What’s for Dinner?
July 5, 2022
La Gaudina Luberon, an excellent outdoor dining experience about a mile from our Bonnieux rental, just don’t ask what’s on the menu.
Going out to Dinner in Provence
Eating out in France is taken seriously. At lunch time the highways seem to empty and at about 12:30 the restaurants quickly fill with customers who gather for a leisurely meal lasting 1.5 to 2 hours. There is no rush to finish the meal quickly, wine is usually ordered and enjoyed over two or three courses. An unhealthy anachronism, a cigarette or five, unfortunately is also part of the experience.
At dinner time, restaurant diners start arriving about 7:30, anyone in the restaurant earlier is a tourist. The meal will last at least a few hours. There is no “turn the table over” mentality here, no hurry, the dinner will have multiple courses and will be enjoyed with lots of great wine.
In Provence, the countryside is splendid. If the restaurant has a great view or is near the edge of a field nestled among old oak trees as this one is, it’s time to relax, absorb the ambiance and enjoy every part of a French dining experience.
For us, here in Provence it seems that each dining experience is memorable in some way. This night, everything comes together, the setting, the company, the food, the wine, the weather and the realization you are in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
La Gaudina Luberon
We dress casually with good walking shoes. The restaurant is a one mile hike from our rental home, we ambled down a lonely road filled with grape vines, onion fields and sunflowers until we came across a dry river bed. We proceeded onward through the uneven rocky path and onto a gravelly road where we came upon an open field with a home at its far corner. Near the back of the home was the pergola-like entrance leading to a beautiful courtyard filled with tables and a fountain.
The Meal
The menu consisted of 2 options. Option one, 3 courses, 39 Euros. Option two, 4 courses, 49 Euros. “So what’s on the menu?”, I asked the waiter. The waiter doesn’t divulge a thing about the food, he says it will all be a surprise but he does ask if anyone has any food allergies.
The wine list was solid, many affordable selections from across France. We choose a Chenin Blanc from the central Loire valley for about 35 Euros. A steal.
Course #1 – Starter
Course #2 – Seafood
We’re running low on wine. Time to order another bottle, a solid Chardonnay from Burgundy, about 30 euros. Solid, good fruit with nice minerality. Another steal.
Course #3 – Meat
Course # 4 – Dessert
Summary
The meal was very good. The weather was perfect. The setting was gorgeous. The prices more than reasonable.
The four of us enjoying dinner in Bonnieux, France……….priceless.