Underestimated Beziers

It is easy to take a disparaging view of Beziers. There is a faltering economy, no nightlife to speak of and a disproportional density of the extremely aged. The flipside of this situation is affordability, authenticity and a lack of tourists. The Biteroise (people from Beziers) are more likely to be genuinely unpretentiously knowledgeable about regional wines than their younger hipper counterparts in Montpellier. The selection at wine bars, restaurants and even cafés reflects this. Of course they are closer to the heartland of quality Languedoc wine production, being amidst Saint Chinain, Minervois and Corbièrs amongst others. Being a smaller city with a population of 54000 they have remained more agricultural in their bent than the much larger Montpellier. Agricultural patches are still visible from several places in the city center.

Climb the endless stairs of my favourite French cathedral to the musical accompaniment of the perhaps the most dramatic organist anywhere and take in the best view of the town and its surroundings at the 'Cathederal St. Nazaire'.

Get fantastic organic bread at 'Le Pain des Moissons' (67 Ave: Marechal Foch). http://paindesmoissons.free. This one of only 3 locations in France where the baker mills his own gourmet flour on the premises and if you are lucky he might even give you a tour and explanation of the process. Another aspect of this bakery that makes it a relative rarity is that it produces top quality breads AND pastries. Generally, I have found that if a bakery masters one they tend to only churn out the other as a concession to people who want to buy both breads and pastries at the same location. This may hearken back to the era when bounlangerie, patiserie, choclatisserie, were all separate shops and the modern effort to consolidate them to compete with super markets has meant sacrificing one or the other of the specialist trades.

For the best stock I have ever seen at any wine bar go to 'Le Chameau Ivre' -the drunken camel (15 place Jean Jaures). You can peruse their large catalogs or just stagger around astonished studying their shelves to see all the wines they have on offer. Their prices often match that of the producer which is cool because they also serve as a 'caviste' so you can order bottles to take home.
Next door is another Frères Pourcell restaurant that experiments with a little Asian fusion, I was sceptical at first but everything that I have tasted from their 28 Euro menu was bang on. I can hardly fault the quality of this location of 'La Compagnie Des Comtoirs'. www.lacompagniedescomptoirs.com

For more classic fare try 'La Raffinerie', my Biteroise friend's still swear by it though they concede it is a notch below its previous standards since a recent change in ownership.14 Avenue Joseph Lazare. www.laraffinerie.com