I'm going to Beaune...for a MONTH!

[kitwilliams]

Boyfriend and I rented an apartment in Beaune for the month of April.

I still can't believe it.

Markets and cooking and baking and eating and speaking and eating (he doesn't drink wine!) and walking and more markets and brocantes and cooking and eating. Finding the best croissant. The best fromagerie. You get the picture. We just want to explore every day. Maybe a cooking class if there is something interesting looking.

We won't have a car. May rent bikes. Lots of buses and trains. What can't we miss in Burgundy?

Thanks for any and all information provided!

[lesliec]

Hi Kit. Can you spell J-E-A-L-O-U-S?

I haven't been to Beaune for a few years, but something you must do is a nice long walk out to the south along the Route de Pommard (once you're past the roundabout it becomes the Route de Beaune). I can't see it on Google Earth, but you should pick up a walking track (or maybe it was just minor roads) which takes you through the vineyards to Pommard and Volnay, and as far beyond as you can manage (there may be buses you can catch back to Beaune; not sure - I just walked!). Wonderful countryside to enjoy, even if you don't go into any of the wineries. A similar walk I did was from Gevrey-Chambertin (bus from Dijon) along the Route des Grands Crus as far as Vosne-Romanée for lunch, then back again. Highly recommended.

I'd love to give you a restaurant recommendation, but I can't remember the name of the one I enjoyed so much I went back two nights running. No doubt it would have changed since 2004, anyway. You'll find some good things. Enjoy yourselves!

[Julian Teoh]

Hi Kit,

I was in Beaune and surrounds in September last year.

Restaurant-wise, I would definitely go to Ma Cuisine (Passage Ste-Helene); excellence all around, so I can't recommend any particular dishes, although we had skate in caper butter and a roast squab which were genuinely awesome.

Also worth going to Loiseau de Vignes (31 rue Maufoux) in the historic centre, the one-star casual restaurant run by Dominique Loiseau; they have a selection of almost 100 wines by the glass (which you can order in half-glasses also), good for your selfish enjoyment if the BF doesn't drink wine. April should be warm enough for a lunch in the lovely hotel courtyard.

Located in a vaulted cellar, the Caveau des Arches (10 Boulevard de Perpreuil) is also very good, and you can have a very worthy three-course lunch for under 25 euros, featuring dishes with a regional touch such as fresh pasta (should I call it pates fraiches to make it sound more authentic?) with chicken with epoisses and an excellent vanila ice cream with creme de cassis. Tasty trencherman's fare with smart service.

If you want a splurge, Lameloise (36, place d'Armes, Chagny) now serves modern and elegant food in a grand old dining room. The lunch menu has flashes of brilliance (anything with pastry in it, such as a tart with herbs and vegetables), but in retrospect, I would have taken out a loan and gone a la carte for dinner instead.

Fromagerie-wise, do check out Alain Hess (7 Place Carnot). He has an excellent range of regional specialities near the front of his shop, as well as a selection of spices, oils, condiments, etc. It's not cheap, but it's a very convenient one-stop gourmet shop.

Hope this helps!

Edited March 19, 2012 by Julian Teoh (log)

[nibor]

We had omelets at a cafe on the main square about six years ago. I don't remember the name of the place - it had lots of tables outside, like they all do, and we really weren't expecting much. We are still talking about those omelets, wondering how they accomplished such a miracle.

[KennethT]

I agree with Julian - but getting to Lameloise would be very difficult without a car. While I think Beaune is a cute little town, I don't know what it would be like to live there for a month wihtout a car - as many things in Burgundy are quite a ways outside the city.

One thing not to miss - which I odn't even know if it's possible to miss since it takes up the whole central square (right next to the Hospice de Beaune) - is the market that takes place every weekend (can't remember if it was Sat or Sun).

Ma Cuisine is excellent - although you'll need reservations - at last check, they're only open 4 days a week and hard to get into as many winemakers enjoy dining there. They don't really have a set menu - just a blackboard where they write what they have that day. They do, however, have a massive wine list - mostly from the surrounding area with many back vintages, but also a full page of Chateau d'Yquem in tons of back vintages. Also, the wine list is very fairly priced for what it is. My wife and I shared an amazing bottle of 1998 Meo Camuzet Clos de Vougeot for less than what we would have paid retail (or even at most auctions) here in NY.

I'd like to add, if it suits you, the local specialties of frogs legs, and escargot are fantastic. I still dream about them (with lots of butter, garlic and parsley) and we ahven't been there in a few years.

If you like the burgundian style washed rind cheeses, there's a plethora to be found. Sure there's the Epoisses, but keep an eye out for some of the others that are made in the area that don't get exported so much - I don't remember the names off the top of my head, but the people I met were very friendly and very happy to talk about the local specialties - most of which are made around the corner somewhere.

Have fun on your trip - you have tons of time to try everything in Beaune several times over.... count me jealous too!

[kitwilliams]

Oh, this is all fantastic. Thank you all for sharing your time and expertise.

Frogs legs and escargot are way up there on our "to do" list.

We'll probably get a car for a day here, a weekend there...would rather save our money for the important things!

I have nearly every issue of SAVEUR so pulled out Issue 30 from November of 1998 which is all on Burgundy and has Ma Cuisine's recipe for Jambon Persille Maison which looks amazing and if we can't get a reservation, we'll make our own! Wouldn't mind finding a nice old terrine to refrigerate it in, and a copper bowl for whisking my egg whites for the raft to clarify the stock! I understand there are lots of antique shops in and around the Cote-d'Or...hope to find one specializing in kitchenwares.

We will most definitely check out Alain Hess as "Hess" is my boyfriend's last name! Is he from Alsace?

Again leslie, Julian, nibor and Kenneth, MANY thanks! I'll be thinking of you!

[Julian Teoh]

Hi Kit,

I don't know where Hess is from, but do NOT get me started about Alsace, or I will never stop. It is my favourite wine region, period.

[kitwilliams]

Julian: Alsace? Did someone say Alsace? ;-)

[kitwilliams]

I'm bumping this up, in case someone else with lots of Burgundian experience hasn't seen it!

Thanks again, everyone who has offered advice!

[Dave Hatfield]

Kit

I won't chime in on the food per se as you're getting good advice.

I will, however, recommend that you buy one or more cellar rats to take home with you.

A conversation piece(s) for evermore.

[kitwilliams]

Ooh. Thanks, Dave! Had to look them up...stunning and functional. What could be better?

[kitwilliams]

Again, many thanks to you all for the expert advice. Needless to say, WE LOVE BEAUNE and all of Burgundy. Our apartment was perfectly charming, the kitchen well-equipped, so centrally located. I'd gladly recommend it to anyone and, if anyone wants the info, just contact me.

We rode bikes to Pommard, picnicking in the town square under a blossoming cherry tree, and walked to Chorey-le-Beaune in the rain (thanks Lesliec!)

We had our favorite meal with new friends at Ma Cuisine (oh how I loved their jambon persille, not to mention the perfectly cooked plump pigeon) and another at Le Gourmardin (thanks Julian and Kenneth).

We took the train to Lyon for a weekend and fell in love with France's second largest city. Unfortunately one horrid dinner at a bouchon in Vieux Lyon (long story but we were already laughing about it during the meal so it was an adventure); but the next night went to Brasserie Georges which was so French and so bustling and the food was darn good (simple steak frites and tete de veau) and it all made for such an entertaining evening! And the view of Vieux Lyon from Croix-Rousse made for one of the most beautiful photos I've ever taken. Having two fabulous rivers in one fabulous city is unbelievable to this girl from southern California!

We rented a Smart Car for three days, visiting Autun and Bibracte and Alesia (gotta love that Vercingetorix) and Fontenay and Chateauneuf, stopping and walking along the Canal du Bourgogne and thinking about a possible barge trip NEXT TIME!

Our favorite macarons in Beaune were at Patisserie Bouche, just around the corner from our apartment. At Wagner's Patisserie, the had a very un-traditional Kouign Amann that was very delicious, and their canelles were superb: evenly dark and crisp, chewy, and creamy, custardy interior. But, overall, I was truly disappointed in the breads and pastries around town.

Fromagerie Alain Hess was Disneyland for us. We couldn't stop ourselves from purchasing everything we wanted yet were always surprised at how reasonable their prices were. I think we still smell of Epoisses.

That's it in a very small nutshell. Will post more details in the appropriate spots but just wanted to thank you all for your generous recommendations.