Photo by kind permission of Jeremy Taylor

20  Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau, 34000 Montpellier

Finally off the plane & in a change of clothes, in a warm & quiet (!!love it!!) garden spot.  Our memories are a little fuzzy on details, but we really enjoyed dinner.  I started with a salad with tomatoes & olives, followed by daurade & a red berry “soup” for dessert.  Stu started with saumon marinee topped with greens & a “tented” (sliced & then spread out like an umbrella) asparagus spear.  He then had pork tenderloin & a crème brulee for desert.  All accompanied by a Faugeres rose. 

Les Mouscardins in St Martin de Londres – rating 8  (6/02)

My wife did not keep a diary on this trip, but we did write down our dinner selections

We started with Amuse Bouches of

-          Accras de Morue

-          The “sac” from coquilles St Jacques on a curved spoon with parsley

-          Avocado on a sweet crisp

-          Brandade in the shape of a madeleine with olive tapenade & sun dried tomato slice

I had the menu a 39E

-          Chilled foie gras with (very flavorful) gelee, arugula in pastry circle

-          Coquille grille in a soy-based butter sauce; thinly sliced asparagus, tomato “compote”

-          Roquefort from the chariot

-          Stuffed fig with walnut ice cream & honey sauce

Stu had the menu a 53E

-          Foie gras poelle in a spicy sweet sauce with arugula in a potato cup

-          Fish fillet de “fera”

-          Canette in sauce with honeyed baby carrots sliced lengthwise; small stuffed tomato with grains

-          cheeses from the cart

-          “cake log” sliced on a diagonal: 2 pieces with an almond crisp

Stu had the 37E menu

-          smoked salmon on a salad bed with pistou vinaigrette

-          “fish” (don’t know what type) on a fennel confit & tapenade (actually diced olives & onions)

-          Agneau au jus with potato quenelle, red pepper chutney

-          Cheese

-          Delices de chocolate

I had the 24E menu

-          same salmon as Stu

-          Ballotine de volaille au sauce supreme

-          white chocolate crème brulee

Gouts et Couleurs in Rodez – rating 10 (9/04)  This is a Michelin 1 star

We had reserved for dinner at Gouts et Couleurs in the historic part of Rodez.  This was actually our anniversary dinner (1 day early!).  The interior of the restaurant was tastefully modern, though we ate outside on the terrace.  The décor (both in & out) didn’t really suggest the creativity of the cuisine, nor the attractive & imaginative serving.  While I’ll describe our courses, I can’t even begin to fully describe every detail & taste; it was truly incredible and, when you take “value” into account as well, it went “off the charts”.  We both agreed this might have been one of the very best meals we’ve ever had.

In starting, we had 4 Amuse Bouches ‘courses’

-          pastry baton & pastry round puffs with cumin

-          a tuna/cumin/lemon “dollop” served in an Asian spoon

-          Gazpacho mousse in a glass with a layer of creamy aspic on top

-          Cepe cappuccino with coffee chantilly served in an espresso cup

I had the menu a 28E

-          Mi-cuit of tuna seasoned with cumin, accented with “stripes” of sauces (see my starting comment about tastes & presentations).

-          Cabillaud with saffron risotto with dollops of lemon saffron cream topped with basil leaves (on the cream), accompanied by fried basil julienne & grapefruit section.

-          Mousseline of roquefort (piped from a pastry bag)

-          Macerated strawberries with whipped cream & “striped” sauces with a chocolate feuillete (thin arched strip) with imbedded mint leaves.

Stu had the menu a 44E

-          “soupe” au pistou (a whipped cream consistency of basil) served in a fancy ice cream glass cup with a boule of fruit sorbet & chopped “things” at the bottom with a cheese popsicle.

-          Sautéed foie gras with many types of beet accompaniments: pickled, juice, julienne, chips, essence

-          Stuffed rabbit leg: stuffed with rabbit loin meat, mushrooms, with a quenelle of mushroom, spinach, bulghur, served with 4 different “stripes” of sauces.

-          Roquefort (it’s near here, so it’s featured in many ways on many menus!) crème brulee

-          Chocolate “garden” dessert: chocolate flower pots with various fillings (e.g. candied nuts, fondants) – like an artful garden on a plate.

With this we had Kirs, a bottle of Tavel Rose, 1 glass of Cahors red wine, and a demi Badoit, all for 116E 

The ambience was so inviting – stone vaulted walls accented with deep ochre in some areas, gorgeous French antique pieces, custom linens & imaginative candles & votives.

Amuse bouche of cheese & tapenade pastries.

I had the menu a 32E

-          Soupe de Poisson- my first of this trip.  And, wow, this one was fabulous – deeply colored and very thick, with a wonderfully piquant aoili.  It was served from a big tureen, with garlic toasts and grated cheese.

-          Cabillaud with tapenade and a buttery basil tomato sauce – very moist & perfectly prepared

-          Illes Flotantes with caramel sauce

Stu had the menu a 41E

-          Amuse Bouche of cucumber gazpacho

-          Mi-cuit foie gras with a glass of Muscat wine

-          Roasted pigeon with a dark wild game sauce, along with potatoes Dauphinois (among the best!), a light squash puree, and assorted vegetables

-          Cheese chariot – 3 choices including Epoisses

-          Delice aux 3 chocolates

We both had post dinner sweets.  Altogether a wonderful dinner, with kirs, a 50cl rose, a 50cl Cahors red – total 104E.