Feasting along the Cotes d'Azur
Villa de Lys - Part 1

Lord and Lady Arran were awaiting me in the lobby of the Hotel Majestic which is one of several elegant luxury hotels located along the famous ocean-side boulevard "Le Croissette". As I wanted to spend as much of my budget on food and wine instead of on a room I'd only use for sleeping, I picked the more modest but extremely charming Le Cavendish as my place to stay. Lord Arran had previously informed me that wearing a jacket and tie was not de rigueur in Southern France. I gladly passed on the tie but wore a jacket on my short stroll to the Majestic but quickly realized that the region's informal dress-code had a very practical reason: It's HOT down there!

French Laundry eat your heart out !

Both Lord Arran and I had been intrigued by recent reports about the restaurant The French Laundry which is located in Yountville, California. Their speciality is a tasting menu which typically consists of over a dozen different dishes. Well the Villa de Lys sure wasn't going to be bettered by bah! un restaurant americain. Since their remodeling a few weeks ago, they were offering an 18 course tasting menu themselves ! For Lord Arran and I it was a matter of honor to be the very first guests to ever order it but Lady Arran needed a little bit of persuasion to embark on such a opulent gastronomic journey.

Les vins

What wine do you order to go with a sequence of 18 different dishes which are kept a secret from you ? We figured that champagne goes with practically everything and so started with a bottle of the crisp and delicious Laurent Perrier Rose Brut. That was followed by a bottle of Mersault from Chateau Mersault which I've had on previous occassions and very much like for it's almost Californian, oaky style. Many dishes into the meal, one of the very attentive and pleasant waiters informed us that a foie-gras dish was coming up. As we were already on the road of no return, a half bottle of eiswein from the Alsace was quickly ordered. It went perfectly with the foie gras and fig and goat cheese courses that were to follow. 

Red wine with red meat is a simple rule to follow. The sommelier, who was in the know of the dishes which were about to come, recommended a Beaune 1er Cru Les Perrieres from Domaine Leroy. It proved to be an excellent choice and provided the perfect silky and spicy experience to accompagny the lamb and duck courses. I am proud to mention the fact that I passed on the after-dinner cognac that night and my liver thanked me for it. But seriously, 18 - in fact 19 - dishes sounds like terribly much to eat and three and a half bottles of wine really is a bit too much for three people. But the courses all came in small portions and the cooking at the Villa de Lys is flavorful and light and uses very little cream or butter. At the end of our four and a half hour meal we of course realized that we had eaten and drunken a lot but I never felt overfilled or even drunk for the matter. 

The first wave of appetizers

Things started out innocently enough with a wonderful selection of breads to choose from

Amuses bouche of warm and cold soups and jellies

Thin slices of black truffle filled with celery remoulade

Chilled tomato soup and a puff pastry twist with ham

Fig tart with lobster medallion

Potato gaufrette with langoustine in the shell

Warm mussels in vinaigrette