Corky

Would appreciate an updated list of affordable ($100 for 2)restaurants that you have found enjoyable. Cannot find any recent list from PB but only reviews back in '02-'03.
We will be based for a week south of Avignon at end of May and would like to make sure we visit as many as possible fine eating establishments in our price range.
Thanks

cigalechanta

Corky, we usually stop in a village at one of the many cafes around the fountain and with a pichet of wine, you may have a tab under $100. For upscale places, if you order the Menu rather than ala carte it is also less expensive. Sorry, I don't keep lists nor journals. Every second of my time there is too precious. PB will have a list maybe as she does tours and has a beautiful B&B. An example of what we do is stop in Maussane (where we purchase our olive oils at the moulins) and lunch at one of the many cafes
around the fountain. One serves bull steak that is very tasty.
Have a wonderful time and I'm anxious to go back this year.

Corky

Thanks Cigalechanta for taking time to offer some help that always seems daunting and that is "Where to Eat" When you are in an area and you know there are marvellous places to eat but don't have anything specific it makes for a bit of a gamble when you make a selection.
PB had mentioned Le Petite France in Maussane as a fine place to dine and had mentioned that it had forfeited its Michelin 1 star with reduced prices. Would you have any info.on it?

cigalechanta

I'm not a fan of Petite France.Don't like the atmosphere.
I usually go near there to the Bistro du Paradou(PB, she's not a fan) The drawback is it's a set menu.
There are many sites you can google for restaurants lists. I've posted them before but here again
www.provencebeyond.com
www.provenceweb.com.
I can look up any information you need if you can't find what you are looking for
What village will you be staying in? and want to lunch in?

Corky

We are staying near Lourmarin but we can travel to any of the small towns and villages to enjoy the Provencale cooking if we know we can expect a decent and enjoyable meal.

cigalechanta

What village will you be staying in????
here's a favorite site of mine for that area.
http://www.2docstock.com/provence/re...favorites.html



We make a trip to Lourmarin and lunch because of one of my favorite shops, Coté Bastide. Lourmarin is close to Ansouis and Cucuron.

PBProvence

Here's my updated list of restaurants for the area...
Mimi's right - I'm not a fan of the Bistrot du Paradou - too expensive for what it's become. But Jean-Louis' daughter has a cute restaurant here in Maussane with good food - La Vallée.

St. Remy
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
13, avenue Liberation Tel: 04 90 92 44 71
Lunch menu around 21 euro Dinner menus 30/40 euro

L'Apostrophe
Newer style 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

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
Le Margaux
Charming small restaurant in the center of the village. Although I find that it a bit inconsistent, they more often get it right than wrong. Lovely terrace.
Dress - casual
Just off the main village square Tel: 04 90 54 35 04
Menus at 28 and 36 euro

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 - 25 euro (lunch and dinner)

The Camargue - Le Sambuc

*** La Chassagnette
This 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]

Fontvieille (between Arles & Les Baux)

Cuisine au Planet
Very small, but charming, restaurant in the center of the village.... in one of the oldest houses there (16th C) Small outdoor terrace for summer dining.
Dress - casual
144, Grand rue Tel: 04 90 54 63 97
Menus 25 and 32 euro

Eygalières

* Bistrot d'Eygalières "Chez Bru"
Michelin one star. Charming restaurant in the center of this tiny village. Owners/chef are Belgian, trained at the Baumanière in the 'good old days'. Inventive cuisine, fairly good wine list. In the summer, tables are set outside on the sidewalk for outdoor dining. They also have four rooms.... 130 to 160 euro per night
Reservations recommended in season and on weekends.
rue Republique Tel: 04 90 90 60 34
Lunch menu 45 euro Dinner menus 64/74 euro

Le Petit Bru
The baby bistro to the Bistrot d'Eygalieres. More casual - good food.
Prix fixe menu around 26 euro which offers a choice of entrée and main course, cheese and dessert.
House wine only.
Tel: 04 90 95 98 89

Sous les Micocouliers
Situated off the main road, this restaurant always has an interesting daily menu.
Lovely large terrace under the trees, it's great in the summer months.
Closed Tuesday all day and Wednesday at lunchtime.
Tel: 04 90 95 94 53
Feel free to email me if I can offer any other suggestions.
Patricia ([email protected])

PBProvence

Forgot to add that some of the prices might have changed slightly since I redid my list a few months ago...
but the Chassagnette and Bistrot La Petite France prices are up to date.

I highly recommend La Chassagnette for lunch.

Patricia

cigalechanta

Good, Patricia arrived La Chassagnette is a special experience that is worth going out of the way. Situated on an organic farm and a beautiful presentation of dishes. I've bought some of thir confitures and other food gifts.
Riboto and Bistro de Eygaliers ( Petite Bru is nearby) are both very good and both run by very nice couples. The man in the kitchen and the woman hosting. I prefer their food over sous les Micocouliers but like the terrace.
Also in th Camargue is Les Tellines in Villeneuve.

AGM_Cape_Cod

Patricia and Mimi, thanks for the restaurant suggestions. Since I have three of them on our list for this trip I feel that my choices have been validated by experts. Your unstinting advice is always appreciated.

abbydog

What a tremendous response! Thank you so much for a wealth of information.

pegprescott

Thank you so much PB and Cigale for the updated restaurant reviews. We will be staying at mas de L'Oulivie in les BAux so these suggestions will be very useful.

Can you comment on your favorite choices in and around Uzes? WE will be staying at hotel General d'Entraigues. Names I've seen on the threads include Les Trois Salons, Table d'Horlage, L'Olivier, Les Fontaines. Any advice on price/food/ambiance on these or others? My ideal restaurant would be a Michelin 2 or 3* with 1 or 2 forks! Food always trumps decor for me.

peg

Underhill

A Michelin 2* or 3* would not really be in the affordable range, except perhaps at lunch in a few places. However, one-star restaurants can be more moderately priced, especially at lunch, and offer excellent food without all the frills of the 2* and 3* restaurants. Examples would the hotel/restaurant La Régalido in the pretty little town of Fontvielle and Le Cabro d'Or near Les Baux.

cigalechanta

We'll have our dinner at the Entraigues where we are staying also. The terrace looks lovely.

PBProvence

to Pegprescott:

I really like Les Fontaines. I usually only have lunch in Uzès, so haven't tried it for dinner.

Patricia

PBProvence

the restaurant La Telline is just outside of Gageron, and is off the road that leads to Le Sambuc where La Chassagnette is.
Excellent fresh fish cooked over an open fireplace and great tellines (tiny clams) in aioli sauce, as well as other local specialties. (tel. 04 90 97 01 75)

Another great little lunch place if you like moules/frites is in Beaucaire:
"Du Nord au Sud" along the quai.

Patricia

cigalechanta

Patricia, I posted the Tellines above.
How are the rooms in the L'oustaloun in Maussane? The prices posted on line are low and the dining room looks lovely but no bedrooms are showed,
The trois Salons in Uzes had a beautiful writeup in Coté Sud.

1jan1

We spent a week in Provence during January and then moved on up to Paris for a week. We had dinner one night at Le Restaurant a La Maison in Maubec. Tel 04-90-76-90-18. It was really great fun and the food was wonderful. Even though we ate at some very well known and highly regarded restaurants in Paris our appetizer and dessert at La Maison was by far the most outstanding.
I don't know if this is close enough to your hotel but I thought you must know about it. We visited St Remy and many markets and vineyards while staying in this area
Enjoy

cigalechanta

abby, this is where I found La chassagnette:
http://www.cognoscentimag.com/cognos...assagnette.pdf

yaletown

1jan1, we will be staying in Maubec in a couple of months so I was interested in your recommendation of Le Restaurant a La Maison.
Can you tell me more about this place, also any other good spots in the area?

Thank you