BORDEAUX, France — It was only last night that I visited the iconic restaurant La Tupina, in the heart of the old section of Bordeaux. La Tupina specializes in the cuisine of southwest France, and it still does things the old fashioned way, grilling its meats over a wood fire.
If the food at La Tupina is extraordinary, the wine list is the next level up, whatever level that might be. The offerings are arranged by price, so when I thumbed all the way to the back page, I found the ultimate garagiste wine, Le Pin, that I could have had for a mere 7,000 euros (approximately $9,300).
I opted instead for a half bottle of the superb cru bourgeois Chateau de Pez, a Saint-Estephe from the outstanding 2005 vintage, and saved $6,945 euros for another day.
Dining out in France, with wine, can be an expensive proposition even in a modest bistro, which makes it all the more important a traveler chooses wisely when deciding where to go. It will almost never be cheap, but at least you should eat well.
From my experiences of the past two weeks, I can offer a few recommendations should your vacation plans include a trip to France to sample the wines and enjoy the cuisine.
In Paris, my ambitions for the wine and food experience run the gamut from bistro to brasserie to the ultimate in gastronomy, the restaurant with a coveted Michelin star, or two.
On my recent visit, I took in Willi’s Wine Bar, the much-heralded bistro and the first modern wine bar in Paris, established more than 30 years ago by a Brit named Mark Williamson. The food at Willi’s is solid, and the wine list heavy on selections from France’s Rhone Valley, although Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Loire are represented, as well.
At Willi’s, the discerning wine lover doesn’t have to settle for the ubiquitous "verre de vin blanc" or "vin rouge" that is the nameless, generic wine-by-the glass offering at most bistros. Williamson, as knowledgeable on wine as anyone I’ve ever met, hand picks the daily wine-by-the-glass offerings.
While the food and wine are good, Willi’s may be most famous for its annual poster art. Wine enthusiasts often come to Willi’s simply to purchase the latest poster, or perhaps one that is missing from their collection.
Willi’s appeals to me because it has never tried to be anything more than it is.
"Our aim is to serve simple bistro fare with unfussy service," Williamson told me when I stopped in before my trek to Bordeaux. I like to sit at the bar at Willi’s, but the table service is cozy and comfortable if a bit cramped. Willi’s is easy to find, located as it is on the Right Bank, just behind the Palais Royal on Rue des Petit Champs, and a three-course prix fixe menu costs around $50 ($75 to $80 with wine).
Just around the corner from Willi’s, literally steps away, is Le Grand Colbert, the famous Paris brasserie that was immortalized in the movie "Something’s Gotta Give." Some regulars complain that the fame showered upon Le Grand Colbert by the success of the movie has turned this Parisian dining spot into a tourist trap. I would tend to disagree, but let’s face it, if a restaurant in Paris has a good reputation, it’s going to attract foreign visitors. That’s Paris!
The cliche dish to order at Le Grand Colbert is the roast half chicken, because that’s the signature dish touted in the movie — but the chicken really is good, and the portion is large enough for two people to split. So split one of the impressive seafood platters as a starter and split the chicken as your entree, and you will have plenty of room left for a profiterole, one of the best in Paris.
The wine list at Le Grand Colbert is quite good, with many offerings at reasonable prices, including a good selection of half bottles for those going the seafood followed by meat route. All in all, expect a meal there to cost around $100.
Now for dining on a grand scale, there is no place like Paris, and for the single diner, no place like L’Atelier Joel Robuchon.
The first thing that will strike you about this restaurant is the absence of dining tables. Everyone eats at the bar, with a bird’s-eye view of everything that goes on in the kitchen.
It’s sort of like sitting at the counter at your neighborhood diner, but not really. L’Atelier has two Michelin stars, and Joel Robuchon is perhaps one of the world’s five most famous chefs. It has been my habit in recent years to pop in on L’Atelier at its location in Saint-Germain des Pres, just off the lobby of the Pont Royal Hotel.
On this most recent visit, I discovered L’Atelier now has a second location, on the Champs Elysees just a block or so from the Arc de Triomphe. They are distinguished from each other as L’Atelier Saint-Germain and L’Atelier Etoile. The second location also has two Michelin stars and is much easier to be seated if you are more than a party of one because it takes reservations. The Sanit-Germain location only takes reservations for the first seating at 6:30 p.m.
I sometimes order the degustation menu at L’Atelier, but more often than not I go in craving the jamon Iberico, which is as good as any you will find in Spain, and the langostines. And the selection of wines by the glass is superb, among the finest in France.
L’Atelier is expensive. A single diner with wine should expect to spend in excess of $200, even ordering a la carte. The degustation menu will be more.
So with what I saved by passing on the Le Pin at 7,000 euros, I see many more visits to L’Atelier, Willi’s and Le Grand Colbert in my future Paris travels!
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