This is where Rhys and Pam took us a few years ago; since then,
Rhys, who had been ill, has died, and Pam has gone back to the
UK, with her house having burned down in the meantime. Other
than that, the restaurant, Michelin-starred then, has improved,
so all is not lost in this world, though I do feel for Pam.

We budgeted an hour for the trip, but it being Sunday, there
was scanty traffic, and we roared in ten early and were invited
by the manageress to sit in a waiting area overlooked by artworks
by the local celebrity artist Jean Lurcat (1892-1966), where I had
a kir, and the rest split a bottle of Luc de Conti's La Tour des
Gendres Cuvee Conti 18, a highly regarded wine that was pleasantly
blossomy fruity and exceedingly fresh. My kir was also pleasantly
fruity but was made with leftover no-name wine, which was about
all I could expect, and truth be told, a little over-the-hillity
adds character to the otherwise purely girly cocktail.

The proprietress (hot in a gamine way and the wife of the chef)
heard we were there and sent over amuses, all with a sort of
Asian, or should I say oriental, twist.

There were cherry tomatoes stuffed with smoked eggplant and basil -
sweet ripe fruit with delicious middle-eastern-style baba ghannouj,
the basil overpowering a little; Ian proposed that the dryness of
the summer made the herbs too concentrated and too bitter;

ahi marinated in soy with cucumber, very beefy and delicious
(I remain dubious about the cucumber) and almost fooled Swisher
and Lilli into thinking they were having carpaccio; and

melon and lemongrass soup with brioche, deftly done and with very
sweet melon, the brioche being by a good margin the best that I
have ever had.

Off to the dining room, where after a spirited discussion among
Ian, myself, and the very knowledgeable owner, my suggestion was
vetoed in favor of a comparable wine at a third of the price - a
Madiran 2014 from one of the pioneers of the microoxygenation
technique, I think Brumont of Ch. Montus.

Of course our first couple courses were still white wine foods,
so we continued with another bottle of the Cuvee Conti.

Langoustine ravioli in a lime, lemongrass, and cilantro broth
had its pluses and minuses. The broth, other than the cilantro,
was suave, excellent, star-worthy, as were the pasta wrappers,
which were exceedingly delicate. The filling, though, good as
it tasted, was on the gritty side, an elementary but serious
mistake.

Lilli substituted for that with a slice of foie gras, which was
delicious and went well with a nice whole wheat sourdough.

Swisher got snails, which as I understand he thoroughly enjoyed.
These were not the classic garlic butter ones, which Ian sneers
at but which I consider a culinary national treasure, but in
some kind of delicate creamy sauce.

The next course was filet of John Dory in grapefruit emulsion
and bits of citrus - very tasty, luxurious, but almost exactly
the same as what we'd had on our previous visit. The fish is
exceedingly fashionable and almost as expensive as Dover sole.
I maintain that any delicate white fish, flounder or hake, for
example, would have been just as good.

Chef made a special second course for Lilli and Swisher of
torroncini-like pasta with cepes, chanterelles, and oyster
mushrooms, which met with toleration on Lilli's part and
approbation on Swisher's (he likes mushrooms, she doesn't).

For all of us, the meat course was roast pigeon breast, rare,
with lightly confit leg and wing drummer, sided by eggplant
and tomatoes, very similar to what I'd had at Vau many years
ago with Paul Moor. I think we were all pleased by this. The
interesting texture of pigeon meat had not fully developed,
but the flavor was perfect.

Ian and I split a cheese plate, a pleasant St. Nectaire, a
Cheddarlike though baaad tomme de brebis, a blue but not so
blue fourme d'Ambert, which I tasted, and a salty chevre that
was not too pungent. Not my favorite selection, but the
offerings were subtle and of obvious high quality.

Dessert was a sandy shortcrust with mango and citrus, just
the right finish for a fairly fantastic meal.

I asked for a Cognac Deau, but it didn't come, but then
I wasn't charged for it either.

Partly out of an abundance of caution and partly to show
us the idyllic countryside, Ian took us on the scenic route
back to Forges.
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