Chateau Colombier » restaurants

And another amazing meal!

clare — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:27:56 +0000

Cafe de la Poste came up trumps again. After 3 hours walking in the hills above Eyroles we were in need of something hearty and warming and Prosper didn’t fail us. Ali had his usual planters aperitif and I had a muscat. Then he had a chicken tourte with salad to start and I had a salade lyonnaise (poached egg, lardons and chopped tomatoes) – both very good. To follow we both had veal chop in a cream and parmesan sauce, served with sweet potato puree topped with a type of rosti (yum!) and pureed baby turnips which were much tastier than they sound. Dessert was chocolate mousse – heaven! All washed down with a very pleasant red vinsobraise. (see label below).

Walking there and back made us feel very virtuous and not at all guilty about the calorie intake. Sadly we were the only ones in on the Sunday night (ok, probably a freezing Sunday night in January isn’t going to attract the hordes) nevertheless I’m now on a mission to sing their praises on every review site I can find.

Use it or lose it is a true saying in rural France or England.

Sweet potato puree

clare — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:57:42 +0000

Having raved several times on this site about the wondrous sweet potato puree that often accompanies the main courses at Cafe de la Poste in Venterol I decided to have a go at replicating it at home. I boiled the peeled and chopped sweet potato until tender and then put it in my processor with seasoning, some butter and some coconut milk (I had found a recipe online which added buttermilk - not having any I thought the coconut milk might be an interesting substitute). Well the result was delicious but quite different so it’s back to the drawing board – or in this case cooker! The texture of mine was less dense and I think I’m missing a spice. I shall try roasting the sweet potato in their skins next time and mashing rather than processing – and maybe coconut cream rather than milk is the answer.

I think another visit to check the original again is probably in order…..

Santons at Seguret

clare — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 10:55:01 +0000

Santons is derived from the provencal and means little saint. They are small terracotta figures dressed in traditional costumes produced in Provence.

Each year Seguret hosts one of the largest displays of santons over the Christmas period. Since 1970 the ‘Amis de Seguret’ have been hosting the display at the chapel of St Thecle. This year the display is open until January 8th and costs 2 euros for adults, free to children. The santons are mainly figures connected to the nativity but also include characters from the village: baker,butcher etc. There is also a display of the Christmas table, the ’Gros Souper’ and the 13 desserts traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve.

Seguret itself is well worth visiting at any time of year, its houses clustered together, precariouly perched on a hillside overlooking vineyards. There is a guided walk around the village with panneaux(signs) providing interesting information about the buildings and local traditions. There is also a good restaurant ‘La Table du Comtat’ which I haven’t yet tried (hard to believe, I know) but which has a wonderful view from its terrace.

What big teeth you have

clare — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:13:17 +0000

Sue went to Cafe de la Poste this weekend – doing research for this blog naturally – and when she arrived Sophie and Prosper were deep in conversation with a local she didn’t recognise. It was the local berger (shepherd) who keeps his sheep on the mountains of La Lance behind Venterol. It appears that recently he has lost several lambs to wolves and even one of his dogs who was trying to protect the flock and was forced over a crevace.

When Sue first bought her house a letter came round from the mairie pleading for people to help the previous berger (the uncle of today’s berger) who had had to have his flock destroyed due to a notifiable disease. The sheep who graze on the mountain pastures do a vital job of keeping down the brush and scrubby trees – real eco-warriors! The maire was asking each household to buy a sheep and Sue and her ex Phil did just that. Sadly they never got to meet it (or eat it!)

The news about the wolves seems to solve a bit of a mystery. One evening not so long ago Sue was driving home to Venterol when she saw an animal in the headlights – too big for a fox and more like a wild dog. She did wonder whether it could be a wolf but everyone said that wasn’t possible and how much wine had she drunk anyway?

So perhaps it was a wolf?

So do you know what it is…?

clare — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:28:32 +0000

Potatoes are so last year.

Having waxed lyrical about potatoes in a previous blog I’m about to show how fickle I am.

I’ve always enjoyed epautre – a grain it’s really hard to find in England. My suitcase is often filled with packets of Tipiak which contains a mixture of epautre and a couple of other grains and makes a good alternative to rice or couscous. Dinner guests have all enthused about it. But this summer Prosper at Cafe de la Poste in Venterol got me completely addicted to his sweet potato gratin. In fact, he could have given me it for all 3 courses and I would have been happy! This autumn he’s been ringing the changes with a puree of kidney beans, and, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better he recently served up a breadfruit gratin which was even more amazing. Sadly sweet potato is practically impossible to grow in England and I don’t think I’m going to find breadfruit in my local Waitrose….

And yes – it’s a breadfruit – sorry no prizes.

A first-class restaurant I can walk to – my idea of heaven!!

clare — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 07:28:42 +0000

Yes, this is yet another blog about eating out. As Clare has already pointed out, I take my duty of restaurant testing very seriously indeed.
Following my son’s instructions that I simply must try out Café de la Poste in Venterol we dutifully booked a table (luckily as it was packed out) and walked up the hill. They have created a charming little shaded area outside with lanterns and drapes, but there are also tables inside for when the weather is cooler. There is a choice of two dishes for each course and everything is priced per course which means those with smaller appetites can skip a course. All the food was great but the highlight for me was the main – roast quail with a peppercorn sauce, served with a ratatouille and a sweet potato gratin to die for. The wine list is local and we had a pleasant Vinsobres – no worries about quantity when you can walk home! Service was very friendly and efficient – but note they don’t take cards so go to the hole in the wall first.
We shall definitely be going back very soon.

The long journey home

Sue — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:33:07 +0000

It’s always sad to leave after the long summer break. That drive back north with the temperature plummeting every kilometre is a killer. At least with the drive down you have the whole summer to look forward to.
This year on the way home the weather held until we left Avallon on the second day after a mega storm overnight that continued for several hours in the morning.
The stay at Le Relais Fleuri was most relaxing with a quick swim before dinner, a wander around the extensive grounds with Blodri and a pleasant meal. My canard (and yes, there is a strong possibility I may begin to sprout wings myself after all the duck/quail/guinea fowl I’ve eaten this summer!) was good but not great but Graham’s veal was great. My dessert was interesting – a chocolate egg shaped shell filled with a dainty fruit salad and swimming in a raspberry coulis.
It’s a while since I stayed here and I’d forgotten what an attractive area it is. You are just on the edge of the Morvan, a beautiful and mysterious landscape filled with forests and lakes. And the drive cross country to get back to the motorway takes you through quaint little Burgundian villages and impressive forests.
Will be booking for next year.

L’Adresse

Sue — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:27:15 +0000

Are there no lengths to which this woman will not go in order to provide you with restaurant reviews??
Yes, I’ve forced myself to go out for yet another meal. Jo, our local Shiatsu guru, told me about this place which is right at the end of rue des deportes in Nyons. As she also told me about Crocodile which was excellent I decided to try it out and was not disappointed. Very friendly front of house and interesting food: foie gras layered with peach – sounds a bit odd but worked for me; magret de canard which was excellent served with polenta and a good melange of legumes; caramel fondant with caramel ice-cream for dessert which was stunning and a new one to me. You can eat inside in the quiet or sit outside and observe the world passing by.
Will definitely be returning!

Update on Le Petit Caveau

Sue — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 08:17:10 +0000

The restaurant has now reopened under the new management and we tried it out a few days ago. Very friendly front of house but the restaurant seemed a tad desolate with no pictures on the walls and no table flowers/candles etc. The whole experience seemed to fall between two styles – neither quite relaxed bistro nor high-end dining. So butter with the bread but no side plates. Front of house in jeans but still smart tablecloths. They are no longer doing the formule for wine whereby they suggest a suitable glass of wine for each course and I think that’s a big mistake. It was a signature of the restaurant dating back to the days of Muriel and Christian and means you get to try out different wines and can be flexible on quantities. These days with the gendarmes on the prowl, a bottle is too much for a couple. For us it meant that I only had one glass as nothing else by the glass really went with my other courses and my other half didn’t have anything.
And the food? Well, it’s early days so I don’t want to be too harsh but let’s just say it was very disappointing. Not up to our gastro-pub at home. I think they’re going to have to up their game if they want to survive the hot competition in the area.

New restaurant to check out

Sue — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:40:14 +0000

I’ve been told to try out Cafe de la Poste in Venterol where I (Sue) have my house. My son and friends have been a couple of times and really rate it. Of course, a major plus point for me is that I can walk home from there. No worries about having a few glasses of wine! So I shall try it out very soon and report back.