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The best of Burgundy?


PS

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Off to Burgundy, via Lyon, in a couple of weeks' time and have searched the forum for any recommendations for restaurants/foodie shops/producers/accommodation to no avail. Anyone have any suggestions?

I know of Georges Blanc, and will probably be giving L'Ancienne Auberge a try, but any other info would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Scran

PS

Edinburgh

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have a search under 'beaune' i remember a post that i've added to that contains a comprehensive list of reviews by david russell which covers most of the hot spots in the area.

my personal favourite is les jardin des ramparts in beaune which is well worth a trip, one star in beaune town centre.

there's a lot of good places within 20 min sdrive of beaune and probably enough in the town centre to keep you going!

gary

you don't win friends with salad

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Definitely do not miss having dinner at the Michelin-three-star Lameloise in Chagny. It is worth a drive out of your way.

On our wedding trip in 1995, my husband and I enjoyed the most incredible dinner there, surpassing all dinners we had had and have since had. It remains our touchstone.

Staying at the inn upstairs would be nice, especially when one waddles out of the restaurant at 11:00 and can't face driving! See the restaurant's website at Lameloise.

Edited by browniebaker (log)
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I find a Michelin essential if I'm spending any time at all in France and haven't reserved both lunch and dinner. It's as useful for finding an inexpensive lunch spot as a top starred restaurant. Of course personal recommendations are more interesting to have. Unfortunately, I haven't spent much time in Burgundy lately. I have written about my meals in Lyon. Pierre is a sentimental favorite of ours. I"ve had several great meals at Leon de Lyon. The last one was the least convincing, but I'm not at all sure it's past its peak or anything like that. I liked La Cote St. Jacques in Joigny last year, but felt he might have been trying too hard and thinking too much. Two meals at two star restaurants in the Loire overshadowed the meal there in sheer pleasure and taste, and were less expensive to boot.

I know we've had some posts on Beaune and the rest of Burgundy including Troisgros and others, but it appears as if members haven't favored Burgundy so much lately. Traditionally, it's been a target for traveling gastronomes.

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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my personal favourite is les jardin des ramparts in beaune which is well worth a trip, one star in beaune town centre.

Definitely do not miss having dinner at the Michelin-three-star Lameloise in Chagny. It is worth a drive out of your way.

I liked La Cote St. Jacques in Joigny last year, but felt he might have been trying too hard and thinking too much.

Agree with all of the above, but would vote for Jardin des Remparts above all; less "service", but wonderful, well conceived and excellently executed cooking

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Stayed in Beaune for 5 days at the end of May, so forgive the short rushed notes.

Stayed at Les Remparts - good location, fair price: hotel.des.remparts@wandafoo.fr website is webstore.fr/hotel-remparts

Don't miss the market in Chagny on Sunday AM/Noon!!

Market in Beaune on Saturday - we missed it

Rent a car and get lost in the vineyards!!!

***Go to Burghound.com (Allen Meadows) to order the BEST guide to all that is Burgundy (hotels, restaraunts, Chocolate shops, Cheese shops, etc...) he sells this seperate to his Burghound Newsletter, and was ~$20 http://www.burghound.com/guide.shtml *** Note, I have no affiliation other than as a subscriber and a happy one at that!!

Restaraunts -

l'Ecusson :imaginative edge to traditional Burgundian cuisine. Service spotty ( at best) while we were there. Highlight - roasted marrow bones with escargo; Bresse chicken ;Dessert: bananna 4 ways :unsure: (sounds like a yawner but was excellent). Pretty damn good wine list - fairly priced. Moderately expensive.

Phone: 0380240382

les Tontons : Bistro with the most amazing and fraigrant Burgundian take on "clam chowder". Beef Borgogne was extremely well done. One waiter runs the room in this bistro with a well decorated interior. Some jewels in an excellent wine list. Phone: 0380241964

Le Charlemagne: Restaraunt recently completely redone. Japanese/Burgundy fusion. Our best meal - overlooks Corton Charlemagne. Inventive, inspired meal. Slightly more than l'Ecusson (60 euros per person? for the tasting menu). Would return in a heart beat. Located in Pernand Vergelesses (20-30 min drive from Beaune)

Ma Cuisine: For atmosphere and a feeling like you're with old friends. Amazingly well done standards. A young husband and wife run this bistro. Couldn't have been more opposite overall to the feel and food of Le Charlemagne, but just as good. Also a "must do", but reserve ahead - we called 2 months ahead, but we are anal retentive about these things!! :biggrin: Phone: 0380223022

Salon du The (name escapes me) located at the periphery of the small square/roundabout connected the alleyway to Ma Cuisine (Place Carnot?) - you'll see when you get there. Great little tea salon with pastries/chocolates, the young girl working there had the most musical relaxing French voice I have ever heard :cool: . The bathroom there was also quite unique in a ceramic tile kind of way.

Other must go: Le Tast'fromages 23, rue Carnot

Note these are places we went to. I'm sure there are MANY other places/restaraunts I could talk about, but would not be able to give specific details about. Have a great time!

Mark

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Thanks for your advice everyone.

I've also found a few previous threads the old fashioned, trawling way (the search facility seems to be malfunctioning).

Cannot wait to get there now... :smile:

PS

Edinburgh

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If you decide to visite Dijon, (halfe an hour from beaune)

It will be good fun to have an egullet menber

in my restaurant.

william

Hostellerie du chapeau rouge

5 rue mechelet

03 80 50 88 88

any way roland is a very good chef at le jardin des remparts

it s a nice place

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Hostellerie du chapeau rouge

5 rue mechelet

03 80 50 88 88

From the Michelin site:

Comments:

A muted atmosphere in the dining room, an excellent wine list and inventive cuisine – hats off to this establishment!

Not to mention a star.

Fax: 03 80 50 88 89

E-Mail: chapeaurouge@bourgogne.net

William, Welcome to eGullet and the France forum. I hope we hear more from you.

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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Which places are you hitting, scranmeister? Do you need any recommendation for things that are spectacular to see? Are you a fan of incredible churches, sculpture, painting?

For my part, I travelled through Burgundy in June, 2002. I had one fantastic and one dissapointing meal at Michel Vignaud, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Chablis (beautiful countryside in the area, of course). You're probably safer going to his bistro for lunch rather than his restaurant for dinner, because if it's on, it'll be wonderful and if it's off, you spent less money.

There's also a nice, informal husband-and-wife-run restaurant in Autun, if you go there. It gets no star but a Bib Gourmand in Michelin, which is an appropriate rating. I've forgotten the name of the place, but you'll have no trouble finding it in a Guide Rouge, as Autun is a pretty tiny town.

Don't eat at the Hostellerie de la Poste outside of Avallon and don't stay there; it's an overpriced motel and the restaurant is mediocre. And don't eat at the restaurant in Dijon that got an 18 in last year's Gault Millau. It wasn't mentioned at all in the Michelin Guide Rouge, and Michelin is right.

Have fun with the gougeres, the wine, the countryside, and the pleasant cities! (Or, as I said recently to a friend, enjoy the Land of Freedom. :laugh::laugh::laugh: )

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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Cheers again everyone

Pan, having studied medieval history at uni I am planning on getting to as many such sites as possible - Cluny, Vezelay etc - which is likely to eat into my food-time, but such is life.

We're looking at a number of B&B/fermes options at the moment, so we may end up having a few local home cooking experiences along with the odd restaurant blow out.

PS

Edinburgh

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And don't eat at the restaurant in Dijon that got an 18 in last year's Gault Millau. It wasn't mentioned at all in the Michelin Guide Rouge, and Michelin is right.

Sorry, that's not quite accurate. I've not been to Dijon in a while and haven't dined at that restaurant, but it appears to have had a star last year in the Michelin guide. GM dropped it a notch awarding a 17 this year. (Chapeau Rouge got a 16.) Michelin dropped the star this year. (Chapeau Rouge is one of 7 Michelin one star restaurants for 2003.)

Some confusion may have arisen from the fact that Michelin lists the restaurant as Pré aux Clercs with Billoux noted as chef, while the GM lists the restaurant as Jean-Pierre Billoux, at the same address. So both publications deem it worthy of listing, though both have demoted it this year. Nevertheless, GM still awards it the highest rating in Dijon. On the whole I find Michelin a bit more conservative and slower to promote or demote a restaurant.

None of this really speaks to your dissatisfaction. It may be a sign of inconsistency in the restaurant, or it may be a matter of subjective taste. I've had some very disappointing meals at Michelin starred restaurants. It's not always easy to put my finger on the reason why, but one meal is never sufficient to to truly judge a restaurant. While Michelin inspectors generally raise or lower a rating only after repeated meals, it appears that GM does not make enough visits to be as reliable a guide as Michelin. On the other hand, they may be quicker to report what they spot.

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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  • 4 months later...

Thanks to www.KarenBrown.com, I decided to go to Burgundy this weekend and found two hotels that look lovely -- Le Cep in Beaune and Chateau Bellecroix. Now, it's a matter of finding vinyards to visit, restaurants to patronize and any other things that are worthwhile in that region.

Any suggestions for "What to do/Where to Eat/ What to drink/Vinyards to tour" while in Burgundy?

Thanks!

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Freckles I have a file of places in Burgundy I've visited over the last couple of years and I'll find it and post some in the next couple of days, hope that's not too late.

One thing I can advise now though is that because "Burgundy" mostly comprises lots of tiny plots and sub-plots, it's not obvious who owns what, who makes what, etc. It's best to do a bit of homework ahead of time and make some phonecalls to save time and make sure there is someone to host a tasting - particularly on a weekend - most places don't have a formal infrastructure that accommodates drop-in-and-tasters. Anyway Beaune is a wonderful town and you'll have a lovely time if you organise. More later...

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Thanks Magnolia! As long as I get them by Friday at noon, any suggestions will not be too late at all. I really appreciate your help! Last went to Burgundy as a college-aged back-packer, more than 10 years ago and all I saw was Dijon. So any ideas would be very welcome.

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One point I'd like to make is that very few wine areas treat visitors the way Napa and Sonoma do in California. I'm not saying Freckles is expecting it, but it's rare to find the welcome and tours found in California. This is not to say that all California vinyards welcome guests and tasters or that none of them do in Burgundy. About forty years ago I recall a visit to the Drouhin cellers that did not require an appointment. I have no idea if they still welcome tourists like that. Drouhin is a negotiant. We didn't see any vineyards. As I recall the caves were in Beaune.

Clos Vougeot was also open to tourists, although I don't recall a full visit. It may have been more of just going around the property.

I recall reading about Olivier Leflaive having a place that serves lunch and offers a tasting of a good many of his white wines in Puligny-Montrachet that has always sounded worth looking into.

There's a Wine Spectator article about Burgundy that has suggestions for visits. Unfortunately it dates back to 1997 and the information may not be up to date.

I know there have been some posts and even some threads about Beaune that are worth finding and reading.

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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Thanks, Bux. As a Canadian and a neophyte to the whole "Wine Thing," I've actually never visited a vinyard in Napa, or anywhere else for that matter. From what I've been told, vinyards in Bordeaux all require an appointment to visit while those in Burgundy are more likely to say "Come on in! Taste and buy our wine!" if you just arrive on their doorstep. We shall see... In any case, I don't have too much time in the region -- just 2 days, in fact -- so I don't know how much I'll have time to see. I'll look up old posts regarding Beaune, etc (thanks for the heads-up on this) and see what I can learn.

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There are many small vineyards, as well as local tasting rooms supported by local groups, that are open for tasting by drop in visitors. They are, on the whole, designed not so much as entertainment facilities as those in California are, but as places to sell wine. They are designed to facilitate the sales of wine from the winery directly to the consumer. I have visited more than a few in the southwest, but I've almost always done so in the company of friends who live in the area and who are shopping to stock their celler. They often return to the same places year after year to see how they like the new vintage and will almost always be buying. It's more a matter of how much they will buy and exactly which wine as most of the winemakers down there seem to make more than one type or grade of wine. In season, I imagine you will see lots of license plates from Paris and from Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Switzerland buying wine in Burgundy at the caves. Although, as a tourist without the ability to carry home cases of wine, I tend not to stop and taste without a purpose, I have always found the owners quite hospitable when I do.

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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I was in Burgundy last November and had pre-arranged tastings with 2 vignerons whose wine I use. It was great fun, but obvious that neither 2 were open to the general public. We had a marvelous lunch at Le Chassagne in the, you guessed it, Chassagne-Montrachet town square. The restaurant is owned, I was told, by Marc Colin and Bernard Morey, 2 very well known vignerons. It is what they call a "gastro". We stayed at the quite nice and fairly inexpensive hotel Le Montrachet in Puligny's town square within walking distance of the vineyards and many of the more well known producer's homes. I noticed that some offered tasting rooms. While ancient and extremely beautiful, Puligny and most of the towns around it go to bed early. Beaune is a much larger town and is sure to have some sort of night life.

Mark

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We stayed in Beaune 2 summers ago and stayed at Hotel Le Cep. It was lovely and well priced!

Our favorite meal was at the 3 star Lameloise in Chagny. It's only about a 15 minute drive from Beaune. It was excellent, probably our favorite meal in France to this date!

We have also eaten at Ma Cuisine and didn't enjoy our meal at all. We ordered the fixed price menu and others have suggested the la carte menu is much better. Do buy your wine here to take home though. The selection and prices are excellent.

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One other suggestion is La Grilladine at 17 rue Maufoux, just down from Le Cep. We had an excellent, well priced meal here. I believe they are closed on Mondays.

It was fully booked so you will probably need a reservation, tel.03 80 22 22 36.

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In Beaune, "Ciboulette" makes the best "entrecote a l'epoisses" I had in a long time.

It's cheap and very good value for the money. 69 rue de Lorraine.

In Puligny, avoid "Le Montrachet" (the restaurant), I've been there once only

but the food was pretentious and not very good. Not cheap either.

"Je préfère le vin d'ici à l'au-delà"

Francis Blanche

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