Good Taste is the Worst Vice

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, ... continue reading...


Maison Pic, Valence France

Our visit to Maison Pic was an enveloping embrace that began the instant we stepped from the sidewalk into the lobby, and continued until the next morning, when we were tucked back into our car along with care packages for the road. There are many three Michelin star restaurant/hotel ... continue reading...


Bouillabaisse at Restaurant Chez Michel, Marseille

We came to Marseille on a mission for bouillabaisse. It's the famous dish that Marseille, the Mediterranean port city, is known for - made with the freshest fish pulled straight from the sea. To work up an appetite, we walked down from the train station to the Vieux Port (the old port, now ... continue reading...


Chicken cacciatore

It's been a very busy week for me, and at this point, home cooked food is really just a dream. What am I dreaming of?  My mother's chicken cacciatore - warm and comforting, with big chunks of chicken breast and lots of sliced mushrooms cooked together in a tomato sauce flavored with white wine ... continue reading...


Bernachon chocolate, Lyon France

I don't know what I'd do in a world without chocolate - for one thing, I wouldn't have my favorite breakfast food anymore. So in Lyon, I convinced everyone to walk across town to Bernachon one morning. It turned out to be a much longer walk than I expected, but well worth the visit. David ... continue reading...


Terre Adélice: Ice cream in Lyon

Have you ever had poppy ice cream?  Or pine nut or verbena ice cream, or Jura "vin jaune" sorbet?  We stopped by an ice cream shop in Lyon that had all of these, plus every other flavor you could imagine, from the classics (Valrhona chocolate, raspberry, hazelnut) to the exotic (wasabi, ... continue reading...


L’Ourson qui Boit, Lyon France

I planned only one dinner in Lyon - at L'Ourson qui Boit, a small restaurant on the Presque'île, just a bit north of the Opéra.  It's run by a Japanese couple - the husband cooks and the wife runs the front of the house - but the food is French, with a touch of Asian influence. The adventure ... continue reading...


Going to market in Bonnieux, France

I've been dreaming about Provence - and the Luberon specifically - for a long time, ever since I first read Peter Mayle's books.  Most of all, I wanted to visit one of the weekly village markets, which he wrote about in such lush detail: "…the tables were piled high with vegetables, small and ... continue reading...


Numéro 75, Avignon France

Avignon was our base for our time in Provence, but we only ventured inside the fortified walls of the old city once, for dinner. (Well, technically we ended up inside once or twice more while trying to leave town, thanks to some confusing roundabouts and signage!) Numéro 75 is located in the old ... continue reading...