L'Esperance in Vezeley

[AdamLawrence]

Am contemplating Marc Meneau's L'Esperance for a special meal during a week's stay in Burgundy next month. Does anyone have anything to report about the restaurant generally and Meneau's cusine in particular?

TIA

Adam

[jaybee]

We ate there perhaps six or seven years ago. One of our table-mates had the duck, which he proclaimed the best he's ever eaten. I also recall an appetizer that was a small ball of foies gras with a liquid foies gras center! If you go, don't miss the trip up into the town of Vezelay and a visit to the Basilica. It is truly astounding.

[cabrales]

Adam -- L'Esperance has beautiful grounds, and a very good dish utilizing oysters and seawater (fluid from the interior of the oyster). Below are observations based on a visit post-Meneau's demotion:

For me, diminishing marginal returns have not applied to date. In a limited time period, I often take in (1) more of a given food product (e.g., turbot, Jerusalem artichokes, eggs, blood oranges, seasonal items), food category or drink, and/or (2) several meals at a single restaurant (even where the menu has not changed and I am ordering from it).  For me, this may be fulfilling because it permits comparison of subtleties (not that that is my primary goal in dining).  Perhaps comparison furnishes another cerebral aspect to dining.

Recently, I have at times ordered the same type of dish at different restaurants.  For example, I ordered dishes containing oysters set in a gelee (similar to jelly) of the water/juices trapped in their shells (at times described on menus by reference to sea water) at **Meneau's L'Esperance (Vezelay-St. Pere),** Dutournier's Carre des Feuillants (Paris) and Lorain's Cote Saint-Jacques (Joigny).  I liked each version of the dish quite a bit.  Not only were the oysters differentiated (with Lorain's being less "flat", although the other two chefs were not using belons by any means), but the utilization of the oyster jus and the nature of the gelee were distinct.

In Meneau and Dutournier's versions, each oyster was presented in its own shell.  **In his signature dish, Meneau set the gelee somewhat more firmly and had a vegetable leaf suspended in the gelee above the portion containing the oyster.  The gelee was even, smooth and "clear"-tasting.  It had been imbued with a bit of the brininess, saltiness and other scents of the sea.**

Dutournier placed each oyster above a paste containing, I believe, horseradish and a light cream (not helpful to the dish).  When only the oyster and the much more "wobbly" and smaller pieces of "crushed" clear gelee were eaten together, however, the dish was appealing.  Also, the dish offered two little pieces of coarse toast-like crackers with a smearing of foie gras.

Finally, Lorain's signature terrine of oyster, included in the "Les Musts" parts of his menu, was a wedge from a larger preparation.  The oysters were no longer served in their own shell and were no longer whole.  Intriguingly, as many as ten plump ones had been laid in the larger terrine in the direction counter to that in which the terrine had been sliced.  This revealed cross-sections of oyster that, in some cases, had a discernible greenish interior.  Also, paper-thin slices of seaweed and of softened endive and shallots (I believe) were utilized in the terrine.  The oyster jus was in a brownish terrine gelee with a reddish tint, mixed in with tastes of an ingredient bringing to mind light soya sauce (although that was likely not utilized).  The Lorain oyster terrine was the last in this series I took in, and the differences were a welcome surprise.

Apart from the oysters in gelee dish, I did not find the other dishes taken at Meneau's to be particularly noteworthy.

I recently watched woodcock being served to an neighboring table at Meneau's L'Esperance.  The staff was surprised that I could identify woodcock.  This amused me, given the obviousness of the long beak, the emphasis placed on cutting the head, and the odors wafting around us.  

I inquired as to whether the item was becasse, and was told it was a special order item.  When I proceeded to indicate it was a prohibited item as well, the server indicated it could be ordered in advance (not by every client, I imagine).  (This has some tie-ins to the "Scarcity Factor" thread on the General Board.)  Interesting aspect about the service was the use of flambe for the head portion of the woodcock.  Query whether this step may cause the brain material to be overcooked, however.

I was appeased when Mde. Meneau sent out 2 extra **oysters in a gelee of sea water** as a second service after the first 6.  This was my favorite dish by far during a meal that confirmed **the appropriateness of Meneau's loss of his three-star ranking a few years back.  For example, the turbot in a salt crust was overwhelmed by the butter/lobster butter sauce, despite the preservation of the moisture of the fish inside the salt/flour crust.  The cromesquis of foie gras were also disappointing, not having been served sufficiently quickly following deep-frying.  Service was divided -- with some waiters being well-informed and others appearing not to know what they were doing.**

The dessert of strawberries with four different peppery and similar flavors was very good, however.  The flavors included Szechuan pepper with white port sauce, as one of the four combinations.

I agree that argan oil has, with limited exceptions, an unappealing taste.  However, in two dishes recently sampled, it at least did not detract from other aspects of the dishes. . . .

Meneau's L'Esperence -- Brochettes de petoncles au sesame (skewers of a scallop-like item with sesame).  This dish utilized quite a lot of argan oil, but the sesame somehow offset the stench of the oil.  This dish was part of four decent-sized appetizers called "Les Petits Plats Nouveaux" (new little dishes).  The others were:

Caviar a la puree d'oignons (caviar with onion puree)

Langoustine rissollee au curry (langoustine browned with curry)

Pomme de terre, puree de celeri et truffes (potatoes with celery puree and truffles (black))

[cabrales]

Adam -- Depending on your special occasion, L'Esperance's grounds are indeed quite romantic and that could be cause for choosing it. There are statues of a stone woman holding her hat, more traditional female forms... creeks bordered by rows of trees, a little outside table area encircled by vines.... I visited last Christmas Eve, when the grounds were covered in snow and the creek was frozen.

L'Esperance has some of the most beautiful grounds and most romantic (although not the nicest) rooms of the Burgundy destination restaurants. Some of the rooms are in the "moulin" -- the mill. They are quite romantic, although a 3-5 minute walk from the restaurant that is less attractive at night. There are two rooms (left and right of the mill entrance) on the ground floor of the mill. Each has a little day bed, in the general shape of a two-sided sleigh kind of shape, where one can lounge around before or after a meal. The room on the right is bedecked in white; the room on the left is in a red pattern of people and scenery.

The L'Esperence restaurant itself is not particularly attractive -- a bit outdated, with unduly heavy reliance on green, white and gold color schemes.

Note that certain rooms at Troisgros (I can look at my notes) are stylish and modern, although not as romantic necessarily as those at L'Esperance. However, the cuisine is much better. One of the higher-end rooms is a two-level unit, the upper floor of which is dominated by a very lengthy and large marble shower separated from the rest of the upper floor only by a pane of glass.

[PaulaJ]

I am a fan of Meneau's cuisine although my last visit was

in the fall prior to his demotion. On that visit we had noticed

a certain lack of fizz, always present on previous visits. I seem

to stand alone on this board in finding his slightly funky decor

rather attractive.......and certainly agree w. Cabrales re: the

prettiness of the grounds.

Dishes I have enjoyed there include his signature 'croquemis'

of foie gras, the oysters in seawater, a lobster dish perfumed w.

several refined vinegars, and potato croquettes oozing w. caviar

and creme fraiche. I also love being 'assaulted' by all of those

desserts, including the caramels.

Another choice in the region is Jacques Lameloise's in Chagny.

His cuisine is excellent as is the service. He does not have the

grounds of L'Esperance but his bedrooms are quite fine.

[cabrales]

Adam -- Lameloise would be my recommendation after Troisgros in/around the Lyon and Burgundy area, if romantic notions were not crucial. The food is at least as traditional as at Meneau, though, in sharp contrast to at Troisgros. As PaulaJ noted, at Lameloise there are *no* grounds. The building faces a town intersection of sorts, and the only tiny outside area is a little set of maybe two tables right in front of the house. The decor of the room I received at Lameloise was, like the restaurant's cuisine itself, somewhat traditional. That being said, the cuisine was good, particularly the pigeonneau cooked in a pig's bladder and served in two services (the first time I had seen offered a pigeonneau, instead of a chicken, in such a bladder). The chef has a more famed pigeonneau with truffled saucing.

At Meneau, the cromesquis de foie gras were something I was eager to try -- they are little breaded deep fried cubes containing liquid foie gras. Apparently, the effect is achieved through a labor-intensive process involving the freezing of foie gras and other contents prior to deep frying. The idea was a good one, but for me, the execution was flawed (see prior quoted materials). I did notice that Meneau was attempting to introduce new dishes, with, in my assessment, little avail. I would return to Meneau's for lunch if I were in Burgundy, if only to sample the oysters in a gelee of seawater.

If romantic considerations are key, there's a sweet story behind how Meneau became a cuisinier. He was trying to please his wife (the woman who assists with the service; she wears large-ish earrings, typically). Another possibility, for a romantic setting (if that is what Adam means by "special") is Pic -- cuisine that is not as good as at Lameloise, but more modern and more romantic). Patricia Wells recently wrote a review of Pic:

http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/iht/iht.htm

The restaurant has a decently informative website. I could also provide a detailed write-up of my only meal there, if Adam is close to deciding for it.

[lizziee]

At Meneau, the cromesquis de foie gras were something I was eager to try -- they are little breaded deep fried cubes containing liquid foie gras. Apparently, the effect is achieved through a labor-intensive process involving the freezing of foie gras and other contents prior to deep frying. The idea was a good one, but for me, the execution was flawed

For the record, the cromesquis de foie gras, was created by Alain Rondelli who subsequently had a restaurant in San Francisco called Rondelli. Alain was hired by Marc

Meneau for one purpose only --- to create new dishes. I had this dish at Rondelli a number of years ago (his restaurant no longer exists) and it is one of the best dishes I have ever had. You are instructed to eat it in one bite. You pop one of these crispy cubes in your mouth, bite down and out squirts liquid foie gras - extraordinary. I have never eaten them at Meneau and can't comment. We did eat there when he was a 3* and felt a downward spiral - the next year he was demoted to two star.

Lameloise in Chagny is not romantic, but wonderful food. Pic, with Annie Pic, now in the kitchen, is doing a good job. I do agree with Cabrales, however, that the food at Lameloise is better, but Pic is more contemporary. I can also dig out my notes, although they won't be as extensive as Cabrales' notes.

[AdamLawrence]

Thanks for all these reports. I hadn't really thought of the word 'special' as being code for romantic. Romance is always appreciated when travelling with the lady wife but I only meant special in the sense of fancy - we're staying with my cousin in his weekend place in a small village on the edge of the Morvan and will be eating Christopher's cooking (which is excellent) or in the local restaurant for most of our time there. Vezelay is on our list of places to visit, so I figured we might lunch (or possibly dine) at Meneau that day.

Cabrales - Thanks for the detailed thoughts. I do want to go to Troisgros but it is too far this time, I think. We'll be in and around Beaune at times, though, so Lameloise might be a possibility.

cheers

Adam

[jaybee]

we're staying with my cousin in his weekend place in a small village on the edge of the Morvan

I presume you know the area, but in case, I recommend a visit to the grounds of the Chateau Courrances. They were designed by Le Notre and, though privately owned (The Marquis de Ganay and family) they permit walks on the grounds. Also the village of Moret sur Loing is very picturesquew and a visit to Clemeneau's home on the river side is possible. The restaurant in Barbizon at Bas Breau is quite good (at least it used to be).

[cabrales]

Adam --

Meneau's indicative menu is linked:

http://www.marc-meneau-esperance.com/fr/carte.htm

The oysters in a gelee of seawater dish:

http://www.marc-meneau-esperance.com/fr/sommaire3.htm

A tiny depiction of the cromesquis of foie gras dish:

http://www.marc-meneau-esperance.com/fr/in...dexcuisine3.htm

The dish is described in an English language book, possibly "Goose in Toulouse".

[AdamLawrence]

we're staying with my cousin in his weekend place in a small village on the edge of the Morvan

I presume you know the area, but in case, I recommend a visit to the grounds of the Chateau Courrances. They were designed by Le Notre and, though privately owned (The Marquis de Ganay and family) they permit walks on the grounds. Also the village of Moret sur Loing is very picturesquew and a visit to Clemeneau's home on the river side is possible. The restaurant in Barbizon at Bas Breau is quite good (at least it used to be).

Jaybee - this looks lovely, but I think we are talking about different bits of France We're staying in the village of Moulins-Engilbert, about 30km from Autun in the Parc Regional de Morvan. A quick search in my Michelin atlas for Monet sur Loing and the Chateau Courances has them as close to Fontainebleau. The Chateau looks lovely from a web search, but I think is unfortunately a long way away from where we'll be. I'll remember the recommendation, though, because it'll be a nice place to go in future.

Thanks

Adam

[John Talbott]

Just to close the loop on this thread, as reported in the Digest Meneau is in real financial trouble:

....Wednesday, Jean-Claude Ribaut in Le Monde wrote about the judicial/financial trouble encountered by Marc Meneau, famed chef of l'Espérance in Vézelay.  It recounts his rise and fall and seeming recovery due to a more reasonably-priced menu of 85 euros with wines and coffee but indebtedness in the millions of euros.  Inevitably, Francois Simon in Saturday’s Figaro used Marc Meneau as an example of the perils of the 3-star places....

[julot-les-pinceaux]

End of this story, Meneau back from the deads. On dec 18th, the appalate court cancelled the first instance decision: Meneau is officially not bankrupt anymore, officially open, and officially reinscribed in the 2008 Michelin.

[caseyell]

I had such a disappointing meal there last June. I'd looked forward to eating there for years--but only some of the dishes were interesting, others were mediocre, and a couple were downright bad.