/ crab. Special peach dessert wasn't that good.
KGB. Lunch. The entree tapas (which they call "zors d'oeuvres") were quite good, the plat of pork with purple mustard not as good. Didn't like that we were shunted into an empty side room rather than to tables in the main room where french people were sitting.
Provence report July 2011
I may have reported inaccurately. I believe it was 49 euros total including the wine and the food, although on the check this was broken out (perhaps b/c required by law?) into 43 euros for food and six euros for wine. The wine was the one that was on every table and also lined up on the bar. Most other tables were drinking the same, although a few ordered rose.
Provence report July 2011
As a supplement to my earlier report, here are a few additional places that I either inadvertently left off the original list or went to after I filed the report.
Le Bistrot du Paradou (Paradou). Perhaps the best (and best value) meal of the entire trip. We went for dinner. There is a choice of entree (on our night, it was foie gras ravioli, escargots, or soupe au pistou), followed by one plat without choice (on our night, it was three lamb chops with some mashed potato and ratatouille), followed by a help-yourself cheese course that is brought to your table and left there for you to take as much as you like, followed by a choice of desserts (the abricot-clafoutis tarte and the gateau chocolat were both amazing). The house wine, for 6 euros per person, was an excellent cotes du rhone from chateauneuf-du-pape; when one bottle was finished, another was brought without additional charge. After eating here I can see why some consider it the best bistro in all of france. The food was classic and impeccably prepared; probably the best lamb I have ever eaten.
La Stazione (Cassis). In contrast with the somewhat homogeneous (ie, grilled fish) offerings elsewhere in town, this Italian restaurant puts out excellent pastas, pizzas, antipasti, and a few mains that are cooked by a chef imported from Naples. The quality of the ingredients is excellent: perfect melon, perfect tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, etc. The pizzas, made in a wood burning oven, are comparable to those I have had south of Naples. Small but well chosen wine list. Highly recommended.
Yacht Club de Cassis (Cassis). This place is on the port but not on the touristy part; rather, it is past the tourist office toward the lighthouse. We went for lunch (and had to sit inside because all the outside spots had been booked, seemingly by many regulars who own or work on boats). The grilled fish was excellent and was fileted for us by the waitress. A great option for dining on the port away from the tourist crush.
Provence report July 2011
In approximate order from best to worst:
La Maison Jaune (St. Remy de Provence): This is classic provencal cooking done at the highest level, ie, without flourishes like foams, emulsions, etc. You can order a la carte, or from the approx 55 euro provencal degustation menu, or from the 68 euro menu which has more options. Excellent fresh anchovies over white beans with a pistou was my starter, followed by perfectly cooked lamb loin and chop, followed by their incomparable all-goat cheese course, and dessert was strawberries. The setting is beautiful as well, a quiet terrace on the second floor with views of rooftops and crumbling stone walls of the village.
L'Atelier de Jean-Luc Rabanel (Arles). This is a contrast from La Maison Jaune in that it is more experimental and creative. The dinner is a set menu (no choice) of approximately 15 small plates (incl. dessert), with an emphasis on vegetables and with meats/fish playing a supporting role. Highlights were a white tuna with beans, a thinly sliced taureau (bull) from the camargue, and long green beans with mackerel. The desserts were not quite as good--perhaps because too tomato-based. The staff is accommodating and even the chef himself was helping as a waiter (it must be hard on them to deliver 15 dishes to each table with the right timing).
Brasseries d'Eygalieres (Eygalieres). This is the less formal offshoot of Chez Bru. We had the menu du marche with a carpaccio of cod with a citrus and black truffle sauce as a starter, followed by a chicken breast wrapped in puff pastry with foie gras. Both excellent.
L'Arome (Bonnieux). Very high-level cooking. I started with a tomatoes three ways entree, followed by a filet of sea bass. Girlfriend had an excellent duck breast with cherries. We went for lunch.
Plage Paloma (Cap Ferrat). This is an expensive place for lunch (they also have dinner), but with absolutely fresh fish and great ingredients generally. Beautiful setting.
L'Oustalet (Gigondas). Great wine list, and food also good but not quite as good as L'Arome where we had been the previous day for lunch. Again had a starter that was tomatoes served several ways, followed by a braised lamb shoulder.
L'Olivade (St. Remy de Provence). Seems to have changed ownership since last summer, with the ingredients in the salad having improved but also changed in that they use less tuna in their version of the salade camarguaise.
La Fille du Pecheur (Villefranche sur mer). Good fish but a bit overpriced.
Le Cosmo (Villefranche sur mer). Very popular but food was just so-so.
Bar Tabac des Alpilles (St. Remy de Provence). Very casual and decent, but not great (entrecote was somewhat stringy but still tasty), brasserie-type food. Seems to be a popular local hangout.
Le Tambourin (Arles). Not good. Salad had no dressing and hadn't been washed well.
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L'Atelier de Jean-Luc Rabanel
Rue des Carmes, Arles, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur 13200, FR
salad in arles or environs
Thanks for the rec. We will try La Chassagnette some other time as I posted too late for our trip yesterday. We ended up at a cafe on place du forum in arles called tambourin which was very mediocre.
salad in arles or environs
Seeking rec for lunch time salad (open sunday) in arles or between arles and stes marie de la mer. Thanks
western sicily report july 2011
In order of preference:
1. La Foresteria (Menfi/Porto Palo): We stayed at this hotel, which is run by the Planeta winery and offers a prix fixe dinner for 40 euros per person, which gives you an amuse, antipasto, pasta, secondo, and dessert. They also have recommended wine pairing for 15 euros per person or you can order off the list. We ate here twice. The second dinner was outstanding (and prepared by the sous chef rather than the main chef): amuse was caponata, antipasto was red prawns with chickpea sauce, pasta was linguine with mussels in a light cream sauce, secondo was swordfish coated in ground up cuttlefish over a green sala,d dessert was a fig semifreddo. The first dinner was good but not as good as the second dinner and included gnocchi with clams and fried turbot.
2. Al Ritrovo (near San Vito Lo Capo). Had an excellent couscous here and they also had a great caprese salad.
3. Da Vittorio (Porto Palo): good selection of seafood antipasti and pastas, the whole fish also looked good.
4. Agriturismo Vultaggio (Rilievo near trapani). This place received raves on this board but I didn't get it. The atmosphere wasn't great with loud italian pop played over a scratchy sound system. The antipasto of vegetables and ricotta and caponata was pretty good. The pasta was overcooked but the sauce (pork and sausage in tomato base was quite good), yet the pasta hadn't been tossed with the sauce. The secondo of mixed grilled meats was overcooked and not that good. Probably better options are available in trapani.
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Da Vittorio
Via Mario Musco 29, Rome, Lazio 00147, IT
Al Ritrovo
Castelluzzo,Viale Cristoforo Colombo,314, San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily 91010, IT
Agriturismo Vultaggio
Contrada Misiliscemi, Guarrato, Sicily , IT
Lunch in/near Orange?
Pammel,
Thanks for your reply. Yes we will have a car and are thinking of visiting vaison la romaine the same day. I saw your post on restaurants in that area and l'oustalet in gigondas sounded good and geographically convenient. Any other suggestions welcome.
Lunch in/near Orange?
Any recommendations? I didn't see anything on a search. Thanks.
please critique my paris list for 3-night stay, thanks
Dinners:
Le Violon d'Ingres
Sola
La Regalade St. Honore (enjoyed it last summer; is it still good?)
L'Agrume walk-in?
Ate at both recently. Both were excellent though I liked Regalade even better. What a great place.
Villefranche-sur-mer and surrounding towns food itinerary help please
Ate at Le Sloop in St. Jean Cap Ferrat a week ago for dinner, it was quite good. Also recommend for lunch the restaurant at Plage Paloma. Last year had lunch at Restaurant du Port which was pretty good too.
In La Turbie, Cafe de la Fontaine (which I think is owned by same guy as Hostellerie) was disappointing this year. The food was fine but the place is so hectic and service brusque that it is somewhat unpleasant.
barcelona trip report -July 2010
roughly in order of our trip (not in order of quality)
quimet i quimet -- barebones tapas bar, no seating, high-quality canned goods but nothing cooked on site; good house beer; get a plate of mixed stuff rather than a montadito
gelonch -- we had the degustacion especial which was a 5-6 course tasting menu; portions small, food very creative (including a soup that was a puree of several different kinds of vegetables pureed separately and layed out in the bowl as if on a painter's palette, then served under a glass dome infused with wood smoke), best dish was what they called "pancetta" but was really (i think) a not-too-fatty piece of pork belly
paco meralgo -- excellent tapas and comfortable environment; octopus dish was the standout; paella is sometimes available but not when we went (sunday lunch); good crema catalana
els pescadors -- a bit outlying (but easily reachable via metro) but open on sunday night; high quality fish
passadis del pep -- overpriced for the quality, seemed to be entirely full of american tourists, some interesting seafood choices (presented as tapas, followed by a main course of fish), it's supposedly a fixed menu but arbitrarily for the main course they give different tables different choices of fish
Tapas tour in Barcelona
went to paco meralgo a few weeks ago and really liked it, especially an octopus dish they had; raw bar looked great too
also went to quimet i quimet which is much more bare bones--no seats and all their stuff comes out of cans/jars (though good quality); i recommend getting a plate of mixed stuff rather than a montadito which came on a nondescript pastry shell
jamonisimo--an exercise in frustration
Having read so many great reviews of jamonisimo, I was excited to do a degustacion. I looked on their website, saw that they are open on saturdays, and went over to the carrer provenca location (apparently there is another location at 328 carrer muntaner, which is a bit further north of the city center). No luck. Sign in window said they are closed on saturdays in the summer.
Next try was on Monday. This time I emailed first and they wrote back that they are open from 5 pm (they probably also have morning hours). We arrived to see the shop clerk, wearing his jamonisimo apron, standing on the sidewalk. It was 5:15 pm. He said he had rushed out to prevent two people from stealing his bicycle, and the door had locked behind him. Not to worry, though, because his boss was on the way with keys and would be there within 15-20 minutes, and he would give us a free glass of cava due to the delay. So we waited, a good 45 minutes. No boss, no keys, no jamon.
The goods inside the shop did look incredible. 4-5 jamons set up for hand carving with white cloth covering each, also a selection of other gourmet items.
Ugh.
dominique bouchet or similar non-3* haute cuisine
Looking for a "haute cuisine" dinner but without the 3* prices. I had a good meal at dominique bouchet a few years ago, and am wondering whether it is still good or whether there are other similar alternatives where one can eat/drink for 100-135 euros per person. Many thanks.
