DavidandBevTravel.com

Another trip to our favorite destination, and – despite our medical woes – a great time.

The weather was perfect; the scenery wonderful as always; our time with friends enjoyable; and the food and wine terrific.

It only takes a day to get used to our “home” again. David sets up the computer in the den. We stock the kitchen. And we end each day at the Cafe le Centre.

Patrick, who cares for and shares the property, has a great sense of humor, and we enjoy meeting him at the Cafe for a glass of wine. He asks about the U.S., and  tells us about living in France.

Our little part of France is peaceful and pretty, a tiny 900-person village set on the slopes of the Alpilles. Market Day on Fridays is a treat – the main street lined with colorful booths selling cheese, charcuterie, fish, olives, honey, clothes, plants, and just about everything else you might think of. We stroll around, buy a few things, then sit at the Cafe for a coffee and watch all the action. We hope to be back in the Spring, again.

We found some neat new places to eat, and re-visited some favorites. A return to Mas de Capoun in Molleges confirmed that they have wonderful food at amazing prices. It will be on our list to visit again next trip. l’Aubergine in Eygalieres remains a reliable destination for good food and a warm welcome. Bistrot Decouverte in St. Remy continues to serve great  food. La Petite Table in Eygalieres is “new” in that they are now in a larger setting. The decor is terrific, and the food superb. Chez Gus is a new find in St. Remy, ultra casual with terrific takes on fresh seafood and shellfish. Brasserie d’Eygalieres is in the old quarters of Chez Bru, which has moved its Michelin stars down the road a couple of kilometers. The food is fabulous, and the sidewalk setting perfect for people watching. We were sorry to hear of the closing of Bistrot Mogador at Chateau Estoublon. We liked the menu and setting very much and will miss spending lunches and early afternoons there.

At Riboto-de-Taven, Jean-Pierre still has the best food in Provence, Philippe the most intriguing wine list, and Christine the warmest smile and most delectable cheese selection. Our dinner with them at our “home” was a highpoint of our stay, despite putting together a menu consisting almost entirely of things that were out of season. Fred is a treat, chasing his shadow and giving great shaggy kisses.

It’s always a bit of culture shock coming home. There’s a lot we will miss. But, it’s great to have Lucy by our side again, and we can look forward to a return.

The day dawned sunny and cold. Not a great day for roaming the streets of Paris. We grabbed lunch in the hotel and relaxed. David went out for an afternoon stroll while picking up a prescription for me. The weather had warmed a bit, with golden sunlight bathing the city.

With the effects of our illness lingering, and not feeling well, we called Marc and Catherine and cancelled dinner for the evening. We got a light snack in the hotel, packed our things up, and turned in.

Early Sunday morning we got up, checked out, and headed for the airport. What a zoo! Lines everywhere, no clear directions as to where to go. After an hour or so, we were done and sitting at the gate.

The gate info said the flight was on time, but when 30 minutes had elapsed after the announced boarding time, it was obvious there was a delay. Countless Air France staff milled around, talking on phones, and with each other, while the folks waiting to board became more restive. Finally, they announced that there was a delay while equipment was being repaired and that people should go back to the lounge until further notice. We chose not to budge, and sure enough, a minute later they started boarding.

Our equipment was a 747 – my favorite plane. Seats were comfortable and the wines and food good. Took a snooze, and awoke as we were approaching Miami.

Immigration and Customs went pretty smoothly, and in less than an hour, we were approaching home and a very happy small black-and-white dog. AFter a load of kisses and tail wagging, we turned in. All-in-all, a great trip. We’ll miss France, but are glad to be home.

Up at 7am, and packed up what was left. Straightened up “our house” and packed two boxes to go into the storage closet for our return next May. Then we packed the car, waved goodbye and headed off for Avignon.

A smooth, event-free drive took us to the Gare TGV, where we turned in the car and waited for our train to Paris. It arrived on time, and we boarded and settled in for the  three-hour 180-mph ride to Paris. In no time we were pulling in. We grabbed our bags, met our town car driver, and headed off for the Sofitel. There was a lot of traffic, for some reason, so it took almost 30 minutes to get there. Once arrived, we checked in and grabbed a quick glass of wine in the Salon to relax.

Around 7:30 we headed down the Ave Friedlander to our dinner at Dominique Bouchet, our favorite restaurant in Paris. A 20-minute stroll put us at our table and a cordial greeting from Yann, the host, and Dominique, the owner/chef. A wonderful kir, and we were ready to put in our order. I went for cream of chestnut soup with truffles, and David had the salmon tartar, which is so beautiful you don’t want to eat it. We both went for the scallops for our main course. Remembering the fantastic bottle of Vougeot blanc we had with our last meal here, David ordered the same.

The food was wonderful, as always. We started with an amusee bouche, a silky carrot mousse. After this came our starters, then a gift from Dominique, shrimp beignets, with a like tempura-like batter. Incredibly light and tasty. The scallops were served on a bed of carmelized onions, tender, with just a light sear on them. Our coffees came with a small plate of sweets, all of which disappeared.

We left Yann and crew with promises to return in May and headed back to the Sofitel. A quick flute of Champagne to wind down, then we turned in. In sum, a nice day, especially with all the travel.

Morning greeted us with a kitchen full of dishes from the previous night. We decided to try the dishwasher (which is a Miele) and it did a fabulous job. David washed up a couple of pans and the place was looking spic and span again.

Driving back from the clinic in Salon, we decided to try to get a table at Mas du Capoun in Molleges for lunch. We have really liked the food there, and the folks who own it are delightful. While David topped of the MB with gazole, I tried to call them, but no answer. An e-mail also got no reply. We were only three kilometers away, so decided just to drop in. As we pulled up, we recognized the reason for the lack of response was they weren’t open. Our other options were to drive into St-Remy or Eygalieres to have lunch, and we opted for Eygalieres as it was nearing 1 pm. As we had eaten at L’Aubergine several time we chose La Petite Table. We had dinner there earlier in the week so we thought we’d give it a whirl for lunch and hoped it was open. We found that is was, and were seated at the same table, “votre table” as the hostess called it.  David ordered the roasted cod and I had the squab — both delicious. To top off the meal I had the chocolate mini-cake with the melted chocolate inside. What a way to finish your lunch.

We had been putting it off, but it was getting down to the 13th hour and we needed to pack our things for the train back to Paris. We reluctantly went back to the farmhouse and started to get our things in order. Once we felt everything was almost done, we invited the property manager, Patrick, who we very much enjoy, to stop by, have a glass of wine and say our goodbyes. And we also bid farewell to Roxie and her two new chicken friends too, spreading pieces of baguette around their coop.

We had a bit to eat, double-checked everything and turned in early as we had an 10 am train to catch in the morning.

D-Day has arrived. Tonight we cook dinner for our friends from Riboto de Taven. A daunting task, given their culinary skills, but something we want to do to be able to offer them the hospitality of our “home” in France. They work six days a week, serving dinner every night, so it is nice to give them the chance to get out and relax, and we enjoy their company.

We have selected a menu that presents a variety of problems:  the starter is asparagus, which is out of season – ditto the Cavaillon melon. David found some giant asparagus from Peru in one of the vegetable markets, so we will go ahead, but are not sure how to cook stalks this big properly. Raw shrimp is unheard of in this part of France, meaning we have to use cooked shrimp and risk it being overdone, or go with frozen tiger shrimp – we opted for the latter. Panko, or even bread crumbs are not available, so we have made our own from baguettes and a rolling-pin.

Armed with a pound of delicious Isigny St. Mere butter, I started the prep work, putting together the sauce for the tagliatelle, and butter for the garlic bread. The garlic here is wonderful, so soon the house was filled with its delightful aroma. While I worked on that and the filling for the scampi, David got to work on the shrimp, removing the heads, peeling and de-veining them, then brining them for 30 minutes. We arranged them in the dish, and they looked pretty good.

For the asparagus, we trimmed them to a point where they should be tender, then David peeled the stalks. We boiled them until they felt done, then removed, drained, arranged them in a dish, and put in the fridge. Later I will add Buratta (which we found in St. Remy), cooked jambon cru (the French version of prosciutto), and chopped walnuts.

The salad was a snap. We added a bit extra with the addition of smoked bacon, then popped it in the fridge. Our appetizers were simple – slices of pork sausage, anchoiade, and tapenade.

At this juncture we were in pretty good shape – only the wines and dessert left. We headed into town and stopped at the boulangerie, where I picked out a wonderful three-chocolate cake, then strolled down to the wine shop. David picked out a bottle of Deutz Champagne for our aperitif, then two bottles of superb Domaine Trevallon (made by a friend of Philippe’s) for the red. For the white, he picked out one of our favorites, a Coin de Cache from Mas de la Dame in Les Baux.

We now were pretty well set, so relaxed with a glass of wine and a lunch of sandwich jambon, which David kicked up a notch by adding slices of farm Reblochon cheese, and a piece or two of two-year-old Comte.

My phone rang and we were disappointed to hear the Jean-Pierre’s wife, Claire, would not be coming, as she was under the weather. Sorry we will miss her, but it will be nice to see everyone else, and of course Fred.

Table set (and looking nice), dishes prepped, wines breathing and chilled. We were all set when everyone arrived at the mas. They brought a wonderful red wine as a gift, a reserve Rhone bottling done by Mr. Reynaud, owner of famed Chateau Rayas, just for Riboto-de-Taven. We will leave it at the mas and enjoy it with them on our Spring visit. David put out some snacks, and Philippe opened the Deutz. Toasts all around, and the evening was  off to a nice start – everything goes better with Deutz.

David had made a fire, which crackled and warmed the room. and everyone was having a good time. I put out the salad to start. All of it disappeared, which was a real confidence booster. Next, the asparagus, which looked great and was a hit. Everyone loved the Buratta and jambon with it, and almost all of the big stalks disappeared.

The tagliatelle came next and disappeared from everyone’s plate. We turned to Jean-Pierre on the doneness of the scampi, and pulled it out when it was perfect. Plates filled and emptied several times, glasses were filled and re-filled with the wines, and  we all were having a delightful time. Philippe cut and served the cake for a perfect end to a perfect night.

Fred had been perfectly behaved the entire night, but now let it be known that it was time to go home, so everyone hopped in the car for the ride back over the Alpilles.

A wonderful evening.

Monday – With both of us still feeling under the weather (whatever has hit us is really strange, with relapses, ups and downs, etc.) we decided to spend the day around the mas, working on a few items and getting ready for having guests over on Wednesday night.

I made a salad for lunch which David devoured – cheese, shrimp, avocado, shallots, onion, tomato, and several greens. I also put out some sliced ham and cheese to nibble on with a dollop of Amora mustard. The produce here is incredibly fresh, and the shallots very pungent. The Amora also seems to have more of a bite than the jars we get at home. In any event, everything disappeared and we returned to relaxing.

We suddenly noticed that the day had slipped away, and it was almost 6pm. Time to think about dinner.

We decided to go into Eygalieres and try la Petite Table, a small restaurant we had dined at in May when it was located in a tiny old house near the church. The meal and service had been good, and only the limited wine list a drawback. Now they have moved into an old house in the center of town, so off we went.

The dining room has been tastefully done in soft greys and beige, giving a very peaceful feeling. The furnishings are good, very classy, but comfortable. We started with two kirs, and perused the menu, which had a number of excellent choices on it, and reasonable pricing – 39 Euros for a full dinner. The amusee bouche arrived, and was quite unique. First there was cotton candy wrapped around a stick and small piece of foie gras - a wonderful blending of tastes. Then there were three small dishes with a wide variety of tastes: a creme brulee, a pumpkin soup, and sardine, olive, and capers on a light puff pastry. An interesting mix of flavors, and all were excellent.

I skipped a starter, and David had the oeuf parfait – a poached egg with mushrooms, which he thought was very nice. For the main course we both had the cod, which was light and moist with a creme sauce. On the side was a small helping of pomme puree – mashed potatoes with butter. For wine we had a Chateau Romanin white. After having had their nice rosé this was a bit of a disappointment. It lacked any real character.

The service was friendly and efficient, and, all in all, we feel this restaurant will be successful in tiny, upscale Eygalieres .

Tuesday - After dialysis, I was still feeling as though I was in a relapse situation and David had improved somewhat. We decided not press our luck and go sightseeing and opted to finish the shopping for tomorrows meal at the mas with Christine, Philippe, and Jean-Pierre. David had gone out early in St. Remy to look for a few items, and found that the downside of fresh, local-only produce is that when something is out of season, it’s unavailable. He could not get any raw crevettes (shrimp), nor could he find asparagus (pas le saison) except for some interesting looking stalks almost an inch in diameter. We’ll try peeling and splitting them. He found Buratta at Maison Monique, the fromages store in St. Remy, and some good jambon cru at his favorite ham store. He also got some nice sausages for appetizers.

My inspiration was to go to the huge Geant Casino in Salon de Provence that we had found last trip. Anything we needed, we should be able to find there. Lo, we found uncooked frozen tiger shrimp which he will peel, de-vein, and brine for my scampi; fresh taggliatelle; prosciutto (in case the jambon cru doesn’t work), salad stuff, and supplies for the mas.

Then it was in the car, over the Alpilles, and back to toss the stuff in the fridge before having lunch in Eygalieres. All that is left is the right wines, and panko (good luck explaining that in French).

For lunch we grabbed a table at the Bar le Progress on the main street. I ordered beef carpaccio and frites; David ordered an omelette jambon with frites, but decided to try a “light appetizer” of anchoiade (a sort of paste made from anchovy, garlic, capers, and olive oil.) His anchoiade was delicious, but could have fed three for a full lunch, with endive, carrots, cucumber, celery, toast, and more for dipping and scooping. It was too late to cancel the omelette, so we did our best to eat what we could before burping our way back to the mas. The carafe of local rosé was – bland – but for four Euros, who can complain.

after a quick stop at the boulangerie for a baguette and wonderful sacrastain almonde, we wandered back to the mas in mid afternoon, and got our plan in order for tomorrow: what dishes we will make, who will prep what, etc. David will process the shrimp, removing the heads and shells, cleaning and deveining, then brining. Our 1200 grams should yield around 1.5 lbs of shrimp for the dish. He will also peel the asparagus and get them ready for cooking. I will do all of the sauces, the salad, and the garlic bread. We need some nice wines, which we will get tomorrow with a bunch of other last-minute items. Voila.

Still full from lunch, we decided just to head to the Cafe for a carafe of wine. patrick joined us, and we spent more time than we had planned enjoying his company and learning more about France and the French way of life. The cafe  bought us a final round, which we finished with a toast to them. They have become friends and greet us every day. Then we wound our way back to the mas and turned in.

Saturday – Heading out the door at 6:45am it was a chilly 10 degrees Celsius, but by the time David came to pick me up at 12:30, it was a gorgeous day with temps around 22 and blue skies. Although it was a picture-perfect day, David was feeling low and caught whatever I had earlier in the week. I know he wasn’t feeling well so we just drove to the village and had a nice lunch at L’Aubergine. We decided to catch up on house stuff, wash and ironing. Basically, just to veg out. We didn’t see Roxie today. Hope she is okay.

Sunday – Woke to a great day and plenty of birthday wishes from everyone. It really kicked off my day to a great start! Unfortunately, David wasn’t feeling much better, but had a big cup of tea and said he was improving. He certainly sounded better. He started taking a Z-Pack so I’m hoping it will kick in quickly. Our plans for the day were to do a little touring around the countryside, then have dinner at Riboto-de-Taven. We drove to the Abbaye de Silvacane and toured around. It is very impressive, and very stark. A Cistercian-era building that goes back about 1,000 years – sort of like Delray Beach. I took quite a few photos, so check them out when you have a chance. On our way back, we  stopped in Pont Royal and had a kir at Da Bastide du Pont Royal. We finished and returned to the farmhouse.

Later we drove over the mountain pass to Riboto-de-Taven to have dinner. Chef Jean-Pierre outdid himself from appetizers to dessert. Philippe plucked a rare bottle of 1997 Drouhin Beaune Clos du Mouches from his cellar for our wine. It was wonderful, and we prevailed on Philippe to share a glass with us.  The dining room was busy, so it was at the end of the dinner that I opened the gift given to me by Christine, Philippe, and Jean-Pierre. How ironic was it that they gave me a cookbook of recipes and secrets from the monasteries of France, as we had just been to one earlier. Philippe thinks that we are all on the same wave-length. I think so too.

Before heading off to bed, I checked in on the status of the Gurus football pool and discovered I had won this week. What a great way to end a beautiful birthday. It couldn’t have been more perfect!

Most villages in Provence have a market day when the main street or similar area is filled with booths selling food, wine, clothing, souvenirs, plants and trees, and the like. Our market in Eygalieres is Friday from about 7am until 1pm.

We headed down about 10:30, found a place to park, and strolled into the market place, which stretches from one end of the main street to the other. We fought off the urge to buy an olive tree to bring home, more Provencal pottery, and shoes, and started working from our shopping list so we would not buy too much.

Fat chance. At our favorite cheese booth we wanted only aged Parmesan for a dish I am cooking, but – when offered samples of a two-year old Comté, and a raw-milk Reblochon – added those to our bag to go along with the Roquefort, Emmenthal, and La Mere Richard St. Marcellin already in the fridge.

Next stop, charcuterie. Here we were good, getting only one hunk of a lean Lyon sausage to be served as an appetizer when our friends come over Wednesday.

Then it was on to two booths which sell terrific olive products. At the first, we bought their anchoiade, a wonderful dip made from anchovies, capers, olive oil, etc. Perfect as an appetizer. At the second, we bought their black olive tapenade, which is finer and tastier than others we have had.  Unfortunately, the lady at the booth plopped about a pound of it into the container, more than we could eat in a month. Oh well. It was then that we realized that we already had black olives and tapenade at the house, bought earlier from Domaine Valdition down the road. As with the cheese, we now have way too much instead of just too much.

I spotted a wonderful older gentleman selling special baked goods including sacrastain, sort of like a small baguette made from puff pastry dough and incorporating almond, chocolate, and other delightful flavors. David bought one for me, and the gentleman gently put it in a bag. David said, “tres fragile” and the gentlemen replied, “oui, mais, tres bonne” (yes, but very good) without missing a beat.

The final stop for David was a booth that sells meats and has a wonderful jambon. He bought a few slices to add to those already in the fridge. I’m sure that eventually I’ll open the fridge to see a pig inside staring back at me…

Now it was time to relax at the café. The waitress showed up with a carafe of white wine and two glasses…nice to be recognized. I decided to sample the sacrastain, and – in no time – our breakfast pastry was gone. As the gentleman had sold out, David went into the boulangerie, but came back with a baguette as there weren’t any breakfast pastries left.

There was a clothing booth next to our table, and as the owner was starting to pack up, I thought I might use my well-honed negotiating skills to buy something at a great price. I managed to get him down from 45 to 40 Euros on a very nice pure silk scarf. That was the end of our purchases – too much cheese, too much ham, too much tapenade, and a scarf.

As it was now close to 2pm, we decided to grab a sidewalk table at Chez Bru’s Brasserie d’Eygalieres. The owner’s main digs just down the road have a Michelin star, and the food here is pretty good, so it sounded like a terrific idea – a gorgeous day with great food. I ordered a lobster for my meal, while David had tartare de boeuf. Both were superb, washed down with a bottle of Mas St. Berthe rosé. We had a relaxing lunch, then headed back to the Mas to see if we could fit the food into the fridge.

By evening, we weren’t terribly hungry, so settled on ham and cheese (take your pick) sandwiches. I choose a slice of the aged Comté, which was wonderful. David choose small slices of Emmenthal and Reblochon with his jambon.

We tossed out a stale baguette for Roxie to feast on, and turned in.

Feeling better this morning, but still not at 100 percent.

After session in Salon de Provence, drove to mas to change for lunch, then off for short drive to Molleges where we have reservations at Mas du Capoun, a spot where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch during our last stay. Took a wrong turn, so spent a few minutes winding through back streets, but the village is very pretty, so we did not mind. Found the restaurant, which – as always – was packed with locals. The food and value here are tremendous.

As it was a bit chilly and windy, they were using the indoor dining room. We were greeted cordially, the hostess speaking in English and David in French. we were seated at a deuce, ordered a kir, and perused the menu. In addition to an incredible 16 Euro fixe prixe menu, the 35 Euro menu offered some wonderful sounding dishes. As I told David, I could dine here every day for a week.

David settled on the 16 Euro menu and opted for a salmon sushi to start, followed by cod. I chose a ravioli with mushrooms and Iberico ham, followed by sliced guinea fowl. For wine, we continued with rose with a Mas St. Berthe from Les Baux.

As you will see in the photos, everything was delectable, including the cheese course David had for dessert.

After bidding farewell to the cordial staff at Mas du Capoun, we wound our way back the few short kilometers to the mas. As I am still not totally recovered, I took a short nap before getting up to post photos and work on the blog.

Down to Eygalieres to buy a couple of items – water, ham (for David), veggies. Met Patrick, our caretaker, at the Cafe le Centre. Chatted for a bit over a btl of rosé. Many laughs. It’s market day tomorrow in Eygalieres, so we decided we’d set up a booth to sell Roxie’s (4) eggs… Second bottle of wine…more laughs. Back to mas, a quick plate of crevette, then off to bed.

I woke around midnight feeling terrible, and spent most of the night feeling miserable – won’t go into details. Finally dropped off around 4am and slept until 9. My voice was virtually gone, my stomach in an uproar, shaky, and generally not good.

David called Christine at Riboto to let her know we would have to pass on dinner tonight. David made me tea, and I munched on some breakfast pastries, then back to bed.  Hopefully I can shake off whatever has hit me and be on the road to recovery tomorrow.

David headed to St. Remy (again) to try to get the missing glasses. Success at last!

An early dinner at home with salad of fresh greens, shrimp, cheese, avocados, and off to bed.