Dining at a Michelin three star restaurant in France, also known as spending an obscene amount of money on a single meal, is not something we do every day. In fact the only time we indulged was many years ago at Georges Blanc’s restaurant in Vonnas, in the Bresse, which bumps up against Burgundy. And it WAS a memorable meal. So this week we took a nostalgic trip back to Vonnas with good friends visiting from the states, who had in fact shared that sumptuous meal with us, so many years before. (Georges Blanc is apparently not related to that other famous chef, Raymond Blanc, whom we discussed in a recent post).
This time we skipped Chef Blanc’s three-star. But: across the street from his luxurious hotel/restaurant in this flowery town (owned mostly by the master himself, and renovated to within an inch of its charming life) is L’Ancienne Auberge, his casual bistro restaurant. Same chef, same impressive cuisine team, but with a 24€ daily lunch menu that may be the best deal in France. We have savored many a meal there.
Photos: above, the hotel; the wine shop by the creek. Below, our group wishes you bonne santé; le coq is the Blanc symbol.
The decor is inviting and interesting too, something you don’t always get in France. So we happily dined al fresco on this sunny October day, in the interior courtyard.
The 24€ menu du jour was this: rillettes of salmon with a red pepper coulis for l’entrée (luscious), beef cheeks slow-cooked in a rich red wine sauce for le plat (we sopped every last bit of sauce) which came with a penne pasta gratin (maybe the best mac&cheese we’ve ever had), and une assiette de desserts (chocolate mousse, 3 tarts, and a tiny, 3-tiered mocha cake). Ron veered off from the set menu and ordered the famous poulet de Bresse, the ultimate roasted chicken served with potatoes an oh-so- decadent creamy herb sauce.
Vonnas is a perfect little foodie side trip if you’re traveling through Burgundy. It’s about an hour from Beaune, even closer from Macon or Chalon-sur-Saône. And you can spend a morning poking around the village: strolling through the small weekly market (on Thursdays), dreaming your way through his well-stocked kitchen shop, or tasting the offerings at the wine and gourmet food boutique. Take photos on the flowery arched bridge, then settle in for a very fine meal at the Auberge that will leave you starry-eyed, at a very down-to-earth price. Or if you’re feeling riche, book a room and reach for the sky!
If you go: get all the details here, and do try to take a side trip to the historic town of Bourg-en-Bresse. Chef Blanc also has brasseries in Lyon and Macon.
RECIPE: Pumpkin Gratin, Inspired by the Master
I poked around on-line for Georges Blanc recipes and didn’t come up with much. But I did read an interview in which he described how he makes his pumpkin gratin, though in vague terms with no amounts. So I sort of faked it (and added parmesan, nuts and a bit of bacon to the mix), and you can fake it too, no need to measure. I served it as a main course, and even my resident carnivore was pleased.
For two servings, take a small pumpkin or butter nut squash, peel and cut it into 2” squares. Salt it well and leave it in a colander to drain overnight (this was Georges's idea, though I can’t really see that it was necessary. I will skip it in the future, or let it sit for an hour).
Dry it well and put it on a sheet pan in single layer, toss with just a bit of olive oil plus some pepper, and roast it in a hot oven (450F, 220c) for 20 minutes or so, until just soft. Reduce oven to 400 (180C).
Meanwhile, chop an onion and fry it with a couple of slices of bacon (this is optional, but made my carnivore happy) until onions are soft and bacon is crisp. Remove bacon and chop (I used lardons, already chopped). Drain the pan if you like, but leave enough to de-glaze it. Add some heavy cream to pan with the onions and bacon (¼ cup per person is about right). Bring just to a boil and de-glaze pan. Turn off heat and add squash; I mashed mine ever so lightly. Stir it all together.
Pour it all into a gratin pan, top with coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, and sprinkle lightly with gruyère and parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes and serve hot.
In the COMMENTS: One of our loyal readers, Kim Defforge of the 24/7 in France blog, has written a book about self-publishing that looks like a must-read for authors: How To Write Your First Book: My Personal Step-by-Step Guide
(check out Kim's other books too, Solitary Desire: One Woman's Journey to France
and Sun, Sea & Savoir-Faire: Travel Focus on the French Riviera
). Michaela, thanks for the great tip on cheap formatting! Linda, a book trailer is the same idea as a movie trailer, done by the author and posted on-line. As an example you can see Kelly's tralier for her book Sailing to Jessica
on youtube or on her website. Author/photographer/designer Karen Chase does fabulous book trailers for authors, by the way, if you're not a DIY person.
Favorite reads: Did you know our loyal reader and faithful commenter Natalia is a magazine writer? Dog lovers, be sure to check out The Yorkshire Terrier Magazine, to see her work. Sue Wallace recommends The Road to Burgundy: The Unlikely Story of an American Making Wine and a New Life in France
In other news: Missing Paris? I love Virginia's latest Paris photos at Paris Through My Lens. And if you happen to be in Birmingham, Virginia's doing a photography class at Samford this fall.
12 thoughts on “Happily Descending a Ladder of Stars”
Many happy memories of fabulous lunches here.thank you Lynn. I have his recipe book called ‘plat de Jour’…very good
Looks like a beautiful setting for a delicious, traditional French meal – Bravo!
You have made me want to go to Vonnas. Great description of the place and the food. Thanks. And all the great links at the end are intriguing.
Great recipe – can’t wait to try it! I enjoy fall so much, and one of the things I love about the change of seasons is the change of cuisine… have been eagerly awaiting my butternut squash risottos and pastas, and will add this to the menu mix.
We enjoyed a meal a few years ago in the lovely auberge you describe – thanks for the memories and great photos!
Quite frankly it sounds like the bistro has better food! I had the opportunity to eat in the 3 star place a three years ago and I must say I was quite disappointed (not to mention a bit overwhelmed by the George Blanc Disneyfication of Vonnas). Obviously the restaurant decor is perfect and opulent in every way. However I did find the service to be rather off-hand and impersonal, given that a place like that should offer extremely attentive and helpful service (especially from the sommelier – in this case sommeliers, as there appear to be quite a few of them). And the food: we had some of their benchmark dishes. The frog’s legs were interesting but basically tasted like salt, since they were embedded in it and cooked in it. The Bourg-en-Bresse chicken was…well.. a piece of chicken, etc. I guess for those who have not had a 3 star experience it might be a good visit. There are many better places in Lyon and the rest of France where you may spend a bit less and get a lot more.
That sounds like a delicious meal. I would take that over the Michelin 3 star anyways. By the way, have you read Au Revoir to All That? It’s a fascinating look at the Michelin system, and food in general, in France. And pumpkin gratin sounds like a very good idea!
I’ve been in Bourg-en-Bresse region but didn’t know about this. I ate an “official” Bresse chicken with a little Bresse marker stuck in it and everything to indicate it was from the region. It tasted like chicken. Meh. However I’ll make a note of the bistro. When you say “bacon” in the recipe, are you referring to a French version of bacon. I don’t think I’ve ever tried that.
Lynn,that meal( so restores my faith in restaurant cuisine!) and that gratin recipe(YUM!) has sent me sailing toward heaven!
Your kind mention of me and The Yorkshire Terrier Magazine is most gratefully appreciated. All I can say is : THANK YOU!
And (of course) WOW! What an honor!
There could NOT be a better way to start the weekend!
Great post, I have just hit “print” to have a copy to take to the kitchen. Fingers crossed that my own “resident carnivore” will be willing to give it a try.
Now–any suggestions from any of you out there as to how to cut a squash into those 2-inch squares for cooking?
Thanks to those who wrote about “poulet de Bresse.” As a French teacher and confirmed foodie, I’ve always wondered whether it would really be worth the effort and expense to try it. Thanks to you, I don’t think I’ll go out of my way to make it happen. But will keep Vonnas on the mental list of places to go one day. (There’s always a next trip being planned in the back of my head.) Thanks again for this blog, Lynne!
Some of us travelers live to eat and others eat to live. I’m in the live to eat category and have always taken note of the food I have consumed in France. I remember one velouté de potiron that I enjoyed as an entrée at my Christmas meal last December in Saint-Raphaël with a view of the Mediterranean. That soup came with a star-shaped dollop of foie gras. If I had been at home, I would have licked the bowl clean. I remember every single spoonful. I never wanted it to end!
I immediately downloaded “Sun, Sea and Savoir Faire,” and after glancing through the first ten pages or so, contacted two friends who are leaving this weekend for a two-week trip with their husbands followed by a month-long intensive French class in the Nice area. That book is for them! And one of them has already taken advantage of it. Great timing, Lynn.
Sorry to say I tried earlier to post a comment and, sigh, I lost it when I hit “preview.” Some day I’ll learn that lesson. So here goes again, though you can be assured it can’t possibly be as brilliant a response as the first one I wrote.
Lovely post and the pumpkin recipe looks divine. Thanks Lynn.
Writing from AZ now and reflecting on our year in France! Enjoying our time with family and looking forward to our return in 2014.
Wishing you more happy adventures and a beautiful Autumn in Burgundy.
Lynn …I enjoyed your blog about lunch at the Bistro….and it is fun to see your friends that I recognize. I’m looking forward to you getting in my kitchen and cooking up some of this good STUFF! Bring your recipes and of course we must go to the grocery as soon as you get here. M.