France..... Best Places to Eat...
 

Leaving tues (5/17) for 3 wks in France. What are your favorite eateries in, or near, the French Quarter (Paris), Ottrott/Obernai, Chamonix, Yvoire, St Remy, and St Paul de Vence.

Suggestions for St. Remy and general area.

Jardin de Frédéric
Small, cozy restaurant with a small outdoor terrace. Good seafood dishes. Friendly owner and service is good.
Closed Sunday and Monday lunch
Dress - Casual
8, boulevard Gambetta Tel: 04 90 92 27 76
Menus offered at 25 and 28 euro (dinner) 16 euro (lunch)

La Source
Charming, small restaurant fairly off the tourist path. Very good food, beautiful shaded terrace overlooking a garden for summer dining. Closed Wednesday
Totally non-smoking
13, avenue Liberation Tel: 04 90 92 44 71
Lunch menu around 21 euro Dinner menus 30/40 euro

L'Apostrophe
Newer brasserie . Fusion cuisine - French, Thai, Antilles Islands, Chinese, Moroccan. The food is very good - although some portions are a bit large.
It has a two tiered terrace with a view of the church. And the chairs are very comfortable. Prices are reasonable - entrees are in the 7 euro range and main courses around 14 euro.
17, place de la Republique Tel: 04 90 92 02 13

Outside of St.Remy, on the D5 just outside of Graveson:

Moulin d'Aure

Also a B&B, the restaurant is wonderful. The owners are Italian, so many of the dishes are Italian inspired. Reasonably priced, with a decent wine list that includes some good Italian choices.

Tel: 04 90 95 84 05
www.hotel-moulindaure.com

Outside of St. Remy in the direction of Noves:
La Maison (Domaine de Bournissac)
New restaurant and country inn (about two years old) - in a lovely old mas. Excellent cuisine. Terrace shaded by a fig tree. A bit on the expensive side.
Closed Monday and Tuesday noon
tel: 04 90 90 25 25
Menu at around 40 euro


Les Baux de Provence:

* Riboto de Taven
In the Val d'Enfer, just below the village of Les Baux. An excellent Michelin one star restaurant for thirty-five years, they've turned in their star and are no longer serving a varied menu. They've become a country inn and serve a dinner with a set menu . Call in advance to see what they're serving - and if they have room. The menu changes with the seasons, but always includes regional dishes. Beautiful garden and terrace with a view of the village of Les Baux. Dining on the terrace in the summer months, otherwise indoors in what was once the bergerie (sheepfold).
Dress - Dressy casual, although no ties required for men.
Tel: 04 90 54 34 23
Menu is usually around 45 euro

Maussane-les-Alpilles:

La Vallée ( Chez Karine )
This restaurant was begun a couple of years ago by Jean-Louis' daughter Karine (Jean Louis of Bistrot du Paradou) and her sister. Her sister has gone on to other things, but Karine, along with the former chef at Cuisine au Planet in Fontvieille are doing good things here. One of their most successful menus has been based on the artichoke.... extremely popular.

15, avenue de la Vallée des Baux Tel: (33) 490 54 54 00
[email protected] website: www.la-vallee.net

* Bistrot de La Petite France
Former Michelin one star restaurant, just outside Maussane near Le Paradou in a renovated farmhouse. They "turned in" their star and changed the style of the restaurant to a less formal bistro. Excellent food, good service. One of the best wine lists in France (the chef's father is the owner of the largest wine distributor in the south of France)
Casual. Reservations recommended Closed Wednesday and Thursday
55, avenue de la Vallee des Baux Tel: 04 90 54 41 91
Menu Lunch and Dinner - 25 euro

The Camargue - near Le Sambuc

* La Chassagnette
Owned by the same woman who owns the hotel Nord Pinus in Arles, this is a restored Carmaguais mas, beautifully opened up and decorated. One wall is "caged " with chickenwire and filled with sage leaves. The only registered "organic" restaurant in France, almost everything is grown in their gardens. The menus are based around Camarguais tapas. One evening we counted thirty different dishes....
Many of the items are available in jars and containers to take home.
An amazing memorable restaurant that I highly recommend.
Lunch menu at 37 euro Dinner menu at 52 euro
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday lunch
Tel: (33) 490 97 26 96 [email protected]

The hotel St Paul in St Paul de Vence has a very good rstaurant.

For something on the lighter side, La Cocarde is a tea salon open into the early evening--nice for a light meal after a heavy day of sightseeing. Excellent French onion soup, omelettes, salads, and pastas.

In Ottrott, we ate twice at Ami Fritz on their outside patio. Good traditional Alsacian food. In Obernai, there was a Thai restaurant on one of the main streets. My wife lives Thai. It was pretty good also.

Looks like you are going to have a great vacation. You'll love the Alsace region. ((b))

ttt

Hôtel-Restaurant de la Cigogne has been my family's favorite restaurant in Obernai for more than 50 years. On the weekends, it is absolutely essential to reserve in just about all of the restaurants of Obernai, which do not hesitate to put up a "restaurant complet" sign to keep you from even passing the threshold.