Occupying the top spot on an ever lengthening culinary bucket-list for just over four years it was…read morewith great anticipation that the 250 minute trek to Route de l'Aubrac took place, and arriving at Le Suquet just moments past noon it was with warm smiles that entry to Maison Bras was met, the rolling hills of Laguiole en Aveyron beckoning in the distance while clean air carried by a gentle wind quickly put the body at ease and naturally cleared the head.
Every bit the postcard scene that photographs would have one imagine, a modern space bathed in light almost bleeding through windows to fuse with fields and gardens outside, it was in declining a drink at the lounge that the Maitre D' offered to show me the kitchen, and with Sebastien Bras seen teaching at the fish station while a team of twenty worked quietly amidst spotless steel surfaces one could not help but feel caught up in the moment, a sense of passion reflected in every aspect of the three and a half hour experience to come.
Taking the next twenty-minutes to explore the hotel and its grounds, the meal's start time officially 13h00 per my reservation, suffice it to say that those so inclined will be happy to see a wide range of art and items for purchase just inside the foyer, and seated promptly at 12h45 it was with little indecision that the Menu Balade was selected, an additional demi-course added from one of the smaller menus at the cost of a 30€ supplement.
At this point almost a 'casual' affair, the decision by Michel Bras to offer his cuisine without all the frills attached to many other Michelin 3* spaces found throughout the world made many years ago, it was still to immaculate service that all guests' needs were attended - a loaf of bread bearing the name of each patron unveiled tableside while cutlery was retained throughout the meal, even the bottled water upcharge done away with in favor of house-filtered pitchers sourced from the streams in valleys below.
More a 'journey' than just a meal, something perhaps to be expected given the location and history of the space, plates at Bras present a gentle progression of seasonality alongside regional flavors, the opening oeuvre of an egg meant to reminisce of Sebastien's childhood in Laguiole while the following Le Gargouillou was a classic pieces of culinaria that many have seen but one must sit down to experience in order to truly understand the time and craftsmanship involved.
Moving to meats faster than one may have guessed, a course of delicate Turbot with seared mushrooms and almonds showing great balance with pan jus atop freshly cracked polenta, course three featured the chef's highly praised foie gras paired to cherries, cauliflower puree, and sphere of finely diced broccoli, the liver itself the very definition of creamy while vegetables focused on pureness of flavor despite the modification of traditional textures.
Trending shorter than other tastings, but offering sizable portions of each course instead of small bites, plate four offered a fine puff pastry decorated in freshly picked fennel, fresh cheese, and truffle Cream before transitioning to the menu's final savory, a rich cut of grass-fed beef wrapped in tomato with herbal aromatics and a reduced sauce of red wine.
Here treated to the supplement, a young duck with crackling skin whose undeveloped fat layer yielded a leanness benefitting both texture and flavor of the flesh, it was after a scoop of Les Aligots that the afternoon progressed to cheeses, the young man tending the cart clearly a bit green with limited skills in English as the Maitre D' happily stepped in with no shortage of regional selections to offer, a tasting of three ages of unnamed cheddar from a farm located mere minutes away offering an experience unique to time and place.
Unknown to some that Michel Bras created the 'lava cake' with his Coulant as far back as 1981, sweets started with a textbook interpretation of the classic beneath a rich ball of pistachio ice cream and with mignardises spanning from a simple bowl of fruit in syrup to a crispy 'flag' of honey anticipation slowly built for the meal's final moment, the famous cart of cones soon to be topped with five styles of ganache, sorbet, and cream.
Left to enjoy the environs while water was refilled and a tin of parting gifts offered, it was admittedly a bit hard to think that such a long anticipated event had now passed, but still every bit the 3* experience even if the cuisine is no longer "cutting edge" a meal at Bras is undoubtedly worth it for those willing and able to make the trek.
