As you approach, you can see Eygalières perched on a hill topped by an ancient castle tower. As you get closer, you can see the small houses which make up the village. I had been to Eygalières once before and had wandered the streets ducking in and out of shops and walked up to the castle ruins to see the view from the top of the hill before dining at nearby Maison Bru Restaurant.
After tasting wine at Domaine Valdition (more about that in a future post), we were headed with our friends to dine at Sous Les Micocouliers Restaurant in Eygalières. This restaurant has been selected by the Michelin inspectors as "Les Meilleures Adresses à Petit Prix", meaning you can eat well for a good price, something I like to do.
Sous Les Micocouliers is in a restored house built in the 17th century with a large fenced courtyard for dining when the weather is nice, just a few steps from the center of the village. The restaurant is owned by the chef Pierre-Louis Poize who apprenticed with Alain Assaud, Joël Robuchon, Alain Ducasse, and Alain Senderens, all renown names in the French restaurant world.
Friends John and Lorelei and wife Shirley pause for a picture while waiting for menus to be brought to our courtyard table. While it was a beautiful sunny day, it was still quite cool being March and everyone was happy to have an extra layer of clothes on.
Along with the menus came two platters of amuse bouche with olives, hummus and anchovy crackers to nibble while we looked over the menu.
Having just come from tasting wine at Domaine de Valdition, I was happy to find a bottle of their 2011 Vallon Des Anges Rosé, from AOC Coteaux d'Aix en Provence on the wine list. The wine is quite pale in color, but a really tasty blend of Grenache and Cinsault grapes.
Our starters included Petits Farçis aux Herbes, Ricotta et Épeautre servis en vinaigrette tiède (little vegetables stuffed with herbs, ricotta cheese and spelt, served with a warm vinaigrette). This is one of the tastiest and prettiest plates of food I have had in a long time.
Others chose Mesclun et Salades du Moment à l huile de sésame (Mesclun greens and other lettuces with sesame oil).
Several chose Conchiglionis stuffed with cheese and greens for their main courses, Shirley for one is always happy to find pasta on a menu.
One of our group ordered the Pintade (roast Guinea Fowl).
I chose l'Agneau (lamb) roasted with vegetables figuring that with lots of sheep in the surrounding area, the lamb would probably be very good; I was not disappointed.
We often see dogs sitting by tables waiting patiently for scraps to come their way; here there was a very cute cat waiting table side.
For dessert, we tried Entremet (a multi-layered mousse-based cake comprised of different flavors) served with fruit sorbet; delicious!
We also had filled Macarons.
Sous Les Micocouliers is one of several very good restaurants in Eygalières and the surrounding area. So if you come the area to enjoy the beauty of the Alpilles mountains, try the olive or wine produced in the area, don't hesitate to try to Sous Les Micocouliers. I am very sure that reservations are a must during tourist season.
Sous Les Micocouliers
Traverse de Montfort
Eygalieres
Tel: 04 90 95 94 53
www.souslesmicocouliers.com
Michel you are the best ambassador for our beautiful Provence!
ReplyDeleteI ate at Chez Bru (very good!) but not at Micocouliers. Will try next time.
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeously artful plating! Your sun-soaked photos always make me wish I had more time to explore the south of France. But for now, I'm just glad to have a few minutes to catch up with your blog. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm drooling over that filled macaroon and it's only 8:15am. Macaroons for breakfast are ok right? :)
ReplyDeleteEygalieres was on our list to visit during our stay in St. Remy this coming Sept. and now, knowing about Sous Les Micocouliers, we may visit more than once.
ReplyDeleteThanks for write-up
I like Eygalieres. I have been there twice I think, but never eaten in a restaurant there. What was the macaron filled with, ice cream? whipped cream?
ReplyDeleteMan, Brad and Angie sure get around. They have a place about 20 minutes from me, too! As always, your pictures of the delicious food look wonderful. I'm with Shirley and am always thrilled when pasta is on the menu. BTW- I tried some of the Cairanne wine you suggested in another post. It was good (from the little I tasted). Seems Dude took quite the liking to it has had practically the whole bottle for himself!
ReplyDeleteAshley
This sounds like a spectacular meal Michel, and thanks for another great restaurant recommendation. We have a similar book to "Les Meilleures Adresses à Petit Prix", but from Petit Fute - an excellent way to find a great restaurant without breaking the bank.
ReplyDeleteBarbara - Thanks for the sweet feedback! You are too kind!
ReplyDeleteMeredith - Chez Bru is a very special restaurant and while Sous Les Micocouliers is not as refined it is not nearly as expensive either. I think you will really like the restaurant.
Camille - I am very happy to help you explore Provence through my pictures while waiting for you to get the time to make a visit here.
Sara - Macaroons are good any time of the day!
Lynn and Bob - You have to include a visit to Eygalières when you are in St. Remy next fall.
Megan - Yes, the macaroon was filled with ice cream and cream, a double delight. There are several good restaurants in this area and reasonably priced so you should try to dine there when you are in the area.
Ashley - I am not sure where they live but just reporting what the locals say about Brad and Angelina; there are also several references to them living in the area on the internet. I think you and Shirley's dietary preferences are quite similar from what I can tell. I just saw the post you wrote about the Cairanne wine with the picture. Thanks for mentioning my blog.
Tuula - You are most welcome. I have not seen the Petit Fute book but I look for their stickers on the door of restaurants as a positive sign about the restaurant.