Am having a lovely trip visiting some wineries in Burgundy and the Rhone Valley and had a wonderful lunch at Maison Pic (3*) in Valence yesterday. Highlights were the amuse bouche of different textures and colors of carrot with yogurt (translating the simple into the divine--that's what I love!), the stunning berlingots (her signature dish of goat cheese dumplings made with matcha and a watercress veloute), and the John Dory with Brittany abalone. The wine pairings were great as well. Shockingly, in a traditional French 3-star restaurant, the berlingots was paired with a sake!! My jaw dropped to the floor. Sake is becoming a popular pairing in the US and even in the UK--for instance The Fat Duck pairs The Sound of the Sea course with sake, but I did not think that a restaurant in the Rhone Valley would dare pour one as a pairing. Even funnier was that the sommelier's explanation was as if I had no idea what it was. She started to say "it's made from rice and is about 16% alcohol." I said "mm-hmm" and her eyes widened as she said "you've had it?" 😂 She also later paired a Brie course with a Swiss cider! I was also poured, and given a refill, of the very classy Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 2005, which goes for far north of 200 bucks a bottle.

I've got Alain Ducasse Le Louis XV at the end of the week!