Written on Sunday, December 9th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
christmas, local produce, provence, restaurants
In London, you had to book your online supermarket delivery slot for Christmas by the beginning of December. Luckily – no such problems in Nyons. Don’t want to cook – how about lunch on Christmas Day at the Petit Caveau? Or if you’re at Le Colombier and want a supermarket-free time, and want to make sure you eat the best of the local produce? Here are some ideas for 2007.
You can order your foie gras, or home-smoked salmon, or scallops, or a variety of poultry from Laurent at the Petit Caveau (Nyons finest not Tesco finest)(for more details on ordering, and the Christmas and New Year menus, see the Petit Caveau website).
And although the usual weekly market in Nyons is on a Thursday – fear not. All the local “traiteurs” and producers will be running a special Christmas market all weekend this year. For more information I’ve just discovered the Pays de Nyons website (English and French) that looks as though it is being regularly updated with local information and dates. It’s also on the links – so check it out before you arrive so you can make the most of your trip.
Written on Monday, November 27th, 2006 at 6:14 pm
restaurants, wine
OK, so I just can’t resist the chance to go out and eat. It’s Sue and Graham’s last night – so they’re off to the Charette Bleue. I’d originally said no … but with a little nudge my resolve crumbled.
Not that I have to go far – this restaurant is literally 50 metres away from Le Colombier. So no worrying about who has to drive.
It’s great food. When Martin is around (to follow the Tour de France – another story) he has a standing (or should that be sitting?) reservation.
…..
a little later
so what did I choose? I went for the 24 euro menu (so sharing a bottle of wine between three of us my bill came to 30 euros). Graham went for the garlic mussels (think snails in garlic butter, but substitute small shelled mussels, and serve like the snails in those little dishes with 6 to 8 holes and you get the picture … great way to get your fix of garlic butter; you could also substitute mushrooms and get the same effect). But I resisted as I wanted to try a new starter of warm poached pears served with soft fresh goats cheese, lightly grilled to warm through and just slightly brown, served on the mandatory mixed leaves, and a drizzle of rich balsamic vinegar reduction. Really good!
As I was trying to stick to the lowest price menu I skipped over the fillet of venison (like steak, you have to decide whether you want it saignant, a point or bien cuit) – served with chestnuts and a thick pumpkin puree. I also said no to the lamb, the cod, the tajine of monkfish and prawns … and happily tucked into a roasted stuffed supreme (fillet) of guinea fowl served with quince crisps and on a bed of lightly stir fried savoy cabbage and bacon bits. (On the cheapest menu yes, but I didn’t feel at all deprived).
And then time for cheese; local goats cheeses, reblochon, munster, a blue cheese. Well, we had to finish off the bottle of 2004 domaine de moulin Vinsobres..
Still on the pear theme, I had an amazingly tender poached pear in its individual almond sponge dessert, served with pear ice-cream in a little brandy snap basket.
It’ll be soup for the rest of the week.
Written on Monday, November 27th, 2006 at 12:13 am
restaurants, wine
Got to be the best restaurant in Nyons. And beats anywhere I’ve eaten in London. So what did I have yesterday?
Aperitif served with olives, and nibbles of quails eggs, olive madeleines, and a small chilled soup of broccoli and cauliflower. Then an amuse-bouche of a “canneloni” of squid stuffed with boudin (white blood sausage – but made with the squid ink; sounds weird but was really good). As a starter I had the partridge stuffed with foie gras; I went for the veal as the main. And a dessert of citrus fruits – pink grapefruit sorbet, gingerbread, poached clementine …
And to drink, an aperitif of cremant de die with apricot liqueur and cinammon; a dry white Vacqueras with the starter; and a glass of Domaine des Rieux Freres (Sainte Jalle) cabernet sauvignon. The red was really full on! The vineyard is about 15 kilometres from Le Colombier into the mountains. They do a good white as well as everyday “bag in the box” wines.
One of the things I really like about food here is that it is based on fresh seasonal food. Mind you, it helps to be adventurous and be prepared to try new things. And anyway, it’s market research to recommend places for my clients to go and try for themselves.
Written on Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006 at 9:33 pm
activities, restaurants, wine
Autumn’s been really mild so far this year and the colours are amazing. If you haven’t been here this time of the year before, you really don’t expect it.
So we took a day out today and drove up through the mountains to Saillans, on the banks of the Drome. Last time I was there was earlier in August with a group, for a day’s canoeing and kayaking. There was a bit more water this time, far fewer people, and it was much colder! And the call of the plat de jour at le Tunnel was more appealing than a wet suit and a guaranteed capsize or two!
The bill for lunch came to under 30 euros for 2 – for a salmon tart starter, cardomum beef with bean sprouts, and lemon pie, bread and wine.
The area round Saillans and Die is known for its sparkling wines – the Cremant and Clairette de Die. So of course we stopped off at the vineyard of Jean-Claude Raspail (www.raspail.com) to stock up the cave for Christmas. Family owned, the production is all organic, with state of the art production facilities. After tasting the wines, practising my french, and being given a tour of the facilities, we loaded our goodies into the car and set off back.
So even at the end of November, there’s plenty to do here. If you want reviews of the wines, see Cork’d (www.corkd.com and the username chateaucolombier).