Qui mange Quoi? Aix-En-Provence
Trip Start
Sep 22, 2010
1
10
22
Trip End
Oct 08, 2010
Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
When we arrived in Aix-En-Provence (colloquially known as Aix and pronounced "X") on the 27th we quickly took note of the large number of brasserie, aimed at both tourists and locals alike, that line the Cours Mirabeau on one side, opposite a small open-air market on the other.
After dropping our gear off in our room and a quick sit-down, Melissa and I headed to Café le Grillon just a few doors down from the hotel. I had a less-than-mediocre steak-frites, Melissa had a "bruschetta", which must be Aixois for “large piece of bread with canned pasta sauce, and sliced mozzarella baked onto it”. I would say it was nothing to write home about, but. alas I am here, writing home about it. It seemed each establishment along Cours Mirabeau served the same dishes, even the “Irish” pub. There was one positive, which was worth the poor food and service. Like every brasserie along Cours Mirabeau, the people-watching opportunities were, thus-far, unrivaled—this appears to be the main selling feature at the restaurants where every patron on the patio sat facing the road, and not each other. I also found it interesting that the brasseries only occupied one side of the street, this was likely because the sun only shone on the north side and nobody wants to sit in the shade while people-watching.
That night we decided that it was time for another good meal. We made a reservation at Le Bistro Latin. Don’t let the name fool you though, nothing about this place was Latin. The food was decidedly French, the décor Greco-Roman, and the patrons predominantly Anglophone, save the French gentleman that was clearly meeting his English girlfriend’s parents for the first time. As we sat, our friendly waitress asked if we would like an apéritif; having had declined one each other time we ate, we decided we would go all out and ordered one. I had a Heineken, and Melissa had Kir Royal (Champagne with Crème de Cassis). The night was off to a good start.
The waitress kindly asked if we would like French or English menus, and seemed to be lifted when we asked for the specials in French. We ordered our meals, I had the Menu Découverte (a tasting menu) and Melissa ordered from the Menu du Marché along with a local Coteaux d’Aix En Provence Blanc Cuvée du Château from Château Beaupré.
For appetizers Melissa had the cold carrot and anise soup, which was delicious and a good way to whet the palette before the entrées. I had a trio of foie gras on toast, terrine, and salmon crêpe. The salmon crêpe was delicious, the salmon served raw wrapped with what must have been a creamed cheese, the taste of the fresh salmon reigned supreme. The terrine was smooth and soft, spread over bread it added a delicious je ne sais quoi to the dish. The foie gras was, well, it’s foie gras. As we finished our appetizers, an old couple was just sitting down and struggling with the menu and the waitress’ attempts at explaining the Menu Découverte we decided to translate for her earning a few more stars.
Both Melissa and I were slightly disappointed when we were informed that Melissa’s desired red snapper was not available, and that there were no prawns, which meant the prawns and scallops I ordered would be scallops only. Melissa quickly decided on vegetable lasagne in lieu of the snapper as the other option, duck, we had eaten the night before in Avignon. The vegetable lasagne was better than mundane, but not earth-shattering; made with layers of cheese, cream, creamy cheese, and a few chopped vegetables (mostly tomatoes and peppers) the dish was very satisfying and tasted like a good home-cooked meal. The scallops I had were cooked perfectly, and when it’s so easy to under- or over-cook a piece of shellfish like a scallop, that says a lot. They were perfectly coloured and topped with a cheese sauce and they just melted in my mouth. To the left of the scallops was a puck of risotto, which had the perfect combination of cream and cheese; to the right was an orange wedge of what looked like cheese, was smooth like whipped butternut squash, and was later identified as polenta.
We followed all this up with pear ice cream with chocolate sauce, and a trio of coconut panna cotta with raspberry sauce, crème brûlée, and chocolate mousse. The winner of the desserts, as always, was the crème brûlée, but the chocolate mousse was a close second, if not tied for winner.
We topped the night off with a lovely stroll back to our hotel and settled in for the night. We wanted to be well rested so as to make the best of the morning in wonderful Aix before leaving for Nice...
