First the weather. Throughout our trip we had blue skies with mild and comfortable temperatures. The spring in France is gorgeous, with everything green and blooming.

We stayed four days in 'Le Cep', the best hotel in Beaune, where we always feel at home. A charming hotel, whose rooms are named after famous appellations in Burgundy. We got the 'Montrachet' and the 'Musigny' rooms, which naturally are the best the hotel can offer. We dined twice in 'Bernard Morillon', adjacent to 'Le Cep'. A marvelous restaurant that clearly deserves an upgrade from the one-star it has from Michelin.
We also had great culinary experiences in Lameloise and the Hostellerie de Levernois. Not only was the food, the creativity and the presentation - all superb, but the wines we had with these dinners were also exceptional (both in quality and in price...).

We visited five of the best winemakers in Burgundy (all by pre-arranged appointments) and were received everywhere with fantastic friendliness, generosity, inexhaustible willingness to explain their methods and to convey their philosophy. The five domaines we visited were: Thomas-Moillard, Bruno Clair, Dom. Ponsot, D. Rion and G. Roumier.
The problem with tasting at such domains is that they very seldom have real old mature Grand Vins to offer, either for tasting or for buying. These domaines (accept for Moillard) simply sell all their stuff very quickly, especially when the vintage has a positive 'reputation'. But... with all these winemakers, the more we talked and tasted, the more friendly they became and deeper into their cellars they dug to fetch older and rarer treasures...

From Beaune we drove to Joigny, on the western edge of Bourgogne. Our motivation for going there was of course the famous gastronomical shrine "La Cote St. Jacques" run by father and son Michel and Jean-Michel Lorain. The most beautiful rooms overlooking the calm Yonne river, the super service and the best cuisine imaginable all designed to make your stay an unforgettable event. Couple that with continuous sincere and caring attention by Chef Michel Lorain and you get the perfect total experience.

The one let-down of the trip was the "Lion d'Or" in Romorantin. I guess it suffered a little as it had to follow the act of Joigny, but even so I cannot exonerate the place from the many faults we found with it. Gault-Millau, the alternative French guide to Michelin, gives both "La Cote St. Jacques" and the "Lion d'Or" the same 18 points. I wonder if they really have visited both places... Anyway, the two days in the Loire were very interesting, especially visiting the great Chateaux.

In Paris we stayed in a charming hotel, housed in an old-house, filled with paintings, on the Left Bank near the Odeon, where life is bustling 24 hours a day. Paris is always beautiful, but at this time of the year it is really wonderful! We walked the streets, sailed on the Siene, popped into museums and bought. (Dorit said if I can buy wine from the top makers in Burgundy, she can buy clothes from the top designers in Paris...)
We ate in three different places. An excellent seafood place we always visit, an amazing Vietnamese restaurant with the most incredible wine-list I ever saw!!! and yes, in Taillevent. All I can say about this Grand Finale at Taillevent is that this was probably the most stunning evening of my life. The food was extraordinary of course, but the regal reception we got there, with the owner Monsieur Vrinat and his Maitre d' Frederic Guidoni going out of their way to make us feel in heaven - all that really defies description.

Vive La France!

Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

Copyright 1996-97.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.