Having tried to get here twice before, I was very pleased to finally make it and to be able to share the meal with my friend, Ira of Lost in Bordeaux. Modjo is location on Rue des Herbes, a street we pass and discuss often on our culinary tours but have never taken the time to walk down. The façade is rather austere, the interior simple and clean. The menu price of 21 EUROs for the three course lunch was another wonderful surprise and even more hard to believe once you have finished your meal. How does France do it? This would be easily a 50 USD lunch in the USA. You get three courses, but also amuse bouche (small palate 'teasers') and it ends with mignardises (the final small, bite-sized sweet after dessert). For 21 EURO. Vive la France.
SON’ – Bordeaux Bistronomique Restaurant
Chef Sylvain Renzetti is having serious fun creating delicious dishes using molecular techniques, varied ingredients and lots of talent. Their lunch menu at 24 EURO is one of the best offers in Bordeaux, but any time of day this restaurant is one not to miss.
Bistronomie Restaurants in Bordeaux – La Chicoula
Chefs in Bordeaux are creating some incredibly beautiful plates, with seasonal produce and plenty of creativity! Bordeaux has so many wonderful restaurants to choose from, including this off the beaten path charmer, La Chicoula.
Cannes Islands and Cote d’Azur
The Cote d'Azur is a great place to travel to year round. With beaches for summer and the Alpes in the winter, there are outdoor activities for everyone. Sailing and the charter yachting scene is also impressive, with trips for friends and family.
Bordeaux Wine and Food, Classic Summer Pairings
My summers with my husbands family from Gironde were always spent around the lunch table. Hours of sharing wonderful food cooked by his grandmother, stories about life here from his grandfather, and red wine. Always a rather bold, hearty, red wine from Pessac Leognan. Which, is what most of us think about when we come to Bordeaux the first time. However, I want to share some of my favorite Bordeaux whites (a sparkling rose) to enjoy in this sizzling summer heat.
Fresh Bordeaux Restaurants to Escape the Heat
The summer temperatures in Bordeaux can easily reach 90F, so where should you take lunch to escape the heat? Try these three options, from riverside to wine cellars, you’ll find a great meal!
Touring in the Lovely Lot, France
Long and warm days are the best to explore the department that you will end up liking a Lot! Less known than its neighboring Dordogne, the Lot department is rich in natural beauties as much as in historical landmarks. Over the course of three road trips from Gironde, we started exploring the department, from North to South and from West to East, with younger kids, with older kids and once even leaving the kids at home.
Nea Berglund, Chateau Carsin Organic Wine, and a Cottage
Nea Burglund is one of the people I met and just wanted to know more about immediately. She is driven and experimental. Originally from Finland, in winemaking she wants to respect the traditional process and classical wines found in Bordeaux, but she is also very open to trying something new. Her organic and more 'experimental' wines have been a hit. In fact, she's all but sold out until the next bottling (run if you want some rose!). Which is really impressive for a relatively new winemaker. You also need to try her delicious balsamic vinegar. And stay at her newly renovated three bedroom gite on property. The perfect French countryside escape. Nea Burglund is one to watch!
Food and Wine Tours with Kids in and around Bordeaux
While many of our Bordeaux tours are created with adults in mind, we are seeing the importance of finding ways to include our smaller travellers. Aquitaine Travel Guide is happy to help you plan a trip with your children that can include not only a family friendly food tour, but excursions into the countryside to farms to meet animals and run around in the fresh air! Contact us to help plan your trip contact@aquitainetravelguide.com
Catherine de Médici and her Contributions to French Cuisine
Meals at the French court of Catherine included the ancestors of unmissable classics: onion soup, known then as carabaccia, and vegetables with béchamel sauce, salsa colla (it was made using olive oil instead of butter). She loved broccoli, peas, artichokes cooked in wine and a classic of the French south west: asparagus!
Sauternes Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey and Restaurant Lalique
The hotel and restaurant designed by Lalique at Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey is an incredible experience. Tucked away in the Sauternes vines, creating some of the best wine and offering stellar service. Chef Jerome Schilling creates memorable dishes using unique cooking techniques and surprising flavor profiles. Paired expertly with unique, playful wines choices, it's easy to see why this is one of Sauternes gems.
Martillac and Leognan, Vineyards and Restaurants
which is an appellation created in the 1980's, but one in which wine has been made for thousands of years. In fact, the oldest wine producing chateau in the area is Chateau Pape Clement, named for Pope Clement V who started planting vines there in the 14th century.
History of Fete des Boeufs Gras
the butchers of Bazas were to offer a bull to the bishop in occasion of the celebrations of St. John (another day still honored in Bazas today). They were granted the right to parade their best cattle in the streets of the village on the Thursday before Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French/Shrove Tuesday).
Travel to Lisbon, Portugal from Bordeaux
Lisbon (Lisboa) must be the secret that everybody knows and doesn't bother keeping it for themselves. Lisbon is known for the stunning tiles or azulejo that have made this city famous for centuries. From Pastel de Nata, cod, conservas and great wines, you'll be sure to eat well in this historic city!
Women of Aquitaine
Starting in 2019, we used our platform to share and promote the Women of Aquitaine. From historical figures like Aliénor of Aquitaine to modern day taste makers in wine like Chinedu Rita Rosa, we aim to highlight these incredible women who have shaped and are still influencing our world. Many are in the realm of food and wine in Bordeaux, but we cover many others like young pilots who share their images of the Bassin d'Arcachon, or photographers sharing the lives of female fisherman off the coast of La Rochelle.
Where to Eat Oysters in Bordeaux
One of my favorite places to visit on the coast are the ostréiculture cabins that offer platters of their oysters (and shrimp, pate) with local wines on benches while sitting in the summer sun, admiring the sparkling seaside. If you can't make it there though, where can you try some fresh local oysters in Bordeaux?
Aquitaine Caviar
Sturgeon were once plentiful in the rivers nearby, however after decades of overfishing the fish was on the verge of extinction. The sturgeons are more prized for their eggs than their flesh these days . Until the early 20th century, the eggs would have been fed to the chickens as there was little interest in the production of caviar. That changed thanks to foreign interest and the production has only grown exponentially. 'Caviar d'Aquitaine'
Classical French Restaurants in Bordeaux
Classic French Restaurants in Bordeaux that have been open decades, serving up those French classics like oeufs mimosa, choucroute, sole meuniere, and the Bordeaux classic entrecote a la Bordelaise...but these beautiful historic restaurants will serve up everything from fire roasted duck to chicken ballentine!
Chandeleur and Crepes
The tasty aspect of this holiday, Chandeleur here in France, is the great amount of crêpes made, in each household, following a different recipe. My father in law is self-appointed crepe-master. He prepares, like every year, the batter 24 hours in advance, mixing fresh eggs, flour, butter, a pinch of salt and a mix of rum and pastis. There is no sugar in our mix, as the sweet will be added after being cooked.
La Camargue Estuary and Le Grau du Roi
Our first stop was for a carriage ride (balade en caleche) through the estuary, at Marais du Vigueirat. We took the tour in the late afternoon and it was rather hot this June day, so I would recommend an earlier morning visit. It was around an hour long and all in French, but the scenery was incredible and we learned a lot. Especially how important the role of the black bulls are. The course Camargue (bull fights) held in the Camargue are not to the death and the 'Razeteurs' (bull fighters) are less important than the bull.
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