I chose as our main wine a bottle of Gigondas 1995 (Guigal); one of the few "bargains" on the list at $35. It was robust and rich, good tannin and acid but with some sugar to balance it and make it seem ready to drink. A distinctly pepper nose. With this we decided to
get a couple of fairly robust meat dishes: Herb-crusted rack of lamb with salsify and carrots (listed as Provencal style on the menu) was 4 chops of extraordinary velvety smooth and tender baby lamb coated with a crust of parsley, chervil, and maybe fennel fronds, in
a demi-glace based sauce. A very simple preparation and a nice one, highlighting the quality of the ingredients.
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Osso buco (boneless) braised in carrot/tomato sauce with spring vegetables (peas, green beans, cherry tomatoes, chervil, garnished with a potato "osso" with marrow beans: this came as 5 or 6 huge blocks of tender stew in a pretty standard but delicious sauce. The
spring vegetables were much the same as in the rabbit fricassee, alas. The great amusement was that instead of a messy marrow bone, the center of the plate had a potato hollowed out into the shape of a bone and filled with potato puree beaten with stock and butter
and marrow; it was topped with quite a number of perfect little bean shapes, which turned out to be sculpted bits of bone marrow - actually a spectacular achievement that took a minute to appreciate and then just a few seconds to destroy.