If you have been living in the Montpellier region for a while and you would like to try some places which are off the beaten path or specialize in non-regional things, I have made a short and incomplete list from my own experience.
Café des Négotiants, boulevard Jeu de Paume.
Opposite La Toure Babbote observatoire.
If you’re never likely to go to Strasbourg or you’re pining for the Rhine or you simply want to try something different from southern French fare, you might try this place. It has a bit of a gritty rough and ready atmosphere being so close to the train station and on the busy boulevard Jeu de Paume but you can enjoy a very honest sour kraut lunch with some Alsatian beers or wine. It's an address I might recommend for a rainy day when you have already been to all the usual places and you don't want to stretch your budget. A massive plate of sour kraut with a variety of sausages will set you back between 13 and 20 Euros depending on your selection.
What they really need to do is add some Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines to their list. They do have some Edelzwicker which is perfectly adequate and not too expensive for their dishes.
L'art du cochone, 55 Avenue de Marie de Montpellier
Near the Rive du Lez, Porte Mariane tramway stop and the University buildings at Richter.
This is a restaurant/wine bar/wine shop.
The restaurant part is upstairs and pricey but elegant. The down stairs is very nicely laid out and modern. Down stairs it's called 'Marchand de vins' but it is essentially the same place. At lunch time you can get a reasonable “plat du jour” that comes with a wine that is often from outside the region. They seem particularly fond of Burgundies. Not a place I would recommend for going very often because the wines available by the glass are limited and their prices start at around 5 Euros. It is nice for having a single glass with friends while nibbling on some tapas or enjoying their daily special and checking out all the different bottles on display around you. You may get inspired to take one home for dinner; I suppose that is the idea. They do have quite a few local wines available to take home by the bottle and quite a few things from outside the region as well. They also feature a number of single malt whiskeys and specialty wines. I wouldn't bother taking people from out of town there since there is nothing particularly local about the place or its neighbourhood, it is fairly anti-septic and modern thus not likely to interest "new world" visitors.
www.vpoint.fr
www.cartesurtables.com/les-restaurants/montpellier/restaurant_de-l-art-ou-du-cochon-681
L'art Des Mets, 5 Rue de l'ancienne post
Another address not far from Jeu de paume, Toure de Babotte.
I find it tough to find satisfactory Italian restaurants in Montpellier but then again, why should I? This one is the best of the lot without spending an absolute fortune. I did not try any of their Italian wines but my justification for that is that I always find Italian wines over priced in France and frankly not all that great. Besides, local wines complement Italian cooking fairly well and so they should since there is not such a great difference in distance or in the central composition of dishes' ingredients. Having said this, my favourite wine is Barolo but you need to spend at least 40 Euros here to find one in drinkable condition and it's bloody rare.
You can watch them make the pasta by hand in this restaurant and the overall quality is very high. Expect to pay around 25 -30 Euros per person with wine.
Try the 'Domaine de 4 vents' red. They should have 'Le baiser du aphrodite' or 'Le coline de l'amour'. I recommend either. You can't order a more local wine while in Montpellier. They are both 100 percent Carignan and taste like a fine blend. The proprietor is 102 years old so.... "Santé".
The only online info you can get about this domain you can get by googling "aux 4 vents" or try plugging in the following:
http://www.montpellier-agglo.com/1143039358792/0/fiche___article/&RH=1244562562565
Monday, March 1, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Montpellier Wine Bars revisted
When I first arrived in Montpellier, only 6 years ago, my fellow Anglo-Saxons and I could not understand where all the wine bars were hidden. For almost a year I assumed that they were just hidden from the uninitiated. In reality, there were none which was incredible in view of the fact that wine bars were now everywhere in every civilized part of the world except for some reason in a relatively cosmopolitan city in one of the biggest and most diverse wine growing regions on the planet. This is a lesson in how slow the French and in particular the Southern French are to begin any change. This cranky slowness has its advantages too.
The good news is that now Montpellier boasts a wide variety of wine bars and the list I made this summer is already well out of date. Once change finally gets going here it's impossible to stop as evidenced by the way wine production has revolutionized here in the last 20 years from mass production of table wines for daily use in giant co-operatives to a crafted range of domain wines marketed at finer pallets. The result of this qualitative overhaul has been great, almost bewildering, choice amongst a range of individual wines and wineries which now we can finally enjoy in a wine bar setting.
Baron Rouge
A relative new comer. They have a very good list of wines which regularly introduces new bottles to their list so even regulars can make new discoveries. Great cloistered atmosphere with the vaulted ceilings typical of older buildings in central Montpellier. The barrels and candles really make you feel like you are enjoying the inside of a monastic wine cellar. They offer quality tapas to help you appreciate the wine as it should be.
Esprit Vin
Wide open comfortable atmosphere with a nicely situated terrace for when the music gets too loud inside. Their wine list is long enough to keep you occupied for a long time. They have the best value mixed tapas plate in town. Essentially, two can dine for 12 Euros, not counting the wine.
Prices are such that you might as well order by the glass if you wish to try different wines in the same evening.
In Vino Veritas
Not far from the central square Place de la Comedie. A usually busy place that could pass for a wine bar almost anywhere in the world but in a nice way. The tapas and wines are all local. The service is efficient and friendly.
Take Five
A tiny place which is a little more downscale from the majority of local wine bars but you aren't likely to spend a fortune. There is always jazz music playing inside and local art or photography being displayed on the walls and these are things which also tend to please the average wino. Your wine will be served in a cheap balloon glass and they don't generally lay out on presentation but it's agreeable enough.
Times Café
A well established address in the St. Roche quartier.
Generally very good service and pleasant if sometimes crowded atmosphere.
A good wine list which unfortunately has not really changed since the bar opened about four years ago.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Pic St. Loup
The distinct looking 'Pic St. Loup' hill top is a great place for a wine tour. The domaines are close enough together to make visiting easy and scenery in the area makes the cruising around all the more agreable. Everybody loves AOC Pic St. Loup wine. They were one of the first recognized champions in the drive for higher quality wines in Languedoc. The micro climate in the stretch between Hortus and Pic st. Loup lends its distinct flavour. Naturally, their prices have gone up but they are still low in comparison to most reputed wines outside of Languedoc.
The following is a list of vinyards I recomend visiting:
Gaffinel- Domaine Valcyre
http://www.chateau-valcyre.fr
This vintner is quite happy to give you lots of information and explanation and have you taste all of his wines. He has quite a range as he is unafraid of experimenting and going outside the AOC guidelines. The result is a number of tasty inexpensive non AOC alternatives.
Domaine de L'Hortus
This is the most well known and its Bergerie L'Hortus is now a classic. For visiting this one is a little more large and anonymous. You won't be likely to talk directly to the vintner.
Domaine Villeneuve
Another producer that has a wide range of interesting and affordable wines. You can also do a honey tasting after the wine tasting at this domaine.
http://www.domaine-de-villeneuve.com/produits.htm
Mas Bruguière
http://www.mas-bruguiere.com
Chateau Cazeneuve
www.cazeneuve.net
Chateau Peuche Haute
http://www.chateau-puech-haut.com
more expensive and more aggressively commercial than most of their neighbours but their wine is truly awesome.
The following is a list of vinyards I recomend visiting:
Gaffinel- Domaine Valcyre
http://www.chateau-valcyre.fr
This vintner is quite happy to give you lots of information and explanation and have you taste all of his wines. He has quite a range as he is unafraid of experimenting and going outside the AOC guidelines. The result is a number of tasty inexpensive non AOC alternatives.
Domaine de L'Hortus
This is the most well known and its Bergerie L'Hortus is now a classic. For visiting this one is a little more large and anonymous. You won't be likely to talk directly to the vintner.
Domaine Villeneuve
Another producer that has a wide range of interesting and affordable wines. You can also do a honey tasting after the wine tasting at this domaine.
http://www.domaine-de-villeneuve.com/produits.htm
Mas Bruguière
http://www.mas-bruguiere.com
Chateau Cazeneuve
www.cazeneuve.net
Chateau Peuche Haute
http://www.chateau-puech-haut.com
more expensive and more aggressively commercial than most of their neighbours but their wine is truly awesome.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
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
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
Thursday, June 18, 2009
An overnight trip in either direction.
Overnight Trips (possibly by train)
Arles
This is a typical small city in Provence. Lots of left over Roman influence, Colosseum, theatre and plenty of medieval French churches and stuff. The architecture is different from Languedoc Roulssion. The climate is milder and the agriculture more generous and easy. Keep your eyes open for lavender and sunflower fields on the way in and out. People in Provence have always had an easy and good life, it is a place to live of the beauty and fat of the land unless you live in Marseilles or Toulon (tough port cities). I recommend just walking around and exploring.
I stayed at Hotel Acacias
2 Rue de la Cavalerie
04673788
http://www.hotel-acacias.com/
If you are lucky you can maybe get a room with a view of the amphitheatre.
While you are in Provence you may want to try Ratatouille, Daube (braised beef stew), Aioli (garlic laden oil/butter) and some famous wines like Chateau Neuf de Pape, Gigondas, Coti-Roti, Cotes du Rhone or Vaqueyras.
Carcassone
This is mediaeval walled castle city. Very impressive at night and fun to hike around. There are plenty of overdone shops for the tourists, that’s unavoidable but where else can you go and find such a perfectly maintained medieval castle city on such a scale. It is good to eat Cassoulet which is a sort of bean and sausage stew that is famous in the region. It goes very well with Fitou wine, as does sanglier (wild boar) if it appears on your menus. Enjoy the sights in the old town but do your business in the lower ‘’new’‘ town. The ‘’new’‘ part serves locals at local prices. There is a highly recommended generous and inexpensive restaurant on the outskirts of the city called ‘Chateau de Cavennac’. For directions check www.chateau-de-cavennac.fr.
Arles
This is a typical small city in Provence. Lots of left over Roman influence, Colosseum, theatre and plenty of medieval French churches and stuff. The architecture is different from Languedoc Roulssion. The climate is milder and the agriculture more generous and easy. Keep your eyes open for lavender and sunflower fields on the way in and out. People in Provence have always had an easy and good life, it is a place to live of the beauty and fat of the land unless you live in Marseilles or Toulon (tough port cities). I recommend just walking around and exploring.
I stayed at Hotel Acacias
2 Rue de la Cavalerie
04673788
http://www.hotel-acacias.com/
If you are lucky you can maybe get a room with a view of the amphitheatre.
While you are in Provence you may want to try Ratatouille, Daube (braised beef stew), Aioli (garlic laden oil/butter) and some famous wines like Chateau Neuf de Pape, Gigondas, Coti-Roti, Cotes du Rhone or Vaqueyras.
Carcassone
This is mediaeval walled castle city. Very impressive at night and fun to hike around. There are plenty of overdone shops for the tourists, that’s unavoidable but where else can you go and find such a perfectly maintained medieval castle city on such a scale. It is good to eat Cassoulet which is a sort of bean and sausage stew that is famous in the region. It goes very well with Fitou wine, as does sanglier (wild boar) if it appears on your menus. Enjoy the sights in the old town but do your business in the lower ‘’new’‘ town. The ‘’new’‘ part serves locals at local prices. There is a highly recommended generous and inexpensive restaurant on the outskirts of the city called ‘Chateau de Cavennac’. For directions check www.chateau-de-cavennac.fr.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Languedoc wine survival tips
Some Wines to know.
The region has several sub-regions and classifications which can be very complex for an outsider.
The main regions:
(These are primarily known for their reds and occasional rosés)
Corbiers, Fitou, Minervois, Saint Chinian, Montpeyroux, Pic St. Loup, St. Georges d’Orques
St. Saturnin, Coteaux de Languedoc, Faugères, La Clape, St. Drézury
Costiers de Nimes
To tell you which to drink is like telling someone that has never eaten anything before which one or two foods they ought to try. Try them all, compare and taste the difference. There can be good and bad from each one but, if you want to know which I tend to personally enjoy more, I would put Minervois, Pic St. Loup, St. Drezury, Saint Chinian, Faugères and Fitou at the top. Coteaux de Languedoc makes so many different wines and incorporates so much terroir it is difficult to generalize.
St Saturnin, La Clape, Corbiérs and Costiers de Nimes on a lower tier and the rest in the middle. I have had pleasant surprises with my lower ranked wines here but generally they are made on a greater scale and sold to grocery stores for people who just want a cheap drinkable glass of wine for familial consumption.
Languedoc is not famous for its white wines but they make some decent ones. Pic Poul de Pinet is the most popular because they only make white in this region, it is inexpensive and they are supposed to go with the local shell fish.
Don’t turn up your nose at Rosé if you have time. While it may not be a very serious meal wine it can be a refreshing change on a hot afternoon. There are a variety of rosés out there which are very different in taste. It is not made, as some people believe, by mixing red and white wine together. There are different techniques for making rosé including the processing of red grapes as if they were white and separating the skins immediately so the tannins have very little impact on the end product.
Muscat is a sweet white that is particularly popular in the South. There are 3 main regions for muscat: Frontingan, Lunel and Rivsaltes. They each have their disciples, I am not amongst any of these camps. I can attest to the fact that when you taste them together there are discernable differences but I can never remember what they are, Rivsaltes more mineral? Frontingan sweeter? Typically it is taken as an ‘’apertif’‘ before a meal or with foi gras in the same way as Bordelaise take Sauterne with their foi gras.
Banyuls. I have friends that practically sing sonnets at the sight of Banyuls. Each of these sonnets would contain reference to the ‘’chemical marriage’‘ of chocolate and Banyuls. Many chocolate afficionados take their intense chocolate appreciation to another level with a small glass of Banyuls. In my experience this sweet port like drink has never failed to make desert more special.
Don’t forget there are good individual domains in areas that don’t have the big reputations and there are under-performing, over- priced bottles from domains that are coasting on the reputation of their region.
General Tips
Domains usually run off a range of offerings of differing quality and price. Often there will be a "grand cru" (although they may not always call it that) this is the wine they are staking their reputation on and it is the most expensive from each year and often requires the longest aging, an AOC (more about that later), something for more pedestrian consumption, often sold young and then maybe an experiment with some different varietals. Then they may offer a white and a rosé.
Don't look for ''monocépage'' or single varietal wines though some vintners have started puting out all merlots for tourists and the foriegn market and some experiments with all carignan wines have yielded some pleasant results. Generally the wines you find in France and all the AOC wines in the South, as far as I am aware, are blends. The blends used in particular regions are largely predetermined by centuries of oenology determining which local varietalls on certian soils blend most harmoniously. The regional AOC determines what those blends are.
AOC or appelation d'orgine controlée,
means less and less for the consumer. Basically it ensures that the wine was made in a certain region conforming to whatever rules that AOC has established for its wines. Which is not to say that a wine that does not earn the AOC lacks quality, it may be that they used different percentages of varietals than what the local AOC stipulate, or it may be that they are new in town and their grandfather never owned a domain. Hopefully it is a guarantee of a certain level of quality or it won’t be a very good reflection on the region.
Vin de Pays
This is another distinction that some wines get when they are recognized by an outside body for being good regional wine and certain guidelines are followed. This used to be considered inferior to AOC but that is no longer the case. One can find certain vin de pays priced in 100s of Euros now and probably more.
Vin de Table
This is generally not a good sign. This is basically a ‘’fit for human consumption’‘ label. Its like an advertisement saying ‘’guaranteed not to make you go blind’‘.
Other things you can look for as potential indications of quality:
If the bottle has an indented bottom.
This is a more expensive bottle type than the flat bottom and it is more suited for aging wine. The logic is that if they bothered to put it in this type of bottle they thought it was reasonably worthwhile.
‘’Recoltant’‘ written at the top of the bottle.
This means the grapes were hand picked. The logic is that the grapes going in had better quality control.
Chateau, Mas or Domain name
They are clearly identifying themselves as the producers so family credibility is on the line.
Mis en boutielle sur la Domain/Chateau
They did everything on the spot and presumably quality controlled and take responsibility for the whole shebang.
The region has several sub-regions and classifications which can be very complex for an outsider.
The main regions:
(These are primarily known for their reds and occasional rosés)
Corbiers, Fitou, Minervois, Saint Chinian, Montpeyroux, Pic St. Loup, St. Georges d’Orques
St. Saturnin, Coteaux de Languedoc, Faugères, La Clape, St. Drézury
Costiers de Nimes
To tell you which to drink is like telling someone that has never eaten anything before which one or two foods they ought to try. Try them all, compare and taste the difference. There can be good and bad from each one but, if you want to know which I tend to personally enjoy more, I would put Minervois, Pic St. Loup, St. Drezury, Saint Chinian, Faugères and Fitou at the top. Coteaux de Languedoc makes so many different wines and incorporates so much terroir it is difficult to generalize.
St Saturnin, La Clape, Corbiérs and Costiers de Nimes on a lower tier and the rest in the middle. I have had pleasant surprises with my lower ranked wines here but generally they are made on a greater scale and sold to grocery stores for people who just want a cheap drinkable glass of wine for familial consumption.
Languedoc is not famous for its white wines but they make some decent ones. Pic Poul de Pinet is the most popular because they only make white in this region, it is inexpensive and they are supposed to go with the local shell fish.
Don’t turn up your nose at Rosé if you have time. While it may not be a very serious meal wine it can be a refreshing change on a hot afternoon. There are a variety of rosés out there which are very different in taste. It is not made, as some people believe, by mixing red and white wine together. There are different techniques for making rosé including the processing of red grapes as if they were white and separating the skins immediately so the tannins have very little impact on the end product.
Muscat is a sweet white that is particularly popular in the South. There are 3 main regions for muscat: Frontingan, Lunel and Rivsaltes. They each have their disciples, I am not amongst any of these camps. I can attest to the fact that when you taste them together there are discernable differences but I can never remember what they are, Rivsaltes more mineral? Frontingan sweeter? Typically it is taken as an ‘’apertif’‘ before a meal or with foi gras in the same way as Bordelaise take Sauterne with their foi gras.
Banyuls. I have friends that practically sing sonnets at the sight of Banyuls. Each of these sonnets would contain reference to the ‘’chemical marriage’‘ of chocolate and Banyuls. Many chocolate afficionados take their intense chocolate appreciation to another level with a small glass of Banyuls. In my experience this sweet port like drink has never failed to make desert more special.
Don’t forget there are good individual domains in areas that don’t have the big reputations and there are under-performing, over- priced bottles from domains that are coasting on the reputation of their region.
General Tips
Domains usually run off a range of offerings of differing quality and price. Often there will be a "grand cru" (although they may not always call it that) this is the wine they are staking their reputation on and it is the most expensive from each year and often requires the longest aging, an AOC (more about that later), something for more pedestrian consumption, often sold young and then maybe an experiment with some different varietals. Then they may offer a white and a rosé.
Don't look for ''monocépage'' or single varietal wines though some vintners have started puting out all merlots for tourists and the foriegn market and some experiments with all carignan wines have yielded some pleasant results. Generally the wines you find in France and all the AOC wines in the South, as far as I am aware, are blends. The blends used in particular regions are largely predetermined by centuries of oenology determining which local varietalls on certian soils blend most harmoniously. The regional AOC determines what those blends are.
AOC or appelation d'orgine controlée,
means less and less for the consumer. Basically it ensures that the wine was made in a certain region conforming to whatever rules that AOC has established for its wines. Which is not to say that a wine that does not earn the AOC lacks quality, it may be that they used different percentages of varietals than what the local AOC stipulate, or it may be that they are new in town and their grandfather never owned a domain. Hopefully it is a guarantee of a certain level of quality or it won’t be a very good reflection on the region.
Vin de Pays
This is another distinction that some wines get when they are recognized by an outside body for being good regional wine and certain guidelines are followed. This used to be considered inferior to AOC but that is no longer the case. One can find certain vin de pays priced in 100s of Euros now and probably more.
Vin de Table
This is generally not a good sign. This is basically a ‘’fit for human consumption’‘ label. Its like an advertisement saying ‘’guaranteed not to make you go blind’‘.
Other things you can look for as potential indications of quality:
If the bottle has an indented bottom.
This is a more expensive bottle type than the flat bottom and it is more suited for aging wine. The logic is that if they bothered to put it in this type of bottle they thought it was reasonably worthwhile.
‘’Recoltant’‘ written at the top of the bottle.
This means the grapes were hand picked. The logic is that the grapes going in had better quality control.
Chateau, Mas or Domain name
They are clearly identifying themselves as the producers so family credibility is on the line.
Mis en boutielle sur la Domain/Chateau
They did everything on the spot and presumably quality controlled and take responsibility for the whole shebang.
day trips from Montpellier
Day Trips
Nimes
This is France's most well preserved Roman city. Amazingly it has become a sort of forgotten and bypassed Southern French city. The ampitheatre , la maison carré, the jardins de la Fontaine and the modern art museum (carré d’art) are all quite remarkable in their own right. You don’t necessarily need to go inside the stadium it is most impressive from outside. The maison carré often has interesting interactive displays on Roman history worth checking out. The modern art centre (carré d'art) can also be interesting but not the most vital if you are short on time. You should at least go to the café on its top floor. The gardens are a must visit. It is quite surprising that they are not more famous or popular with tourists. There is also a tower that over looks everything which if you happen to be walking up that end of the garden could be worth checking out called ‘LaTour Magne’. The downside of Nimes is that it is not the most welcoming nor lively place in the evening so I recomend it purely as a day trip.
Pézanas
This is a Renaissance city that was made famous by Moliere. Everywhere you go it’s Moliere this and Moliere that. There is a plaque just about everywhere Moliere had a pee. They have some interesting buildings that are free to visit but you must find them on your map or keep your eyes open when you walking around town to find them. It is different enough from the other small cities of France to merit some time walking around. They have a lively market on Saturday and several good restaurants, many of which stay open for Sunday lunch. As usual, you should stay off the main square if you want to find the good value places. I remember the name of one of these good restaurants ‘après la déluge’. There is an impressive biscuit and candy shop on the main street which is part of a small and successful chain called 'La cure gourmand'. A number of faux renaissance games, toys and costume shops populate much of the rest of the central streets.
Their gastronomic speciality is called the pate de Pézanas. It is a Cornish pasty meets southern French lamb and honey with a hint of Indian spices. The story is that a Major in the British army, previously posted in India, retired in Pezanas and brought with him his Indian cook. He asked his cook to reproduce the Cornish pasty that he remembered fondly from his boyhood holidays. The Indian cook used local French ingredients and hit upon a local success with his trybrid pre-fusion cuisine invention. Now the local French pastry chefs have made it there own. There are still tons of retired English people living in Pézanas, they can’t seem to get enough of it.
Séte/Agde
These are fishing ports that have become tourist draws. Tons of Seafood restaurants, too many to list. It is sometimes called the Venice of France because of its rivers everywhere and Italian influence. You will see the image of Georges Brassens with his signature moustache and pipe all over the place. Brassens was a famous French folk singer and native son. Tielle is what poor fishermen traditionally ate here. Tielle is a squid and tomato pie. The oysters and other shell fish are equally famous. Rouille de sieche is another tomato and squid based dish that is delicious when done well. Picpoul de Pinet is the cheap white wine people drink with the seafood in this region. There are essentially three routes of interest in Sete. Along the canal and coast which is line with restaurants and will eventually take you past a fortress where they host concerts and then to a little beach where you take a refreshing dip if it is a hot day. The route that which leads to the train station and has a couple of café brasseries with open fronts that are offer nice places to stop for a pastis or a muscat on a hot day. Alternate routes less frequently explored by tourists are the streets that go upwards, to where the locals have their residences. There is a lovely little park, a bar for jousters with a view of the Sea and strange combinations of architecture reminisent of many different Mediteranian cultures. Apart from the tourists Sete is a noisy working class town or hearty Seaferring third generation French Italians and former colonists kicked out of Algeria called ‘’Pieds Noir". Due to the Italian influence Sete also has some good spots for gellato.
Agde is smaller, less industrial and Phoenician in origin. The buildings are made of black volcanic rock, which gives it it’s nick name ‘’La perle noire". It is Sete’s rival town for the canal jousting and tourism. The jousting is done from large dory style boats with a team of rowers and a jouster armed with a lance and a shield on a platform at the back who attempts to knock his adversary in the canal. It is a worthwhile spectacle if you happen to arrive on a jousting day.
Narbonne
Great covered market. Lovely walks along the canal. A mixture of interesting architecture dating from many different periods including a bit of left over Roman road and an impressive Gothic cathedral. Narbonne is generally very quiet with the exception of certain times: when there are bull fights or championship rugby games at the stadium.
St. Bauzille du Putoise
http://www.canoe-herault.fr/From here you can rent some plastic kayaks, pack a full gourmet picnic (no scrimping this is important), and have the best day of your life. The more lavish and impractical the picnic you pack the better. I have been with friends who have actually produced decanters and long stem glasses in tact even after flipping their kayak and riding several rappids. There is amazing scenery, as much exercise as you like, plenty of lovely spots to stop for a refreshing dip or to go around exploring. A perfect day. Just don't forget to seal your water-proof drums as tightly as you can.
Marseillan
There are two lovely restaurants in this little port.
La table d'Emilie -reservations a must (the restaurant that really puts this former fishing village on the map). Apparently the restaurant you must go to if you only go to only one in Marseillan. I still haven’t gone but everyone tells me it’s great, so it is high on my priority list. The more affordable way to go is at lunchtime on weekdays, open Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch. Don’t forget to make reservations.
La Chateau du Port- run by the Pourcell brothers who own several influential restaurants from NYC to Tokyo. This is one of their more subdued ventures, essentially a family run restaurant that has been there for a long time that they bought out while retaining the family as employees. Some think the prices are inflated on this side of the port and it's better to walk 20 metres to the restaurants on the opposite side. Lunch and dinner prices vary greatly, make sure that you are looking at the right menu. This is true for restaurants anywhere in France.
There are two good wine cellars. One on the port offers a variety of regional wines. Another which is two blocks away sells its own and their stuff which seems to get better and better every year.
Noily-Pratt is a very old very classic vermouth distillery on the port. They have their own museum with tours in English. I recommend both their classic and amber vermouths as a fresh apero alternative. Nice with a bit of ice on a hot day facing out towards the med.
There is an outdoor covered market in the village square on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Nimes
This is France's most well preserved Roman city. Amazingly it has become a sort of forgotten and bypassed Southern French city. The ampitheatre , la maison carré, the jardins de la Fontaine and the modern art museum (carré d’art) are all quite remarkable in their own right. You don’t necessarily need to go inside the stadium it is most impressive from outside. The maison carré often has interesting interactive displays on Roman history worth checking out. The modern art centre (carré d'art) can also be interesting but not the most vital if you are short on time. You should at least go to the café on its top floor. The gardens are a must visit. It is quite surprising that they are not more famous or popular with tourists. There is also a tower that over looks everything which if you happen to be walking up that end of the garden could be worth checking out called ‘LaTour Magne’. The downside of Nimes is that it is not the most welcoming nor lively place in the evening so I recomend it purely as a day trip.
Pézanas
This is a Renaissance city that was made famous by Moliere. Everywhere you go it’s Moliere this and Moliere that. There is a plaque just about everywhere Moliere had a pee. They have some interesting buildings that are free to visit but you must find them on your map or keep your eyes open when you walking around town to find them. It is different enough from the other small cities of France to merit some time walking around. They have a lively market on Saturday and several good restaurants, many of which stay open for Sunday lunch. As usual, you should stay off the main square if you want to find the good value places. I remember the name of one of these good restaurants ‘après la déluge’. There is an impressive biscuit and candy shop on the main street which is part of a small and successful chain called 'La cure gourmand'. A number of faux renaissance games, toys and costume shops populate much of the rest of the central streets.
Their gastronomic speciality is called the pate de Pézanas. It is a Cornish pasty meets southern French lamb and honey with a hint of Indian spices. The story is that a Major in the British army, previously posted in India, retired in Pezanas and brought with him his Indian cook. He asked his cook to reproduce the Cornish pasty that he remembered fondly from his boyhood holidays. The Indian cook used local French ingredients and hit upon a local success with his trybrid pre-fusion cuisine invention. Now the local French pastry chefs have made it there own. There are still tons of retired English people living in Pézanas, they can’t seem to get enough of it.
Séte/Agde
These are fishing ports that have become tourist draws. Tons of Seafood restaurants, too many to list. It is sometimes called the Venice of France because of its rivers everywhere and Italian influence. You will see the image of Georges Brassens with his signature moustache and pipe all over the place. Brassens was a famous French folk singer and native son. Tielle is what poor fishermen traditionally ate here. Tielle is a squid and tomato pie. The oysters and other shell fish are equally famous. Rouille de sieche is another tomato and squid based dish that is delicious when done well. Picpoul de Pinet is the cheap white wine people drink with the seafood in this region. There are essentially three routes of interest in Sete. Along the canal and coast which is line with restaurants and will eventually take you past a fortress where they host concerts and then to a little beach where you take a refreshing dip if it is a hot day. The route that which leads to the train station and has a couple of café brasseries with open fronts that are offer nice places to stop for a pastis or a muscat on a hot day. Alternate routes less frequently explored by tourists are the streets that go upwards, to where the locals have their residences. There is a lovely little park, a bar for jousters with a view of the Sea and strange combinations of architecture reminisent of many different Mediteranian cultures. Apart from the tourists Sete is a noisy working class town or hearty Seaferring third generation French Italians and former colonists kicked out of Algeria called ‘’Pieds Noir". Due to the Italian influence Sete also has some good spots for gellato.
Agde is smaller, less industrial and Phoenician in origin. The buildings are made of black volcanic rock, which gives it it’s nick name ‘’La perle noire". It is Sete’s rival town for the canal jousting and tourism. The jousting is done from large dory style boats with a team of rowers and a jouster armed with a lance and a shield on a platform at the back who attempts to knock his adversary in the canal. It is a worthwhile spectacle if you happen to arrive on a jousting day.
Narbonne
Great covered market. Lovely walks along the canal. A mixture of interesting architecture dating from many different periods including a bit of left over Roman road and an impressive Gothic cathedral. Narbonne is generally very quiet with the exception of certain times: when there are bull fights or championship rugby games at the stadium.
St. Bauzille du Putoise
http://www.canoe-herault.fr/From here you can rent some plastic kayaks, pack a full gourmet picnic (no scrimping this is important), and have the best day of your life. The more lavish and impractical the picnic you pack the better. I have been with friends who have actually produced decanters and long stem glasses in tact even after flipping their kayak and riding several rappids. There is amazing scenery, as much exercise as you like, plenty of lovely spots to stop for a refreshing dip or to go around exploring. A perfect day. Just don't forget to seal your water-proof drums as tightly as you can.
Marseillan
There are two lovely restaurants in this little port.
La table d'Emilie -reservations a must (the restaurant that really puts this former fishing village on the map). Apparently the restaurant you must go to if you only go to only one in Marseillan. I still haven’t gone but everyone tells me it’s great, so it is high on my priority list. The more affordable way to go is at lunchtime on weekdays, open Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch. Don’t forget to make reservations.
La Chateau du Port- run by the Pourcell brothers who own several influential restaurants from NYC to Tokyo. This is one of their more subdued ventures, essentially a family run restaurant that has been there for a long time that they bought out while retaining the family as employees. Some think the prices are inflated on this side of the port and it's better to walk 20 metres to the restaurants on the opposite side. Lunch and dinner prices vary greatly, make sure that you are looking at the right menu. This is true for restaurants anywhere in France.
There are two good wine cellars. One on the port offers a variety of regional wines. Another which is two blocks away sells its own and their stuff which seems to get better and better every year.
Noily-Pratt is a very old very classic vermouth distillery on the port. They have their own museum with tours in English. I recommend both their classic and amber vermouths as a fresh apero alternative. Nice with a bit of ice on a hot day facing out towards the med.
There is an outdoor covered market in the village square on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
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