who wouldn't like LE LOUP in Bordeaux? (9-3-25)

 Our stay here in Bordeaux for the summer is coming to an end so we returned to one of our favorite bistros downtown, LE LOUP, last night for another super meal.

the menu has changed a tad since we were there a month ago, but it tends to be shared plates changing every now and then with major changes each season. Last night there was a new TEMPURA de Piments de Padron, sauce Mayonnaise. we had the corn fritters last time and these Padron peppers battered and fried were just as yummy. I started with a simple Kir Cassis (white wine and cassis) while Will tried the Spritz Bordelais of Lillet & Cremant de Bordeaux which he loved and was very refreshing.

we ordered a bottle of Cabernet Franc (as the Loire put a stamp on us) AOC Canon Fronsac called Le Bouquet de Lariveau from Chateau Lariveau 2020 and it was super.

Since we were with Sam last time we skipped the GNOCCHIS de Pommer de terre, Bisque de Langoustine but were really happy we got to try this. The Chef really know how to make pasta here and he came out when I raved about the gnocchi and the scrumptious rich lobster bisque cream sauce they were in made from a fab fish reduction! (photos on FB). We finished with one of our favorites: Demi-magret de Canard, haricots Verts, Groseille, the half duck breast rare with green beans and currants. 

At home Will had some ice cream and I headed to bed.

Our last night here is tonight and we are headed out with our friend Hugo to say good-bye soon.

Tour's LE TURON is terrific (9-1-25)

 For our last night in the Loire we decided to spend the day in Tours (shopping and sightseeing) and then stay in for dinner before heading back to our troglodyte rock room!

We got LE TURON from our hotel concierge and it was a BIG HIT.

Amuses of focaccia with anchovy and a yummy pea velouté came first and we ordered a bottle of AOC Saint Nicholas de Bourgueil Cabernet Franc "L'Expression" from Domeiane Joel Taluau 2024 which may have been young but was superb and smooth.

A tiny bistro of cozy with close simple wooden tables and very comfy chairs--maybe 30-35 people and it was full by 745pm! The menu is simple as well with some chalkboard wines and specials, but we were immediately drawn to the TARTARE de BOEUF CHAROLAIS which was a main, but we split as a starter. It came with frites with parmesan and a truffle mayo dip. Pickled cauliflower and onion garnished the plate with a fabulous balsamic, shaved parmesan and crunchy shallots. I told them all: "C'est vraiment un des meilleurs tartares du monde!"

Mains were a superb POUPLE & GAMBAS Grille for Sam which he said was the best octopus he ever had. It came with ratatouille, spelt & creme de chorizo. My Ballotine de Pintade was a stuffed breast of guinea fowl(hen) with mousse, Cajun spices, mushroom risotto, and morel sauce with haricots verts. I loved it all, but the portion was huge!

We were very full and dessert did not even become a consideration, but what a great ending to our week in Charentes & the Loire.

Les Hautes Roches Restaurant Gastronomique(outside Tours, Loire) is good/great (8-31-25)

We moved west down the Loire to just outside Tours in the village of Rochecorbon for our last two nights at the Relais et Chateau Les Hautes Roches which actually has rooms built into the famous troglodyte caves of the region which is a fun novelty. We chose their "fine dining "Restaurant Gastronomique" which used to have a Michelin star for many years but now is simply a nice place to dine with not a ton of character. We sat at our table for almost 15 minutes waiting for anyone to come over and it seemed there were only two gents handling the entire room--about 12 tables or so. We managed to order drinks and then waited a tad more but at least things smoothed out as we moved on.

Fraises Basilic is a yummy fruity strawberry concoction of vodka, fresh strawberry jus, lime, and balsamic reduction! Paul turned out to be an excellent sommelier and we said we needed more than a bottle, and he came up with a solution of a half bottle, which is not too common in France! We started with AOP Montlouis-sur-Loire 2023 Les Hauts de Husseau which is an oaked Chenin Blanc that was an amazing white with mineral, oak and dry, simply the best we had all week. Our second 1/2 bottle was a Chateau de Nozet 2021 "De la Doucette" which was a Sauvignon Blanc that didn't taste at all like it. There was a hint of citrus but the wine was superb.

Three amuses arrived: A salmon and citrus in a cone(yummy), an avocado & pea tartelette(ok) and a yummy Parmesan beignet sitting in a spicy tomato sauce.

We both started with Raviole "Terre e Mer" which was Langoustines, Foie Gras and Mushrooms. The ravioli were filled with lobster and the sauce was a chicken and foie grs emulsion. OMG!! Fabulous idea. Our wine rocked with this.

Will ordered the Poisson de la Loire, which was whitefish (pike) and it had all kinds of yummy zucchini creations around with parmesan, but he daid the fried artichokes were greasy! My Veal loin came with a black sesame lacquer, cauliflower, jus Corse (Corsican sauce) with coffee. This was superb cut of meat and a delicious creation that melted in my mouth.

Needless to say I had cheese for dessert and chose three fabulous local ripe ones: Saint Maure de Touraine-which was a tad over aged goat, Selles sur Cher-gooey goat which is my fave in the Loire and Puligny St Pierre a very aged and stinky choice! It would have been nice if they offered me some fresh bread!

Will had Douceur Coco-Coconut mousse, sorbet passion fruit compote and pineapple.  Of course, cookies came and chocolate and we fell into bed!

AMOUR BLANC will blow your taste buds in Blois (Loire) (8-30-25)

 The next evening, we were happy to have planned an outing to see the Son-et-lumiere show at Chateau de Blois, so we chose a wonderful spot in Blois to dine right on the quai facing the chateau and old town! AMOUR BLANC is the second restaurant of Michelin-starred chef Christophe Hay, whose main restaurant was just next door. He had placed Chef Alexi Venuat in charge here and the team is virtually flawless. We sat down and explained we really wanted to enjoy dinner but had only 2-1/2 hours as we had to leave for the show at 945pm. NO PROBLEM!

Will ordered his requisite glass of Anjou La Fuye rose from Domaines des Myositits which was not cold enough, so they promptly took it off for quick chill. I started with the Touraine-Azay-le-Rideau "Josette" from Domaine de Cocagne which had super mineral taste of the local region. Our red for the rest was a bottle of Domaine Saumur 2023 Guibertau an intense black cherry flavored Cabernet Franc that was simply magnificent.

Amuses arrived in the form of a corn mousse with a crunchy top and corn shoots that was divine, a less exciting shrimp and cumin and a delicious wild boar rillettes with jam.

The gorgeous second floor setting with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Loire and the chateau is spotless and very white with outdoor seating as well. Marble tables with little mats at each place and Riedel crystal made it fell quite classy like a Michelin star spot, but without the same prices. The service was excellent with panache and flair.

We both started with Tomates de Collection en Declination, Verveine, Cassis which were heirloom tomatoes in a magnificent vinaigrette with "confit" style breadcrumbs and a black current sorbet and currants that was to die for. The bread came with shiso butter as well as rapeseed oil.

After a nice break they brought my Pigonneau de Racan, cerises bigarreaux, fenouil, sauce infusee aux baie de geneievre which was a true work of art (FB photo) that I did not want to touch. The local pigeon from up the river was cut into several breast pieces and legs and set up in a geometric pattern  on the plate with sauteed baby fennel (that was so mild I loved it), a fennel confit (that was too strong for me), local cherries and a juniper berry sauce; a small fried ball of pigeon confit sat in the corner. Every bite was winning.

Will's Bar de Ligne, Celerissotto, truffe d'ete was a gorgeous sea bass filet with a celery risotto that Will said was so rich it overpowered the fish, but was delish nonetheless.

We could not resist dessert, and I had the Prune et Mirabelle, Shiso Brioche toastee, creme legere which was a plum and prune delight. Will went for the Framboises du Mont-pres-Chambord with Hazelnut Biscuit and Tonka Bean cream and Raspberry Sorbet which was also a huge winner.

We left for our show very full, but knowing if we ever get back to Blois, we have to try Chef Hay's number one spot!

MEMOIRE @ Chateau La Borde en Sologne (Loire) is a memory mostly forgotten (8/29/25)

I am a tad behind as we spent the entire week in the Loire and have to hurry up and pack to close up the home as we return to the USA tomorrow very early..UGH!

Our first night in the Loire Valley we dined at our chateau/hotel in a beautiful, gilded room that definitely oozed 16th-17th century. The service was decent and some of the food superb, but mediocre for the most part. I started with a Kir Vouvray as one does in the Loire using the sparkling local Vouvray with peach liqueur here. Our wine was a superb white from Domaine Pascal Jolivet in the Loire "Les Caillotes" Sancerre with lots of fruit and a tad of minerality.

It was ideal with the OEUF Starter (all fotos on FB) made with scrambled egg/candied yolk, a rich cream with sturgeon pieces in it and a brioche to accompany. we splurged and got the local caviar on our Brioche for an extra 13 Euros and it was a star. Made by a producer nearby in Sologne and called La grand Cerneant , it was excellent caviar and we are thrilled we can order it on line here to deliver to Bordeaux the next day!!

The Saint-Pierre main course (also called John Dory) was steamed and very boring and served with delicious petit legumes de saison from their garden and on the side was a fish emulsion and confit in a bowl somewhat akin to a bisque. We told them when we ordered to give us a good break of 20 mins between courses, but it came in 5! 

For dessert Will's Le Chocolat was nice made with 64% Guayaquil chocolate in layers and textures and hazelnut cream. My cheeses were an underwhelming Neufchatel (cow), a thrilling Tomme aux Noix, a yummy gooey Sainte-Nectaire and a huge portion of Bleu d'Auvergne!

It was not bad, and the caviar rocked, just not memorable.

La Rochefoucauld-en-Angouleme's AU MOULIN DU CHATEAU is a beef bistro for all (8-28-25)

We decided to forego the hotel's one restaurant a second night and headed over to visit the adorable village of La Rochefoucauld about 20 mins. away and see the glorious chateau and managed to shop as well for the awesome local Charentes shoes/slippers. We spotted Au Moulin du Chateau at the bottom of the chateau and they were so welcoming and the Limoussin beef displayed looked fabulous as well that we could not resist the invite.

The place was quiet when we sat down at 730pm, but completely jammed when we left and many locals had joined the early dining tourists!

Will started with a glass of rose Domaine Le Pive Gris from Sable de Camargue (just outside of Montpelier where the famous rice comes from!) and then we shared a wonderful bottle of Cabernet Franc from the Loire 2023 Domaine Eric Bureau AOC Saint Nicholas de Bourgueil which we shall look for now that we are in the Loire! It was nice and medium bodied with a tad of earthiness but tons of fruit almost screaming Pinot Noir.

Our server said it would be great with our steak/frites, but Will started with a huge Gaufre sale(savory waffle), Creme Fouettee (really light cream cheese all whipped up), saumon fume(smoked salmon), crevettes (small shrimp) and avocat (avocado) while I loved my simple Salade de Chevre Chaud which was a salad with Grilled Pancetta(bacon) and two giant grilled toasts with large circles of fabulous warmed local goat cheese.

The steaks were the famous Entrecote de Boeuf Limoussin, the local cows well-known for their quality beef grilled in an open oven just below us as we sat on the upper floor/mezzanine. The steaks had some fatty parts and gristle, but the meat was generally tasty and the Sauce au Poivre(pepper sauce for 1 euro extra) was divine. The frites could have won an award as they were so crispy and seasoned with salt and pepper perfectly.

We were full and headed back to our hotel only to have a fab glass of Armagnac Blanc before bed.

Dyades at Domaine des Etangs (Charentes region of northern Nouvelle Aquitaine) deserves a touch more on service, but the food is fab (8/27/2025)

 Our first night on our journey north to the Loire was halfway at Domaine des Etangs, and Auberge Resort located on a 1000-acre farm and art collection in a 14th century chateau with a Michelin star restaurant called Les Dyades (it had 2 stars in 2024!). The property is magnificent, but the attention to the staff and detail in the restaurant is likely why they lost one star. As this is a resort with just ONE dining spot, there is really no choice unless you have a car to drive somewhere (which is what we plan to do this evening), so many folks do not seem to care to dress for the occasion; short, polo shirts and such were de rigeur. Chef Matthieu Pasgrimaud has created a beautiful menu, but I think he is not on the scene, and the staff seem to mimic the dress of the clientele with basically sneakers, slacks and untidy shirts! Once we got past that and the fact that we had to wave our hands a lot to get attention to order wine or food, it was fine.

There is bottled water made in house offered sparkling and still at no charge, beautiful crusty bread with soft butter and oddly enough, no amuse or attempt to prepare or palates for what was to come. we marveled at how different this was from our beautifully appointed and superb L'Oiseau Bleu around the corner back in Bordeaux.

Wills started with a glass of Chateau Saint Maur Cotes de Provence Rose, and I adored the Sancerre from Paul Cherreu in the nearby Loire where we head tomorrow. Our red wine was a fabulous locale Charentes 2016 Piques Russe "Le temps vole" (stolen time) made from merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon that was dreamy and full of fruit forward flavors, that we thought it was begging to be a Pinot Noir!

My Tartellete de chair de torteau, legumes croquant du Domaine, nuage de Noilly Pratt was a delicious tarte with local crab and topped with a vermouth foam that was all so light, I wanted a tad more. Will had a French version of Vitello Tonnato with a Sauce Grenobloise and a Velour de thon blanc(creamy white tuna sauce), which was indeed delicious but also very rich and filling.

We both chose the Canard a la ferme de L'Arbre, courgette farcis des cuisses, jus au Bourbon which was a perfectly cooked rare to medium-rae duck breast from a local farm in the town of L'Arbre just down the road. Accompanying was a confir leg stuffed in zucchini.

For dessert the cheese platter offered up Chèvre aux herbes from a local farm, Kalbach from Switzerland a semi-hard and unexciting cheese, Comte aged 18 months which was fab and the divine Vache a la Truffe a triple cream cow with black truffles. Raisins, pistachios, griottes( sour cherry) jam and small salted bread sticks accompanied.

Will's Soufle a l'abricot, glace praline noisette was a divine warm apricot souffle with hazelnut praline ice cream on the side. We left full and happy, but really decided to try someplace else locally tonight.

Bordeaux's ZEPHIRINE , a zenithal experience (8-21-25)

 Last night we met some friends from Sam's school days at WIS and headed over to ZEPHIRINE, where we have been several times and always adored the food. While one has a choice of ordering just 3 choices (entree, main, dessert for 69 Euros), we had to try the get everything choice for 89 Euros, which includes everything on the tiny blackboard. This means the table shares 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 desserts. It sounds like a lot, and the first time we did it, it was just right. Last night it seemed like a lot more and we ended up taking home virtually all of the main meat course for another night (almost a whole meal at home).

We were there for over 3-1/2 hours and it was another spectacular dining experience. Our server was the adorable Milot, who is student and was our server before, but we were sad to hear this was his last night at Zephrine after 2 years! Bertrand and (I think her name is) Marie are in charge and also help the servers in the small space, while Chef Romain Corbiere always welcomes us along with the whole kitchen team as we pass by the open kitchen to the dining area. It was such a beautiful night, we sat on the small terrace which is not windy at all as it is surrounded by four walls. My only issue was the hard wiry chairs are not too comfortable and literally leave an impression on you as they are intertwined metal seats!! A small pillow would have been welcome. The wine list here, as in so many places, is really superb offering rare wines at super prices. We chose a superb Rhone blend (Roussane/Marsanne) Crozes Hermitage Blanc "Cour de Recre" from Francois Villard that was so ideal with so many of the dishes, we ended up having a second bottle.

The first plates arrived with the signature Terrine de campagne (pate of pork & poultry), salade d'herbes fraiches, Pickles and the fabulous bread and butter (photos on FB) which is in a silver holder that is squeezed through a sieve on the top to make the butter softer and more spreadable!  Next came two starters: An amazing Taboule aux betteraves, laitue et Feta (hand-crafted semolina tabouleh with beets, feta and lettuce-also a hint of mint and crunchy onions), but the Salade de tomate et haricot vert, pain vinaigrette, jambon was a revelation. Five kinds of local heirloom tomatoes (including one called pineapple tomato) were mixed with French green beans in a vinaigrette made from vinegar-soaked bread that had been decomposed. On the side were thin toasted bread topped with the amazing local jambon from Bayonne just an hour away. We all were in heaven as we ordered that second bottle of white.

The mains came slowly and one by one starting with Riz de Camargue aux epinards, legumes du moment mijote aux jus de tomate et marjolaine, this rice dish is unique from the south of France(Rhone) and is akin to Risotto in that the rice is thick and creates a thick and delicious sauce here cooked with tomato and marjoram. 

Maigre de ligne dore a la plancha sauce facon "soubise" acidulee au sumac was next, a gorgeous grilled local line-caught sea bass in a caramelized onion sauce with BBQ eggplant, zucchini and red onion. It was so simple and delicious, and the sauce was indeed amazing. We switched to red wine at this point and I chose a 2017 Vaqueyras from Domaine la Pigeade made of Syrah & Grenache, another superb Rhone blend indeed that we all adored. Vaqueyras can be very tannic and tight and often needs much time to mature. The 8-year old wine was just coming into maturation, so I hope this vintage is on the menu next time we go to try again!

The meat main dish was Faut filet de veau roti, jus aux olives and while the term "faux" or fake is used here, this small roasted veal tastes as good as any superb loin cut of meat. The once again simple (seeming) yet flavorful olive sauce was not overpowering and it came with fennel artichoke, Jerusalem artichokes, artichoke chips & parmesan chips.

The red wine was the perfect foil to this fabulous meat.

As I said Will & I ended up packing 90% of ours to go and will finish it this weekend! Needless to say, we all knew the cheese course option was not happening. The first dessert is the signature Zephirin(the namesake for the restaurant and simply round doughnut-like fried dough balls), served on every menu, and last night it was Zephirin a la mirabelle, sorbet tagete. Mirabelles are the seasonal tiny yellow plums here in France which are at peak now and full of flavor and tagete, Milot and Bertrand explained, was the small bush growing in the courtyard on the wall near us. It is a marigold variety, but a bush, and apparently each person tastes different things when it is eaten! My taste was definitely passionfruit and superb.

The Amandine Rhubarbe-Fraises was a gorgeous almond cookie/cake pastry topped with marinated rhubarb and strawberries and topped with almond slices that was a favorite indeed for us all. The Gourmande de vanille-chocolat was simply a homemade vanilla cream with Madagascar chocolate gelato/ice cream on top with chocolate and mascarpone. What's nor to like?

Zephrine is another favorite spot for us, but next time perhaps we will do just the three course choices! What we love about Bordeaux as well is the variety of French cuisines and styles all using such local and farm-to-table ingredients and, of course, the super friendly welcomes and service we get in so many wonderful places here.

We are off on a short week-long trip next week to the north of Aquitaine and the Loire, so stay tuned for many gourmet meals there!

Bonne weekend!

Bordeaux's Le CHIEN de PAVLOV is a pleasure (8-19-25)

We met some friends Tuesday evening for dinner in old town at Le CHIEN DE PAVLOV (yes, Pavlov's Dog!) where Will had dined before and loved it. It was indeed a hit despite the small menu and limited choices. Everything we had was simply delicious and the service from just one server was pretty good as well. There were only 3 occupied tables as this is low season here with so many people on August vacation and I am guessing the tourists do not know this fab spot.

The tables are high tops with comfy high chairs, so not great for the handicapped, yet we were quite comfortable, and my back did not seem to be bothered at all. There are two chalkboards: one with the three entrees, three main plats and three dessert choices and another with the wine choices: three white, two red and a sparkling. The 2022 Orion Petit Chablis was full of stone fruit flavors which was great, and we loved it so much we could not decide between another bottle or switching to red. When we asked for the second bottle, we were told that the one we drank was the last, so we went for the better red on the chalkboard, which we were promptly told was sold out! O Mon Dieu! Never fear, as our server returned with a bottle of Chateau Mangot 2019 Saint Emilion Grand Cru which he offered at the same ,price of 38Euros (the wine sells online for around 30!), which was a true steal. It was young but opened up well and really showed off its terroir and earthy characteristics.

Will started with Vitello Tonnato, Capres, Parmesan which was a superb preparation of the thin veal with tuna sauce, capers and shaved parmesan. I opted for the fabulous Crudo de Daurade, Leche de Tigre, Pickles (all photos on FB) which was a large plate with the Dorado sliced on one side and the sauce spread over the other side of the plate and was superbly flavored but not super spicy, perhaps a tad over the usual French minimal levels! I loved it all!

Marbre de Cabillaud, Verveine, Hummous, Petits Pois, Peche was a delicious filet of local cod with verbena sauce with a hint of peach and fresh local peas, and hummus on the side while the Agneau Confit, Ktipiti, Coriandre was an excellent confit served in a round cylinder covered with a rich demi-glace sauce and large servings of ktipiti or Tirosalata, a Greek dip made from Feta and Red peppers that was delicious and called for bread to dip in. Did I mention the amazing crusty French bread loaf that came warm and yummy to table multiple times as we could not resist it!? 

There was no room for dessert, but our waiter immediately returned with small complimentary shot glasses of a concoction of gin, creme de whiskey, what he called pucher (sp?) and lemon zest which we all loved. Will had a second when the guy returned and asked if we wanted another! What a lovely evening with our friends and a new fabulous find for me here in Bordeaux, which there are luckily too many to ever discover them all!

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Bordeaux's Steak in Resto or Meat'in steak--call it what you want but it sucks! (8-17-25)

 We had our minds set on dining out Sunday here in our complex at the new Greek place Kalimera, which noted they were open on Sunday for dinner on the door. We passed by Saturday when they were open to double check, but alas, did not enquire and as it was a Sunday on a holiday weekend, they chose to close. Disappointed we walked next door to what outside has a sign calling it "Steal in Resto." It was pretty empty but very nicely appointed with comfy leather chairs and fairly quiet except for the noise from the large screen TV covering half of one wall! 

We scanned the UPC code to view the menu and got excited as it was not just steaks and not French, instead it was Turkish with pide and many kebabs. Will & I love the dried Turkish beef called Pastirma, or as we know it pastrami and they had a pide (or flatbread) with it! Iskender with lamb kebab, yogurt and tomato sauce was another thing we like. I saw a drink list with all virgin mocktails and then we noticed that each table with folks at it had a hookah they were sharing. We had passed the "hookah bar" at the entrance and there was a couple dozen with a "hookah bar tender" behind, but we didn't think much of it. I enquired about a wine list to find out that they served no alcohol. A dry restaurant in France--in Bordeaux! Oh no-MON DIEU!

We proceeded to ask if we could do take-out and then grabbed our dishes when they were ready, headed the one block back to our place and opened a bottle of red wine and sat down to eat. The pide was crispy edged and yummy, but the pastirma was tasteless and only a couple of pieces on the flatbread. We heated up the Iskender which was quite good although, we thought it odd that it was filled with pieces of tomato-sauce-soaked chunky bread, which I do not recall seeing before. Googling the dish, I remember it is served over pita, which was missing, perhaps they had no pita.

Whatever the case and despite the friendly and nice service with a smile, we felt that Steak in Resto or Meat'in Steak, whatever it is called is not worth a return visit. Sadly that makes two out of three places Will has visited in our complex and two out of two for me that failed the test!

Kalimera--praying you are worthy when we do finally get there!

Bordeaux's WASABI CAFE still has super sushi (8-12-25)

 On Tuesday we took a quick 2 min bus ride up the quai to Place Stalingrad where the tiny WASABI CAFE sits and boasts some really super sushi. It is our friend Kim's favorite place to eat and after trying the new sushi place in our complex with her back in March, we realized that Wasabi is so superior! Just as an aside, the place in our complex runs totally on iPad orders and u can't really see how they make it or what you get. It is a set price for all you can eat--ALTHOUGH if you have leftovers, they charge you, even if you do not take it away!! We felt this was nuts. Many young people love it, and we all thought their sushi was bland and boring. 

At Wasabi Cafe they have indoor and outdoor seating (not a sole was outside in the 100+ heat!) and a la carte or set menus. We decided to get the Menu Duo I which includes steamed edamame, 2 bowls of miso soup(we ordered one extra), 2 of their amazing cabbage salads (we ordered one extra) that has a wasabi vinaigrette that is loaded with flavor, PLUS a platter with 6 sushi, 6 sashimi, 6 maki and 6 California rolls. The piece de la resistance of the platter is the SPICY CRUNCH Roll which is surimi, avocado, cucumber all smothered with tiny fried onions in a spicy sauce! This was so good we ordered an extra which filled us to the brim! Food total cost 56Euros($65) + drinks.

FYI the place in our building has a flat fee of 28Euros each if I recall! Much better deal, much better food.

Tonight, we are trying the Greek place that opened up in our complex! Wish us luck!