Pammel's Profile
Provence and Cotes du Rhone
It is a shame you don't have transportation because there are many wonderful places to eat a short distance from all of these towns. We live part of the year in the Vaucluse and have had the chance to try a lot of restaurants. We like Hiély-Lucullus but I think we have enjoyed our meals more at Essentiel Restaurant in Avignon. I have attached a link to a recent post I wrote about the restaurant on my blog. http://www.sablethouse.blogspot.com/2012/05/avignon-city-of-popes-and-lessentiel.html
Recs in the Luberon: Rousillon, Gordes, Menerbes, Bonnieux
We ate at Resaurant David in Roussillon last October and it was not much more than average. I would definitely look for other options.
Need restos in Carpentras or Mazan
We live part of the year in Sablet which is about 20 kms north of Carpentras. Unfortunately, there are not any great restaurants in either Carpentras or Mazan. Friday morning there is a large market which occurs throughout the year in Carpentras. Afterwards, we go many times to eat lunch at Chez Serge which is located very near the main market area.
Skip L'Oulo in Mazan; we have eaten there and it didn't live up to expectations at all. I was about the only person there in the restaurant on a winter evening and the chef spent a long time complaining to me about the fact that the Michelin inspectors had overlooked his restaurant.
To the north of Carpentras, there are several very good/excellent restaurants including L'Oustalet in Gigondas, Les Abeilles in Sablet, Le Grand Pré in Roaix (Michelin star), Campagne, Vignes et Gourmandises in Sainte Cecile les Vignes and Coteaux et Fourchettes in Cairanne.
We recommend all of these restaurants. I have pictures of the restaurants and food on our blog www.sablethouse.blogspot.com I hope this helps.
Montpellier and around
You don't say when you are going to be in Montpellier as come summer there are a few more options on the beach.
We have cousins who live near Montpellier but work in the City so we get over to see them and eat a various restaurants in Montpellier when we are at our home in Provence.
We have had a great meal at Jardin des Sens but it would definitely not qualify as an informal bistro in terms of the food, service or price.
We have had several wonderful meals at Insensé Restaurant at the Musée Fabre near Place de la Comédie. This restaurant is also owned by the Pourcel brothers but we really like it. I posted pictures of the restaurant and food on my blog http://www.sablethouse.blogspot.com/2011/03/insense-restaurant-montpellier.html
This fall we had a very nice meal at Le Petit Jardin Restaurant on a very narrow street near the Faculte de Medicine. I have not posted about this yet on my blog but will do so eventually. I have attached a picture of the restaurant to this post..
Will you have a car? There are also some very nice restaurants just to the north of Montpellier in the wine villages of the Pic St. Loup area.
Trip Report Provence, Montpellier, Nimes, Aix & Paris
Just returned from two weeks at our home in Provence. We have cousins in Montpellier so we always go there several times to meet up with them. While we did not go to Insensé this time, we have been there a number of times and enjoyed our meals very much. I posted some pictures from my blog from earlier this year. Earlier this week, we went to eat at Let Petit Jardin which is close to the cathedral. It was excellent and I definitely recommend it to you.
ile sur la Sorgue France (near Avignon)
With all due respect, Isle sur la Sorgue although not too far away is not in the Luberon but rather in the Vaucluse plateau in the plains of Comtat Venaissin. Kurtis's lengthy review which you will find in a Luberon search is outstanding and a good source for you, especially for restos to the east and southeast of Isle sur la Sorgue.
Aix en Provence or near by towns? Ideas.
My first suggestion is that if there is anyway for you to afford it rent a car. Aix is very close to many wonderful places near the sea and Luberon but you won't be able to get there by train. You will waste a lot of time waiting for bus. It will be a shame and a waste of a trip to the area if you don't have a car.
Provence restaurant recommendations_Arles and Cassis
We are in Cassis three or four times a year. We have never had a good meal on the waterfront. However, back in April, we had a very good lunch at Fleurs et Thym and then in July at Le Bonaparte. Both restaurants are located around the corner from each other a block or so off the water front. Both restaurants are long time fixtures in Cassis and owned by their chefs. This is not Michelin star dining nor is there a view of the sea but they are far and away the best meals we have had so far in Cassis and we will definitely return
A week in Roussillon. Where to eat?
To each their own! We were in Roussillon yesterday morning and enjloyed ourselves thoroughly. As you know, we have a house in Sablet in the Vaucluse and we come to Provence 4 or 5 times a year from California. We have been to all of the Luberon villages multiple times and Roussillon is one of our favorites, not for food by any means. But there is a charm and artwork is generally less expensive by a long shot in Roussillon if you know who to see than you can find in Gordes, Bonnieux, Menerbes or Lourmarin for sure. I am not sure what you mean by overrun, we never fail to find parking right up in the village as we did yesterday.
16 Days in Provence and the proposed Itinerary and Restaurants
Why don't you rent a house in one of the villages and do day trips. All the villages/towns you mention are no more than an hour's drive. You will really experience life in Provence. Also, I would definitely check with the restaurants where you want to eat to make sure they are not closed at the end of October/early November as it is not unusal restaurants in Provence to close for a few weeks between the end of the season and when they reopen for Christmas holiday season. Your Day 3 itinerary is crazy in my opinion. Vaison-la-Romaine has both an upper medieval town with fortress and worth a hike to as well as the lower Roman town with vast archeological ruins and 2000 year old Roman bridge. If you go on Tuesday morning, there is the weekly market (even then it will have 200+ vendors), one of the best in the South of France. Lunch at L'Oustalet will be at least two hours. The village of Gigondas is worth hiking around besides tasting the wonderful red wines produced in that AOC. Unless, you have scheduled tastings, I would go to Rasteau before Cairanne; Rasteau is newly elevated to its own AOC like Gigondas and CDP. CDP is at least 1/2 hour drive from Gigondas, while the village doesn't have much to offer besides the remains of the Pope's summer castle, there are plenty of wonderful places to taste wine. One of our favorites is Domaine de la Charbonniere. http://sablethouse.blogspot.com/2011/06/domaine-de-la-charbonniere-chateauneuf.html Some of your other days are over packed too.
Lunch in/near Orange?
We highly recommend L'Oustalet in Gigondas. We also like Campagne, Vignes et Gourmandise http://sablethouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/campagne-vignes-et-gourmandises-sainte.html in Saint Cecile les Vignes and Le Temps de Vivre http://sablethouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/le-temps-de-vivre-uchaux.html in Uchaux. They are both quite close to Orange.
Lunch in/near Orange?
We own a home in Sablet about 20 minutes from Orange and go three or four times a year. I don't know any restaurant to recommend in Orange but there are quite a few good ones a short distance away. Will you have a car? How far is your definition to "near"?
iso paris bistro 'near' eifel tower -
I think the restaurant La Fontaine de Mars would fit the bill very nicely for you. I think they have very good food. http://sablethouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-self-indulgent-trip-to-paris-part-3.html
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La Fontaine de Mars
129 Rue Saint-Dominique, Paris, Île-de-France 75007, FR
Seeking Restaurants near Nimes
Hello, we had a very nice meal at Aux Plaisirs des Halles in Nimes last fall and would recommend it to you if you are looking for a place to eat there. It is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant.
2 Weeks in the Luberons in Early April 2011: Trip Report
I am very happy you had a great experience at L'Oustalet. I can't wait to return there when we are back in Provence in July.
Avignon and Ludes, Lively Restaurants
I figured since you have not had any responses to your question about a "lively" restaurant for Avignon that I would at least tell you about two very good restaurants we have enjoyed. We live part of the year in Sablet about 45 minutes northeast of Avignon.
We had a wonderful meal in a restaurant called L'Essentiel last summer and earlier in the year at a restaurant called Hiély Lucullus. I would definitely return again to both of them.
I have a blog where I wrote about our meals and posted pictures of the restaurants and food we ate at www.sablethouse.blogspot.com.
Valrhona chocolate factory in Tain l' Hermitage
Tours are not offered at Valrhona chocolate at the present time. You might be able to arrange one with some advance notice or special relationship but we could not do so on the spur of the moment. There is a shop where you can buy and taste everything they make there and that is several dozen different products.
Restaurants in and around Vaison la Romaine
We have been to Le Bateleur and had a nice meal there; it is owned by the same people who own Les Mescluns in Seguret, a restaurant we like a lot. I don't know anything about the others in fact I have never heard about any of them which I find surprising since I think I am pretty up to date on good restaurants.
Restaurants in and around Vaison la Romaine
We live part of the year in our home in Sablet which is about 10 kms south of Vaison la Romaine. Will you have a car in addition to your bikes? I have a blog www.sablethouse.blogspot.com where I have written about quite a few restaurants in the area. In Vaison, we like Brin d'Olivier, we like Le Girocèdre in Puyméras, in Sainte Cécile les Vignes we love Campagne, Vigne et Gourmandises, we like Maison Bleue in Villedieu, we love Les Abeilles in Sablet, and we love L'Oustalet and Les Florets in Gigondas. also Du Verre a l'Assiette. We also really like Le Temps de Vivre in Uchaux. Don't miss the Tuesday morning market in Vaison la Romaine, it is amazing. I have attached pictures of the terrace dining in the evening for Maison Bleue in Villedieu, L'Oustalet in Gigondas, Le Girocèdre, Les Abeilles, Les Florets and Du Verre a l'Assiette in Gigondas
Rhone Valley Vineyards
Tavel is the only AOC in France that produces only rose wines. They don't have the legal right to label any red wines as Tavel. It may be that some of the wineries in Tavel make a red wine but it won't be labeled Tavel; it will be labeled Vin du Pays, maybe Cote du Rhone, but not even sure about that. Definitely not Tavel, that is why you didn't taste any Tavel roses when you stayed in Tavel.
Rhone Valley Vineyards
The pictures I posted are of L'Oustalet in Gigondas, Les Abeilles in Sablet and Les Florets in Gigondas.
Rhone Valley Vineyards
We live part of the year in our home in Sablet, one of the Cote du Rhone Villages. There are many wineries that are open for tasting in every single village including Tavel and Chateauneuf du Pape. I avoid the cooperative tasting rooms as they usually but not always make wine from fruit that the wineries don't think is good enough to be bottled with their own labels. One exception is the Caveau in Gigondas that is operated by the syndicat and have all the current bottlings from Gigondas available for tasting. As mentioned previously, look for signs at the entrance to wineries that say "degustation et vente". Most others will do tastings by appointment such as Chateau Beaucastel and Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe in CDP. In Tavel, one of the best is Chateau Trinquevedel http://sablethouse.blogspot.com/2010/06/chateau-trinquevedel-tavel-france.html. In CDP, one of our favorites is Domaine de la Charbonnière run by a charming family. Unfortunately, there are no great restaurants in CDP. That is not the case in Gigondas where there are two very good restaurants; Les Florets and L'Oustalet. In Sablet there is Les Abeilles which is a very good restaurant and Chateau Trignon winery which is technically in Gigondas and makes very good wine http://sablethouse.blogspot.com/2010/08/chateau-du-trignon-gigondas.html. Not too far away in Sainte Cecile les Vignes is a restaurant called Campagne Vigne et Gourmandise. In Roaix, is the Le Grand Pré restaurant, a one star Michelin restaurant. The restaurants I have mentioned are all excellent. and open for lunch. Check to make sure which day of the week they are closed as they are all closed one or more days per week.
Compiling a list of France's best food markets / foodie towns
If you are starting in Lyon and headed south, it might be worthwhile to stop in Tain-Hermitage http://sablethouse.blogspot.com/2010/03/tain-lhermitage.html home to Valrhona chocolate and the wonderful Hermitage vineyard.
You might also want to go to Le Barroux http://sablethouse.blogspot.com/2010/01/saffron-in-provence.html and visit L'Aube Safran.
Compiling a list of France's best food markets / foodie towns
Tuesday morning market in Vaison la Romaine and Saturday morning in Uzes, both are wonderful markets.
Suggestions for Cassis
We have been to Cassis many times including this past Wednesday. We tried Fleurs de Thym for the first time and had a wonderful lunch there. It is always a great temptation to eat at one of the many restaurants along the port like Chez Nino which we have done and we have yet to have a good meal at any of them. Bonaparte had been recommended to us along with Fleurs de Thym and we decided to try Fleurs de Thym, primarily because the dining room and outdoor dining area had a lot more charm. This is a family run restaurant for the past 15 years, with the son running the dining room and mother cooking in an upstairs kitchen with one helper. I was invited to go up and meet the mother in the kitchen which I did. Very small kitchen, super clean, I was impressed. I will attach pictures of the restaurant and dining room.
We have also been to Clos Sainte Magdelaine to taste and buy wine. If you go, make sure you wander out to the vineyards on the estate and check out the views toward the sea. Absolutely breath taking property location. The whites and roses are very good.
We also went to Domaine Paternel this past Wednesday to taste and buy wine. I guess it depends on day of the week, because we also were cared for by the owner who was very charming and sent us away with free bottles of wine in addition to the case of white and rose we bought. The wines are very good.
Rhone Valley, Bordeaux
With only eight days to spend in France, I would stay in the Northern and Southern Rhone, In addition to Ampuis/Condrieu, you can spend a day in Tain-Hermitage including a visit to Valrhona Chocolate there, then spend the rest of the time in the Southern Rhone. The current issue of Travel + Leisure Magaine Europe Now has a feature article about what and where to visit in the Southern Rhone region. We have a home in Sablet in the Southern Rhone and everything that is mentioned in the article is within 15 miles of our house. I agree with their recommendations.
How is Maubec/Luberon as a base location to eat around Provence?
Thank you Kurtis for the very nice feedback about my blog. I hope you have a fantastic trip and share your experiences.
How is Maubec/Luberon as a base location to eat around Provence?
We live next door to Gigondas in Sablet. I suggest if you are going to come to this area, that you do so on Tuesday so you can hit the market in the morning in Vaison la Romaine. Many consider this market to be the best in South of France. During peak season, there are up to 450 vendors there. Quite Amazing.
Then go south to Gigondas and eat lunch at L'Oustalet, make sure you reserve as they fill fast. Then after lunch, go next door to the Gigondas Cave that is operated by the wine syndicat (they will be closed 12 - 2) and you can taste almost every single current Gigondas release, generally around 70 wines available; there is no cost. if you want to go to a winery tasting room, go to Domaine de Bouissiere, very small, but wonderful wines. Grandma runs the tasting room and she is a delightful funny lady, but is deafer than a door nail. There wines like all the others are available in the Gigondas cave. If you want to walk after lunch, head up to Les Florets, park your car and head up. There is a hike up from there with fantastic views.
Relative to your general itinerary, my wife would want me to tell you to forget a leisurely romantic dinner on your first night. One or both of you will be fighting to stay awake and it will not be the romantic experience you are looking for. Instead grab something simple and plan to eat in at your place or a pizza to go. Start your dining experiences the next day.
I have attached a picture of L'Oustalet and of the village of Gigondas. It is very small, only about 400 people live there. I have a write about one of our meals at L'Oustalet and pictures of lots of other meals and visits to villages in the Vaucluse on my blog at www.sablethouse.blogspot.com
Marseille!
Thanks for all the ideas for where to eat and drink in Marseille. We own a home in the Vaucluse northeast of Avignon and I would really like to get to know Marseille. I find it quite intimidating and will keep your post for when we are back in a few weeks. I have been to Chez Fonfon at Vallon des Auffes off the Corniche for wonderful but expensive (doesn't include the cost of what I lost when my car was broken into while I was eating) Bouillabaisse. Any suggestions for someplace less expensive for Bouillabaisse?
Spend an extra day in Beaune (Burgundy) or Vaison la Romaine (Provence)
We have a home in Sablet which is about 6 miles from Vaison-la-Romaine and I can tell you there are many wonderful wineries and restaurants in the area around Vaison-la-Romaine. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the furthest way at about 40 minutes, Gigondas is 15 minutes, Vacqueyras is a couple minutes more. Rasteau is about 10 minutes. These villages are all classified as AOCs for the great wines produced there. Then you have the villages of Seguret, Cairanne plus 17 more villages that have the right to append the name of their village to the wine they produce.
You are going at a great time and all the restaurants and shops will be open. You will certainly find the restaurants have opened their terraces for outdoor dining. For restaurants, I would suggest Les Mescluns in Seguret, Les Abeilles in Sablet, Campagne, Vigne et Gourmandise in Sainte-Cecile-les-Vignes, L'Oustalet in Gigondas, Brin d'Olivier in Vaison-la-Romaine, Le Temps de Vivre in Uchaux. These restaurants all have very good food and are moderately priced.
You will be shocked how many riders will be going up and down Mont Ventoux on their bikes.
I have pictures and information about these restaurants and more and many villages on my blog at www.sablethouse.blogspot.com
