Saint-Rémy-de-Provence: Mistral Gourmand

Lovely St-Rémy can be a challenge for anyone who wants to eat well without winding up with a tourist entourage and a seriously depleted wallet. That’s why the new Mistral Gourmand was such a wonderful discovery on a sunny autumn afternoon when the mistral itself, the famous Provençal wind, had cleared the sky to its sharpest blue. Tucked away in an old house on the route to Les Baux, with old-fashioned banquettes, a terra-cotta tile floor and the chef’s well-behaved son playing in a corner, the place was immediately welcoming, and the €20 three-course lunch menu—including a glass of wine—was even more so. To start, there were tiny cheese-filled ravioli seasoned with fruity local olive oil, Parmesan shavings, fresh basil and Espelette pepper. A superb and absolutely enormous loin of tuna cooked rare and dribbled with a delicious, bright-tasting pistou (olive oil, garlic and basil sauce) was garnished with nutty red rice from the Camargue, sweet potato purée and ratatouille. I chose a nice little wedge of local goat cheese instead of the fruit tart to finish up. Chef Xavier Bayeul stopped by as I was having coffee, and when I complimented him on the excellence of his cooking and his reasonable prices, he grinned and said his clientele is mostly local Saint-Rémois. “It’s not only what they expect, but also what makes me happy.”

12 ave Durand-Maillane, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, 04.90.92.14.65. €20 lunch menu (three courses and a glass of wine); €30 per person à la carte without wine.

Originally published in the December 2007 issue of France Today

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