The BEST French cuisine we had in France (in the price range we could afford). Hands Down. It's…read moreremoved from the touristy towns in Provence...
HOW IS THIS NOT ON YELP? I found it via TripAdvisor...
France has the BEST Wine and Cheese (and Baguettes, Crepes, Croissants) in the world. No Doubt. This cannot be argued.
But overall cuisine? Nah... My favorite cuisine is layered, complex and takes you places with each bite. So, for example, eating all over India, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia... My favorite cuisine exists somewhere amongst those lands.
I regress back to France. During our trip, often our favorite meals were non-French a la falafel, senegalese food... But then the WINE AND CHEESE (w/ baguettes) would lure us back. We would eat at "top" spots suggested by the Paris by Mouth blog, Anthony Bourdain, but few places hit it... until La Fleur de Sel.
This will be way easier in list form:
1) There were 3 of us, and it was a celebratory meal for various reasons.
2) We started with the typical French aperitif before the meal: CHAMPAGNE. It was so perfect... real champagne grapes used obviously, the aftertaste smoooooooooooth.
3) We ordered off the pre-fix menu (3 choices for each course). There were 3 of us, so we were able to order EVERYTHING on the menu. I'm pescatarian, so I got all the fish.
4) AMUSE-BOUCHE: The orgasms started with this round. Have you ever tried it? A small pot of fresh mushrooms, hazelnuts and almonds whipped into a creme.
5) The server suggested the Vacqueyras bottle of red and it was divine (We never ever had BAD wine throughout Paris, Ampuis, Provence. And only "ok" wine just once).
6) Tartare de saumon gravelax a l'aneth, petite mesclun: There was a whipped cream with dill on that plate that made me want to take my clothes off. Look at the pics - the texture/taste was something I have never experienced... spouse, friend and I were ahhhhhhhing.
7) Dos de cabillaud, sauce oirge, tian de legumes: My Cod was yum. The others at the table who had the beef and pork were in ecstasy "I have never had pork that just melts... this beef is so perfectly cooked..." I dipped into their gratin dauphinois and my eyes rolled back in my head. The flan de poireaux, so yum.
8) Baba au rhum et sa chantilly: I don't know what this dessert was but it was perfect. The other desserts were good - but NOT as good as whatever was in this rhum concoction. We were now onto sipping Cognac with our desserts... not talking, nodding our heads, just smiling at each other and appreciating the company.
9) If you read my Cafeotheque (Paris) review, you know about French coffee... we ended with an espresso and it was GOOD.
The menus change, so who knows if we had a freaky good one... but I clearly recommend this little gem in Les Beaumettes, Provence.