What made Lyon special was there was real bread, freshly baked and delicious. One in fact was Boulangerie Pozzoli, which my chef Jean Michel Bergounoux told me about years ago. And in the old quarter of town across the river, Boulangerie du Palais, has a constant line waiting for sandwiches, bread, and Lyonnaise style praline laced sweet breads. Yes, and finally a fantastic baguette classique, ham and butter with cornichon, a god send...
An easy pick on arrival in Lyon was Le Centre by Georges Blanc, suggested by our front desk at the hotel.
With a wonderful choice of formulas, or tastings to choose from, we went with some new flavors that were much different from Provence flavors we'd enjoyed. Here were some classic presentations, mother sauces that held up well with wine, red of course..
After a tour of the arena in Nîmes, I felt like gladiator-hungry. How hungry is that? I won't show you the bill but trust me, it was a long delicious lunch. Anyway, just in front of the Roman ruins we found Le Lisita. Ah, how satisfying the meal. Wanting to savor the memory in the spirit of Nimes (and the language of love), indulge me to end this with a sentence in French; "Ce que nous avions pour le déjeuner!"
Salade de chair de crabe au fenouil
Lapin rôti à la purée de carottes et sauté
Brandade de Morue (Maison)
Effeuillé de Brandade de Morue, Jeunes Pousses, Légumes Croquants,
Vinaigrette Truffes Estivum
Taureau(AOP Camargue)
Pavé de Taureau de Camargue rôti, purée de pommes de terre à la tapenade,
Jus de braisage aux Épices Cajuns
Assiette de Fromages affinés
(3 portions)
Abricots
Confit d'Abricots avec du riz au lait,
sorbet à l'abricot et crumble de sablé Breton
There are some who say
that all roads lead to Rome- Luis Eduardo Aute
Well, in fact the roads were built by Romans, therefore the world was Rome...
While in France we saw some of the best remains of Roman Arenas and amphitheaters still standing in the world. Here are some towns where we saw them, Arles, Oranges, Nîmes and Lyon.
Tucked into the village of Gordes is a wonderful restaurant La Trinquette. Run by a young couple, its terrace overlooks a spectacular view. Besides the luscious food and setting, there's a super-amiable crew. Only another year to wait till I can return but for now I share my memories.
Our final night in Avignon, we managed a table at L'Essentiel, a restaurant which outside looked much too fancy for an American couple wearing shorts and flip-flops. In fact, it turned out to be quite casual. Seated in the courtyard under the fading sunlight, we had a delicious meal and delicious wines. Hats off to Chef Evan Neumann, who's rich CV showed up in every delectable dish.
While in Avignon, I rented a car to get around. It's an ancient walled city that's going through re-zoning and construction so we used a free parking lot on the outskirts of the walls. One day we just happened to notice a covered shed with this inside. Ingenuity and marketing of local farmers, a vending machine with local farmed products...
After visiting Castelas for amazing olive oil, we asked about Egalyiéres. The most beautiful and quaint town in the Alpilles, the heart of Provence. We just made the market before closing for some amazing local saucisson to take back home! And a table at L'aubergine, fantastic food and superb service.
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