Dining Out - Overview and Other Odds and Ends
I would like to acquaint you from a local perspective with restaurants in the modest to higher price range. The Provence has a great number of restaurants, the "good" the "bad" and the surprisingly few "ugly". One word up front: I don't do restaurant reviews the way some of the established restaurant guides do, rehashing the menus in flowery language, exploring the wine list, the decor and background of the owners. From me you get it straight with little or no embellishments.
I have grouped my restaurant recommendations by region:
Aix en Provence
Arles & les Alpilles
Avignon & Environs
Drôme Provençale
Luberon & l'Isle sur la Sorgue
Vaison la Romaine & Pays du Ventoux
Avignon has a great selection of restaurants, so does Aix en Provence. Marseille is not one of the premier tourist destinations, but definitely worth a visit once you are in the Provence; I will have some recommendations later in 2007 - great restaurant scene there! The Luberon is a slightly different story. Nearly all of the houses in the delightful old villages are now owned by non-residents, the well-to-do from Paris, London, Geneva, the US and other parts of the world. The Luberon is strictly seasonal - 6 months of the year it is as quiet there as in a graveyard, whereas the more Northern wine regions are still pretty busy. It's pretty tough to run a restaurant business there, especially if real estate prices are sky high. Yet, there are some excellent restaurants in the Luberon. St.Remy de Provence and les Alpilles have a decent selection of restaurants, so does Arles and to a lesser extent the Camargue. The Northern Provence is the Côtes du Rhône wine region; good food and wine belong together. No surprise that the region around Vaison la Romaine has one of the best restaurant scenes in the French countryside. Here you can enjoy true Provençal cuisine in a peaceful country setting with a glass or two of wine from Gigondas, Rasteau, Cairanne, Vacqueyras, Vinsobres, Seguret, Sablet..... the list goes on and on.
You will notice that in some locations I am a bit short on restaurant recommendations. In certain places, heavily frequented by tourists, many restaurants tend to change hands quickly. I think their owners are really in the business of real estate speculation. This is especially the case on the Côte d'Azur. So rather than having a negative list I just omit them. They might be listed in relevant guides anyway (is one guide copying from the other?). I don't care. But if you have discovered one which is worthwhile mentioning, please let me know, I will check it out.
Here are some thoughts on lunch. If you are on a sightseeing schedule in the countryside, the question is always, where do we have lunch. Right? Here is a suggestion: Do as the French do; buy a baguette or gros pain, some pate, a nice chèvre, cornichons, olives, tapenade, anchoiade or simply a tomato - have your pick. Spread a blanket under a shady tree, have a glass of chilled rosé, plenty of mineral water (a cooler is a great asset in the summer time) and voila - the perfect summer lunch! Takes a little bit of planning, but it's worth it. Have you ever noticed how many French are doing this? Frankly I can't eat twice a day in a restaurant - it wears me down after a couple of days. In order to enjoy a good dinner at night, I have a very small breakfast, a coffee and a croissant, a very light lunch and then I am hungry enough for dinner. This strategy pays off, believe me!
For dinner I have one word of caution, seriously. Be aware that driving under the influence carries a heavy penalty in France and controls are frequent. I mean frequent - your chance of being checked at night is as high as 25% in some areas, depending on what age you are, the younger the more checks. If you don't have a designated driver use a cab, there are many cab services available at reasonable prices. Call in advance, they will pick you up and bring you home. These controls happen to us regularly when we are dining out in the wine country, Gigondas, Seguret and around Vaison la Romaine - 10 PM at night on small country roads. I am not kidding.
Opening times: Restaurants in France are generally open from 12:00 – 2:00 PM for lunch and 7:00 – 9:00 PM for dinner (best time to arrive: 7:30 - 8:00 PM). If you arrive at 9:30 PM for dinner you might be told politely that the kitchen is about to close; even if the restaurant is full. As most restaurants are closed on at least 1 day a week it is advisable to phone in advance in any case (remember: in France you always need to dial the full number, even for local calls). Sunday evenings many restaurants are closed, especially in the off season and the shoulder seasons.
Reservations An absolute must during the season (April to October), especially for dinner.
Tips: Normally the bill should include the service charge - it will show on the menu and the bill as "service compris". If this is the case round the amount up by a couple of Euros, if you are extremely satisfied by not more than 5%. Some restaurants don't include the service charge. A tip of 15% is expected (10% if you are not 100% satisfied); don't hesitate to give no tip if you are totally disappointed.
l'Étiquette: One of the enjoyable traits of the French is that they are very civilized with each other. Rude or loud behavior is a sign of low education. Rather then being offended the reaction of educated people will be: "What a pity, this person did not not have the privilege of a proper education." And expect to shake hands if you meet someone more than once or are introduced for the first time by a friend. French are notorious hand shakers. You get used to it.
So what about this French habit of kissing people on the cheek? If you want to know more about this loveable feature of French etiquette read Faire la Bise on our blog.
To sum it up: politeness is your calling card stating your level of education. So complaints - if necessary at all - are communicated in a civilized manner and low key.
Enough talk, let's move on. You find my restaurant recommendations sorted by region on the above web pages, just click on the links. And if you have some suggestions or want to listen to more stories about wine, food and other odds and ends of the Provence, visit our blog. Send me your suggestions, reviews or whatever else is bugging you.
