Newish Bistro in one of our favorite villages

As long time readers of Our House in Provence blog know, one of our favorite villages besides Sablet is Villedieu. Its a small village (population 514), built on a hill overlooking vineyards, olive grows and pine trees near the Eygues River on the border of the Drome Provencale. Villedieu is located about 7 1/2 miles northwest of Sablet in the direction you would take if you were headed to Nyons. 

Villedieu Cafe

Villedieu dates back to medieval times when the village was a Commandery of the Knights Templar who owned a chateau with a single tower. The village was founded during a time when potential invaders would come around so defensive fortifications were built which you can see as you visit the village.

Villedieu Town Hall

In the center of Villedieu is a square with a fountain, recently dry to due to the extreme drought and plane trees call Place de la Liberation. The Mairie (town hall), a cafe, a creperie, and until just before the pandemic, an excellent pizzaria called La Maison Bleue were located on the sides of the square.  

Le Bistrot de Villedieu

During warm weather between April and October, the square becomes a grand terrace shared by the cafe and restaurants. Tables and chairs arranged around the fountain with the area for the cafe and restaurants defined by the color of chairs. 

Villedieu Place de la Liberation

Shortly before the start of the pandemic, our friend and chef/owner of the Maison Bleue Pizzaria sold the restaurant to chef Laurent Azoulay. He and his wife Rachel reopened the restaurant in June 2020 as the Bistrot de Villedieu.

Bistrot de Villedieu Server

Chef Azoulay retained the wood burning oven of Maison Bleue and most of the food served at the Bistrot is cooked in the wood burning oven. Because of the pandemic, we had not been able to dine the new restaurant. We made up for that during our current stay by dining there twice; once at lunch by ourselves and once with friends for dinner. Menu was identical both times.

Chef Azoulay is clearly a talented chef. In addition to the Bistrot de Villedieu, Chef Azoulay owns a one star Michelin restaurant called L'Ekrin by Laurent Azoulay in the mountain town of Meribel.

Zucchini Blossoms 

Mussel Soup in Saffron with Spelt

Spelt Risotto with Summer Truffles. 

Baked Tomato stuffed with Rice and Beef with Arugula over Rice and Beef. 

Apricot Crumble

With our friends, he and I split the 1 kg Angus Beef "Cote de Boeuf" which was expensive but delicious.

The owners of the Bistrot de Villedieu split their time between the Bistrot de Villedieu and their second restaurant in the mountains so the Bistrot de Villedieu is only opened during festival season from June 1 to September 30. 

The food was delicious and perfectly cooked and very attractively plated. The servers were very friendly, although service is a little slow when the square is full of diners. The only person who didn't seem to go out of his way to show any charm was the owner/chef.

Le Bistrot de Villedieu

Place de la Liberation

84110 Villedieu

France

Tel: 04 90 28 97 02

website: Le Bistrot de Villedieu (azoulay-gastronomie.com)  

Visit to Charming Villedieu and Pizza at Maison Bleue

One of our favorite villages near Sablet is Villedieu, a small village (population 514) built on a hill overlooking vineyards, olive groves and pine trees near the Eygues River on the border of the Drôme Provençale. Villedieu is located about 7 1/2 miles northwest of Sablet in the direction you would take if you were headed to Nyons.

Villedieu village

In the center of Villedieu is a square, with a fountain and plane trees, called Place de la Liberation. The Mairie (town hall), a café, a crêperie, and an excellent pizzaria called La Maison Bleue are situated on the sides of the square.

During warm weather between March and October, the square becomes a grand terrace shared by the café and restaurants. Tables and chairs are arranged around the fountain with the area for the café and each restaurant defined by the color of chairs.

Place de la Liberation

Villedieu dates back to medieval times when the village was a Commandery of Knights Templar who owned a chateau with a single tower. The village was founded during a time when potential invaders would come around so defensive fortifications were built which you can see as you stroll around the village.

Arched entry into center of Villedieu

The village walls are over 32 feet tall. Restored at different times, there are three majestic gates off Place de la Liberation. The middle gate seen below is topped by a belfry with a clock on the face which dates from the 12th century. On the arch is the papal coat of arms, the only authentic papal coat of arms still in place in the Vaucluse.

14th century town gate

Villedieu street with Saint Michel Church donjon in background

In the heart of Villedieu is Saint Michel Church with a 60 foot tall donjon (keep) and bell tower built on the nave of the church. At the top of the bell tower, there are three openings, each with a bell. The church is Romanesque and dates from the 10th and 12th centuries with later additions.

12th century Saint Michel Church

The oldest known relics (flint tools and weapons) discovered in Villedieu date the first settlement back to the Palaeolithic age. They say the odds are high that Villedieu was originally a Gallo-Roman villa near Vasio (Vaison La Romaine) bearing the name Villa Dei. There is no written account of the origin of its name, but probably, Villedieu, comes from the Latin "villa", which means country house and "dei" which means god.

14th century town gate

Villedieu became part of the "Comtat Venaissin" and annexed to France in 1791.

Villedieu street with chateau tower in distance

One of the great things about Villedieu is that although it is quite well known to locals, it is largely undiscovered by tourists as there is no mention of the village in the Michelin Green Guide and just one sentence in Rick Steve's infamous blue book about Provence.

Villedieu defensive wall

Statue in alcove on corner of building

Although we think Villedieu is a charming village, we go to Villedieu to eat at La Maison Bleue, a pizzaria owned by chef Daniel Roger. From a small kitchen with a large pizza oven he built, he turns out a variety of salads, large enough to share, and pizzas with a variety of toppings on dough that is perfectly blistered by the pizza oven. He also offers pastas and other specials. During the summer, he offers a selection of grilled meats.

Grandson Caedon next to defensive walls with Villedieu coat of arms and sign which reads "Don't Irritate the Lion

We have become friends with Chef Daniel as we go frequently to Maison Bleue during the months the restaurant is open. March, April, May, June, September and October, Maison Bleue is open for lunch and dinner Thursday through Sunday. July and August, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.

La Maison Bleue Restaurant

We really like the large salads offered at Maison Bleue. Two in particular. The first is a salad called La Montagnard, with greens, a whole roasted Camembert cheese topped with tomatoes and pine nuts. Slices of toasted bread accompanies the salad; wonderful for spreading with the warm, oozing cheese.

Our other favorite salad is La Campagnard salad seen below, with greens, toasted wheat bread spread with chèvre cheese, toasted pine nuts, honey and herbs de Provence.

La Campagnard Salad

Pizza's are quite large so we usually end up sharing, That evening we shared one of our favorite pizza, a thin-crusted round pizza called l'Indigo, which is covered with tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella, chèvre, Roquefort, and herbs de Provence.

L'Indigo Pizza

We finished our meal by sharing a trilogy of ice creams; pistachio, coffee and chocolate. A perfect way to end a meal at Maison Bleue.

Trio of ice creams

Granddaughter Avery next to defensive walls with Villedieu coat of arms and sign which reads "Don't Irritate the Lion"

If you are in Sablet or the surrounding area between March and October, and looking for a tasty but simple meal, we highly recommend La Maison Bleue in Villedieu. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially during warm weather when Place de la Liberation becomes a grand terrace shared by the café and 2 restaurants.

Sitting under the plane trees with family and friends on the square during a spring, summer or early fall evening is a magical experience and makes the food and wine taste extra good.

La Maison Bleue
Place de la Libération
84110 Villedieu
Tel: +33 4 90 28 97 02

La Maison Bleue Pizza Restaurant in Villedieu. Both pizzaria and village are worth a visit.

One of our favorite villages around Sablet is Villedieu, a small village (population 514) set on a hill overlooking vineyards, olive groves and pine trees near the Eygues River on the border of the Drôme Provençale.

Villedieu dates back to medieval times when the village was a Commandery of the Knights of Templar who owned a chateau with a single tower. The village was founded during a time when potential invaders would come around so defensive fortifications were built which you can see as you stroll around the village.

The walls are over 32 feet high. Restored at different times, there are three majestic gates off Place de la Liberation. The middle gate seen below is topped by a belfry and has a clock on the face which dates from the 12th century. On the arch is the papal coat of arms, the only authentic papal coat of arms still in place in the Vaucluse.

Gateway through defensive wall into the center of Villedieu

After navigating the narrow street which leads into Villedieu, you arrive at the village square, the aforementioned Place de la Liberation, where you will find the Mairie (town hall), several cafes and a wonderful pizza restaurant called La Maison Bleue on the sides of the square. Our friends Bruce and Christine live in Villedieu.

While you find pizza all over France, pizza in Provence taste better. In my opinion it's because in Provence we have wonderful tomatoes, basil, olive oil, cheese and anchovies. Second, the region's proximity to Italy and its influx of Italian immigrants, vacationers and retirees has, over the decades, brought a steady supply of pizza cognoscenti, people who know a lot about pizza to Provence.

La Maison Bleue Restaurant

La Maison Bleue is owned by a chef named Daniel Roger. From a small kitchen dominated by a large pizza oven he built, he turns out a variety of salads, large enough to share, and pizzas with a variety of toppings on dough perfectly blistered by the heat of the pizza oven. He also offers pastas and other specials. During the summer, he offers a selection of grilled meats.

We have become friends with Chef Daniel as we dine often at La Maison Bleue during the 8 months the restaurant is open. March, April, May, June, September and October, La Maison Bleue is open Thursday through Sunday. July and August, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday.

A few weeks ago, we were honored with a visit from two of our long term employees and friends from our Bistro Des Copains; chef Melissa and Debbie who served throughout the nearly 9 years the Bistro was open. One of our guests favorite items at the Bistro was our wood fired pizza and we went to La Maison Bleue to dine and introduce them to chef Daniel and his crew.

Our special friends Melissa and Debbie

We love to sit outside in the village square when we go to La Maison Bleue but since the weather was unseasonably cool and windy, that was not an option. La Maison Bleue is decorated with bright colors; orange walls, blue and yellow colored tablecloths and blue chairs.

Shirley and I enjoy La Maison Bleue in Villedieu

The pizza's and salads are quite large so we usually end up sharing. I ordered the La Montagnard salad with greens shown below, a whole roasted Camembert cheese topped with tomatoes and pine nuts. Toasted bread accompanied the salad; wonderful for spreading with the warm, oozing cheese.

Another favorite is La Campagnard, a salad with greens, toasted wheat bread spread with chèvre cheese, toasted pine nuts, honey and herbs de Provence.

La Montagnard salad

Shirley and I shared our favorite pizza called L'Indigo, shown below, which was covered with tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella, chèvre, Roquefort, and herbs de Provence.

Another favorite of ours is the L'Azur pizza, which is covered with tomato sauce, Eggplant, mozzarella and pesto.

L'Indigo pizza

One of Debbie's favorite items, mine too, on our Bistro Des Copains' menu was a cheesy, creamy Gratin de Macaroni, a wonderful mac and cheese. She couldn't resist trying one of the gratins that chef Daniel offers nightly at La Maison Bleue seen below.

Gratin de macaroni

Despite the fact that we only get to the area a few times each year, it is heart warming to be greeted as old friends by Chef Daniel, his crew including server Natacha, who hails from Russia and many times at the end of the evening by Patricia, Chef Daniel's sweet wife.

Chef Melissa and Chef Daniel in front of the La Maison Bleue wood burning pizza oven

If you are in Sablet or the surrounding area between March and October, and looking for a tasty but simple meal, we highly recommend La Maison Bleue in Villedieu. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially during warm weather when Place de la Liberation becomes a grand terrace shared by a café and 2 restaurants. Tables and chairs are arranged around a fountain with the area for the café and each restaurant defined by the color of chairs.

Sitting under the plane trees with family and friends on the square during a spring, summer or early fall evening is a magical experience and makes the food and wine taste oh so good.

La Maison Bleue
Place de la Libération
84110 Villedieu
Tel: +33 4 90 28 97 02

La Maison Bleue in Villedieu, a Great Place to Dine on Arrival in Sablet

Hard to believe, but we are finally back in Sablet. Shirley and I met in Chicago after her flight from San Francisco. Our trip was uneventful except for a 4 hour wait in Paris, which seemed interminable for our Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV), high-speed train to Avignon where we picked up the Renault Scenic rental car.

We were out of the rental car office in less than 10 minutes on the road to Sablet. Made it there in good time, tired from the trip and 9 hour change in time zones. More often than not, we don't have the energy to cook when we get to Sablet or eat a fancy meal so we opt for something simple, which usually means a visit to Maison Bleue in Villedieu.

Villedieu is located about 7 1/2 miles northwest of Sablet in the direction you would take if you were driving to Nyons. Villedieu is a small village (population 518) set on a hill surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and pine trees, overlooking the Aygues River, close to the Drôme Provençale.

Villedieu is a medieval village that was once a commandery of the Knights of Templar, where they had a chateau with one tower. Founded during a time when there were frequent invasions, you can see picturesque reminders of the village defense as you stroll around the village.

La Maison Bleue in Villedieu

Maison Bleue is owned by Chef Daniel Roger. From a small kitchen equipped with a large wood-fired pizza oven he built himself, Chef Roger turns out pizzas with a variety of toppings on dough perfectly blistered by the wood-fired oven, a variety of salads, large enough to share, pastas, and other specials. During the summer, he also offers a selection of grilled meats.

We have become friends with Chef Daniel as we go frequently to Maison Bleue during the months the restaurant is open. March, April, May, June, September and October, Maison Bleue is open Thursday through Sunday. July and August, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday.

Chef Daniel Roger works the wood-fired pizza oven

Maison Bleue's wine list consists of wines produced by vignerons (winemakers) of Villedieu. Our server Natacha, who hails from Russia, and has been serving at Maison Bleue the last couple of seasons, suggested we order a wine from Domaine Denis Tardieu. The wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault and is organically produced by the winery which is in Villedieu.

Domaine Denis Tardieu Côtes du Rhône

The pizza's and salads are large enough to share so we usually do some sharing during our meal. This night we started with a "La Campagnard Salad" with a mound of greens dressed with a tasty balsamic vinaigrette, toasted wheat bread spread with chèvre cheese, toasted pine nuts, honey and herbs de Provence. This is my favorite salad.

Shirley's favorite salad is "La Montagnard Salad" with greens, a whole roasted Camembert cheese topped with tomatoes and pine nuts. Toasted bread accompanies the salad; wonderful for spreading on the warm, oozing cheese.

La Campagnard Salad

We almost always order a pizza to share. Our favorite pizza is a delicious thin-crusted pizza that Chef Daniel calls "L'Indigo." It is covered with tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella, chèvre, Roquefort, Emmental and a dried mixture of herbs of Provence.

Tonight, we decided to order pasta, since we had not tried any of Chef Daniel's pasta before. At the suggestion of Natacha, I ordered the fettuccine pasta with a mushroom cream sauce.

Fettuccine pasta with mushroom sauce

Shirley chose what Chef Daniel calls a "Gratinée" pasta. For her dish, the chef stuffs tortellini with spinach and ricotta cheese and then covers them with a béchamel sauce, adds a layer of grated cheese and finishes the dish in the wood-fired oven.

Tortellini pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese

To finish, we shared a Café liégeois, a refreshing and tasty dessert made from coffee ice cream, lightly sweetened coffee, and chantilly cream.

Café Liégeois

By the time we finished our meal and chatted with chef Daniel and his wife and got our check, Shirley was dying to get back to her bed so she could sleep. We walked out into the night and peered for a few minutes at the gate through Villedieu's defensive wall before we headed for our car.

If you are in Sablet or the surrounding area between March and October, and looking for a tasty but simple meal, we highly recommend Maison Bleue in Villedieu. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially during warm weather when Place Liberation becomes a grand terrace shared by a café and 2 restaurants. Tables and chairs are arranged around a fountain with the area for the café and each restaurant defined by the color of chairs.

Sitting under the plane trees with family and friends on the square during a spring, summer or early fall evening is a magical experience and makes the food and wine taste oh so good.

Gate through Defensive Wall around Villedieu

La Maison Bleue
Place Libération
84110 Villedieu
Tel: 04 90 28 97 02

Villedieu, a Tiny Jewel in the Northern Vaucluse

One of our favorite villages near Sablet is Villedieu, a small village (population 514) built on a hill overlooking vineyards, olive groves and pine trees near the Eygues River on the border of the Drôme Provençale.

Place de la Liberation, Villedieu

Villedieu dates to medieval times when the village was a commandery of the Knights of Templar with a chateau with a single tower. The village was founded during a time when potential invaders would come around and you can see the defensive fortifications as you stroll around the village.

14th century town gate with papal coat of arms

In the center of Villedieu is the village square, with a fountain and plane trees, called Place de la Liberation. The Mairie (town hall), a café and two restaurants are situated on the sides of the square. Our friends Bruce and Christine live in Villedieu.

Villedieu Town Hall

La Remise is a crêperie restaurant that also serves tarts and salads. La Remise is only open during the summer as the owners have another restaurant in the Alps. We are big fans of the La Maison Bleue Pizzeria and friends with the owner chef Daniel Roger. The one time we ate at La Remise, I didn't enjoy it very much because I felt guilty that we were not sitting at a La Maison Bleue table.

La Remise Restaurant

The Café du Centre is a bar-restaurant that serves tapas. It seems to be open most of the year.

Café du Centre

During warm weather between March and October, the village square becomes a grand terrace shared by the café and restaurants. Tables and chairs are arranged around the village fountain with the area for the café and each restaurant defined by the color of chairs.

Place de la Liberation

Sitting under the trees with family and friends on the square during a spring, summer or early fall evening is a magical experience and makes the food and wine oh so good.

Place de la Liberation

As I said, Villedieu is one of our favorite villages and we go often. Observant readers of this post will notice that these pictures were shot during three different visits at different times of year.

Statue over doorway

In the heart of Villedieu is Saint Michel Church with the 60 foot tall donjon (keep) and bell tower built on the nave of the church. At the top of the bell tower, there are three openings, each with a bell. The church is Romanesque and dates from the 10th and 12th centuries with later additions.

12th century Saint Michel Church

The oldest known relics (flint tools and weapons) discovered so far in Villedieu date the first settlement back to the Palaeolithic age. They say the odds are high that Villedieu was originally a Gallo-Roman villa near Vasio (Vaison La Romaine) bearing the name Villa Dei. There is no written account of the origin of its name, but probably, Villedieu, comes from the Latin "villa", which means country house and "dei" which means god.

Statue in corner alcove

Villedieu became part of the "Comtat Venaissin" and annexed to France in 1791.

Magnificent stone archway into Villedieu

One of the great things about Villedieu is that although it is quite well known to the locals, it is largely undiscovered to tourists as there is no mention of the town in the Michelin Green Guide and just one sentence in Rick Steve's infamous blue book about Provence.

First time I have seen a cat on a leash

The defensive walls were probably built at the same time as Saint Michel Church. The walls are over 32 feet high. Restored at different times, there are three majestic gates off Place de la Liberation. The middle gate is topped by a belfry and has a clock on the face which dates from the 12th century. On the arch is the papal coat of arms, the only authentic papal coat of arms still in place in the Vaucluse.

Olive trees grow along the Villedieu fortifications

View toward Drôme Provençale and Vinsobres

As I said earlier, Villedieu was a commandery of the Knights of Templar with a chateau with a single tower seen below.

Chateau with one tower

A third of the villagers live within the old defensive fortifications in the center of Villedieu. The other two thirds live on farms and in detached houses that have been built around the village over the last few years. Most of the commune is planted with vineyards.

Another view of the chateau with one tower

The defensive walls with the circular towers are publicly owned in the northeast corner of Place de la Liberation. The rest of the walls are a part of privately-owned dwellings.

More of the Villedieu fortifications

As I told you here, La Maison Bleue Pizzeria is owned by a wonderful chef named Daniel Roger. From a small kitchen equipped with a large wood-fired pizza oven he built himself, he turns out a variety of salads, large enough to share, and pizzas with a variety of toppings on dough perfectly blistered by the wood-fired oven. He also offers pastas and other specials.

We have eaten quite a few meals at La Maison Bleue since our first visit to Villedieu; we've sat in the small dining room and out under the plane-tree covered terrace in front of the restaurant. I strongly recommend that you make reservations since chef Daniel only does one seating and the terrace fills up very quickly.

La Maison Bleue Pizzeria

There are many wonderful restaurants within a short distance of our house in Sablet including several with Michelin stars and others designated as Bibb Gourmand restos but I don't think you will have an experience like sitting on the terrace in Villedieu on a summer evening. So if you are in the Northern Vaucluse, plan to go to Villedieu and eat at La Maison Bleue Pizzeria. By the way we get no financial consideration for this recommendation; we just love eating at La Maison Bleue on the terrace.