Le Tourne au Verre Restaurant, Cairanne

We arrived in Sablet as winter's cold and rain gave way to clear skies and warm weather heralding the arrival of spring in Provence. Every time a local would say how lucky we were with the weather, I would say "we brought the weather from California."

I usually arrive with a list of villages to visit, restaurants to try, and wines to taste, this time was no exception. Le Barroux, a small village on a hilltop east of Sablet where I had learned my grandfather owned a house topped the list. We have been to the saffron farm near Le Barroux but never visited the village. This was our plan for the first Monday. But first there was déjeuner (lunch) to attend to.

View toward Cairanne over the vineyards

Cairanne is a small village in the middle of the Côtes du Rhône about 8 kms northwest of Sablet. The newer part of Cairanne which includes a few shops, the Town Hall, and school sits below the old village up on the top of the hill. Cairanne was a fortified village of the Knights Hospitallers in Medieval times.

The restaurant Le Tourne au Verre is also in the center of new Cairanne on Route de Sainte Cécile which is where we headed for lunch.

Fountain in the center of Cairanne

Le Tourne au Verre is a restaurant wine bar with a terrace for outdoor dining and a large bar where lunch is served and an adjoining dining room for dinner. We have eaten here on several previous occasions but it was several years back.

Le Tourne au Verre Restaurant

Upon entering, I noted the bar area seemed brighter and prettier than I recalled. We were seated at a small table by a pretty woman, with short blond hair. The menu changes daily and is presented on a blackboard. There are three choices for starters, main course and dessert. We chose the three course option for 16€, about 22 USD. At dinner, the three course option is 28€.

Daily blackboard menu at Le Tourne au Verre Restaurant

Dining room at Le Tourne au Verre Restaurant

The starters we chose included salt cod with salad greens and pepper vinaigrette; and

Salt cod with salad greens and pepper vinaigrette

green salad with goat cheese and tapenade on toast.

Green salad with goat cheese and tapenade on toast

For our main courses, we chose fillet of trout over rice with herb vinaigrette; and

Fillet of trout over rice with herb vinaigrette

and grilled duck breast over mashed potatoes with mushroom sauce.

Grilled duck breast over mashed potatoes with mushroom sauce

For dessert, we selected the cassis parfait; and

Cassis parfait

and apple tart.

Apple tart

Our friend Kari decided she wanted cheese which came with an assortment of greens instead of dessert.

Assortment of local cheeses with greens

All of the food was delicious, excellent ingredients, cooked perfectly, so good we returned twice, once for lunch and then for dinner, during our sojourn in Sablet. The price was a bargain and especially for ingredients and cooking this good.

The blond server was super friendly and gave Shirley and Kari samples of the locally made soaps and hand lotion they sold there. As we were leaving the restaurant after dinner our last night, I told her we were leaving the next day but we would be back in the fall.

She responded sweetly that they would not be at Le Tourne au Verre Restaurant when we came back as they had sold the restaurant and would be leaving at the end of March. She said she didn't know what they would be doing after that besides taking time off.

I hope the new owners have maintained the quality of cooking and prices but won't know till we return in the fall. If any of you who read Our House in Provence blog have eaten at Le Tourne au Verre since ownership changed, please let me know. I would love to know.

I had a problem with my computer plus I have been super busy so I have not been blogging. Hopefully, I can catch up soon. Have a great week. Chat soon.

Le Tourne au Verre
Route Sainte Cécile
84290 Cairanne
Tel: 04 90 30 72 18
www.letourneauverre.com