Bordeaux

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Zev Edwards

French cuisine is all about the experience. A meal is something to be savored and enjoyed; a marathon, not a sprint. First order of business, wine, which the waiter brings to you and pours at the table. Next, freshly-baked bread, eaten plain or with butter or Pâté. Then it’s on to the main course (that is if you don’t opt for appetizers). The air-dried ham is cut fresh on the spot at a station near the table. The slow-cooked beef chuck, drenched in a red wine sauce, is tender and juicy; every bite heavenly. The vegetables taste like they were plucked right from the garden. The mashed potatoes creamy and flavorful. It is the perfect meal, worth every euro.

Restaurant: Brasserie Bordelaise

Afterwards, coffee and dessert. In Bordeaux, the specialty is canelé, a French pasty, caramelized on the outside; soft and chewy and soaked with rum and vanilla on the inside. Best served with ice cream. It ends, not with the bill, but with a complementary dessert, a single chocolate morsel of goodness that melts in your mouth.

Highlights of Bordeaux:

Cite du Vin (wine museum). 20 euro. Very interactive, but a bit much to take in. However, worth the glass of wine (complimentary with ticket) at the top that gives a panoramic view of the city.

Wine tour at Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion. Only winery within the city. Cost per person 20 euro, includes 3 tastings. Wine is very good, but also very expensive per bottle.

Walk along the Garonne and then cutting through the craziness of Catherine Street for a snack.
Moules frites (mussels and fries) at Bistro Poulette; great little market area that has all kinds of tasty treats; something for everyone.