Lunch at L’Essentiel Restaurant in Avignon was a terrific experience. We were greeted warmly by the charming owner, Dominique Chouviat, and she stopped by throughout the meal to make wine recommendations, to make sure we were happy with our selections and to offer suggestions. You could tell that she was very proud of the food that was being prepared by her husband, Laurent, who is the chef/owner. L’Essential offers set menus, which include a starter, a main course and a dessert, at very reasonable prices.

First of all, the food was excellent – well-prepared, flavorful and artfully-presented. And the Rhone Valley wine that we ordered, a suggestion of the owner, was perfect. We started out with the choice of a rabbit and eggplant terrine served with a wild arugula salad or a dish of baked eggs with brandade (a tasty salt-cod and potato dish). I chose the rabbit terrine and it was so full of flavor. There were several choices for main course – a very flavorful chicken with cream sauce served with olive-oil mashed potatoes, or a roasted fish with olive tappenade and creamy polenta.

For dessert, we ordered up apple tartlets with caramel sauce and fromages blanc with raspberries that had cotton candy on top. The atmosphere was bright and modern and there is a terrace for outdoor dining.

L’Essentiel is located at 2 Rue Petite Fusterie in downtown Avignon.

Restaurant Le Jardin du Quai is located in the charming village of Isle-sur-la-Sorque in the Provence region of France. The entrance to the restaurant is through a lovely garden that is filled with rustic tables, large plants and beautiful artwork. The restaurant is owned and operated by my friend, Executive Chef Daniel Hebet, who earned a Michelin star at La Mirande in Avignon before moving to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to open his own restaurant. The inside of the restaurant is stunningly adorned with antique pieces including timepieces and a gorgeous torch chandelier. But the real attraction here is the food.

On a recent visit, Chef Hebet’s team prepared a special truffle lunch for us. We started with poached eggs that were topped with a generous portion of julienned truffles, then wrapped in prosciutto and covered with creme fraiche and a sprinkling of fresh chives. That was followed with a Dover sole that had been roasted whole, then portioned out, topped with truffles and served with a mache salad. The next course was a tender filet mignon served over sliced truffles with with diced, roasted celery root and mushrooms. The meal was exquisite in every way. The courses were paired with wines from the region. On a previous visit, during mushroom season, Chef Hebet served the most incredible-tasting sauteed cepes (porcini-style mushrooms) that I have ever tasted. I can still remember how amazing they were and can’t wait to go back this autumn for more.

Desserts are incredible there, too, but on our last visit we only had room for some decadent French-style marshmallows. Man, were they good!

Le Jardin du Quai
91 avenue Julien Guigue
Isle-sur-la-Sorgue – 84800 Vaucluse – France
tel: 04.90.20.14.98
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I have had several opportunities to visit Chez Serge in Carpentras, France, and I continue to be very happy with the food, service and atmosphere there. The restaurant is owned and operated by Serge Ghoukassian, who was also named Sommelier of the Year for France last year by Gault-Millau. 

The restaurant is a beautiful combination of simplicity and elegance.  Chef Serge himself is welcoming and fun.  There is a sense of energy in the air.  The restaurant focuses on local favorites and uses fresh, seasonal ingredients.  Chef Serge started out making pizzas, and his pizzas are still great!  Chez Serge offers special menus during the year, too,  including a truffle menu in the season.  My last truffle lunch there included a salad with goat cheese that was coated with a batter of truffles and hazelnuts and then fried.  Our main course was seared scallops with rich, truffle-laced mashed potatoes.  For dessert, we had a lovely dish of truffled honey that was topped with fresh, creamy cheese.  The dish was finished off with a drizzle of truffle oil.  The combination of the sweet honey and the tart cheese worked well with a hint of truffle flavor. 

Chez Serge has one of the best selections of wines available.   They have wines from all over France, but the focus is on Rhone Valley wines. 

I highly recommend a visit to this friendly and upbeat restaurant. 

Chez Serge
90 rue Cottier
84200 Carpentras
Provence – France
011 33 04 90 63 21 24

I was very fortunate on my last trip to Provence to discover Le Jardin du Quai in the lovely village of Isle-sur-la-Sorge.  The restaurant itself is in an old restored mansion across from the train station.  Even though it was the end of January when I was there, the weather was gorgeous and we sat outside in their wonderful garden.  The lunch served that day by Chef Daniel Hebert (formerly of Hotel la Mirande in Avignon) was delicious and beautifully presented.   The focus of the trip was on truffles, and Chef Hebert prepared a fantastic meal using these aromatic treasures.  We started with an artichoke soup that was garnished with sliced truffles.  It was warmly presented in a square glass “jar” and was loaded with fresh flavors along with the subtle flavor of the truffles.  Next we had the most fantastic egg I have ever tasted.  It was called an egg noir and was sprinkled with truffles.  Our main course was a perfectly-prepared and wonderfully fragrant sea bass.  Every flavor was a delight and each dish looked like a piece of art. 

 I will definitely return to this restaurant on my next trip to Provence. 

Le Jardin du Quai
91 Avenue Julien Guigue
84800 L’Isle sur la Sorge, FRANCE
+33 (0)4 90 38 16 58

My husband and I recently visited Saulieu, France, to dine at Restaurant Bernard Loiseau. You may recall having heard a few years ago that a chef in France killed himself when it was rumored that one of his 3 Michelin stars was to be taken away. That was executive chef and entrepreneur, Bernard Loiseau. After his death, his wife Dominique took over the business. She, along with Chef Patrick Bertron, have managed to keep the 3-star rating from Michelin.

We arrived in Saulieu (which has to be a destination in itself, else you would never see it) on a rainy September afternoon. We saw the restaurant and inn immediately upon entering this tiny village. Check-in at the inn was super-efficient and we found ourselves in our spacious room in no time. The room was a combination of rustic charm and plushness, with modern conveniences galore. It had a beautiful patio that looked out onto a central garden.

We could hardly wait to go to the restaurant that evening, and we were not disappointed at all. We were seated at a window table that faced the garden. That was our view for the dinner. Although it was dark outside, the lighting in the garden was beautiful. The staff was very friendly and professional, and several items on the menu were incredibly tempting. We decided to go with the multiple-course gastronomic menu so that we could try a number of things. The sommelier helped us choose some nice French wines (a Pouligny-Montrachet and a Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1st Cru) and we were on our way!

We started the evening with a gelee of petit pois (tiny green peas), jambon persille (ham cured with parsley), and a pig’s feet croquet. Next we had a bite of pate made with tiny artichokes with a fried artichoke garnish. Next course was succulent lobster and tomatoes in gelee with green onions around the side. It was served with an intense lobster sauce. Next we had seared foie gras in a reduction sauce with three fig dishes – fig-onion confiture, glazed figs and dried figs with parsley. Our next course was turbot served with tiny chopped ratatoulle vegetables in an eggplant roll and grilled calamari in a chablis sauce. Next came roasted pigeon with baby fava beans, carrots, spinach and roasted potatoes. This was served with a tiny spoon of pureed liver with sweet potatoes with a dark reduction sauce. We were, of course, stuffed long before then, but next came a cheese cart filled with an impressive assortment of French cheeses. Of course, fantastic desserts came with the menu, too. We had chocolate mousse in between thin layers of dark chocolate, garnished with an intense chocolate sauce. To finish, there was a plate of dessert petit fours with our espressos. It was a spectacular meal.

The highlight of the evening, though, was a visit to our table by Madame Dominique Loiseau herself. It was a pleasure to get to speak with Madame Loiseau for an extended time. She talked with us openly about her husband, the restaurants (three of them) that she owns and about her friends in the San Francisco area. She was quite friendly and her visit to our table made our dinner there even more meaningful. This is a destination that I would recommend for a night or weekend.

Restaurant Bernard Loiseau
21210 Saulieu Bourgogne
France
33 (0)3 80 90 53 53
http://www.bernard-loiseau.com/

I recently had the pleasure of dining at this great establishment in Avignon.  Truffles were in season so, of course, I had to have the truffle meal. 

 From the truffled scallop starter to the roasted pork entree with truffled potatoes to the truffled salad, each bite was exquisite!  I couldn’t believe that it was so good.  For dessert, I was served truffled ice cream with truffled chocolate sauce.  That was followed by a dessert tray of pistachio madeleines, cannelles, housemade marshmallows, and chocolates filled with creme.  What a dinner! 

The staff was very friendly, competent and nice.  To top off the experience, Chef Etienne came out, talked with me and gave me a copy of his book, “The Magic of the Truffle”.  They really know how to make you feel special! 

I highly recommend this restaurant. 

Restaurant Christian Etienne
10, rue de Mons
84000 Avignon
04 90 86 16 50

I have had several meals in this rustic country setting, and they have all been nice.   

I have always ordered the assortment of Provencal appetizers there.  That is really a meal in itself.  It is an assortment of about sixteen different appetizers that are local to Provence – olive tapenade, eggplant caviar, roasted red peppers in olive oil, quail eggs, tomatoes, brandade of salt cod, braised artichokes, caramelized onions and several more.  However, on the last visit, I decided to go for the daily special, as well.  It was beef cheeks that had been cooking for hours.  I can’t even begin to tell you how flavorful and tender they were! 

No visit to Auberge de la Loube is complete without a visit to the barn in back to see Chef Maurice’s collection of carriages.  There are at least a dozen of them and they are all quite interesting. 

Make this a destination and enjoy the afternoon in the countryside. 

Auberge de la Loube
Quartier de la Loube
Buoux, France
04 90 74 19 58

This restaurant is not in Provence, but in Banyuls sur Mer in Southern France near Spain.  Since I don’t have a category for that area, I put it into “Provence”. 

This is a ferme auberge.  That means that at least 80% of everything that is served in the restaurant (including the wines) is grown on their land.  The meal that I had there was just great!  I sat outside in the courtyard, which was fine until the wind started blowing and the weather turned really chilly! 

I started with Gaspacho, which was paired with Le Clos de Pauililles’ Collioure Rose wine.  Next I hadFoie Gras de Canard au Sel served with Le Clos de Pauililles’ Collioure Blanc wine.  The foie gras was exquisite and I loved the sprinkling of fleur de sel on top. 

Next I had Poulet de la Ferme Confit Aux Pruneaux (chicken cooked with prunes).  This was a sweet and savory dish and was very flavorful.  It was followed with their Fromage de Brebis (sheep’s milk cheese) and their Rivesaltes wine. 

Dessert was Macaron au Chocolat with their Banyuls Rimage dessert wine. 

The meal was just excellent but I skipped the coffee because it was so chilly!  However, I would absolutely go back there again. 

Auberge Le Clos de Paulilles
66660 Port-Vendres
Banyuls, France
04 68 38 90 10

I loved the dining experience at La Bastide de Marie near Menerbes.  I took a group there during a Culinary Getaway back in October when the nights had started getting cooler. 

When we arrived, we were welcomed and escorted into the beautiful lobby.  We were seated by their gorgeous fireplace which housed a roaring fire.  The chairs were so comfortable and the setting was so cozy – I could have stayed there all evening.   Our server came out and escorted us to one of their dining rooms where we chose our appetizers and apertifs.  We then went back to the fireplace area when we sat and enjoyed our choices.  

Next we were taken into the dining room and seated at a nice round table by the window.  Our food was beautiful and delicious, with fresh local creations.  My favorite dish was the roasted pork, which was really pork belly, with leeks.  It was crisp on the outside and very tender and flavorful inside.  The desserts were amazing creations – roasted pineapple with pineapple gelato, chocolate profiteroles, etc.

This is a great place for a special treat.  I have never stayed there but would love to.

La Bastide de Marie
Route de Bonnieux
Quartier de la Verrerie
84560 Menerbes
33 0 4 90 72 30 20

One of my favorite restaurants in Provence is Le Bistrot du Paradou.  When you go there, you feel almost like family.  The staff is super-nice and the food is excellent. 

I love the fact that you get whatever they are serving that day – with a few choices.  There is normally a choice between two appetizers (such as, their mesclun salad and escargot) to start.  For the main course, you will often have a choice of the daily special or else chicken.  The main course is followed by a cheese course and then dessert. 

On my visits, I have had cassoulet, roasted lamb, roasted chicken, coq au vin and rabbit.  Everything was prepared perfectly and was so flavorful.  Their cheeses (primarily local goat’s milk cheeses) are delicious and the desserts are house-made and wonderful – chocolate tart, lemon tart, walnut tart, chocolate mousse, peaches in wine, etc. 

Owner Jean-Louis Pons takes care of the front of the house while his wife, Mireille Pons, prepares the amazing food. 

Reservations are much harder to come by now, as more people are finding out about this memorable place. 

Le Bistrot du Paradou
15 ave. de la Vallee des Baux
Paradou, France  13520
04 90 54 32 70