Reveillon in Lyon

[Gigi29]

My husband and I will be spending five days in Lyon beginning Dec. 31. Because we will be arriving in the afternoon of New Year's Eve, I'd like to make a reservation at a good restaurant before we leave home. Can you please recommend a place?

We will be staying near Place Bellecour. We would like to find a place where the atmosphere is fun and relaxing and where we, complete strangers with limited French, will feel part of the fun and not like outsiders. As a pair of oldies, we probably won't last much beyong 1:00 a.m.

We would like to limit the cost of dinner to about 100 euros per person. We would really appreciate some suggestions.

Thanks!

[menton1]

This is a daunting request--

You could go to a mostly-locals place that would be quite authentic and have excellent food, but everyone would probably be speaking French;

Or you could go to a touristy place where the staff speaks English but it has the makings of a tourist trap--

Last September, we had our best meal in Lyon at a bouchon in Vieux Lyon, that doesn't make the normal lists of bouchons, it is a "well kept secret". It is quite lively and atmospheric, and has great food--

LES LYONNAIS BOUCHON

1 RUE TRAMASSAC

69005 LYON

0478376482

Bonne fete de l'an!!

[badthings]

Although it is certainly not as exciting as a real bouchon, Bocuse's Brasserie Le Nord features slightly contemporized versions of traditional food, and they will be better able to handle people without French. It is walking distance from Bellecour. You can eat well for under 100 euros each, but that might be difficult if you do stay until 1. And you will probably be surroundeed by a mix of Japanese (and other) tourists, and some natives. And you will be able to make a reservation well in advance, which will probably be tough at many bouchons. But if you feel up to it, you should of course try a bouchon instead. (There is a place right across the street from Le Nord, I forget the name, that is deservedly famous for its "buffet lyonnais". Despite its fame, I found it very good, and not overrun with tourists.

Brasserie Le Nord

18, rue Neuve

04 72 10 69 69

[TarteTatin]

Be careful not to get too lost in Lyon! We got terribly lost there three times.

We were one of the few people I know that were not very impressed at all with Paul Bocuse...although if you enjoy eating inside of a pink birthday cake, then...

The food was rather heavy and uninspired, we thought. The best thing about the place was the picture of the "Thirteen Chefs of France" by the Men's bathroom that was staged to look like the "Last Supper". Very funny.

We'll be right below you in Gordes for New Year's Eve. Anyone have any suggestions around there?

[Gigi29]

Thank you for your suggestions. Perhaps I should say that we were in Paris for New Year's Eve 2002 and found that every restaurant there (ordinary ones, nothing special) had only 100 euro dinners that night. So my assumption is that the same will be true in Lyon. Any suggestions about how I could find out in advance if that is true?

Our French is good enough to enable us to read menus and order, and to allow us to communicate slowly. We would have trouble participating in an ordinary conversation among French-speakers. Does that change your advice?

I was very intersted in comments I found here about a place called Poivre Ane. Would that, or something like it, be good for this situation?

Thank you.

[menton1]

At the Les Lyonnais Bouchon I mentioned above, you will be well within your spending budget. The food is great as well. We loved the Quenelles, a Bouchon specialty. Give them a call for exact pricing and reservations.

In Gordes, 2 restaurants come to mind: Les Bories, in an old barn slightly out of town, and Michel Del Burgo right in town in the Bastide de Gordes. The hotel is also quite beautiful if you need a place to stay.

Les Bories

rte Vénasque

84220 Gordes

Telephone: 04 90 72 00 51

Bastide de Gordes

84220 Gordes

Telephone: 04 90 72 12 12

Edited November 26, 2003 by menton1 (log)

[degusto]

About Gordes:

Michel Del Burgo is not at the Bastide de Gordes anymore. He left in May or June, a week or so after he publicly denied rumours that he would leave. The chef is the guy who was his second. I have not been there since.

Les Bories can be ok.

Avoid Mas des Herbes Blanches in Joucas which is the village close by. It correctly lost it star this year.

The best resturants in that area are the two in Lourmarin: La Feniere and Moulin de Lourmarin. Loubet's Moulin is the only one open during new year. There should be posts about it on egullet but I would just like to add that, although you sometimes get very original food with very authentic tastes made of the best possible ingredients, it is far from always like that. Unfortunately the prices are now just too expensive for what it is. It seems as if Loubet is trying to get the third star by charging three star prices for his food. But without considering the prices the food is quite good, in my opinion much less creative than most say. It is a bit of a drive to go to Lourmarin from Gordes. It may not seem very far on a map but it is takes quite some time to drive over Luberon.

There are few very good simple restaurants in that area. It is an area where one is bound to be dissapointed.

One of my favourites in that area (in a broader sense) is Bistrot d'Eygalières in Eygalières. It may seem as far away from Gordes as Lourmarin but it is a much quicker drive. They always serve good food if rarely outstanding. The service is very professional yet relaxed and the interior is a very authentic. Prices are ok for what you get. It may be a good lunch excursion since Eygalières, together with Menerbes, in my mind, is one of the most genuine, not overly-exploited, extremely well kept and beautiful villages around Luberon and Alpilles.