Lyon, Cavalaire and the South of France

[BCinBC]

Hello folks,

Apologies if this has been covered before (as I'm sure it has, I just couldn't find it in a search of the forum)...

My wife and I will be in France for the last two weeks of September. We will be heading in from London, but bypassing Paris straight to Lyon (family friends headquartered there). After a few days, we will be moving onto Cavalaire where we will be spending the rest of the trip. We will have a car, so we'll be able to tour around the south as well.

We both enjoy simpler foods, occasionally ordering the heavy items but not with any regularity. To give an idea, I am usually content to have perhaps a pate or terrine, moules or steak frites, duck confit or cassoulet, cheese plate, creme brulee...

Any suggestions - bistro, brasserie, or must-visit Micheline restaurant - would be much appreciated. Or even if someone could point out another thread that I can read, that would be great as well.

Thanks in advance!

-Brian

[menton1]

There are about 10 good thread discussions about Lyon here within the past year. Do another search and you should find them. Here is one: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=42870&hl=lyon

As far as the coast, there is Cavalaire-sur-Mer, and Cavalière, which is a nicer choice. CSM is very built up and a bit industrial. Either way, you won't be far from St Tropez with some great restos, but my favorite town in the area is Grimaud, a picture-postcard town in the hills (village perché) with some super restaurants and a gorgeous environment. Great view of the sea in the distance as well. In Grimaud, try Les Santons or La Bretonnerie. They are right in the center, amongst the narrow streets. No Michelin stars, but terrific food and atmosphere there.

[BCinBC]

Thanks menton1 for the link and the suggestions.

Michelin stars are of course not required, though I would like to try one at least once, to get a sense of context. My feeling is that I would probably prefer a one-star over a three-, where I could focus less on the service being immaculate (with which there is nothing wrong) and enjoy the food in a more "relaxed" atmosphere. Therefore we will almost definitely try at least one of the two restaurants you mentioned in Grimaud.

Also there was a debate a while ago on whether Vancouver's own David Hawksworth of West would or could be a starred chef, so I would like to at least get a sense of the standards of the house - something that has to be experienced I think rather than watched on TV or read about in a guide book.

Cheers!

PS: any more suggestions in the south would be welcome!

[Bux]

Understand that the difference between a three star restaurant and a one star restaurant is not a matter of service and ambience. The food in 90% of the one star restaurants is unlikely to offer great insight into the food of a three star restaurant. There may be a bigger cutoff between one and two star restaurants than between no star and one star in Michelin terms. For all that, I fully agree that it's best to learn about French food from the ground up -- from bistros to temples of haut cuisine -- but you should recognize that three stars is an absolute classification, while one star is relative to what the restaurant offers compared to others in it's price range or region. A one star in an area packed with good restaurants is apt to be far better than a one star in some out of the way region not known for good food.

[menton1]

Thanks menton1 for the link and the suggestions.

Michelin stars are of course not required, though I would like to try one at least once, to get a sense of context. My feeling is that I would probably prefer a one-star over a three-, where I could focus less on the service being immaculate (with which there is nothing wrong) and enjoy the food in a more "relaxed" atmosphere. Therefore we will almost definitely try at least one of the two restaurants you mentioned in Grimaud.

Also there was a debate a while ago on whether Vancouver's own David Hawksworth of West would or could be a starred chef, so I would like to at least get a sense of the standards of the house - something that has to be experienced I think rather than watched on TV or read about in a guide book.

Cheers!

PS: any more suggestions in the south would be welcome!

←

Enjoy. For a kick, stop for a quick look at Port Grimaud, not to be mixed up with Grimaud. This was a whimsical project in the late 60s by a French developer who wanted to make a mini-Venice on the Var coast. Well, it ain't Venice, but it is interesting, all the homes are on canals and there are almost no roads. You park outside the development. Do not eat at any of the touristy-restos there, though.

La Pinède in St Trop is a 1-star, and has gotten a lot of good reviews. Personally, I prefer the ambience of Grimaud and the great family-run restaurants up there.

Are you staying in Cavalaire-sur-Mer or Cavalière?

[BCinBC]

Bux - thanks for the comments. Of course the difference between three- and one star is beyond service levels, and I didn't mean to trivialize it. Ideally (ie with unlimited time and money) I would like to comprehend the spectrum of zero to one to two to three star establishments and what makes them all so. Realistically, this will be an ongoing educational process, but at least I will be able to start it.

What you said about relativity of one-star restaurants in "town" (for lack of a better word) versus rural one-stars is very interesting, and duly noted.

Menton1 - we will be staying in Cavalaire-sur-Mer, but with some mobility we will be able to go east or west (or north). Apparently I need a more detailed map, because I can't find Port Grimaud.

My father-in-law is an Englishman with a love of Provence, and therefore loves the Peter Mayle books. However I've heard from others that, since those books were published, the region has been severely "touristed". FIL loves St Tropez, and of coruse I want to see it, but my hopes are not that high. Having said that, we will most likely try La Pinede and I'm sure will not be disappointed.

A question about reservations: our schedule is "loose". Does this mean that we will have a difficult time getting into certain restaurants, especially those with two or three stars, without reservations? I know it's mostly dependent on the restaurant, but in a general sense, how far in advance should reservations be made?

[Bux]

One more point about restaurants and stars, particularly one star restaurants, the star may also be relative to the price. Within the same area, a more expensive one star may offer much better food than a less expensive one star. L'Astrance in Paris now has two stars, so it might not be such a good example, but when it had one star, it did offer a glimpse at what one found in two and three star restaurants. As I said, it's all relative.

Dining is an ongoing educational process.The more you understand how far you've come, the more you will appreciate how far you have to go. Enjoy the process, for it can provide a lifetime of pleasure and how close you come to the goal will have little effect on that pleasure.

You'll be arriving well after the height of the tourist season and miss the most notable thing about Provence in summer -- the tourists. That will make it easier to get reservations. My rule of thumb however, is that two and three star restaurants anywhere are best reserved a month in advance, or more if dining there is essential to your trip. That wouldn't stop me from trying anytime right up until the day I wanted the table.

Peter Mayle, who explained Provence to many people, may also be responsible for it's deline. I've heard that Japanese tourists buses stop at the entrace to where he used to live although he's moved on.

[menton1]

Menton1 - we will be staying in Cavalaire-sur-Mer, but with some mobility we will be able to go east or west (or north). Apparently I need a more detailed map, because I can't find Port Grimaud.

Use this link, and type in Port Grimaud. Just at the beginning of the St Tropez peninsula. Http://www.viamichelin.com

On the Gulf of St Tropez.

P.S. After a stint in the Hamptons, Peter Mayle has moved on to Lourmarin (Vaucluse).

Edited August 11, 2005 by menton1 (log)

[mikeycook]

As far as the coast, there is Cavalaire-sur-Mer, and Cavalière, which is a nicer choice.  CSM is very built up and a bit industrial. Either way, you won't be far from St Tropez with some great restos, but my favorite town in the area is Grimaud, a picture-postcard town in the hills (village perché) with some super restaurants and a gorgeous environment.  Great view of the sea in the distance as well.  In Grimaud, try Les Santons or La Bretonnerie.  They are right in the center, amongst the narrow streets.  No Michelin stars, but terrific food and atmosphere there.

←

That is not true. Les Santons has one Michelin star. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Aiguebelle at Hotel Les Roches in 2000 and went to Les Santons early in our trip. It was so wonderful that we planned another trip the same week before we left. It is still one of my favorite restaurants and I would highly recommend it.

Edited August 11, 2005 by mikeycook (log)

[menton1]

As far as the coast, there is Cavalaire-sur-Mer, and Cavalière, which is a nicer choice.  CSM is very built up and a bit industrial. Either way, you won't be far from St Tropez with some great restos, but my favorite town in the area is Grimaud, a picture-postcard town in the hills (village perché) with some super restaurants and a gorgeous environment.  Great view of the sea in the distance as well.  In Grimaud, try Les Santons or La Bretonnerie.  They are right in the center, amongst the narrow streets.  No Michelin stars, but terrific food and atmosphere there.

←

That is not true. Les Santons has one Michelin star. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Aiguebelle at Hotel Les Roches in 2000 and went to Les Santons early in our trip. It was so wonderful that we planned another trip the same week before we left. It is still one of my favorite restaurants and I would highly recommend it.

←

You are probably right. It's really not that important to me, I'm a big disbeliever in Michelin anyway, from their too, too brief reviews to the godlike worship their fans give to it. Michelin was greatly discredited last year as well, they admitted to being short staffed and visiting many restaurants only every 3-5 years. Even in that time span they would never have the time to cover a country the size of France with the breadth of its restaurants, unless maybe they had 1,000 reviewers on staff;

Grimaud is beautiful and Les Santons is good regardless of their "etoiles";

For a much better and more reliable guide, and for great descriptions as well, the Guide Gantié is now online and now in English as well. However, he only covers the SouthEast corner of France. http://www.guidegantie.com

[Busboy]

anytime right up until the day I wanted the table.

Peter Mayle, who explained Provence to many people, may also be responsible for it's deline. I've heard that Japanese tourists buses stop at the entrace to where he used to live although he's moved on.

←

Big difference between St. Trop tourist crowds and crowds in the backcountry that Mayle publized. If you stay out of the obvious tourist spots -- like his former home town of Menerbes, St. Remy and some of the more heavily publicized hillside villages --Vaucluse is far from overrun. And in September, even the tourist spots are likely to be pretty low key. Province is a big place.

Besides, hasn't everybody left Provence for Tuscany?

Someone else can maybe confirm, but I've heard that if you turn left at Nice, (towards Italy) it's much calmer than the Nice-Cannes-St.Tropez stretch.

Nice in September is glorious, btw.

[Bux]

. . . .

Besides, hasn't everybody left Provence for Tuscany? 

. . . .

←

Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded.

Nice in September is glorious, btw.

←

The last time we were in Provence, it was the dead of winter around New Year's to be exact. In fact, New Year's Eve found us in Marseille celebrating by watching the fireworks in the harbor. Provence was very quiet and low key. The one drawback is that the days are very short at that time of year in France and even in the afternoon. Low buidings cast a shadow across squares that bask in the sun in summer. May, late September or October would be when I would want to be there. Many years ago we spent a long weekend in February in Nice. Locals were complaining of the cold -- they had to wear a sweater. I didn't need a sweater, but they stopped complaining when they found out we were from NY. The TV news that day was full of pictures of a huge snowstorm that blanketed NY. Little things like that really help make a trip rewarding. Just not being in NY would have been enough.

[menton1]

Big difference between St. Trop tourist crowds and crowds in the backcountry that Mayle publized.  If you stay out of the obvious tourist spots -- like his former home town of Menerbes, St. Remy and some of the more heavily publicized hillside villages --Vaucluse is far from overrun.  And in September, even the tourist spots are likely to be pretty low key. Province is a big place.

Besides, hasn't everybody left Provence for Tuscany? 

Someone else can maybe confirm, but I've heard that if you turn left at Nice, (towards Italy) it's much calmer than the Nice-Cannes-St.Tropez stretch.

Nice in September is glorious, btw.

←

Yes, we will be in Nice in 4 weeks! And it is super, we always try to go in September or June. More flowers in June, but cooler in Sept.

The 30 mile stretch between Nice and the border is very nice, especially Villefranche and Beaulieu. And my namesake Menton is really beautiful. I do make an exception for Monaco, it is a place we avoid at all costs. Nice to St Tropez is a huge distance, about 120km. It is quite diverse, the Roman ruins in Frejus and St Raphael are along the way. Actually, it's quite calm between Cannes and St Trop. Nice to Cannes is very built up, including Antibes. Actually, the coast west of St Trop, the Var Coast toward Hyeres is quite different. Not as glitzy as the Riviera. That is where the original poster will be, on the Var Coast.

Even quieter than the Vaucluse is the Alpes de Haute Provence department, with Manosque, Moustiers, and the Grand Canyon of Verdon. Ahhhh, only 4 weeks...

[BCinBC]

For a much better and more reliable guide, and for great descriptions as well, the Guide Gantié is now online and now in English as well.  However, he only covers the SouthEast corner of France.  http://www.guidegantie.com

←

Thanks for the link Menton1. This is quite comprehensive and user-friendly too.

We picked the end of Sept because we could still catch the end of summer, while avoiding for the most part tourist season. Very much looking forward to this...

For the record, I haven't actually read the Mayle books, but I think my wife has read them all.

[menton1]

Many years ago we spent a long weekend in February in Nice. Locals were complaining of the cold -- they had to wear a sweater. I didn't need a sweater, but they stopped complaining when they found out we were from NY

At the turn of the century, Nice was developed as a winter resort. It became quite popular with the British and the wealthy Russian community; There are a lot of archived photos of folks walking on the Promenade des Anglais in sweaters and coats, and enjoying the warm sunshine. There was a casino built out into the water on a dock. Up until the 1950s, no one would ever DREAM of vacationing on the Cote in the summertime!! How things have changed...

[mikeycook]

Grimaud is beautiful and Les Santons is good regardless of their "etoiles";

←

I wholeheartedly agree. I would consider Les Santons great whether it had stars or not (although I would think even less of Michelin if it didn't).

[BCinBC]

Well our time in France has already come and gone! So sad, but we had a great time and a bit of an adventure with the driving (particularly the road from Le Luc to Grimaud, what a twisted deathtrap – it was like a 15 minute insight into 10% of what it must feel like to be an F1 driver).

Anyway, we flew from YVR to Heathrow, spent a few days visiting in-laws in Reading just outside of London, then caught an Air France commuter to Lyon.

Monday, September 19, 2005

My wife N’s family has a very close friendship with another family in Lyon. They are wonderful, warm, generous people – and the daughters C and S put us up (and put up with us) while we were in Lyon. C and S live in Limonest, in a yellow Provinçal-style house with blue shutters. Unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo before we left.

We flew in fairly late the night before, so we slept in a bit. And woke up to a breakfast of croissants, pain-au-chocolate, brioche with praline, coffee and tea. Sorry no pictures, but I’m sure you can image these items. I really enjoyed the brioche, it is one of my favourites at home even though very few bakeries produce it here.

And so we started a walking tour of Lyon…

Here is a photo of the Théâtre Romains de Fourvière.

This is apparently a venue for the annual Lyon jazz festival. I would love to see that, very cool.

Here’s another touristy shot, of me walking down the stairs from the Basilique de Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière to vieux Lyon.

The Basilique itself is quite beautiful, I love old European cathedrals – the mosaics, stained glass, just the detailed work on the archways and basically everything else – is visually overwhelming. It is amazing how much money the RC church has. The view from the hilltop is excellent as well. From it I saw my first French nuclear power plant.

Okay, since it was a Monday afternoon, just after 1 PM, there wasn’t much open. However we did manage to find the Café du Soleil open for lunch. C said that Café du Soleil is considered to be quite typical Lyonnais, which is just what I was looking for.

We started with escargots with garlic and pesto:

The escargots were so tender, garlicky and juicy. They were great. Even N, who is traditionally on the squeamish side, tried them and liked them. Also I loved the springy clamp contraptions they provide to hold the shells while you fish out the snail.

Here is a “group” shot of lunch.

In the foreground is my salade Soleil with foie, seared duck, gésier, some sort of crawfish (not a St Jacques or a langoustine, can someone help me out with the name?) and saumon fumé. N had quenelles crevettes with the pommes gratin dauphinois (top left and center), while C had the salade Lyonnaise (top right).

My salade was excellent, I was especially pleased with the gizzards. They were rich but not too organ-like, if you know what I mean (not bloody / coppery tasting, not chalky in texture). The gratin dauphinois was a bit too well done, but the taste was still very good as well. Although I can’t see how anyone could eat that for lunch during a work day. In fact after the meal everyone felt like a good lie down, which may have been in part due to the bottle of vin rouge we had with lunch. But after a couple of cafés, we pressed on our walking tour. Oh yeah, the total for lunch was € 64.40.

Restaurant Café du Soleil

2 Rue St Georges

69005 Lyon

Tel: 04.78.37.60.02

Another stop on the tour was at Pignol patisserie.

We tried a brown toque-shaped cake, which again I’ve forgotten the name of (in the photo it is on the top shelf, approximately 4 items in from the left), the cake 2 items right of that with the large button of chocolate in the middle, and the obligatory lemon tart (bottom shelf, 4 rows from right). The toque-shaped cake was my favourite, very dense but moist.

Other highlights of the tour were Bellecour, the Place des Terreaux, and Rue de la Republic. Oh we also visited Léon de Lyon, but did not eat there.

Another café was had while we sat down to study maps of Beajoulais, to figure out a tour route for the next day. Very quickly on this trip I became addicted to espressos in lieu of the regular drip coffee that I drink at home. I love the purity of the coffee’s flavour.

Dinner that night, after much debate by our hosts, was at Paul Bocuse’s L’Ouest. It struck me as very North American chain restaurant –ish in décor, which I think is what they were going for. I felt as though I could have walked into a new Earl’s, if you’re familiar with the Vancouver-based chain. The food was okay, but no photos again as it was a group / social dinner out.

I started with the jambon Serrano cru, served with pickles and butter. Wow, some of the best tasting ham I have ever had. It just illustrates the difference in food culture: we in N. America have deli-cooked ham which is basically just a source of salvaged protein, versus any item from any charcuterie on any street corner in France.

Wishing to eat light after the big lunch, I then had the pot-au-feu with salmon, red snapper, cod and sea bream. This was only okay; the sea bream was very good, but the dish as a whole was quite salty.

No desert, but yet-another café, and a pear liqueur to complete the evening. Truth be told, I was not that big of a fan of the liqueur, however I am not a sipping-strong-liquor-type of person regularly. C informed me that people tend to dip sugar cubes into the liqueur then eat them, but after N tried it she made clear that she didn’t enjoy it.

Overall I probably wouldn't return to L'Ouest, although I would certainly be curious enough to try one of the other directions. Most importantly the company was excellent (we were joined by C's boyfriend L), and all in all I would say we had a very successful first day in Lyon.

[BCinBC]

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

The next day started out not-that-well, as I woke up feeling the start of a headcold. It is sad to be sick while on vacation, but I was determined to soldier on. With the information we picked up the previous day on the Pays de Beaujolais, we were off with S to do a driving tour of this small but intriguing wine region. But not before a breakfast of more pain-au-chocolate, croissants, coffee and tea.

Wines from Beaujolais are divided into three main categories or families: the Crus or kind of highest end artisan producers mostly (but not exclusively) on the north end of the region; Villages de Beaujolais which are not quite as specialized; and the remainder of Beaujolais, which comprises the bulk of the region mainly to the south but also scattered throughout.

We drove north from Limonest, exiting the A6 at Belleville (I believe – my cold put me in a daze for the most part), and entering the north end of Beajolais.

First of all, the countryside is absolutely beautiful, as seen here:

It was like a postcard everywhere you looked.

There are 10 Crus: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte-de-Brouilly, Fleury, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin à Vent, Régnié, and Saint Amour. Unfortunately we were visiting during the dreaded afternoon hours, so many of the towns and vineyards were closed.

However we did manage to do a “tour” and a tasting at Rémy Crozier, of Cru Régnié. I didn’t catch the gentleman’s name who showed us around, but he is the son of the patron of the vineyard. He was very helpful and informative, and even though we had S to translate, with my very rudimentary French skills I was able to understand most of what he was talking about.

The biggest point that he made was that most red wines, especially the New World reds, are aged excessively in oak casks. However, his goal is to emphasize the taste of the fruit over the wood, and thus they only partially age in oak or in many instances do not use oak at all.

Here he is with a batch of spent grapes.

These apparently are resold to the French government, who then use them to make a higher alcohol content liqueur. This is quite tightly controlled.

After harvest, the grapes are sent whole into a vat for a first-fermentation period of 4-6 days (IIRC). Here they are as the seal is cracked.

From here, the grapes are pumped into the press.

I got to try some of the liquor coming out of the press, it is like a cloudy grape juice but with obvious foreshadowing of the wine it will become. What a treat. Afterwards the liquor is sent to the main fermentation vats.

Unfortunately I didn’t get the production numbers for this particular vineyard, but they keep 8,000 bottles a year for the property, and send the rest out for sale.

And here are the three bottles we tasted:

They are, from left to right, the 2003 vintage, the 2004, and the 2004 with partial oak. The first two were very fruity, the 2004 was especially good I thought (it was my favourite of the three). The partially oaked 2004 was also very good, appealing perhaps to my “new world” tastes. No tasting notes though, sorry. I am a wine neophyte, really familiar only with British Columbian wines. Also I was sick, so my nose was not working that well.

Anyway, this tour was one of the highlights of the trip for me – very very educational.

Rémy Crozier

Les Maisons Neuves

69430 Régnié-Durette

Tel 04.74.04.39.59

We proceeded south, stopping at one of the Villages de Beaujolais. Unfortunately I was taking a nap in the car so I’m not totally sure, but it may have been Vaux-en-Beaujolais. It was one of the bigger villages built on the side of a hill. Here is a photo:

There were three caves offering tastings where we stopped, so we picked one but it was uneventful. Again, it was around 2:00 PM so most places were closed.

At this point I was feeling really poor, so we cut the tour short and got back onto the A6 to return to Limonest.

After a long nap, during which N and S caught up and hung out, I awoke to find out that we were all going over to C and S’s parents’ house in Villette-de-Vienne for dinner (if I was up for it, which I was).

On our first night in Lyon, C asked if there was anything specific I wanted to do, and I mentioned that I wanted to find a restaurant where I could try Poulet de Bresse. Well with these people, I quickly learned that you do not so much as mention something before it is being handed over to you in one way or another. Super generous. C’s mother had gone out that day to Les Halles to buy a Poulet de Bresse, then looked up a couple recipes, and was preparing it for dinner.

No photos, but we arrived to champagne, olives, pistachios, and dried chevre. These people love champagne. Dinner started with salade with tapenade and saumon fumé, then the Poulet de Bresse with gratin dauphinois, some cheese (camembert, chevre avec ail et herbes and a stinkly runny specialty of Lyon that N loved), and a tarte d’ananas – all with a wine that I did not catch. It was a wonderful home-cooked meal, and another great day despite the cold.

ETA: We also had a wonderfully dense, chewy bread with dinner that I forgot to mention. Which is another thing that astounds me, the difference between bread in France and bread here at home. It's not that we are without good bread, but it is a much rarer find here. We need more artisan bakers!

Edited October 7, 2005 by BCinBC (log)

[Carlsbad]

I'm really enjoying your reports and photos. More please.

[BCinBC]

Thanks Carlsbad, I’m glad someone is reading this!

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

I woke up feeling better but not great. However the day was beautiful, and damnit I was on vacation, so after more coffee and croissants we left Lyon and headed south.

Our first stop was at one of the “aires” or rest areas on the A7, maybe 100 km or so south of Lyon. We grabbed drinks and snacks at the gift store (there were also fast food style restaurants there, but that didn’t seem quite right). The store, by the way, was packed with nougat! Never before have I seen so much nougat. I guess it’s some sort of regional confection but holy, it literally took up about 25-30% of the floorspace.

Anyway, back on the road, after an unfortunate and unwanted hour-long excursion through Aix-en-Province, we eventually found the Le Luc exit and left the big highway for the next adventure.

If you have ever driven the road from Le Luc to Grimaud, you know what I’m talking about. For that period of time, I really feel like I got a slight insight into what it feels like to be a Formula 1 driver. The road is very windy, very narrow, cut into the side of a cliff, and has no guard rails… And the locals drive it like they’re on a rollercoaster. Basically it’s a massive adrenaline event – fun and yet not fun.

After Grimaud, and many roundabouts later, we finally arrived in Cavalaire-sur-Mer. Feeling quite exhausted, we found our villa, then went back to town for a quick dinner. The first place we found was Le Cigalon, which is a wood-oven pizza place on one of the main strips running in the perpendicular direction to the promenade. **NOTE TO SELF: when the restaurant’s specialty is glaringly obvious, try this first.**

I had some forgettable tagliatella à là carbonara, and N had a salad with tomatoes and mozzarella (also a miss). All the while the pizza smells in the restaurant were amazing (we did return to try the pizza). Pot of house rose, and we were ready for bed.

All in all not a great day, but at least we made it to the Mediterranean!

[BCinBC]

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Cavalaire by day is quite beautiful. It is also obvious why this is such a destination – the town, like many on the Côte d’Azur, is built for tourist traffic. Besides the main road into town, which runs beside the beach promenade, here are two main one-way roads going north and south. Also at the harbour itself, adjacent to the casino there is a cluster of restaurants, bars and cafés.

After a sleep-in, we walked into town and wandered around the promenade for awhile, just absorbing our new surroundings. Every day we were on the coast, it was blue skies and 25°C / 77°F.

For lunch we stopped in one of the restaurants along the promenade. I had moules marinades et frites, N had a salade with lardons, oeufs and croutons, and we shared a pot of rosé. I was a bit surprised that the mussels were not well cleaned (which turned out to be a theme with many of the more casual restaurants in the area). Some still had barnacles on them, and some were gritty with sand. However the salade was good.

In the afternoon, we started to pick up provisions for dinner. At a small grocery store, we got some butter lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes and a bottle of the local rosé (which was less than 3 € !!). Aside from the cheap wine, one thing I loved about the grocery stores was the chalkboard signs telling you not only what each piece of produce was and how much it cost, but also the place of origin. We stopped at another store, Casino (kind of like a small supermarket), and picked up some cheese.

Then we headed over to the next street (the one running south) where N spotted this place:

Au Bec Fin

Here is a view of the patés, terrines, jambon and saucisson, and ready-made salads and veg that they offer.

And here is the patisserie side:

We picked up some saucisson sec and paté en croute.

Immediately south of Au Bec Fin, there is a bakery called La Tarte Tropezienne. We ended up at this place fairly often, the baker was very nice and she made some amazing breads and pastries. Today we picked up a pain Provinçale and a few tartes for dessert. So we returned to the villa with a pretty good score.

view from the villa kitchen window

There are obvious lighting problems with this photo, but this is what we got to look over while working in the kitchen. Actually I kind of like the effect.

And here is what all those bits and pieces turned into.

Inspired by the salade we had at C and S’s parents’ house, I made a salad dressing with a mixture of black and green olive tapenade, plus some Dijon and olive oil. The bread was excellent – crusty, with a nice chewy flavourful inside. It is an ongoing mystery to me why we cannot reproduce this bread with any consistency here in BC. Or rather, why only a select few local bakeries can reproduce this bread.

Here is the cheese, an okay bleu en Bresse, and a very stinky yet generic camembert.

And here is dessert.

The tartelette with strawberries was good, but the other one – with all the other fruit on it – was, like the pain Provinçale, another goooooal! The custard is the type that goes into the regional pastry, coincidentally (or not) called Tarte Tropezienne (image in a later report). It is thick, rich and most likely very bad for you. Wow. Also I loved the red currants, which packed a ton of sour flavour into a small package.

[BCinBC]

Friday, September 23, 2005

Ah, another day in paradise. Today N and I got up and made our way to Sainte Maxime for the market. Truth be told, it was a bit of a disappointment – it was mostly crafts, clothes and touristy stuff (eg. Provence pottery and tablecloths). I don’t remember if there were any food stands at all.

However, it was all made up for when we discovered this little gallery called Pyramides des Arts where they were proudly displaying this series of prints by Salvador Dali, based on Dante’s Divine Comedy. I didn’t even know Dali did this work! It was so cool; I have seen Dalis before, but to be up close and personal with them (ie. touching them), was amazing.

Here are links to my two favourites: Purgatory 33 – Dante purified and Hell 6 – Cerberus. I find both to be quite powerful (especially when viewing the real thing).

Afterwards, we stopped for a coffee at a café near the beach.

edit: I posted a photo, but for some reason I look grumpy so I have removed it. Trust me though, the café near the beach was nice.

Sainte Maxime is quite beautiful. However we had a lunch date to keep, so we drove back to Cavalaire and stopped at Les Trois Pins which is just at the east entrance to town, on the beach. A guy who works there is a friend of C and S’s father, and he invited us down for a local specialty.

plat du jour: aioli with cod, mussels, whelks and roasted vegetables

The cod and veg were very good, and the aioli was absolutely full of garlic. I especially liked the roasted beets. The whelks, however, were not to my taste. I’m not sure if this is normal, but the part that comes out of the shell was hard, and once again they were quite sandy. But you can’t argue with the view – or the ever-present pot of rosé.

And here I am enjoying yet another coffee (with another goofy expression, what the hell?).

The rest of the day was spent lazing on the beach and wandering around town. The Jetski Grand Prix was setting up for the weekend. I did not know there was such a thing.

In the evening we sat at a waterfront bar and had drinks (me Kronenbourg 1664, N rosé) and watched the tourists and jetski fans go by. It was very relaxing. For dinner we swung by Le Cigalon again, this time for a four-cheese pizza. Thin crispy crust, rich cheeses, well done.

Edited October 14, 2005 by BCinBC (log)

[Daddy-A]

Here is a view of the patés, terrines, jambon and saucisson, and ready-made salads and veg that they offer.

And here is the patisserie side:

We picked up some saucisson sec and paté en croute.

These are my favorite pictures (food-wise) so far Brian! It looks like a Star Trek deli!

This is my second favorite! That is what a meal in the south of France should look like!

Really enjoying this!

A.

[bleudauvergne]

Really looks great! Next time you come through Lyon be sure to post in the ISO thread!

[Jmahl]

When in Lyon - make the side trip to Vienne and experience La Pyramide. Beautiful historic site. Two well earned stars. There is an excellent prix fixe with half bottle per person included. Say hello to Chef Patrick Henrerux -

In old Lyon try the Amphitron - its the real Lyonesse experience also look for little wine shop - George Santos owner. Talk to him if you can find him. He will make your trip.