I've been getting a little better these days at taking photos in restaurants. I still get embarrassed about it and try to do it as discreetly as possible, but I have been managing to snap off a few photos each time that we go out. Here are some of the meals that we had in Aix-en-Provence during our trip to the Provence region of France - for all the "Foodies" out there.
Day 1: Home-Style Italian with Dog
The first meal that we had was at a small hole in the wall type of restaurant that was run by a young couple. One of them was the waiter and the other the cook.
It was an Italian restaurant and nothing fancy. We had the dog with us that night, as you can see, so we wanted to keep it as casual as possible.
This was the first time that my wife had ever put the dog in her BabyBjorn carrier for dinner so we weren't sure how that was going to go, but it worked out really well in the end. He fell asleep almost immediately and was actually snoring away during dinner.
My wife chose the restaurant based on online reviews but when we first walked up we were a little skeptical about it. We paused out front assessing how tiny it was, and were nervous that it basically looked like a dingy convenience store from the outside. After a pause to consider our options we said, "fuck it" and headed in. We had made a reservation already and didn't want to go searching for a new spot. Worst case scenario we would have a bad meal and that would not be too big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
The meal ended up being quite good though. It was home style Italian food that you would expect to be served at someone's grandmothers house. Grandmother's always make the best food, so I actually mean that as a glowing recommendation.
Day 2: Restaurant Mitch
On the second evening we left the dog back at the hotel and went to a restaurant that was a little more fancy than the previous night. It was still very casual dining, but not the type of place that you wear a dog strapped to your midriff.
The restaurant was called Mitch and in 2021 it appeared in the Michelin Guide under the category of Bon plat. I believe that the category has since been removed from the guide but it used to signify that the restaurant was essentially on its way to receiving a star and that it just needed a little more refinenment to get it. Actually, a good strategy of fine dining is to seek out Bon Plat restaurants because you get close to Michelin Star quality food but without the crazy prices and wait lists. We walked in off the street that night without a reservation and they had a table for us inside. That would never happen if it had a Michelin star. The wait list might be weeks or even months in that case.
The desert was quite interesting that night and one of those dishes that really stands out in your mind.
It was ginger carrots with dark chocolate. I have never had a carrot as a dessert but I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Day 3: Restaurant...?
I don't recall the name of the restaurant we ate at on the third evening of our stay but I recall it being quite good.
It's always a plus when they give you an amuse bouche complements of the chef. I guess that is how you know it's fancy.
The appetizer was liver paté with strawberries.
The main was a thick cut pork chop with peas.
And dessert was a bread pudding with vanilla sauce.
Bonus Meals
I've been holding onto these photos for a very long time now. They were taken the previous year during our first trip to Provence. They are the meals that we had in the city of Avignon which is about an hour or so drive from Aix.
We had three excellent meals in the city but the one that stands out for me the most was from a restaurant called L'Agape.
The food was really excellent there and I would recommend that restaurant to anyone. We didn't know it when we walked up and asked for a table but this restaurant was also in the Michelin guide since 2015 under the category of Bib Gourmand.
I don't know if that category still exists in the guide or if they have since removed it, but it signifies that the restaurant offers high quality meals at very reasonable prices.
The meal was probably the fanciest that we had eaten in France up until that point but we didn't find it to be any more expensive than other meals we had eaten previously.
It really had lived up to the Bib Gourmand title.
All of the meals that we had in Provence during both trips were very good but the two that stood out the most for us were from Restaurant Mitch in Aix-en-Provence and L'Agape in Avignon. I would recommend either of those two restaurants to anyone traveling in the cities. Keep them in mind if you ever go to the cities.