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NORTHERN BURGUNDY – THE YONNE
RIVER VALLEY
We are often asked about our
favorite places in Northern Burgundy. Our orientation is from
Château du Feÿ where we lived and ran La Varenne for more than 20
years, near the town of Joigny. Joigny is located in the Yonne,
on the N6, the old road to the south of France before the days of
the autoroute.
Here are the places we like and
know best. You will need a local map to find some of them, and we
recommend you always call first, not only to book but to check
they’re open. Closing days may not be what you expect – open
Sundays, closed Mondays, open Fridays but closed Thursdays, you
never can be sure without referring to a restaurant guide or
giving a call directly.
The number one restaurant of the region is
of course the Côte St Jacques in Joigny, famous throughout
France for its table and fine hotel accommodations (it's part of the Relais-Chateaux chain). The CSJ, as we call it, was founded by
Michel Lorain and it’s now his son, Jean-Michel, who is at the
helm (father is around too, particularly across the river at the
Rive Gauche). Naturally, one doesn’t go to the Côte St Jacques
often because it’s expensive and not intended for casual dining:
The restaurant has three Michelin stars, thus ranking as one of
the top 26 gastronomic temples in France.
Visit
www.cotesaintjacques.com Tel:03 86 62 09
70.
Across
the river from the Côte St Jacques is the Rive Gauche, the
mid-range hotel and restaurant which the Lorain family set up. It’s a comfortable enough place to stay and the food
is very respectable for the price, but the lighting and interior
styling suggests an upscale airport eatery. The roof is in
space-age green tiles. It’s odd how architects and designers can
misfire. Tel: 03 86 91 46 66
The
unassuming Paris-Nice hotel in Joigny, run
by a young couple, Claire and David, serves decent, well-priced meals (outdoors in
the summer) and represents the best value for your money in Joigny.
You must book ahead. The restaurant is popular with
traveling businessmen. Near the station, at 8 Grand Place de la
Résistance. Tel: 03 86 62 06 72
It took us over 20 years to find Le Moulin at Paroy sur
Tholon, a couple of kilometers southwest of Joigny. It’s nestled on an
unfrequented lane (42 Rue Pilori) in this tiny village. Good
value, cosy in winter, open-air in the height of summer, welcoming
chef. Tel: 03 86 91 00 63
Continuing further southwest of Joigny, beyond the more
substantial township of Aillant sur Tholon, is the Domaine de
Roncemay, whose principal feature is an 18-hole golf course (www.roncemay.com).
The restaurant, a lovely place to be on a summer evening, has been
taken over by Marc Meneau, the three-star chef/owner of l’Espérance at Vezélay.
The cooking fully earns its one-star Michelin rating. The domain is popular with the Paris
weekend crowd – golf, sauna and fancy amenities and accommodations
for an escapist experience. Tel: 03 86 73 69 46
In the
weird category, at least so far as decor is concerned, and in a
more north-westerly direction from Joigny, near the attractive
town of Courtenay, is a restaurant called Le Gamin,
in the hamlet of Ervauville. The smallish menu is always good, if
not excellent. This is an establishment with one Michelin star,
and deservedly so. The decor, however, is not to everyone’s taste
(“Le Gamin” means little boy, if not a street urchin). If this
makes you curious, you won’t be disappointed with the food. Tel:
02 38 87 22 02
To the
north of Joigny, at Villeneuve sur Yonne, Leslie Caron’s La
Lucarne aux Chouettes is particularly attractive on
summer evenings, set right by the river. Here’s a place that has
been decorated with flair; a few bedrooms are available as well.
The bar has some nostalgic movie posters from the 1940s on (Gigi
and all that). The small menus has touches of originality and the
cooking is generally good. Villeneuve is an attractive place
to stay as well to dine.
Tel: 03 86 87 18 26
Further
north, at 1 Rue Alsace-Lorrraine in Sens, there’s La Madeleine,
now a well established two star restaurant, with La Côte St Jacques, the most prominent
in the region. It is, however, a very different place,
simple and intimate and personally run by Chef Patrick Gautier and
his wife. You are not paying for fancy infrastructure here, just
very good cooking. The menu does not aspire to the depth and
breadth of the Côte St Jacques offerings, but the chef always has
unannounced specials and takes your order directly. An excellent
destination for a memorable yet informal outing. Tel: 03 86 65 09
31.
We are
also fond of the Relais de Villeroy outside Sens (7 km
to the west). You can stay in this nicely maintained inn too, on
the D81 road adjacent to Villeroy itself. The cooking is
old-fashioned, which is part of its charm, and the wine list
impressive. The foie gras, straight from Chef Clément’s kitchen,
is the best around. Tel: 03 86 88 81 77
AROUND CHABLIS
Chablis,
25 miles southeast of Chateau du Fey, has an elegant
Michelin-starred restaurant (and comfortable hotel) called
Hostellerie des Clos at 18 Rue Jules Rathier (03 86 42 10 63).
Chef-owner Michel Vignaud also runs the winemaker bistro next
door, La Table de William Fevre
(03 85 42 19 41). This is an ideal quick lunch spot if
you're on a tasting tour of Chablis. There you can sample
(and buy) the well-known William Fevre wines; there are dozens of
other good Chablis producers to visit such as the Laroche outlet
at 18 Rue Moulins or, for quite a different experience, the
co-operative La Chablisienne (8 Boulevard Pasteur). Call by
the Tourist Office on Rue du Marechal de Lattre for helpful maps
and information.
AUXERRE
The
cathedral town of Auxerre, the county capital, is about 40 minutes
from Joigny and even closer to Chablis. There’s a very good fish
restaurant at 84 Rue de Paris called Le Salamandre - no
restaurant could be further from the sea, but they treat marine
creatures with sympathy. Tel: 03 86 52 87 87. Auxerre also has an
elegant one-star riverside restaurant, called Barnabet,
this being the name of the chef/owner. Good service and setting,
generally fine eating. Barnabet specialises in an all-truffle menu
in the fall. Luckily the truffles in question are tuber aestivum,
not tuber melanasporum, which is the Latin way of saying they
don’t come from Perigord, and are much cheaper. Tel: 03 86 51 68
88.
Also
back on track is La Chamaiile in the charming village
of Chevannes, 5 miles southwest of Auxerre. Peaceful
waterside setting, original menus and good cooking to match.
Tel: 03 86 41 24 80
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