Freeway Free in France: Eating our Hearts Out in Arles
On our first evening in Arles we rendez-vous with our friends at the Cafe Factory Republique, a modest bistro with comfortable outside seating, where it seemed all the customers were English-speaking expats. EJ’s Duolingo French being limited, he exploits the change to get insider tips from the expats, which we will benefit from for the rest of the trip.
The next day, EJ and I stop for lunch at one of the places recommended by his new Canadian friends, Le Criquet. For my enthusiastic thoughts about this spot, check my previous post. Only later did I discover that Rick Steves is also a fan of this spot, and we were lucky to get a last-minute table.
EJ went birding and missed a dinner at Michelin-recommended Le Gibolin. This is a small bistro with a remarkable wine list. The dish we all focused on was an appetizer, the spring pea soup, a brilliant green concoction with all the springy sweetness of a vegetable straight off the vine, somehow preserved in a bowl.
The next night EJ, BB and I ate deliciously at l’Entrevue, a Moroccan restaurant by the river recommended by my French friend CRH. This restaurant is affiliated with an excellent bookstore, Actes Sud, a cinema specializing in films related to the Arles area and history, and a Turkish-style hammam, offering various spa-type services in addition to the steam bath. The menu offers a number of vegetarian options, in addition to some really wonderful lamb stews, all at a very affordable price in an outdoor setting bordering the Rhone. This was so good that we came back two nights later bringing our other two friends PS and MV along so they would not miss out.
In the intervening night we had a luxe meal at l’Arlatan, a lovely restaurant located in the atrium of the hotel of the same name. This is a beautifully updated hotel, with trendy bright colors in the lobby and restrooms so artfully designed that they are almost impossible to locate in the panelled hallway. We ate under wisteria trained high above, excellent “brousse” cheese with spicy tomato sauce, (five of us share) excellent monkfish with spinach and tiny asparagus (four of us order, Ps has a compressed block of chicken with excellent sauce) then three of us order decaf coffee while PS and MV wait and wait and wait for a chestnut tart. I finally leave to meet EJ just as the waiter comes runnng with the dessert. So – five stars for the food and the locale, but only two for the service. (Were they changing shifts? Who knows?)
I meet EJ at the Wauxhall on George Clemenceau Blvd just opposite the Tourist Bureau. This busy indoor/outdoor place boasts of having been a fixture in Arles since 1771. EJ had not dined, and filled his empty spaces with a bread/cheese/salami platter. I ordered what I thought would be a cup of chocolate flavored coffee, but evidently cafe mocha in Arles means something quite different:. Fortunately EJ was able to help me out with this mountain of ice cream, chocolate mousse, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and cinnamon.
On our last night in Arles I made reservations on the website of another Rick Steves-recommended restaurant, and had no trouble reserving a table for five, though the (out-dated) RS guide told me it would be closed. It was pouring rain when I got to the place, and RS was right. The also-recommended bistro next door was already reserved for a special banquet. Thanks be, the third restaurant on the street was open and empty, so I was able to stand out under the awning in the downpour and re-direct my friends to Le Plaza La Paillotte, a very happy outcome. I found later that this is rated # 8 of 230 restaurants in Arles by Trip Advisor, which only goes to support my feeling that it is almost impossible to blunder into a bad meal in Arles.
Allyson Johnson 