Will had been to Le Mauvais Garcon and chose it for a rendezvous for me to meet new friends Maxie and David who were simply charming. They live around the corner from us so we met up and bussed across the river (7 mins) to the old town and found the Le Mauvais Garcon on a small side square that was simply adorable. Many folks were drinking and snacking on the tall tables outside and downstairs, but we headed upstairs to the quieter dining room with a very adorable bar as well.
Drinks are fun here and Will chose the Sexy Negroni, David an artisanal dark beer, Maxie the Virgin Colada and I loved my Shemale of Cahaca, Whiskey Tourbe, Sirop de Basilic, Creme de Cassis and Citron Vert which was a dark slightly acidic martini full of different flavors that really cleansed the palate. The cocktail names alon are just fun: Bad Biche, GentilHomme, etc.
Our wine was a fine Pinot Noir, La Croix d'en Haut from Belena in Burgundy.
The menu is small with 4 starters, 4 mains and 4 desserts and there is one price: 27 Euros (under $32) for all three (with a couple of supplements). It is simple, but the service was good and the food was delicious. As we have big salads at home for dinner each night, Will & I decided to start with the Beef Carpaccio which was ideal with shreds of parmesan and a tad of mache/arugula and pickled red onions. Maxie enjoyed her Endive salad with Gorgonzola, honey-mustard and roasted hazelnuts. While these were fab, I think David hit the jackpot with the Oeuf Parfait, cremaux des petits pois, a simply poached egg atop a puree and mix of whole fresh spring peas; a seasonal treat indeed.
Potato Gnocchi with arugula pesto & parmesan was our new friends' choice, but Will and I could resist the burger as we had seen it pass by. It was on a gorgeous brioche-bread-type bun emblazoned with the restaurant's name LE MAUVAIS GARCON filled with delicious moist pulled pork in Barbecue sauce and smothered with gooey melted Tomme de Savoie cheese and Echalion shallots. The skin on frites also won a big prize and both our plates were completely empty save for small remnants of the bun!
Desserts here are as I said included in the fixed price and are superb. In Bordeaux, newcomers and residents alike all love a little canale, the local pastry treat, but here it is in profiterole style with vanilla ice cream and gobs of chocolate sauce. What's not to like? I am a bread pudding fan and could not resist the Brioche perdu caramelisee, technically "lost bread" as the French would never toss old bread, but make it into bread pudding, here with a chocolate ganache, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
What a great find, great deal and great fun with great new friends.
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