“May we be of service with the menu?” asks a fellow restaurant guest with an English accent, seeing a friend and I discussing amongst ourselves the translation of the menu at l’Auberge Du Porche, a charming restaurant and Inn near the Gironde River in Côte de Blaye.
In Manhattan, with its modern take on French cuisine, I can always understand menu items written in French, but Christine and Dominique Lanfroid-Nazac, chef and proprietors of this establishment, pride themselves on a traditional, country French menu. As a result, the menu lists the kind of pate and foie gras rich menu you will not likely see in the land of Sex and the City.
As you may know, the French are experts at using foods to their full potential. A cow transcends steak and ribs. Chefs use the brains, pancreas, kidneys, and more. Goose deconstructs into foie gras. Everything about a pig is used, including the hoofs, which are to gelatin.
On this drizzly and chilly January moonlit night, a meal of substance is most welcome. Blaye is a delightful, vibrant, yet remote historical region of Bordeaux, so you won’t find many restaurants of this quality open on Sunday this time of the year. The restaurant offers the kind of warm atmosphere most welcome after zigzagging down the hilly streets of Blaye (in high heels, no less) from Villa Premayac, a gorgeous, rather palatial Inn with a unique history. l’Auberge Du Porche is an Inn as well, but as the rooms are occupied, we are not able to see them.
As we settle in, a server brings bread and their excellent onion marmalade along with the wine list. Like many places in Europe, wines are quite a bargain here, and the list reflects the local wineries, which date from ancient times. The Greeks, and then the Romans who came to settle in this providential area, were the first to grasp the value of planting vines and launching the wine trade. Today, the wines in this region can rival those of the better-known regions, yet the real pleasure in visiting Côte de Blaye is its historical past and traditional cuisine.
The first bottle of the night is Chateau Segonzac Vieilles Vignes 2001, Cru Bourgeois. The 2002 vintage made the “top 100” list of 100 wines priced $8-$25, selected by an independent jury in a blind tasting of over 300 wines. Living in Manhattan, I know (and trust) members of the jury, especially Roger Dagorn Master Sommelier, Chanterelle, who is passionate about wine education and a mentor to many.
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