Lavandou

We have arrived at the south of France. Having traveled there, we really just needed a reminder of the the flavors. We had read mixed reviews of Lavandou but it is the only restaurant that semed to have an emphasis solely on Provencal cuisine so we decided to give it a try. I got a good vibe when I called to make a reservation and the host said "Lavandou bonjour".
We arrived a bit late for our reservation which was no problem because the place wasn't very crowded. I ordered a Kir and Julian had a Pastis. As appetizers we had Escargots (even though they are not really Provencal) and some croustade with rilletes de canard (pate) and ratatouille. Everything was very well prepared and delicious. I thought the ratatouille could have used more eggplant. The pate was very smooth and declared yummy by the meat eaters. The parsley butter with the escargots was a vibrant green and delicious. We soaked up every drop with the bread.



Our main dishes reminded us what we had tasted in France. The portions were also European sized but that is OK with us it gave us room for dessert. We had Daube Provencal, Cassoulette de fruits de mer, Baudroie, and Agneau suce miel. The Daube is a typical provencal stew; dark brown and rich yet not as heavy as Bouef Bourguignon. Julian chose veggies instead of noodles with it and they were delicious: lightly steamed with tons of garlic. I think I stole most of the veggies. John's Cassoulette was really a light version of boulliabaisse. There was a good amount of seafood and the broth had a delicious flavor of tomato and a bit of anise. The aioli was heavy on the garlic and smooth. You just can't go wrong with garlic and mayonnaise. Julia's lamb with honey glaze was yummy. The glaze wasn't cloyingly sweet and there was the faintest hint of lavendar in the background. It went beautifully with the grilled artichoke accompianment. My Baudroie was good but not terribly inventive. It was just monkfish with olives and a sauce. However it was perfectly prepared. For wine we just went with the house wines a Pinot and a Sancerre. They were very nice and a good deal. The negative review we read said the saving grace was the creme brulee, so we just had to order some. We all thought it was amazing. I don't even like creme brulee and I wished we had ordered two. It had the crunchy topping and a creamy filling but it wasn't as eggy as most creme brulee I have tried. I swear I would go back just for that.