And I Thought Italians Eat Big Meals!

Jen, Julia and I spent a few days exploring France - from the French Riviera (blog post HERE) to Côtes du Rhône (first blog post HERE).  I knew that the dining experience would be different than what we've grown accustomed to while living in Italy, but I think I underestimated just how different it would be.

I'll point out a couple of the noticeable differences.  If you've been reading this blog, you'll know that I have made many references to pranzo, or lunch.  While the literal definition is simply, lunch - it should be modified to be more along the lines of, large meal in which copious amounts of pasta are finished with meats and salads and where the act of gathering is as important as the meal.  Wine and grappa are a must.  Since lunch is usually the "big deal", that means we partake in a very light dinner.  Whereas in France, dinner was the star meal of the day.  Although, many of our days in France we also had a big lunch, and so our stomachs questioned our brains when we sat down to a second coursed-out meal at dinner time.  

Furthermore, the food itself is different in two distinct ways.  It also happens to be similar in two ways.  The differences - the types of food and the preparation.  The food served in France is not the same as the food in Italy.  Cassoulet as opposed to pasta.  Duck and pigeon as opposed to veal and pork.  Foie gras as opposed to cured meats.  Further, the preparation is different.  Italians cook with fewer ingredients and prefer simple, fresh cooking - a style I would classify as rusitco.  The French have a more refined style of cooking whereupon layers of flavor are built with many different ingredients and multiple sauces are used to style and accompany the dish. The presentation itself is much more polished, even at the most simple of places.  The similarities - they both use the freshest of ingredients, usually sourced locally at markets and they are both delicious in their own unique way.  

There are subtle differences in even the small things.  The bread and the cheese are different.  The wine is different.  The pastry is different.  However, one thing remained consistent as we crossed the border into France and then back again.  We still remained within the cradle of food's most wholesome birthplace - and the food in France was wonderful.

It is for this reason that I decided to feature a blog post dedicated to some of the meals we enjoyed while we were in France.  I've done a few "food posts" about dining experiences in Italy - so now it's time to widen the circle.  Please excuse some of the photos - iPhone's were used at times.  I only feel comfortable brandishing my large Canon camera in certain situations.  

In Beaulieu-Sur-Mer, we found La Pignatelle, a charming restaurant that presents dishes in the Provençale style.  We had lost the benefit of our cell phone's internet (in a different country - roaming charges apply) and so we couldn't "google" where to eat.  We did it the old fashioned way - walking around, reading menu's and assessing by looks.  We lucked out, and had a wonderful meal.  Jen ordered only an entrée, while I opted for the 3-course tasting menu with the understanding that I would be sharing some of my dessert!  The owner, Christophe was a saint and patiently explained each dish's ingredients and preparation.  My favorite was when he got to the dessert we ultimately selected and his description was (read this to yourself in a French accent), "oohh… that one is too hard.  Trust me - it is delicious, just order it".  

La Pignatelle - turned out that it has received 4.5 / 5 on Trip Advisor - worthy of the rating

Tartare de Saumon frais et pomme Granny-Smith (Fresh salmon tartare with Granny-Smith).
The pairing with the Granny-Smith was divine, even though I was skeptical

Cuisse de poularde au pot, riz basmati (chicken leg cooked in a pot with basmati rice)

I substituted the basmati rice for pommes de terre rôties (roasted potatoes) 

Aïoli Provençal (cabillaud) et son court-bouillon de légumes frais
(Cod prepared Provencal-style with vegetables cooked in the fish broth)

Jen's Aïoli - more mayonnaise than we're accustomed to 

Paris Brest - the dish he couldn't describe, but well worth eating!

The next day, we met our friends Michel and Shirley at their home in Sablet.  They easily slipped into the role of Guide de tous Cuisine Française (Guide of all French Cuisine) by taking us to some wonderful restaurants.  On our first day in Côtes du Rhône, we enjoyed a casual outdoor lunch at Le Jardin.

Le Jardin (The Garden)

The garden in the back - simply a beautiful setting for lunch

Julia used the time waiting for lunch to create her best Chagall

Jen ordered a croque-monsieur with salade fraîche (fresh salad)

I had seared duck breast over a bed of pasta

Julia couldn't kick the pasta habit so quickly so we indulged her - Michel helps her eat 

Dessert for Julia - "brownie" with hot chocolate and ice cream

Fraises à la crème fouettée (strawberries with whipped cream)

Coffee-flavored ice cream with a warm chocolate drizzle

Julia was all kisses after lunch 

That night, we meet their friends, Bruno and Sylvie Bordeaux, the owners of the local Cafe des Sports, just a moments walk from Michel and Shirley's home.  I never use last names in my blog, but their surname is simply too fantastic and too perfect not to use - Bordeaux!  Michel and Shirley became fast friends with Bruno and Sylvie in recent years, and they graciously took us to Côteaux et Fourchettes (translated to Hills and Ranges) in a nearby town, Cairanne.  This was one of the more memorable meals, because of my entrée selection as well as the fact that it seemed to hit most of the formal French dining traditions in a modern setting and style.  You'll see below that I ordered the pigeon… a first for me!  And boy, was it delicious.  While I waited 32 years to try pigeon, Julia has now eaten it before she turned 2 years old.  Not only did she love pigeon, but she also couldn't get enough of Jen's foie gras (we drew the line at the tartare… I think she should at least be 3 years old before consuming raw beef). I think she would have done just as well in France as she is in Italy.

Out front of Bruno and Sylvie's restaurant and bar 

Amuse-bouche ("mouth amuser" typical in French restaurants) 

Jen started with the foie gras - the best either of us have ever had 

I started with a steak tartare - which you could tell was an obviously high-grade filet

Wonderful bread accompanied the table
The wine Michel selected was wonderful, from Gigondas - a nearby village

Jen had a seared filet over a wild bed of rice

I had the 1/2 pigeon over sautéed red cabbage with red pepper and saffron clafoutis

Bruno and I each opted for the extra cheese course, which was simply amazing

Chocolate mousse in tuple with grillot sorbet

The next day was marked by a visit to Les Abeilles, one of Michel and Shirley's local favorites (website).  The lunch was in the middle of a day spent wine tasting (blog post coming soon) and so our moods matched the delicious flavor of the food.  

Les Abeilles

As delicious as these cheeses are, I would think sticking your nose in their would be equivalent to water board torture

Check out the cork holder - I've tried without success to imitate  

I ordered the Huîtres fraîches ou gratine (escargot - snails)

Jen had Petits gris de Provence en ravioles au bouillon d'épinards

I had the Pièce d’agneau rôtie et légumes (piece of roast lamb and vegetables)

Jen enjoyed the Bœuf braisée aux oignons (braised beef with onions)

Shirley (who doesn't eat meat) ordered poisson blanc poché (poached white fish)

The légumes (vegetables)

Our kind waiter dolled out our cheese selections 

My three cheese choices - some of the most amazing cheeses I've ever had

Our final day was spent visiting the markets of Carpentras, and our lunch was spent on the balcony of Chez Serge.  The refreshing selection of soup and fish marked the perfect meal to fit our moods.

Chez Serge 

Loved the daily menu board posted out front

The roof terrace

Getting ready for our meal - I loved the classic cafe menu board used to display the daily menu table side

Shirley doing her best Julia impression.  Wait, is it the other way around?!

Michel and I started with a fantastic gaspacho de tomate with shaved parmesan and home made crouttons  

Jen started with a croustillant de chèvre (crispy purse of goat cheese)

Michel and I repeated again - escalope de saumon sauce epinard (steak of salmon with spinach sauce)

Entremet ananas (a pineapple dessert)

Fromage blanc ā la fraise (white cheese with strawberries) - quiet delicious

I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of part of our French dining experience.  We hope to repeat again sometime in the future.  Of course, not until we loose all the calories we consumed the first time around… I'm thinking that will be sometime in 2014.

Trois Villages in Une Day

There once was a couple in France

Their kind invitation gave us a chance

To visit a wonderful land

And so a trip was planned

Soon it was wine we were drinking

And glasses we were clinking

Our good friends Michel and Shirley have a wonderful home in a small village in the Côtes du Rhône region of France.  They invited us to join them for a few days recently, an invitation we were happy to accept.  Google maps told me that the journey from our home to theirs was approximately six hours and so we decided a stopover at the beach for a night would break up the drive nicely (read about it HERE).  After a relaxing night in Beaulieu-Sur-Mer, we headed north to Sablet, France so that we could savor an enjoyable visit with good friends.

Sablet, France

We arrived in Sablet as scheduled, late in the afternoon.  However, I had misplaced all the phone numbers to reach Michel and so I wasn't quite sure exactly where to go upon arriving in the village.  Michel gave me specific instructions not to attempt a drive directly to his home.  "The roads are far too narrow - many cars scrape on either side.  Don't attempt it - park at the local bakery and head by foot".  I only had his home address plugged into the GPS and admittedly, I had the words of Barney Stinson ringing in my head "I shouldn't attempt the drive… challenge ACCEPTED!"  After creeping up, up, up, slowly, slowly, slowly - I made it to their home.  Luckily I made it with all car paint intact - but it was close.  I had been far too cocky and got lucky - I literally had centimeters on either side of my car at times.  We found their home and discovered they were just out at the local market, preparing for our arrival.

Michel is a business man, blogger (his Blog), wine connoisseur and a fabulous chef.  He owns a restaurant that I've mentioned in past blog posts, Bistro des Copains in Northern California.  Jen and I knew that we were going to be in for a treat if he was coming back from the the market with fresh groceries to make dinner.  When they returned home, we walked in, unpacked and quickly settled in for an epic meal.  Luckily, Michel and Shirley are grandparents of four wonderful kids - and so they were naturals with Julia, who instantly fell in love with them both.  After a wonderful dinner, stuffed and tired from a long day - we turned in, excited about the following day.  Even though we didn't know the plans, we were still eager knowing that we would have an action-packed day lead by two wonderful guides.

Pan fried fish cooked by Michel

Filleted and seasoned with butter, oil and capers

Shirley made the most amazing strawberry and rhubarb torte

Cheese and baguettes for breakfast.  Not something you normally think of eating at 8:00am.  However, this rich indulgence seems perfectly normal when you're in France…and when the cheese and bread are that good, you are happy to get your fill.  After breakfast, but before I finished my last sip of coffee, Michel jumped up and declared that, "we will be leaving in ten minutes!"  For me, this was wonderful - an early start to the day.  For Jen, nothing could be more horrific.  She rushed to get herself ready, get the baby ready, get the diaper bag packed, etc. and still make it to the car before we pulled away.  Somehow she managed and we set out to the first of three villages we would see throughout the day.

The term, L'un des Plus Beaux Villages de France (official site) means, One of the Most Beautiful Villages of France.  This is a formal classification, reserved for only the most special of villages that dot the landscape of this fantastic country.  Of the 32,000 villages that make up the country, only 157 are classified as such.  15 of these villages are in Provence, where Michel and Shirley have their home.  We were fortunate enough to see 3 of these impressive places all in one day.

One of the Most Beautiful Villages of France

The first stop on our tour was Venasque, a hill-top village at the foot of Mont Ventoux.  Venasque overlooks vineyards of many types, including vast fields of cherry trees (a unique sight in a landscape otherwise dominated by grape vineyards).  The cherry's were just starting to come into bloom and so we stopped to take a couple pictures.  This medieval town has only the remains of three Saracen towers from those times.  A large church from the 11th century stands in the center of town, composing part of the unique beauty we discovered while there.

Approaching Venasque

Venasque sits high atop a hill

We passed fields of cherry trees 

Michel in action, capturing images for his own blog

Julia and Jen in front of the remains of the medieval castle

The view of the valley below

Julia enjoying the scenery

A fountain in the center of town 

We passed many bicycle tour groups in each of the villages

Michel strolling along with Julia

A street scene in Venasque 

The villages main church framed behind a wonderful tree

A fountain in town, La Planette 

Church in the center of town, dating back to the 13th century 

Julia playing in the fountain

After leaving Venasque, next we drove to Gordes, a village with houses literally clinging to the sides of the Vaucluse ridges, overlooking the Cavaillon plain.  The houses and narrow cobble streets are arranged in winding tiers all the way up to the [existing] Renaissance castle and church.  Gordes is a village well known to artists, including Chagall (and others I don't know and can't remember).  Before entering the village from the top and winding our way down and back… we needed to refill and refuel. Lunch time!  Michel and Shirley selected a place they had dined before - a charming outdoor restaurant tucked behind a local gift shop.  After a delicious lunch, we started winding our way through the streets of Gordes.  Jen and I bought Julia a cute hand-made sun dress.  We found some of the most picturesque scenes we've ever encountered.  And right on cue for our magical family photo - Julia didn't want to cooperate for a posed photo.  At least I got some nice landscape photos.

I've never seen anything quite like this before - simply stunning in person

Gordes - another angle 

It almost appears to be sliding off the side of the cliff

Approaching the city wall - marked by the medieval castle 

The main square, what we call a piazza… what do they say in French?

Further into the main entry point

Walking through the village

We had a great time walking around  

The girls had fun

A scenic view, indeed!

View of the valley below

Loved this...

and this...

and of course, this!

The buildings in Gorde were truly special

Even the angels come here to day dream

A better view of the castle 

Le Jardin - store in the front, restaurant in the back 

Enjoying a wonderful lunch

Julia stopping to smell the flower with Shirley 

Jen took a picture of me taking a picture of the village

Cheeeeese!

We eventually left Gordes and drove to Roussillon, a village far different than the first two.  Along the drive in between towns, we passed a beautiful vineyard that I thought to be so typically French.  But the real bonus was when we discovered a huge field of poppies, growing wild - we had to pull over and take some pictures.

Anyone up for a bottle of wine?

Large field of poppies

The poppies were growing wild

Roussillon screams its independence from other nearby villages by proudly brandishing peaks of vibrant red and ridges of bright orange.  We were instantly reminded of Sedona, Arizona.  The village sits atop the biggest ochre deposit in all of Europe and the result is a civilization built on bright orange clay-like earth. The village itself has since been shaped by the surrounding land and the homes, churches and buildings all marry this natural beauty perfectly.  After a long time exploring, we stopped and had an a apéritif at an outdoor cafe.

Roussillon from slightly above

The earth beneath the village was wonderful to behold 

The orange earth follows the bends in the road 

The houses were painted to match the landscape and unique soil

Strolling through town was wonderful 

Beautifully landscaped front yards 

Julia started dancing to music she heard coming from a nearby store

Street scene

Julia snuggled up to me in a nice field overlooking the valley

Great bell tower

We found "cat-lady's" home - we counted 8 cats just in this area

Stairway to heaven?

Now that's the way to ride down a long set of stairs

Beautifully painted door

We had one more stop left - an abbey built in the middle of the 12th century.  Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque is a working abby, where the local monks tend to large fields of lavender that they sell to subsidize the abby (along with tourist sales of tours and merchandise).

Abbey as we approached from above

Another angle

The monks "front yard"

Fields of lavender, not yet in bloom

12th century Abbey

Julia had fun

Julia thought this was the dog from, 101 Dalmatians

By the time we reached our "home" village of Sablet at the end of a long day, we were wiped out.  But we were only half-way done!  We had dinner plans with friends of Michel and Shirley's - a couple that owns the local bar in town.  We had just enough time to freshen up and then head down the street to meet them in front of their bar.  We all shared a nice bottle of rosé over introductions and then headed out for dinner.  I'll feature this dinner, along with a few others in a separate "food" post.

Jen and I decided that we had so much fun on our first day, we needed to extend our two day trip into a three day trip and our wonderful hosts obliged us.  Stay tuned for tales of glorious wine tastings, wonderful meals and impressive historical sights.