We may have been exhausted from our trip over, but once we settled into the Grand Hotel Intercontinental here in Bordeaux, we got a second blast and headed out for dinner on a lovely spring evening and even got to dine outside at L'Embarcadere, a superb spot in the old town, ideal for seafood.
In Bordeaux prices are really amazing and there were two menus of 32,50 Euros for 2 courses or 3 Euros more to include dessert.
We had to start with the 1/2 dozen local Cap Ferret Oysters, located just 90 minutes from the city of the Aracachon Bay which were superb. We both had the Pave de morue or baked cod with a to-die-for tomato/onion/thyme/bay leaf sauce and what may be the best roasted potatoes on earth sliced super thin and oh so crunchy! Think a slice of potato just wider than a chip but cooked to perfection! Will chose the dessert menu and the Tarte Tatin was apples with only a hint of crust, kind of de-constructed if you will. The wines were a fabulous white(local Sauvignon Blanc) Chateau Coucheron 2020 from Pessac-Leognan in Bordeaux) and then we had some reds after dinner: Chateau de Respides Graves 2020 for me and Chateaux Flamand Bellevue 2023 for Will. We slept very well!
Last night we made plans to meet a friend from the USA visiting the area with her friend and we had another super meal around the corner at Bistro de Tutelle, where Joel is the proprietor and suggested a less expensive red to start with than their more famous brands: Chateau de Courlat 2015 from Saint Emilion was a dream wine at 38 Euros a bottle..we had two!! Will and I split the monstrous Salad de Chevre which was topped with warm Cabecou goat cheese and had lettuce, pickled onions, tomatoes local ham and smoked duck....OMG!! Three of us opted for the Tartare de Boeuf Italeinne which is named thus as it also has pesto and parmesan mixed in. One plate of Scallops came with the foot attached which our guest had never seen before!! This is FRESH food and at its best! Desserts were a terrific Creme Brulee a la Vanille and a decent Tarte de Framboise(Raspberry) with whipped cream and raspberry sorbet.
Tonight we start our long weekend of tasting menus at some of the more well-known local institutions, stay tuned as we gain weight--although we have been walking nonstop every day all day shopping to furnish to new apartment!!
