Lastour,
A chef who, out of the blue, talks to you about the « truth of the products » on his menu is pretty cheeky. That’s precisely the kind of thing Jean Marc Boyer of Puits du Trésor says. When he proposes a hare with porcini mushrooms, there’s nothing else in the plate. The mushrooms had been picked that morning (a raw mushroom gill reveals all the tenderness of dawn), and the hare must have been scampering about not long before in the Provencal shrubland. A celery purée accompanies them. And then : lobster fricassee with crispy pasta, fried frogs legs, rack of lamb…
That evening, at the far end of the Aude countryside, we were overcome by an irresistible feeling of happiness just being in that dining room, surrounded by regional wines (wonderful and bold), and happy locals. You can prolong the pleasure by getting a room in a bed and breakfast just a short distance away – the estate of La Villatade – amidst countryside overwhelming in its beauty. Bright rooms of boundless tranquility from 60 euros. The next morning, you’ll almost be promising yourself to change your life. Château La Villatade, à Sallèles-Cabardès (04 68 77 57 51).
Le Puits du Trésor, à Lastours Tel : +33 4 64 77 50 24. Menus from 39 euros. Map Web
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