Le Brédas

Le Brédas Review

This culinary experience necessitates a trip into the interior, down winding roads where the dense foliage is jungle-like. It's best navigated, at least the first time, by day; come for lunch on a Sunday, and return for a memorable dinner Thursday through Saturday. Martinican chef Jean-Charles Brédas is well-known, having worked the better restaurants in Martinique and Manhattan. Recently he was awarded Maître Cuisinier and Maître Restaurateur de France; he also received a silver medal for tourism. His lovely wife, Marie-Julie, is a gracious hostess. The tasteful décor includes taupe linen runners on long tables speckled with colored-glass bits; the ceramic plates are the creations of an esteemed local potter, Victor Anicet. The foie gras is perfectly executed, especially when it's served with green bananas caramelized with rum and pineapple. (This appetizer, his signature dish, is a whopping €33.) One laudable main plat is the robust and tender beef marinated in cocoa, orange, and cardamom. The terrace dining room of this century-old house is covered by a peaked white awning. Chef Bredas' mission is to preserve the ancient saveurs (flavors), giving traditional island dishes and French classics a contemporary twist. A special-occasion restaurant, its holiday meals are celebratory, down to the roast suckling pigs. Note: if there is not a sufficient number of reservations for dinner, then they will not serve, but will call all those who reserved to cancel.