Very sophisticated restaurant, and charming surroundings. The food is cooked to perfection, but not…read moreeveryone is wild about nouvelle cuisine, and this place leans in that direction. Attention to detail is total, and there are almost as many staff as diners, we thought. Everything was served precisely and to French silver service standards. It is easy to feel a little intimidated, especially when at slack moments the staff seem to watch you eat! As you would be expecting by now, the restaurant is quite dear. But it IS an experience.

I've been eating at this restaurant since it was a cosy Auberge in a small but beautifully restored…read morestone building making up a corner on the village square. It typified French rural dining for me, simple, fresh, seasonal local ingredients prepared with passion and served in comforting surroundings. When they proudly opened up the new, seemingly characterless, restaurant across the street I was fully prepared not to like it, despite the terrace with fabulous views. Outside it was a bland building, out of character with the honey-colored stone and beautiful architecture of the village. Inside, it was typically nouvelle frou-frou Parisienne. But try as I might, I still loved it. And why wouldn't I? Chef Cyril is committed to fresh, local produce and has a passion for seasonal local food. He is not only an imaginative chef, constantly thinking of new ways to cook and serve traditional ingredients but a good one too. The flavours he creates are a constant surprise and delight. The interior of the restaurant is warm, comfortable and inviting and the terrace is a wonderful place to linger on a warm summer afternoon with Armagnac and coffee after your meal. His partner Camille runs a welcoming and efficient front of house and Fabien, who I believe is a renowned sommelier, is a lesson to all servers on how it should be done, one of the best I have ever seen. Order your food and then ask him to recommend the wine, he will surprise and delight you every time and not always with the most expensive wine he could sell you. So, given my love affair with the Auberge and its management team, why only four stars? I recently took my sons there for the first time. While the food was excellent, it was noticeable that Camille and Fabien were not there and the service was pretty poor, not to mention the fact one young lady could really have done with a better wash. Camille did turn up part way through service and things bucked up but we definitely missed Fabien's sparkle. I have no doubt this was a blip and it does not put me off recommending this fabulous restaurant and its wonderful owners :-)

Excellent value restaurant in the village of Bardigues, near Auvillar, officially one of the most…read morebeautiful villages in France. Camille and Cyrille have recently redesigned and renovated the restaurant, creating a very attractive terrace, ideal for dining outdoors on those warm summer evenings. Whereas most restaurants in this area emphasise the regional specialities (duck, foie gras) the menus here tend to be more creative and sophisticated. Lunches start at 9 euros for just a main course and a glass of wine, and go to 17 euros for starter, main course, dessert and wine. Evening menus from 23,50EUR to 55EUR.

Like all Michelin 3 star restos, be prepared to mortgage your house when the bill comes. We have…read morepatronized this place and its chef for 25 years, They follow the trends in French haut cuisine. We have folloed them from traditional to minceur to fusion to molecular. All have been outstanding. Trama's ability to capture flavors is uncanny and the presentation is always spectacular. The hotel is magnificent, but the decoration in the restaurant is a bit heavy handed. If the weather is good, ask to be seated in the enclosed patio in very pleasant surroundings. The wine list is as good as you will find, To bring the bill down a bit from the stratosphere, however we stick with the excellent selections of wines from the southwest such as Bizet, Duras, Madiran and Cahors. The welcome is always a warm beginning to an imaginative meal.

From the owner: Une table "tout terroir" En lieu et place du restaurant "L'Auberge en Gascogne", lui-même transféré…read moredans les locaux l'hôtel-restaurant du Square, Fabrice Biasiolo est aux fourneaux de Cochon, canard et cie. Une table avec une très forte identité terroir, un bistrot de campagne à la hauteur de la réputation de son chef. La boutique "L'ultime goût", attenante au restaurant, propose des grands produits d'ici et d'ailleurs, issus de l'agriculture bio ou artisanale, et que vous pouvez emporter ou déguster sur place.

I have to warn you that this is my favourite restaurant. But my wife says that they serve too much…read morefood, and she always goes home with part of the dessert in a doggie bag The restaurant itself is an auberge, a country inn, set at the foot of the castle in the tiny village of Gramont, on the Tarn-et-Garonne side of the River Arrats, with the neighbouring county of the Gers across the narrow waterway. There is a selection of set menus, from 17 to 39 euros, at the time of writing. Owner and chef Bernard Corbière prefers all at one table to choose the same menu, but seems to have become more flexible about this recently. His aim was merely to improve the quality service , and to ensure that everyone receives food at its best. I cannot describe every menu here, but I thoroughly recommend the top two versions. Try to start off with the soup - always freshly made from seasonal ingredients. Choose if you can to have the entrée of three varieties of foie gras. Foie gras is one of the local specialities, and I have never tasted better than the glories served here. If you have room, opt for the salade aux gésiers, as your taste buds will frolic on the delights of this duck meat salad. (And if you look up gésiers, be assured that the meat for this is just from the neck - all muscle). At this point, your stomach needs a break, so have the Trou Gascon - a citrus sorbet sitting in a wine glass of spirit. It will make a trou (hole) ready for the main course. This might be stuffed chicken (no, not Paxo ), or a cassoulet, or a confit de canard But I strongly recommend you go for the magret (duck breast), which M. Corbière cooks like no-one else. It will be served with a seasonal vegetable (and even here, it must be admitted that the vegetables are a weakness of the meal, as they seem to be everywhere in this area) and a baked potato served in foil crafted into the shape of a swan. Beware, for when you think you have finished, another tray of magret will appear, and you will barely be able to refuse. I almost guarantee you'll eat some more. Finally, depending on which menu you choose, you will be treated to as many as four different desserts: chocolate mousse (better than most!); apple pie; blackcurrant sorbet; crème brûlée. Wine is provided throughout, and is included in the cost, as is a raspberry apéritif. If you have foie gras, a suitable white wine will also be brought to your table. When your bottle is empty, it will be replaced. If you can possibly face it, after the meal, sit outside and enjoy a coffee and armagnac. Under the starry skies of Gascony, you will seem at peace with the world, and you'll wonder if heaven can possibly be as good as this.