My husband and I recently visited Saulieu, France, to dine at Restaurant Bernard Loiseau. You may recall having heard a few years ago that a chef in France killed himself when it was rumored that one of his 3 Michelin stars was to be taken away. That was executive chef and entrepreneur, Bernard Loiseau. After his death, his wife Dominique took over the business. She, along with Chef Patrick Bertron, have managed to keep the 3-star rating from Michelin.
We arrived in Saulieu (which has to be a destination in itself, else you would never see it) on a rainy September afternoon. We saw the restaurant and inn immediately upon entering this tiny village. Check-in at the inn was super-efficient and we found ourselves in our spacious room in no time. The room was a combination of rustic charm and plushness, with modern conveniences galore. It had a beautiful patio that looked out onto a central garden.
We could hardly wait to go to the restaurant that evening, and we were not disappointed at all. We were seated at a window table that faced the garden. That was our view for the dinner. Although it was dark outside, the lighting in the garden was beautiful. The staff was very friendly and professional, and several items on the menu were incredibly tempting. We decided to go with the multiple-course gastronomic menu so that we could try a number of things. The sommelier helped us choose some nice French wines (a Pouligny-Montrachet and a Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1st Cru) and we were on our way!
We started the evening with a gelee of petit pois (tiny green peas), jambon persille (ham cured with parsley), and a pig’s feet croquet. Next we had a bite of pate made with tiny artichokes with a fried artichoke garnish. Next course was succulent lobster and tomatoes in gelee with green onions around the side. It was served with an intense lobster sauce. Next we had seared foie gras in a reduction sauce with three fig dishes – fig-onion confiture, glazed figs and dried figs with parsley. Our next course was turbot served with tiny chopped ratatoulle vegetables in an eggplant roll and grilled calamari in a chablis sauce. Next came roasted pigeon with baby fava beans, carrots, spinach and roasted potatoes. This was served with a tiny spoon of pureed liver with sweet potatoes with a dark reduction sauce. We were, of course, stuffed long before then, but next came a cheese cart filled with an impressive assortment of French cheeses. Of course, fantastic desserts came with the menu, too. We had chocolate mousse in between thin layers of dark chocolate, garnished with an intense chocolate sauce. To finish, there was a plate of dessert petit fours with our espressos. It was a spectacular meal.
The highlight of the evening, though, was a visit to our table by Madame Dominique Loiseau herself. It was a pleasure to get to speak with Madame Loiseau for an extended time. She talked with us openly about her husband, the restaurants (three of them) that she owns and about her friends in the San Francisco area. She was quite friendly and her visit to our table made our dinner there even more meaningful. This is a destination that I would recommend for a night or weekend.
Restaurant Bernard Loiseau
21210 Saulieu Bourgogne
France
33 (0)3 80 90 53 53
http://www.bernard-loiseau.com/