Bordeaux restaurant

[stan vermeers]

We have an overnite in Bordeaux. Does anyone have a good quality restaurant to recommend?

This is for an anniversary.

Thasnk You,

Linda

[Hlitner]

DW and I really enjoy Bordeaux and its surrounding region ).  Asking for restaurant recommendations in France is always a touchy subject since folks have different tastes and different budgets.  And you can certainly break the bank if you eat in one of the expensive places and enjoy a fine bottle of regional wine :).    Rather then give a specific recommendation I am going to point you to a an interesting article on the web:

https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/eat-bordeaux-tips-top-restaurants-bordeaux/

 

This review is in line with our own feelings. 

 

Hank

 

 

[marazul]

And this is where the Michelin guide excels:

https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Restaurants?address=33000 Bordeaux%2C France

Click on the tab "SORT BY & REFINE" and look for a restaurant in your price range and style you want.  Hank's article will also help you narrow down your choices. 

 

Edited April 14, 2019 by marazul

[prish]

Bookmarking for our potential visit to the Bordeaux region in 2020...thank you!

[stan vermeers]

Thank you both for the wealth of info on restaurants.

I think we will reserve Le Tupina.  It seems like it would

be a great choice.

Again thanks so much!

Linda

[marazul]

Bon appétit!

[Hlitner]

On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 4:04 PM, marazul said:

And this is where the Michelin guide excels:

https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Restaurants?address=33000 Bordeaux%2C France

Click on the tab "SORT BY & REFINE" and look for a restaurant in your price range and style you want.  Hank's article will also help you narrow down your choices. 

 

The Michelin guide excels?  ARGH!  Sure, like many who really enjoy France we faithfully review "the guide" and generally ignore most (not all) of their recommendations.  We learned (from a master) that the real secret to visiting France (especially Paris) is to find the restaurants on their way up (the Michelin Star ladder) rather then those who have already achieved their fame.  Once these palaces of cuisine are in the "Guide" they are horribly overpriced, reservations are a real hassle, etc.

 

We once had a wonderful source of info (he was a diamond merchant from Antwerp) who was a true lover of cuisine and a walking encyclopedia of where to eat and not eat....but alas he has disappeared (we suspect he is either dead or in an old folks home) and we have lost our source.  Our source (who used the name, Jack) spent many months a year in France and his true religion was food and wine.  Now, we do struggle to find out about those hidden places where the up and coming chefs are doing their magic with the hope of one day getting their 3rd Star.  My goodness, we might even have to listen to Marazul's recommendations.   

 

Hank

[marazul]

 

13 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The Michelin guide excels?  ARGH!  Sure, like many who really enjoy France we faithfully review "the guide" and generally ignore most (not all) of their recommendations.  .   .  My goodness, we might even have to listen to Marazul's recommendations.   

 

🤣

Now, now, Hank.  You know the Mich guide is like looking at an encyclopedia.  Everything is there, but you have to know how to use it.  Even the article you quote lists the Michelin starred restaurants...  And yes, the best restaurants to visit are the ones that only recently got their first star.  For ourselves, we also rely on local friends and in French newspaper reviews.  And the old tried and true when we are passing through a new place:  walk down the street, look at the menus and check out the attendance.  It never fails.   But beware of my recommendations .....

 

BTW - I hope you have looked at the "Referral Coupon" thread in SB.  I would have loved to offer you one, but we are not sailing again until next year. 

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, marazul said:

 

 

🤣

Now, now, Hank.  You know the Mich guide is like looking at an encyclopedia.  Everything is there, but you have to know how to use it.  Even the article you quote lists the Michelin starred restaurants...  And yes, the best restaurants to visit are the ones that only recently got their first star.  For ourselves, we also rely on local friends and in French newspaper reviews.  And the old tried and true when we are passing through a new place:  walk down the street, look at the menus and check out the attendance.  It never fails.   But beware of my recommendations .....

 

BTW - I hope you have looked at the "Referral Coupon" thread in SB.  I would have loved to offer you one, but we are not sailing again until next year. 

No, we had not looked at that Referral Coupon thread (will have to now read that thread for future reference).  When it comes to dealing with SB and related issues we are true virgins.  We did manage to snag a very good price on an outside guarantee and later turned that into a Balcony upgrade...and even later turned that into a category upgrade.   Our cruise agent tells us we might even snag a further upgrade, but at this point it would not make much difference unless they put us into one of their large suites (unlikely).    Reading the blogs on SB has been quite an education.  I must admit to never having been involved in a blog where the big issue is debating the brand of caviar (I do actually like caviar).  I still remember taking our DD (then about 9 ) on the old Norway and watching the expression on her face when she tasted some caviar.  Hard to believe that there was a time when mass market lines served small amounts of caviar as part of their cocktail hors d'oeuvres.   These days you are lucky if you get some dry nuts as an hors d'oeuvres.

 

Hank

[marazul]

😉

[Host Bonjour]

More difficult to do in France but my thinking as to the three stars is this: don't overlook IF they offer a prix-fixe lunch or some sort of tasting menu option that's "approachable" in price. Expensive yes and reservations, obviously they are going to be difficult but if one plans well enough.

 

So it all comes down to the price and how much one wishes to spend, how much one cares about food, experience, etc. Indeed not every place is worth paying an unbelievably high price for. Thus....the lunch option. Virtually all of my three star dining experiences have been done at a prix-fixe lunch. I'm getting the same service, atmosphere, food quality but at a lower price. I don't know that I want or need the full dinner experience anyway although once in Las Vegas I actually - I still can't figure how it worked out - ordered directly off the menu when I intended to go and have the tasting menu because it was what I could afford. I paid the same price ordering off the menu. It was spectacular.

 

This is not something I do very often which is why I scout out the options thoroughly to see what's possible, if anything. More often than not, I am happy with whatever is coming out of the kitchen for the day or obviously just going to a store to buy provisions and make my own roadside picnic, eat in park or or stop at a farm stand...whatever is the situation. But...special occasions, special destinations...an extraordinary restaurant can make the experience unforgettable. So it might be three star, two star, one star...no star. Exclude nothing if you get a recommendation or it hits a reputable guide and ticks all your boxes.

 

There is legit perspective to *earning* that first star and moving up as much as there is to *keeping* the three stars you already have (maintaining excellence) especially if you are part of a dynasty that had earned those stars over generations of cooking. So it's not like "oh well they just are making the same recipes over and over" No. That's not how you keep three stars and it's not how you earn one.

 

There are some fascinating documentaries on this process - the agony and the glory and why some chefs have resigned their stars because they simply didn't want the pressure anymore. They wanted to continue their culinary quest and passion, but without the intensity that comes with the *star* system. 

 

So yes, you can have a great meal without stars but you can have a great one with them. The definition of great will vary but it is a truth that cannot be denied though do not overlook the possibilities either way. This is why there are dives and palaces to food. Keep your mind open to both.

 

Enjoy your night in Bordeaux and Happy Anniversary!!! Congrats and best wishes for many more years to come 🙂

 

 

[stan vermeers]

Some wonderful, helpful posts.

Thank you one and all.

Learned a lot.

Linda

[Hlitner]

On ‎4‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 5:06 PM, marazul said:

😉

I might owe you a drink :).  Based on your advice I did look at that referral coupon thread on Seabourn and posted a notice.  Within a few hours we received 3 offers of "help" and did take advantage of one of the offers.  Assuming all goes well it should get us an additional $400 OBC....thanks to you :).

 

Getting back to the real subject of this thread, we enjoyed Host Bonjour's post.  With all of our trips to France we have never dined at a restaurant that had 3 Stars at that time.  But we have dined in several 2 Star places that were absolutely amazing.  In fact, 2 or our 3 best meals EVER were at 2 Star restaurants in France (1 of those was in the process of getting promoted to their 2nd Star).  Neither of those meals was in Paris as one was in Reims and the other was in Nice.  

 

Hank

[marazul]

On 4/20/2019 at 11:56 AM, Hlitner said:

I might owe you a drink :).  Based on your advice I did look at that referral coupon thread on Seabourn and posted a notice.  Within a few hours we received 3 offers of "help" and did take advantage of one of the offers.  Assuming all goes well it should get us an additional $400 OBC....thanks to you :).

 

Getting back to the real subject of this thread, we enjoyed Host Bonjour's post.  With all of our trips to France we have never dined at a restaurant that had 3 Stars at that time.  But we have dined in several 2 Star places that were absolutely amazing.  In fact, 2 or our 3 best meals EVER were at 2 Star restaurants in France (1 of those was in the process of getting promoted to their 2nd Star).  Neither of those meals was in Paris as one was in Reims and the other was in Nice.  

 

Hank

Hank- I am glad you got your OBC. Hopefully, we will meet in SB one day and you can buy me some champagne...😉

We have eaten in three 3-star restaurants in France over the years. Two of them were fantastic. The third was just pretentious, elaborate presentations of the food. Way more looks than taste.  The few 2-stars we have been to were all excellent.  We find the best price performers and most interesting are the 1-stars.  Stars mean way higher break-the-bank prices, especially in big cities.  However, there are wonderful 1-star and some 2-star restaurants in smaller cities that are reasonably priced in comparison.  All that said, we generally prefer nice neighborhood bistros.  They are affordable and have great food.