Bistro du'O, Vaison la Romaine
So Pierre and I were back in Vaison la Romaine last Saturday. The town and surrounding countryside is my favorite area in the Provence, a nice contrast to my home town Avignon.
Our friends told us of the Bistro du'O, which opened its doors a month ago in the historic Haute Ville of Vaison la Romaine. It is located close to the Vieux Vaison Pizzeria on Rue du Château in a rustic caveau. The stone vaulted ceilings and eclectic furnishings create a nice ambiance. Only drawback: no outside seating area. They can seat about 36 people and provide just one menu which changes daily. Prices range from Euro 18 for appetizer and main course or main course and dessert to Euro 24 for the 3 course menu. Assiette de Fromage is an extra Euro 6. An extremely well focused selection of wines, mostly from the Southern Côtes du Rhône; they charge a competitive Euro 17 - 24. You can also order wine by the glass or the house wine in a decanter.
For starters we were served a mis en bouche, a delicately seasoned mousse de pois-chiche (chickpea mousse), compliments of the house. We ordered a rosé from Domaine de la Mordorée in Tavel - one of my two favorite rosés. As appetizer they served an Assiette de Charcuterie "Noir de Bigorre"; smoked ham, cured sausages and paté made from the Bigorre Gascony Black Pig. The Bigorre pig is an ancient race, nearly extinct in the 1980s, but now raised in the Midi-Pyrénées region. Its meat has an exceptional quality, a great treat if you can get it. This was accompanied by home baked bread served on a wooden board. You cut it yourself with a big sharp knife and pray not to have an extra slice of your own thumb on your plate. Nice idea and delicious. This was followed by the main course: Pavé du Thon "Comme Salad Niçoise", a new twist to an old favorite of the Provence. The tuna fillet, thick, perfectly sauteed was served with a delicate soy based sauce. The salad was served in a bowl on the main plate, extremely high quality but in terms of seasoning a bit of a letdown. The quality of the olive oil from Nyons was excellent; an extra touch of salt, pepper and vinegar would have made the salad perfect. As dessert we were served Pêche Braisé aux Miel et Vin Blanc - light, superb, divine!
Bistro food extremely well prepared! No wonder, the Bistro du'O, the name is a play on "Duo", is a joint venture between Raoul Reichrath of Le Grand Pré in nearby Roaix and Yves Gras of Domaine Santa Duc in Gigondas. Raoul and his Mexican wife Flora run one of the best restaurants in the region. Overall: Upscale bistro food, great wine selection, friendly service and nice ambiance. A place to come back to. Great concept!
Jim said:
Thanks for the advice. We really enjoyed Le Petit Bedon in Avignon and tried some lovely, and some less so, wines around the region.
posted on 2006-08-06 at 3:30 pm