Where Do I Eat In Burgundy?
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Not so long ago, Beaune’s fine dining scene was either Ma Cuisine or a packed lunch. The knock-on effect of the stratospheric rise in Burgundy’s popularity is restaurants popping up like mushrooms across the town of Beaune over the last two decades. Many rely upon the influx of “Pinot Pilgrims” during high season and Hospice weekend. As a result, Beaune maintains its fair share of run-of-the-mill restaurants whose unimaginative cuisine caters to undiscerning palates. There is nothing wrong with that. Some people eat to live. For gourmands, there is a cluster of quality-driven restaurants that foment a dining scene disproportionately large for Beaune’s size. Most are inspired by traditional Burgundy dishes like coq au vin, oeufs en Meurette and l’escargots, and its dining scene is indeed less diverse than you find in Bordeaux or Lyon. That said, I can see the influence of Japan, a country with a longstanding natural affinity towards Burgundy, either in terms of Japanese restaurants or shaping some of its menus.
Instead of a series of Vinous Tables, over the holiday season, I wrote a single paragraph on places that I frequent during my annual three or four months in the region. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list, and for reasons of length, I reluctantly exclude Beaujolais and Mâconnais, each bejeweled with their own outstanding restaurants that often offer better value. My selection is listed in order of personal preference. Hopefully, it provides a useful guide. Feel free to add your own.
N.B. Readers will find some, not all, tasting notes of the wines ordered at these restaurants in the right-hand column.
La Lune (Beaune)
La Lune is the best restaurant in Burgundy. Period. I’ve eaten there since its doors first opened in 2014 and relish every visit. La Lune is run by chef Seiichi Hirobe and front of house Julien Martin (no relation). Martin takes your order, and Hirobe cooks in front of you, focused and concentrated, saying little because he’s ‘in the zone’. The menu is Japanese with a Gallic twist and rarely less than fantastique. I’ll tell you how good La Lune is… I took my Japanese wife there. Yes, the harshest critic of any Japanese restaurant outside her homeland. She was bowled over by the quality of ingredients, execution and adherence to Japanese simplicity. She even coaxed Hirobe San from behind the stove for a selfie.
La Lune chef Seiichi Hirobe.
Two caveats. There are only 18-odd covers, mostly around the L-shaped counter. Consequently, you have to book way in advance, though they accept late-night drop-ins. Another is the wine list, where there is considerable room for improvement. However, the bottom line is that within Beaune, La Lune is unbeatable value, with many starters at a trifling €8 or €9. La Lune is not just my favorite restaurant in Burgundy. It’s one of my favorite restaurants, full-stop.
Another
exquisite dish at La Lune is one of my favorites: trout from the Cordier-Gand
fishery in Corgolin, with sliced radish, sugar snap peas, broccoli, cherry
tomato and a white sesame sauce and ponzu.
Bistro de l’Hôtel (Beaune)
Instead of a series of Vinous Tables, over the holiday season, I wrote a single paragraph on places that I frequent during my annual three or four months in the region. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list, and for reasons of length, I reluctantly exclude Beaujolais and Mâconnais, each bejeweled with their own outstanding restaurants that often offer better value. My selection is listed in order of personal preference. Hopefully, it provides a useful guide. Feel free to add your own.
