Restaurant L'oustau De Baumanière

Wine pairing price = $161 Retail Value = $36 Markup = 450% A total of 7 pairings (full list below), w/ one standout older vintage of 2004, four from 2018, others from 2019 and 2020. The bottles were all moderately priced for French wine around $50. The food was exquisite. Despite not eating much that day, I was really filling up about 2/3 of the way in, struggling to eat the main savory and the desserts. Service was exceptional. Ambiance was lovely. The chef and owner really care about feedback and visited every table. I'd definitely return. Full wine list for tasting: Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Premier Cru 'Mont de Milieu' 2018 $40 Domaine d'Aupilhac La Boda 2018 $32 Château de Vaudieu Clos du Belvédère Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020 $60 Vincent Bachelet Santenay 1er Cru 'Clos des Mouches' 2019 $58 Château Sociando-Mallet Jean Gautreau Red 2004 $66 Hay Hop IPA Blance au foin de crau [Beer] $7 Domaine Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moelleux 2018 $38

29th in my Michelin 3 Stars marathon in France (follow me for all the reviews and updates) The missed rendez-vous This review will be a bit different from the others. I made a mistake and I didn’t get to really appreciate and understand the chef. Don’t do the same. When I arrived, I saw the previous chef, the owner Chef Charial, greeting customers (which is always a great gesture). So when I discovered that you could have a « gigot d’agneau » as an hommage of the long history of this place, and its family, I couldn’t resist. Especially since I had just done 10 3 stars in 9 days, so I was looking forward for some good old fashioned piece of meat. The meat was superb. The side dish also. But the issue was that it messed up with me and I didn’t understand the actual chef, Glenn Viel. The red mullet was very interesting indeed, but I guess mixing two chefs and different style is just like reading a book and suddenly one chapter is from another book and author. It confused me. One way of looking at gastronomy is a bit like an author. One star, he has a character. Two stars, the character has something to say. 3 stars, he s telling a story. So for me, my choice, broke the story, I could see the character but I switched author before he could tell me a story. It’s really frustrating because I’ve heard so much good things about him from other Michelin chef. So bottom line, although it’s really superb, don’t take the lamb if you want to navigate in his universe. So I’ll focus on practical stuff. The “new” chef came at the tables and spoke with everyone. It’s really nice, especially with the size of the restaurant (one of 3 stars that has the highest number of tables). We had a good conversation, which means he is really trying to exchange with everyone (and just a quick hello). Most likely you will also speak with him. I’ve also noticed most got invited to visit the kitchen ( sadly not me, for unknown reasons, but I think I was the only one, and it was more by mistake, so you should be able to see the kitchen). The sound level is quite high due to the walls but it’s also the charm of the place. To be fair, the space between tables does provide enough intimacy. I’ve seen that on good days you eat outside, I think it’s optimal (or at least have the coffee outside). The crowd was family, friends and couples. Although on a Monday, I didn’t see business but it could fit. Especially since the size fits for bigger tables. I guess the location fits more for holidays goers than business men. It clearly deserves its 3 stars. I just need to go back and “go full Glenn Viel” to do a deeper review.

We enjoyed a very nice dinner here! Long story since 1945, they lost the third star in 1990 and regained it a few years ago under the supremely talented and passionate new chef Glenn Viel. He has worked in many places but never ate at a Michelin Restaurant as he wanted to develop his own style. We were very impressed with his singular, authentic style and use of local products. The whole menu was nicely composed with many dishes offering unique flavors and great finish. Hard to pick a favorite dish! The service was flawless, the only thing I missed was a certain lightness in the service staff among the professionalism.

We ate at the restaurant twice during our stay ! Once for the tasting menu and once à la carte. Everything was impeccable from A to Z. A real 3 * experience both times with excellent service were all our requests were accommodated. The lamb and the millefeuille were truly outstanding there is no going wrong no matter what you eat !

Experiencing the pinnacle of French cuisine through a laid back yet very fancy four hour eco-responsible culinary art feast in Provence left us in awe of the enormous amount of care and craftsmanship. It’s not just sublime tastes but a transcendent experience where life slows down, minute unexpected details noticed and savored, and a whole new appreciation of both the extraordinarily complex but also of the simplest things made fabulous from a beet, a carrot or Coca-Cola (which we ordered as joke just to see what the experience would be and it didn’t disappoint!).

Wine pairing price = $161 Retail Value = $36 Markup = 450% A total of 7 pairings (full list below), w/ one standout older vintage of 2004, four from 2018, others from 2019 and 2020. The bottles were all moderately priced for French wine around $50. The food was exquisite. Despite not eating much that day, I was really filling up about 2/3 of the way in, struggling to eat the main savory and the desserts. Service was exceptional. Ambiance was lovely. The chef and owner really care about feedback and visited every table. I'd definitely return. Full wine list for tasting: Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Premier Cru 'Mont de Milieu' 2018 $40 Domaine d'Aupilhac La Boda 2018 $32 Château de Vaudieu Clos du Belvédère Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020 $60 Vincent Bachelet Santenay 1er Cru 'Clos des Mouches' 2019 $58 Château Sociando-Mallet Jean Gautreau Red 2004 $66 Hay Hop IPA Blance au foin de crau [Beer] $7 Domaine Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moelleux 2018 $38