Le Danieli, Nîmes

As I wrote in a previous post, we made our first visit to Nîmes a few weeks back. We left Sablet relatively early in the morning so we could get there before the crowds of other tourists. After visits to the Arènes - amphitheater and Maison Carrée - the temple known as the square house, I was hungry as it was getting towards noon and time for déjeuner - lunch.

As we and our friends from Bistro Des Copains strolled toward the Jardin de la Fontaine, wife Shirley and I lagged behind our little group as we ducked into and out of shops along the way and perused menus posted outside of restaurants on the street.

We stepped into a shop with santons in the window - hand-painted terracotta figurines depicting working people of Provence made by local artisans for the traditional Provençal crèche - nativity scenes.

As we were paying for the santons that I had selected, I asked the husband and wife who owned the shop if they could recommend a good place to go eat. As is usual, they replied that they don't eat out very much preferring to eat at home but they knew a restaurant not too far away called Le Danieli that generally served a very good Plat du Jour. They also said we should definitely try the café gourmand.

After getting directions, we arrived at Le Danieli restaurant which is located on Place d'Assas a short walk from Maison Carrée. Built at the end of the 20th century, the modern square by Martial Raysse's has several statues and a beautiful fountain.




The statue at one end of Place d'Assas.



The fountain at the center of Place d'Assas near Le Danieli restaurant. Wife Shirley shows her best Vanna White. If nursing doesn't work out for her, maybe she has a future as the new Vanna.



Wife Shirley and friend Kari from Bistro Des Copains posing (again) for me on the Place d'Assas fountain. I am lucky my friends will pose endlessly for my photographs.



Several restaurants and cafés with their outdoor terraces line Place d'Assas from one end to the other. Le Danieli is one of these.



Wife Shirley sitting at our table inside Le Danieli restaurant. We didn't sit on the terrace because it was grey rainy day in Nîmes.



Le Danieli offers pasta and pizza plus other choices. As suggested by the shopkeepers who recommended the restaurant to me, I chose the Plat du Jour, an entrecôte - beef rib steak with potatoes dauphinoise and peppercorn sauce for 8 Euros. It was a delicious bargain.



And to finish my lunch, I chose the recommended café gourmand. The word gourmand doesn't relate to the coffee itself - it was just a small espresso. The gourmand is what comes with the coffee - an artistic array of miniature desserts.

On this day, Le Danieli served a coconut cake, brownie and chocolate mousse alongside the small cup of espresso. A wonderful way to finish a meal.



I wouldn't make a special trip to Nîmes to eat at Le Danieli restaurant but I would definitely eat there again if we were back to visit beautiful Nîmes.

Bistro Des Copains, Occidental, California

If you are a regular reader of Our House in Provence blog, you know that I frequently mention Bistro Des Copains, the small French bistro I co-own with my friends Cluney and Ferney in the small charming west Sonoma County town of Occidental, California.

We are foodies and winos and like to cook and entertain, especially Cluney and me and somehow this translated into opening a French bistro in June 2006. None of us had any previous experience with restaurants except Ferney who worked as a server in New York City years ago and we (Cluney and I) eat out a lot.

Prior to opening the Bistro, I traveled a fair amount for my work at Chancellor Health Care. I used some of my down time during my travels to produce a menu and a plan for a fantasy French bistro, never really thinking that someday we would actually open one.

Finally, probably sick of hearing me talk about my fantasy, wife Shirley and kids encouraged me to take the plunge. While we (my partners and I) certainly can't say we've had financial success (due to the economy), we can say with assurance that we have a loyal following and the Bistro has received consistently great reviews from the critics who have visited.

We have endured one of the worst periods economically for restaurants but we continue on because of the wonderful group of hungry diners who show up every night to eat the classic bistro dishes prepared by chef de cuisine Ty Wong and Joe Clark and their kitchen team.



The town of Occidental, actually more a small hamlet, is tucked in the redwoods between Freestone to the south and Monte Rio to the north on the Bohemian Highway, just a short distance from the notorius Bohemian Grove.

The Bohemian Highway is one of the most scenic drives to be found anywhere in California. This 10 mile roadway winds through towering redwoods, gorgeous pastures, and rocky ravines linking three charming townships seemingly forgotten by time: Freestone, Occidental and Monte Rio.

Originally the last stop west for the Pacific Railroad, there are approximately 200 people who now live within Occidental's town boundaries.



The building which houses Bistro Des Copains dates to 1911 when the Pacific Railroad came to town. The building has been the site for a variety of businesses including offices, warehouse, bike shop and a beauty salon prior to being converted for use as a restaurant.

Bistro Des Copains has 46 seats in the dining room plus we can seat an additional 12 diners between the pantry bar, wine bar and wine table. We also seat diners on the sunny terrace behind the Bistro and on the front patio. We are open for dinner seven nights a week.

The small dining room and pantry bar are shown in the picture below before the start of dinner service. The linens for the table cloths and curtains were purchased at La Victoire in Aix-en-Provence and the pictures on the wall were taken at the Metairie Neuve, the small family farm near Viane in the Tarn region of Southern France.



The wine bar and wine table in the back corner are pictured below along with three of our wonderful front of the house staff; Annelise, Debbie and Kari. We hope you will stop in to dine at Bistro Des Copains if you are ever in Sonoma County. It will be our pleasure to serve you.

A Taste of Garlic

I got up this morning just after 5:00 as I do most days: Abbi isn't too keen on sleeping in. As I have told you before, Abbi is a 150 pound Newfoundland. She is as sweet and loving as she can be; but she can be quite persistent when she decides it is time to get me out of bed in the morning.

When I get down stairs, the first thing I do is switch on the lap top and catch up on emails and blogs. One of my favorite's is A Taste of Garlic written by Keith Eckstein. Keith is a Brit who now lives in Brittany and writes a number of blogs including Welcome to BretonDiary and the aforementioned A Taste of Garlic.

In A Taste of Garlic, he writes that prior to moving to France, he read blogs about living in France and continues to read these blogs. A prolific blogger, he has now taken up writing reviews about other people's blogs about life in France on A Taste of Garlic.

Well this morning when I switched on the lap top and checked in on A Taste of Garlic, I was thrilled to see that Keith has reviewed Our House in Provence on his blog. In the review he states "The author not only loves food but it’s also clear that he loves Provence as well."

How true Keith! I do love food and I love Provence and all things Provençal. In my blog, I just try to share with readers, known and unknown, the things about Provence that I think make it such a magical place, not the least of which is great food. Thanks Keith for your nice review.

Domaine du Paternel, Cassis

We drive past the entrance to Domaine Du Paternel after we exit the A 50 autoroute and are winding our way down the D 559 connecting road to Cassis. Each time I see the Domaine's sign, I think to myself that I should stop in to déguster - taste the Domaine du Paternel wines where the grapes are grown and crafted into wine.

You see, we have had very good rosé wines from Domaine du Paternel on the wine list for our Bistro Des Copains and I have enjoyed wonderful white wine from Cassis at home and with cousin Jean Marc from this Domaine on several occasions. So I have been wanting to stop in for several years.

Some weeks back, I thought it would be a good opportunity to educate our staff about the wines of Cassis after our visit to the picture-perfect village along the Mediterranean Sea. It was too cold to lay on the beach which runs along the Cassis harbor, so all agreed to go wine tasting.

Domaine du Paternel is a family-owned winery. Established by Pierre Cathinaud in 1951, the winery was taken over by his nephew Jean-Pierre Santini in 1962 and today his three children Jean-Christophe, Olivier and Laetitia work along side with him.



Domaine du Paternel is situated in an area of breathtaking scenic beauty with the majority of the vineyards planted on terraces built on the flank of the Massif de la Couronne de Charlemagne. The soil in the vineyards is clay and limestone.



The Cassis appellation is limited to the seaside commune of Cassis and covers 180 hectares. Twelve wineries make wine from the hand-picked grapes grown in the AOC. Domaine du Paternel covers 37 hectares or a little over 91 acres.



Domaine du Paternel produces white, red and rosé wines, the majority of which is Cassis Blanc (white) as is the case throughout the Cassis Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC).

Since 2000, Domaine du Paternel has been working to convert their vineyards to organic production by discontinuing the use of insecticides and herbicides.



We went into the cave - tasting room and were offered tastes of the 2009 Cassis Rosé. Unfortunately, the Domaine did not have any Cassis Blanc available for tasting that day. The 2009 Cassis Rosé is made of Grenache (62%), Cinsault (26%), and Mourvèdre (12%) grapes.



I thought this was a wonderful example of Cassis Rosé wine; I had to have a case to enjoy at our Sablet home. In France, wine is sold in cases that generally contain 6 750 ml bottles rather than the 12 we normally get from Northern California wineries.



Back on the road and headed home to Sablet after a wonderful day in Cassis.

Les Deux Garçons, Aix-en-Provence

Cours Mirabeau is the main boulevard of Aix-en-Provence. Created in 1650 for carriages, today it is a busy street with locals and tourists walking, shopping and enjoying the sights. With its double row of plane trees and succession of fountains along the boulevard, Cours Mirabeau is one of the most beautiful streets I have seen in the South of France.

It is a very popular place for locals and tourists to sit in cafés that line the boulevard from beautiful Fontaine de la Rotonde at one end of the boulevard to Fontaine du Roi René at the other. The oldest and most famous of these is Brasserie Les Deux Garçons. Established in 1792, it was a hang out for Paul Cézanne and Émile Zola.

I have wanted to eat at Les Deux Garçons for a long time despite reading on Chowhound and other foodie sites that Les Deux Garçons is full of tourists so food and service are supposedly not very good. It just never worked out as we generally arrive after déjeuner - lunch time or we eat at cousin Annick's house just outside of Aix.

I always get amused when I read inquiries on foodie sites from people who will be traveling to a region or city of France, i.e. a tourist asking for recommendations for good places to eat "not frequented by tourists". I guess the fact that they (tourist themselves) will be there is OK but no other tourists. It makes me shake my head. Anyway, I digress.

A few weeks back, I had to go Aix-en-Provence to pick up the place mats and table cloths I had ordered to take back with me for our Bistro Des Copains. It was just before noon when I walked out of the store so I decided to head over to Cours Mirabeau and eat at Les Deux Garçons. It was a sunny day after 10 days in a row of gray skies so I asked for a seat on the terrace.



I was seated at a small table set with a white linen table cloth, nice utensils and good stem ware. Being Friday, Aïoli Provençal was the special of the day. I have never had Aïoli Provençal so that is what I ordered. My request was noted and a copy of the order slip was left on the table.

While I waited for my Aïoli, I watched as the maître d seated businessmen, students and tourists till the terrace was full of hungry diners. As I watched platters being delivered by servers to tables, it was evident that most diners had ordered the Aïoli. Given the large number of obviously regular diners, I figured the Aïoli must be good.



Aïoli Provençal is a typical dish of Provence. The Aïoli served by Les Deux Garçons consisted of steamed potatoes, bulots - sea snails, cauliflower, carrots, beets, haricots vert and boiled egg accompanied by cabillaud - cod, all artfully arranged around a glass of pungent aïoli. Aïoli is a smooth mixture of lemon, eggs, garlic, and olive oil that resembles mayonnaise.



For dessert, I chose the vanilla crème brulée.



Despite the generally negative reports about Les Deux Garçons on foodie sites, I thought the food was very good. While service was not warm or overly friendly by any means, I certainly got good service, which is all I ever expect in a French restaurant. I am sure I will eat again at Les Deux Garçons if only to get a chance to sit and watch the activity on beautiful Cours Mirabeau.

Vaison-la-Romaine

My first visit to Vaison-la-Romaine occurred some years before we bought our home in Sablet. I was visiting cousins Jean Marc and Christine in Montpellier and we had gone together to Chateauneuf-du-Pape to see the vineyards and déguster - taste wines.

Late that afternoon, Jean Marc asked me if I had been to Vaison-la-Romaine. I admit, I had never heard the name. He said "we must go", there is a wonderful Roman bridge that you must see. So off we went. We arrived at dusk and parked at Place Montfort in the center of the lower town. That was my introduction to Vaison-la- Romaine.

Shirley and I have returned to Vaison-la-Romaine many times since. The wonderful Tuesday morning market is the biggest attraction for us but we also come to shop for staples at Intermarché, for cheese at Lou Canesteou on Rue Raspail and fish at Poissonnerie des Voconces on Rue du Maquis.

Despite the fact that Vaison la Romaine is a quick 10 km drive along a winding road from our home in Sablet, we had never explored the Haute-Ville - upper town. So one Tuesday morning after the market, with our friends from Bistro Des Copains in tow, we set off to hike up to the castle at the top of the Haute-Ville.

Vaison-la-Romaine is divided into two parts by the Ouvèze River and connected by the aforementioned single arch Roman Bridge which has been in daily use for more than 2000 years.



On the left side of the rivcr, the lower town - Ville-Basse, the modern side of Vaison-la-Romaine, has two large archeological sites where exceptional ruins of the Roman period have been uncovered. On the other side of bridge, the medieval quarter stands high on the hill in the Haute-Ville.

The entrance to the traffic-free Haute-Ville is through a 14th century fortified gateway with its belfrey tower.



It is said that the fortifications for the Haute-Ville were built partially of stones from the Roman town acrosss the river.



Wife Shirley sitting on a fountain in the Haute-Ville with our friends Kari, Allison, Adam, Lisi and Julia from our Bistro Des Copains.



Narrow cobbled streets wander through the Haut-Ville.



Beautiful fountains can be spotted throughout the Haut-Ville.



Another fountain in the Haut-Ville.



There are ancient doorways.



Pretty facades.



Another enchanting fountain.



A cobbled lane leads up to the castle.



Wife Shirley and friend Julia at the castle ruins.



There is a steep narrow path that goes up to the castle. The castle is closed but the hike up is rewarded by wonderful views out over Vaison-la-Romaine's Ville-Basse.

Pizzas A Emporter, Sablet

While you can find pizza all over France, pizza in Provence seems to taste better, i.e. better ingredients and crust. You can eat very good pizza in the most unlikely of spots, be they modest bistros in villages like Villedieu (see previous posts about Maison Bleue) or from brick-oven-equipped pizza trucks.

I think it is because the people of Provence are raised on a Mediterranean diet: they understand and get wonderful tomatoes, basil, olive oil and anchovies. Second, the region's proximity to Italy and its influx of Italian immigrants, vacationers and retirees has, over the decades, provided a steady supply of pizza cognoscenti, people who know a lot about pizza.

While we love to go to pretty Villedieu for pizza at Maison Bleue, especially in nice weather so we can sit on the plane tree-shaded town square, there is good pizza available in Sablet for a quick meal or emporter - take out.

The pizzeria in Sablet is owned by Bruno who also owns Café des Sports next door. He took over the pizzeria from Loïc and his wife this past May when they relocated to Southwest France. We first met Loïc during a visit to Sablet one evening when the fuse blew on the hot water heater and daughter Stephanie wanted to give son Dylan a bath.

It was about 8:00 at night and a Sunday as I recall. I knew that not much was open, but being desperate (unhappy Stephanie makes one desperate), I walked to the pizzeria and introduced myself to Loïc who was standing outside chatting with one of the locals.

I told him about the fusible - fuse. He told me to wait there and went inside the pizzeria and came out with a box of assorted fuses which he searched through till he found one that matched. He refused to take any money for the fuse, a very kind gesture.

That was my introduction to the pizzeria. After that night, whenever Loïc would see me, he would call out "bonjour Californie". I am not sure if he couldn't remember my name or just liked saying Californie.

One evening, wife Shirley and I were walking by and Loïc invited us to join his family and some friends for a little get together at the pizzeria. By the time the evening was over, we were doing la bise - exchanging kisses on alternating cheeks with everyone there.



We miss seeing our friend Loïc standing outside the pizzeria. Bruno has renovated the interior of the pizzeria and upgraded the kitchen. To be truthful, the pizza while good when Loïc was the owner, is probably better now under Bruno. What lacks without Loïc is his charm and loud humor that seemed to fill the pizzeria inside and out.

This is the current pizza chef at the pizzeria.



One of the advantages to having both the pizzeria and Café des Sports owned by Bruno and next to each other is you can go into the Café des Sports and get a pastis, beer or glass of wine. The pizzeria has quite a large variety of pizzas to propose for eating on the terrace or for take out, but they have a very limited selection of beverages.

Our friend Adam enjoying a beer from Café des Sports while waiting for a pizza on the terrace outside the pizzeria.