The surprising thing was
the food. Perfectly poached oysters in a truffle foam,
very fresh foie gras au torchon three ways, a high
quality limousine beef fillet, and very good local
Quercy lamb which puts all lamb I had in Michelin two
and three star restaurants in the States to shame.
Desserts were fine. The
2000 Pomerol Chateau Valois was silky and a good match
with lamb. Especially for the price, this is what I
would call “good modern bistro” food.
It was a lovely welcome
to France.
The next day we awoke
up with a lovely sunny and blue sky. The riverfront at
Roque Gageac is a lovely place for a stroll.
A simple lunch in the
city of Sarlat featured a fine salad Périgourdine, a
quite successful omelette of cepes, and a “pied de porc”
pane in a vinaigrette. 2002 Domaine Metairie-Bergerac
was surprisingly balanced and well made. The restaurant,
LA RAPIERE, is not even featured in the Michelin guide,
but it deserves to be mentioned.
The same night we made
a trip to a farmhouse in Salignac-Evignac with some
expectations. Unfortunately, the restaurant LA MEYNARDIE
did not deliver. The rouget tasted iodized, and the
pigeon in the crust had clearly been precooked and
re-heated (despite assurances in the menu to the
contrary). The grilled limousine filet was not on par
with the previous day’s version. On the other hand, the
hazelnut soufflé was memorable, and 2000 Clos Triquedena—Prine
Probus was a sturdy, well structured wine which made an
impression. It was a good buy in a restaurant for 59
Euro. This restaurant needed better main courses.
We then basically
skipped lunch the next day and headed to PONT DE
L’OUYSSE in LACAVE for dinner. My expectations were
modest, and I was wrong. The chef, Monsieur Chambon, is
truly passionate about ingredients, and his cooking is
both rustic and refined. Spicing was optimum, the use of
herbs clever, vegetables crunchy-fresh, combinations
well thought out, and the cooking time was precise. In
short, this was a memorable restaurant.
We started with a
“fricassee of ecrevisses”, one of my favorite kinds of
shellfish. They were almost sweet, plump, and juicy, and
they were perfumed with a clever tomato-herbs-garlic
sauce. The chef is clearly a very accomplished saucier.
The next dish was
equally memorable: “queues de langoustines roties, pomme
de terre charlotte ecrasee a la fourchette, emince de
truffe melano, jus de deglacage truffe”. Granted that
even the best preserved truffles leave a lot to be
desired, it was the quality of the potatoes that stole
the show. This dish reminded me of the famous “turbot
with potatoes and truffle” at LEDOYEN, and it was as
zesty. Ingredients compliment and bring out the best in
one another.
We finished with a
course for two: “foie gras bonne maman”. After eating
this dish I came to think that I would no longer order
fresh foie gras in any restaurant unless they cook the
whole liver and cut it into pieces after cooking it.
Slowly cooked, this was the best foie gras dish in
recent memory. It was rich, but not overly cloying,
decadent, but not greasy.
We were then offered
the famous Rocamadour cheese of the region, but I was
not expecting it to be that good. Partially because it
was made by the brother of Monsieur Chambon for the
restaurant, it was of impeccable quality. But it was
also so good because it was combined with fresh
“mascarpone” and the synergy worked.
The chocolate soufflé
was as good as it gets.
The 2003 Mont-Redon
Châteauneuf white was surprisingly viscous and “ample”,
and it was a good match with the first two dishes.
The next morning, a
Monday, on the way to ARCACHON where there was the
conference I would attend, we make a stop at a Michelin
one star restaurant near Brantome, called MOULIN DU ROC.
The dining hall was small and intimate. The cooking was
traditional and had ups and downs, but mostly ups. The
cauliflower soup was like what one may have found in a
private house that cares about cooking, but the cepe
tart was mushy and did not quite taste as it was
supposed to taste. On the other hand, a “chausson”
filled with preserved truffles and foie gras was
surprisingly good, and it was clearly baked after the
order. The chef’s fettuccine featuring the same truffles
was also properly al dente.
One of the two main
courses was also memorable: “pigeonneau” or baby pigeon
with vegetables from the garden. The quality of the
pigeon and the marriage with the vegetables made me wish
that my Gastroville partner Mikael were here as he is so
determined not to eat low quality pigeon that he is now
taking his own across the border when he goes to Italy!
Well, at least in Moulin du Roc, he does not need to
worry.
We also had an order of
lamb, but it is quite a disappointment after pigeon.
Apparently they can not get Quercy lamb from the Lot
Valley which I had had at La Belle Etoile and liked.
On the other hand, the
desserts were old fashioned and very good, including
good fruit tarts and a perfect bitter chocolate tart
that reminds me of old JAMIN-ROBUCHON.
The best part though is
to sit in the garden for coffee and bas-armagnac and
then stroll in the garden which is like what one
envisions heaven to be.
The wine, 2000 Chateau
Tiregand—Cuvee Speciale (Pecharmant) was still tight,
but as it started to open up, displayed mineral depth.
It was an intriguing wine that should have been left in
the cellar for a few more years.
ARCACHON is a good
place for oysters, and we toke full advantage of it. To
the best of my knowledge there is no memorable
restaurant there, so we made two trips outside: one, on
October 9, to HOSTELLERIE PLAISANCE in SAINT EMILION,
and the other, on October 10, which happens to be my
birthday, to CHEZ RUFFET in JURANCON.
I AM SURE that Michelin
will award a second star to Hostellerie Plaisance and
not to Pont de l’Ouysse because the place is much more
in line with the new creed at Michelin which emphasizes
molecular biology and showmanship in plating at the
expense of ingredient quality and thoroughness.
This is not to say that
Plaisance is not a good place. The chef Etchebest is
gifted and has some good concepts even though he still
seems not to have found his true style and is very much
under the influence of Thierry Marx in Pauillac in
CORDEILLAN BAGES.
The main problem with
Etchebest is that he cannot choose between his good
ideas, and he wants to do too much. Take his “ormeau
poelee au soja, noodles aux algues, flan de bonite,
brouillade d’oursin, mouillette caviar d’Aquitane”.
Different elements in the dish sat awry with one
another; they don’t communicate and complement one
another. I liked the razor clams which sat atop cucumber
and herbs for textural and savory contrast. I actually
liked all elements SEPARATELY, but the problem is that
taken all together the dish was fussy and lacked
clarity.
The same theme of
“sophisticated fussyness” carried throughout the other
courses. The chef has also a tendency to experiment with
some spices or oils, such as ginger or soja or coriander
which are not too easy to translate into successful
concoctions in Western cooking. But clearly, especially
thanks to food critics and GUIDE MICHELIN, “fusion” is
the name of the game now at the upper echelons,
especially for new restaurants. So I have nothing
against the Basque Etchebest playing with his own set of
neutral gelatins to add intensity of flavor to a cepe
puree (which had an artificial aftertaste because of the
injection) or to concoct red-yellow-purple gelatin
sticks flavored by pepper essences (with a bitter
aftertaste). I just don’t see the point. I especially
think of this when the same chef can grill a perfect
lobe of veal sweetbread on a lemongrass skewer and tops
it with shaved raw “tart” apples. Here the
complementariness of tastes is so perfect and the main
ingredient is so flavorful that one wonders why
Etchebest is not doing less complicated but more focused
dishes.
The cheese tray was
quite above average at Hostellerie de Plaisance, and
desserts were a strong point, especially the
“deconstructed” tarte tatin. I think the classical
desserts lended themselves more easily to
experimentation and improvement than classical regional
dishes.
The wine list was
overpriced and very weak on non-Bordeaux wines. We had
2005 Cuilleron “les Chaillets” Condrieu—a tad better
than 2004, but I prefer 2003, and a glass of 2001 Saint
Emilion Les Gaffelieres to match the lamb.
On my birthday we had
lunch in Jurancon at CHEZ RUFFET. I have already
reviewed it for the Turkish newspaper Milliyet, and I
hope to write a separate review for Gastroville.
The following day we
returned to Dordogne and stayed for one night at Pont de
l’Ouysse. The meal was again excellent, except for one
dish. The failed dish was a “risotto de homard au curry,
lait de coco et ananas”. It was more like the CHINOIS
dish in Los Angeles (but less successful), and I was
perplexed. It turned out that the son of Monsieur Daniel
Chambon, who had returned from Far East with a charming
(and very pregnant) Asian wife, had prepared the dish. I
hope he chooses to stick to his home cooking.
The rest of the meal
was again memorable. We repeated the “fricassee
d’ecrevisses”. The “Homard bleu vivement sauté,
artichauts poivrades. Ecume de jus de tomate et saffron
de Quercy” showed that the chef can prepare a very
successful lobster dish, and he is a great saucier. He
concocts very balanced and intense sauces, neither under
nor over-reduced. The quality of the lobster and
artichokes were tops, and the tomato added just the
right touch of acidity.
We finished with a
specialty of the house, a rustic dish elevated to
superlative standards: “daube de pied de porc truffee,
crème de pomme de terre”. The potato puree was to die
for, the slow cooked pork feet retains just the right
amount of gelatinous texture, and the skin was crisp.
We washed all of this
down with a (49 Euro) 2005 Lafon Macon-Milly Lamarime
which had more depth than Kistler or Marcassin
Chardonnays which sell for several hundred dollars in
the States and garner ridiculous scores from American
wine writers like Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator.
We then tried a very
interesting Cahors upon the advice of Monsieur Chambon’s
younger son who is also the sommelier: 2005 Domaine le
Clos d’un Jour: Un Jour sur terre.
I found this wine to be
very interesting. It was aged in terra cotta amphora
pottery for eight months, and it had an elegant texture,
noteworthy balance, and some intriguing depth. This wine
was be an ideal match with Périgourdine sauce and
truffles. I tried to purchase a bottle at the property,
but they did not have any. The owners are Veronique et
Stephane Azemar: Ph: 05 65 36 56 01. I am suspicious
about ageability, but if a wine importer learns about it
from Gastroville and brings this wine to the States,
please let me (Vedat Milor) know.
It is so relaxing to
sip some vielle prune, and then sleep upstairs at this
property, in one of their tastely decorated rooms. They
also have a beautiful garden where the next morning we
relaxed and sipped our coffee. (I guess nobody will be
hungry for breakfast!)
We sure did not have
breakfast and shared a panini for lunch. Then, we went
to see the beautiful town of Cahors, which is an ideal
town for a long stroll.
Near Cahors we dined at
LE GINDREAU. Chef Pelissou, with his long moustache,
looks like a character from Dumas pere, and Madame
Pelissoou is a gracious host.
The cepes were coming
into season, and chef Pelissou prepared a zesty
combination of velouté and fricassee of cepes. His
homemade foie gras terrine was silky and was served with
nice fruit chutneys and mesclun salad. But one should go
there to savor the very best example of Quercy Lamb.
(His version is above the level designated as label
rouge.) We ordered the “demi-selle d’agneau fermier de
Quercy cuite a l’os. Jus d’ail en chemise (pour 2
personnes). This was about three months old lamb,
perfectly tender and flavorful, and served with a side
dish of white tarbais beans and lamb feet.
Upon recommendation we
ordered the Soufflé dessert: Alliance de la Truffe et du
Marasquin (wild cherry eau de vie). I had qualms about
it as I don’t like eggy soufflés, but one should taste
this one to believe how light and airy it can get.
The tuxedoed and
bearded hefty gentleman helping in the preparation of
the soufflé is a great sommelier. We had a very
informative conversation, and I really appreciated the
fact that he steered me towards a 98 Cahors, Chateau
Lamartine Cuvee Particuliere, which was a good match
with the lamb. The wine was at the optimum point for
drinkability; it was very elegant (apparently 10% Merlot
was added to the customary Malbec), had a perfumed nose;
and it had an earthy backbone and exotic spicy finish.
Maybe Cahors wines have in general a good price/quality
ratio. (This one was 46 Euro.)
We were offered some
Maury-Perpignan (I thought it was Banyuls—but it too was
all Grenache), and a not bad 2004 Moelleux du Clos
Triguedena (Chenin and Semillon) to finish. This was a
nice gesture.
Our last day, upon a
friend’s recommendation who writes as Marcus in some
forums, we headed to the eery town of Tremolat where
some young girls were butchered by the local boucher.
Across the schoolyard where the young schoolmistress
(Stephane Audran, the real life wife of the great film
maker Claude Chabrol) has met several times and
developed an affection for the disturbed but handsome
and intelligent “butcher” lies a great bistro: BISTROT
D’EN COTE.
When I say bistro, I
mean it. This is not a place to eat sous vided salmon
slices infused with ginger and soja and served with
agar-agar tagliatelle in squid ink. It is indeed an old
fashioned bistro where the only concession to tourists
(especially British) is to de-shell the escargots and
serve them is a special platter. Besides, you can have
perfectly coarse pates, very good ox-tail with celery
root, and the best andouillette in recent memory
(consisting of veal tripe, veal cheek and pork cheek)
served with thick potato fries cooked in duck fat.
The one dessert we
shared, “ baba au rhum” was as tasty as the famous one
in Ducasse, but not as elaborately presented.
It was also interesting
that the wine list contained a fine Mercurey red 2005
from Juillot, which was indeed cheap and juicy.
RANKINGS: (Specialty
restaurants or bistros are ranked in the range from 1 to
5 stars, and the rest are ranked according to the
Gastroville scale.)
Bistrot d’en Cote: 4
stars
La Belle Etoile: 14/20
La Meynardie: 10/20
Moulin du Roc: 15/20
Hostellerie de Plaisance: 15/20
Le Gindreau: 16/20
Pont de L’Ouysse: 17.5/20
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