To begin, the place is spectacular. Situated amidst acres, no, hectares of vineyards, this former grand chateau has had a welcoming area and a spa added to create a total satisfaction destination. So, walk through the reception area, up a marble staircase and into a dining salon encased in ornate stained glass.
Taking a seat in the waiting area, I have my usual Campari and soda, watching the others arriving for dinner. After I've finished my drink, I'm escorted into the salon and seated at a corner table for one. It's an excellent spot to dine and watch. I make my selections, in French no less, and select a wine. The wine for tonight will be a 1998 Chateau Villemaurine, a Saint Emilion Grand Cru.
Now, Chef Romain Gondras takes charge. The starter is a quite delicious salmon set in a purée of tomato and onion. The first course is a Crevettes Tigrees, bouillon de tetes, avec Ravioles de Boeuf Croustillantes. The shrimp are excellent, the raviolis are rich and crispy, and the bouillon was so good that I wanted to lick the bowl.
Next we'll have a Carre de Cochon Basque, Poitrine Braisse, et une Puree de Lentilles Roses. This course was not quite as good as I would've hoped. The lentil purée was outstanding and the Poitrine was deliciously rich, but the pork, fixed in Basque style, was just o.k. C'est la vie.
The cheese course brought the meal back famously. Le Classique "Ossau-Fraty" et sa Confiture de Cerises Noires produced a perfect combination of tastes. The sweet black cherry jam combined with the firm, stout sheep's cheese made each taste a treat.
Lastly, how could I not have the soufflé? Now we'll be moving from wine to Armagnac. It was a Souffle au Patxaran, which is created by combining Les Prunelle (baby prunes) with Alcool d'Asise. It was so soft and so sweet. The Armagnac tasted perfect with the soufflé.
It's now time for a coffee and an opportunity to sit back and reflect on the evening. Well, the service was excellent and the viewing was entertaining. Across the room was a Chinese couple who spoke no French. Watching them order and select a wine was bordering on funny. A little further over were six young American who had a dynamic going on that's hard to describe. They were there for a wedding. They were interesting to watch because it was obvious that they didn't know each other well and didn't like each other very much. Watching them select wine, the cost of which they'd share, produced an interesting group struggle. Also, there were three separate young French couples who were obviously uncomfortable with the restaurant prices. It seemed that they were each trying, after perusing the menu, to get out of this place without spending next month's grocery money. All in all, an excellent group to entertain me between courses. Of course, my characterization are all speculative but it's fun to play that game very quietly. So, I sat, listened to the light jazz, watched a bit longer, then wandered up to my room. The dinner wasn't great but I had a fine time.
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