A spectacular meal in the South of France
 

We leave in two weeks for Paris and the south of France. We have reservations at La Chassagnette, Le Fournil, La Mas de Cure Bourse for dinners or lunches.I'd love suggestions for very good(without being over $100 euro for one w/o wine)places to eat. We will be in Avignon,St.Remy. Isle sur la sorgue, Bonnieux and Aix. The Bistro D"Eygalieres looks good and someone has recommended the Regilido near Fountville. I'd love some suggestions please.

je m'excuse..that's Fontville.

the Regilido is very good as is the Bistro and their less expensive place around the corner 'Petite Bru."
L'Affenage and Vaccares in Arles, Auberge Provencal in eygalieres, Le Bistro du Paradou,Au Ravi in Maussane, Avignon I like Le Bain Marie, Christian Etienne, Heily Lucullas, and in Gordes(les Imberts) Le Mas Touteron,lÍsle -sur-Sogue, Le Jardin du Quai. In Séguret, Le Mesclun.

Mimi, did you get to Mas de Cure Bourse during you recent trip, and is Mme Donzi still there?

Unfortunately No, there wasn't time. I would have put it in my trip report, also couldn't fit in the Mas Touteron, I wanted to buy her cookbook.

I'm not sure if this fits the "spectacular" description, but it's certainly an experience you'd not soon forget - La Telline, also in the Camargue. You essentially go to the chef-owner's home and eat whatever fish/seafood he has caught that day. There are maybe 5 tables and a roaring fire, and he roasts the fish right there in front of you and serves it along with a big bowl of tellines in aïoli for a starter and whatever side dishes he has prepared - it was potiron when we were there last. I believe there is a meat choice as well. Delicious food, memorable ambiance, and the entire evening will be topped off by the owner's dog Idée, but I won't divulge that surprise ahead of time.

But he doesn't do that to every diner as we saw!

We liked a place in st remy called maison jaune-very quaint and in my memory-about that price range. It is a lovely yellow house-just like it sounds with beautiful seating upstairs with views of the garden

jpie. We peeked in the window. It was closed that day, but I have read very good reviews so was curious.

Maybe there's some sort of secret signal the owner gives Idée. We were the only people dining there and she certainly performed well for us!

No, Jean-Paul says she does what and when she wants to.

P.S. I have a nice photo of Ideé I sent them. I photograph the cats, dogs and other 4 footers I encounter.

Here's the scoop on Idee at La Telline, as passed along by that famous animal trainer from Lyon who used to train animals for some French movies in the 1970s and whose name slips my mind. Idee supposedly decides whether you'll get a discount on the price of your meal, or whether you'll be one of those who's charged a little extra to make up for the discount given to Idee's favorites. If Idee brings you a napkin at the end of the meal, you'll get a little discount. If she brings you a napkin, and also drops a flower at your feet or a chocolate on your lap, you're getting the meal free (very very rare, but whatever Idee says goes, because the owners adore her). If she takes your napkin off your lap at the end of your meal, you'll be charged a little extra. But it's all done in such a charming way, and the overcharge is applied so discreetly, that no one ever complains. They either don't realize they are being overcharged, or they don't mind because they are honored to be part of the dog's cute little act.

What about when she slept beside me and drooled on my leg?

La Feniere, just outside of Lourmarin on the road to Cadanet.

In Paris, our dinner at Armand was one of the best in our recent trip to France.

<<What about when she slept beside me and drooled on my leg?>>

Her drooling or not has no effect on the customer's bill.

witch, are you C.?

Nah, she's a familiar of St Cirq.

Actually, I have no idea who strega is.

Good try, but I think C. would rather be a dog than a cat.

cigalechanta:
I would defintiely go back to maison jaune-unfortunately we were there with visiting American friends ( we were living in Paris at the time) who brought their kids who were 11 and 7 and the service was too long and slow for them and of course, the food was lost on them...........but the worst part was the father-who kept complaining of the smokers. I have to admit I don't enjoy smoke either in restaurants-but if you are going to hang out in Europe you have to get used to it-or only eat in chocolate stores or tea salons where smoking is mostly prohibited. But that said-the meal was very nice and I would love to go back

true JPie, but a place, for instance, like La chassagnette that is an organic farm you would not expect a diner to smoke a cigar through all the courses.
And , by the way, none of the people that are my friends in France are smokers, buy in Paris, go to the Gare de Lyon or settle in to a side walk cafe where a tree is mulched by cigerette butts.