Lunch in Ménerbes, France

For anyone who’s ever read Peter Mayle’s Provence books, Ménerbes is the quintessential Provençal town.  It’s just one of many in the Luberon, along with Bonnieux and Gordes and Roussillon, but it holds a special place in the hearts of Mayle-inspired armchair travelers.

I count myself among them, so naturally a stop in Ménerbes was on the agenda.

We parked near a real estate office advertising stunning million dollar vacation homes, then walked up the sloping road into what seemed to be the center of town.  It was lovely, but oddly empty, almost like a movie set between takes.

There was a pretty restaurant whose chef, standing in the doorway, greeted us with a friendly nod, and a couple of shops.  Then suddenly there were no more storefronts, so we turned around and went back to the restaurant, Café Veranda.

We got a perfect table at the front of the restaurant, next to doors flung open to the street outside.  As usual, a small dish of olives was delivered to our table, and we ordered some wine (white Hermitage).  The restaurant started to fill up.

While my uncle and D ordered andouillette, my aunt and I stuck with lighter fare – smoked salmon for her and a giant tomato salad for me, with onion, pesto, Parmesan, and fresh mozzarella.  Simple and perfect sunshine food.

No one could resist dessert.  I chose the chocolate charlotte, a dark chocolate mousse pressed inside delicate sponge cake edges, with a faint touch of orange.

After lunch we strolled the town a bit more, walking farther up the hill past quiet houses. Then it was back to the car to continue our exploration of the Luberon.

Some interesting thoughts on the consequences of Peter Mayle and the “gentrification” of Ménerbes here.