First of all, I must apologize for the last posting as the Subject line spelled the restaurant name incorrectly..it is AKASHI.
We had read some great reviews of L'Estacade (the pier) which is literally just down the river from our new home and we're thrilled to read the menu and enjoy the fabulous view across to downtown old Bordeaux, the Bourse, downriver to Quinconces and Notre Dame and upriver to the ancient Pont de Pierre..our primary route across to downtown.
While there was only one other couple in the restaurant when we arrived at about seven forty by the time eight fifteen rolled around the place was more than two thirds full.
Our friendly and super helpful server pointed to the least expensive white wine on the menu , saying it was really the best deal. We loved the Château Turcaud "Cuvée Majeur" 2022..45% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Sauvignon Gris and 15% Semillon which was very yellow in color, but dry, fresh and even with a hint of oak! At twenty-eight euros (under $31) a bottle we had to have two. While we always love Badoit water in France, we have become quite partial to the local mineral water called Abatilles which comes in still and sparkling and is made quite nearby.
Amuse bouches are omnipresent here and ours was a wonderful small shotglass or a creamy rich Crème de Camembert (think bisque) with a savory crumble on top. The oysters here are local and excellent. We loved the Parc d'Imperatrice "perles"(milder and tame) and the "speciales"(more briny) both No. 4 with mignonette and a squeeze of lemon.
We split the starter Crab and Haddock with Carpaccio of Beets and Lemon Vinaigrette, and the portions were still large when halved! Compared to the similar version of this that I had at Cité du Vin's Le 7 two days prior it was half the price double the portion and the excellent crab and haddock salad was superb! While both restaurants have superb river views, we Told our server that L'Estacade was ten times better.
We both chose that evening's special main course: Parillada des Poisons avec Risotto auxiliary Aspèrges Blanc de Blaye. This was another magnificent creation using four local filets: Daurade(Dorado or sea bream), Lotte (monkfish), Cabilleau(fresh cod) and Thon Rouge (red tuna) with a superb Risotto cooked perfectly and loaded with our favorite seasonal veggie, the local white asparagus from Blaye!!
As we have been tending to simply have a good breakfast at the hotel and skip lunch, there was room for dessert because they had Banofee en Verre façon "Estacade," a trifle like creation with fruit and caramel crunch and crumble on top. It may have had a tad too much whipped cream but at least it was French cream.
At sunset we all stepped onto the outside balcony to grab pictures of downtown across the river and met some very nice people as we have everywhere we go here...welcome home indeed!
