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Michel Bras, Laguiole

Bux

By Bux
in France: Dining

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cigalechanta

cigalechanta

Posted
Posted

This Gourdon is not a perché village, it's an old market town on the borders of the Quercy and the Perigord(technically in the Lot) I love old doorways. There are some here from the 17th century

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly....MFK Fisher

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akwa

akwa

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what possible additional recommendation could you need to eat at one of the great chefs of the last 1/4 century if not longer

hell, i wish i could even think about going

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cigalechanta

cigalechanta

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what possible additional recommendation could you need to eat at one of the great chefs of the last 1/4 century if not longer

hell, i wish i could even think about going

sigh! so do I !

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly....MFK Fisher

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grace3

grace3

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I think I was more interested in finding out about the area rather than about Michel Bras!! Not much more needed to know about him.

I am making my plans for a year from now..which may not be too soon, as others are having trouble with fall reservations there now.

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winesonoma

winesonoma

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I think I was more interested in finding out about the area rather than about Michel Bras!! Not much more needed to know about him.

I am making my plans for a year from now..which may not be too soon, as others are having trouble with fall reservations there now.

Be sure to buy a Knife and a Corkscrew when you go. That's what the town is famous for.

Bruce Frigard

Quality control Taster, Château D'Eau Winery

"Free time is the engine of ingenuity, creativity and innovation"

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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MobyP

MobyP

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My wife and I (plus nipper) will be in the Lot in August, and I managed to make a reservation for a long-anticpated meal there on the 19th. How far is Laguiole from the restaurant, and is it significantly cheaper than the rest of France for Laguiole products? I'm thinking of one of those beautiful blond wood-handled pen knives that go in the 50 euro range elsewhere. It would be great if I could pick one up for less.

"Gimme a pig's foot, and a bottle of beer..." Bessie Smith

Flickr Food

"111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321" Bruce Frigard 'Winesonoma' - RIP

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winemike

winemike

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I do not think that Laguiole knifes are cheaper in Laguiole than in the rest of France (at least) but you've got a larger choice. Also, make sure you buy the stuff from "Forges de Laguiole". They're the *real* ones.

Michael Bras is not quite in Laguiole, I remember it's a short drive out of Laguiole, 5 minutes in direction of Aubrac if memory serves but it seems hard to walk (especically up hill :wink: )

"Je préfère le vin d'ici à l'au-delà"

Francis Blanche

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John Talbott

John Talbott

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I do not think that Laguiole knifes are cheaper in Laguiole than in the rest of France (at least) but you've got a larger choice. Also, make sure you buy the stuff from "Forges de Laguiole". They're the *real* ones.

Michael Bras is not quite in Laguiole, I remember it's a short drive out of Laguiole, 5 minutes in direction of Aubrac if memory serves but it seems hard to walk (especically up hill  :wink: )

Oh yes, but (if on a good day) - what a beautiful walk.

A native Frenchperson can correct me but I think you're correct about prices being the same. I've bought things at the source thinking they'd be cheaper and found them later at the identical prices in Paris - however, as you point out, the selection is greater and you can say you got them at the source. It boils down to schlepability.

John Talbott

blog John Talbott's Paris

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tony h

tony h

Posted
Posted (edited)
Has anyone been there lately?? I am thinking of driving and spending the night when I will be spending a couple weeks near Gourdon.

best of luck - they are usually booked out shortly after the reservations open in january. I only got in because of a cancellation. Anyway - here's my review click here

one the best experiences ever

Edited by Tony Higgins (log)
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grace3

grace3

Posted
Posted
Has anyone been there lately?? I am thinking of driving and spending the night when I will be spending a couple weeks near Gourdon.

best of luck - they are usually booked out shortly after the reservations open in january. I only got in because of a cancellation. Anyway - here's my review click here

one the best experiences ever

I have enjoyed all the posts!

I sent them an e-mail this am. I'm a year away for my reservation..I asked when I needed to make it. Will see what kind of response I receive.

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Laidback

Laidback

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Michel Bras has been on my hit list for quite a while and yesterday I emailed for reservations for a one night stay with dinner for our trip this Fall to The Collioure area and received a prompt reply for the 27th of Sept. Interestingly, I had used the reservation request form from their website several days earlier and received no response, but when I used the e-mail address listed in Michelin, I received a same day reply. My mouth waters.

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Bux

Bux

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I concur with the recommendation to buy Forge de Laguiole brand implements. It is also their factory that is designed by Philippe Starck and worth visiting as suggested by Robert. It's worth noting that they also have a nice showroom in downtown Laguiole, as much as Laguiole could be said to have a downtown. If I recall correctly, the showroom in town is also designed by Starck. The factory also had knives with slight imperfections that were being sold as seconds, although the downtown showroom offered some special prices as well. I really can't remember if either location had a generally bigger selection of knives or not when we were there.

As for them being the real ones, I believe they are the only ones completely fabricated in Laguiole from start to finish, but there are a number of companies making knives and all of them entitled to stamp their products as "Lagioule." I don't know if there's a variation in price between buying Forge de Laguiole knives in Laguiole and other parts of France, but there's a difference in price between brands.

Conques is probably the major nearby site to visit in terms of sightseeing. South of Laguiole is the town of Beaucastel with the lovely Vieux Pont hotel and restaurant. It's not quite on a par with Michel Bras, but it's remained a favorite of ours over the years.

Edit: Yes Grace, le Vieux Pont is in Belcastel. I'm still suffering jet lag I suppose from my return from Madrid.

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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Silly Disciple

Silly Disciple

Posted
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A group of friends and I are planning (or hoping rather) to go to Bras mid-October, for a Saturday lunch.

If we decided to sleep in the area that night, and return to Barcelona on Sunday morning, what would our options be? Are there any somewhat cheap and decent places in Laguiole, or can anyone recommend interesting little towns between BCN and Laguiole (again, w/cheap and decent places to sleep) ?

Thanks,

SD

We''ve opened Pazzta 920, a fresh pasta stall in the Boqueria Market. follow the thread here.

My blog, the Adventures of A Silly Disciple.

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grace3

grace3

Posted
Posted
A group of friends and I are planning (or hoping rather) to go to Bras mid-October, for a Saturday lunch.

If we decided to sleep in the area that night, and return to Barcelona on Sunday morning, what would our options be? Are there any somewhat cheap and decent places in Laguiole, or can anyone recommend interesting little towns between BCN and Laguiole (again, w/cheap and decent places to sleep) ?

Thanks,

SD

I think you must mean Belcastel for the Vieux Pont?? South of Conques and west of Rodez??

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edm

edm

Posted
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sorry if im off-topic, SD, Toulouse not qualifying as a small town... but a nice lunch at two-star Michel Sarran would be a great addition. Check out his food at www.michel-sarran.com, and forgive him the cheesy music!

Eddy M., Chef & Owner

Se.ed Artisan Foods, Vancouver BC

Follow Se.ed's growth at: http://spaces.msn.com/members/fromseedtofood/

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Bux

Bux

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SD, if it's an overnight trip from Barcelona and you're looking for the speediest route, I suspect you won't be going through Toulouse, but avoiding the mountain roads over the Pyrenees by taking the highway straight up to France and approaching Laguiole from the southeast. Belcastel is close by Laguiole and charming. The few rooms at le Vieux Pont are inexpensive, certainly by comparison to Michel Bras' inn, which are not expensive, for a Relais Château property. I'm finding things particularly relative today and I'm sure you can find much cheaper rooms along the way in less charming settings. Although I've seen great evolution in Nicole Fagegaltier's food each time we're there, I can almost assure you it will be fine. On our last trip a few years ago, we stayed two nights and my impression was that the gastronomic tasting menu was so far superior to the other menus available. We both took that the first night and then we took different menus the next night and it was clear that the best effort went into the gastronomic menu. A lot might depend on whether you want such a meal after Michel Bras. If their web site is accurate, the double room with shower, not bath, is a buy at 73 €. It's our favorite room for its layout, but I also prefer a shower to a tub.

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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Silly Disciple

Silly Disciple

Posted
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SD, if it's an overnight trip from Barcelona and you're looking for the speediest route, I suspect you won't be going through Toulouse, but avoiding the mountain roads over the Pyrenees by taking the highway straight up to France and approaching Laguiole from the southeast.

Indeed, the route would be Barcelona - Perpignan - Narbonne and the north towards Laguiole.

Sd

We''ve opened Pazzta 920, a fresh pasta stall in the Boqueria Market. follow the thread here.

My blog, the Adventures of A Silly Disciple.

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Silly Disciple

Silly Disciple

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Posted
fyi - Laguiole to Girona took us approx 5 hours. 

we went over the new bridge - fab!

Yes, 5 hours is more or less what viamichelin says. Which new bridge are you talking about?

Sd

We''ve opened Pazzta 920, a fresh pasta stall in the Boqueria Market. follow the thread here.

My blog, the Adventures of A Silly Disciple.

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pim

pim

Posted
Posted (edited)
SD, if it's an overnight trip from Barcelona and you're looking for the speediest route, I suspect you won't be going through Toulouse, but avoiding the mountain roads over the Pyrenees by taking the highway straight up to France and approaching Laguiole from the southeast.

Indeed, the route would be Barcelona - Perpignan - Narbonne and the north towards Laguiole.

Sd

I just drove from Laguiole to Barcelona, we went from Laguiole toward Montpellier then follow the sign that said Barcelone, with a little detour to Couloire to get some anchovies for lunch. The route from Laguiole to Montpellier took us by Millau and right over the fastastic bridge.

I haven't written up the meal yet but the photos of the place and food, and the Viaduc de Millau are on flickr.

Michel Bras

Viaduc de Millau

Edited by pim (log)

chez pim

not an arbiter of taste

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