I believe there is a saying that goes something like this, "In Paris they eat; in Lyon we dine." I'm sure that is not it verbatim, but I think you catch the drift. Well, I took that to heart when I visited the capital of the Rhone Valley. I made sure that on the train ride back to Paris I would barely be able to button my jeans. Here is the 411 on that adventure (sans one dinner that merits its own post)...
A typical Lyonnais bouchon in the old town. L'Amphitryon.
How quintessentially French does this place look?
Despite how adorably perfect the inside was, I could not for the life of me say no to dining al fresco in the warm sun (with a carafe of local wine to boot).
Soon, my onion tart and salad arrived.
And I ended my meal with none other than the new-to-me praline tart I had picked up at a boulangerie earlier that day. It was so sweet and couldn't be less fancy, but undoubtedly was the perfect ending to the meal.
No. I didn't accidentally put another photo from the above restaurant. It's just that I started my own trend of dining wherever I saw outside tables in the sun. This place is called La Muranie.
I ordered a quenelle, another regional specialty made out of fish. It was worth the wait and the staff here was especially attentive.
For dinner one night, I headed to a bouchon called La Meuniere recommended by a friend. Here is my advice to you. If you are in Lyon, RUN don't walk to La Meuniere. Believe me, there won't be many places like this around in the coming years. This is real, classic, old-school French and sadly I fear it will be lost soon.
The owner and his one waitress (his wife was also there handling the phone and some tables as well) are setting up a central table which houses all kinds of goodies: cornichons, pâté, cheeses, condiments, etc.
The restaurant is set up family style, where you sit next to fellow diners. The kicker is that they have huge communal bowls of cracklin (fried pork fat - something anyone who has spent any time in South Louisiana knows all about). In France, I am certain it is called something else, but I can't call it anything other than cracklin. Sorry.
My first course was typical of the region: saucisson pistache en brioche. Pistachio sausage baked in a brioche dough and covered with a wine sauce.
My second dish was the perfection that can be Coq au Vin.
Of course, I had a cheese course. They brought over a couple platters of cheese, some knives and forks and told me to pick whatever I wanted. That's what I call Awesome (with a capital A, thank you).
I had to stay true to the region and get the praline tart for dessert. I just couldn't stray from it, and again, I was not disappointed.
On my last day in Lyon, I tried Le Bistrot de Lyon which was recommended in a guidebook I usually trust wholeheartedly.
The atmosphere was charming, but to me the service and the food was lacking or at the very least did not stand up to that of other places in Lyon.
Not to mention the fact that I found it a bit pricey. For this pea soup, I was charged something like 12 euros. Don't make me wince in pain by asking me to convert that to dollars. I don't want to know what I paid in USD for PEA soup that costs nothing to make.
So when they forgot to bring the allumette the menu said accompanied the soup, I did not hesitate to ask where it was (once I got someone's attention, that is). They apologized and a while later brought me two instead of one. How generous.
I gave dessert a try with a pear, chocolate and caramel creation. It lacked in taste in my opinion. Was it horrible? No. Was it outstanding? Absolutely not.
They did have really cool bathrooms, though.
So, if you want to stop in for a coffee one afternoon and use the restroom, I would recommend it. Otherwise, I think there are better places to spend your money in Lyon.
L'Amphitryon
33 rue Saint Jean
Lyon
04 78 37 23 68
La Muranie
55 rue Mercière
Lyon
04 78 37 33 29
La Meuniere
11 rue Neuve
Lyon
04 78 28 62 91
Le Bistrot de Lyon
64 rue Mercière
Lyon
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