La Bastide de Moustiers

Main Dining room		zoom+ The "nibbles" while sipping an aperitif. Bread sticks, mild radishes, thin rounds of toast with tapenade, anchovy paste and other goodies. Alain Ducasse with the Parisien illustrator who is responsible for the delightful artwork on the plates, menus and other publications of the Bastide. Photo taken when Alain Ducasse first opened La Bastide in 1995.
zoom+ Cold jellied rabbit with baby spring vegetables in "cocotte" with mixed "fresh from the garden" salad

© 1995-2006 photos Peter D'Aprix

Our meal in early May featured some of their typical menu dishes. My starter was an excellent green salad of a mix of baby greens from the kitchen garden with a light balsamic and olive oil dressing coupled with a couple of slices of the foie gras, small bacon bits and dried figs, a well balanced concoction. Linda's also a two phased dish with a substantial green mixed salad with both finely julienned beets as well as their tops with a mini-iron oval pot alongside filled with chilled jellied rabbit, olives, fava beans and sun dried tomatoes. A very refreshing starter especially in warm weather.

The fish course was an inventive Rouget, for Americans this would be Red Mullet or Red Snapper but a small one. It was cooked whole and had the spine and bones removed so carefully that the meat on the sides stayed in place as a stuffing of delicious ratatouille was inserted. This was served with a light saffron sauce (this means a delicate hand with the saffron which can so often overwhelm any dish) that went well with the fish and ratatouille. On the side was a salad of finely sliced raw fennel bulb with sun-dried tomatoes topped with sprigs of the fennel top, which gave an interesting second fennel taste.

Chef Eric Santalucia may have been born near Toulouse but perhaps his Italian ancestry has helped him master the tastes of Provence so well and render them in new and different ways. Of course, having Ducasse as his mentor helps.

zoom+ Baked Rouget in saffron sauce stuffed with ratatueille and fennel buld salad.		zoom+ Slices of cold foie gras with bacon and dried figs accompanied with salad of garden fresh mixed greens.
Evening view of the terrace with its magnificent view of the valley		zoom+ Sisteron hillside fed lamb stuffed with foie gras and a mild tapenade served with rolled creps stuffed with olives, artichokes and tomatoes.
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A succulent lamb from Sisteron followed the fish. It too was excellent and, as described above, had a stuffing of foie gras and a light tapenade. This was accompanied with small crepes rolled and filled with a mix of olives, baby artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes and enlivened with strips of lemon zest - a great idea.

The Bastide has been known from its inception for its sinful desserts. Not just one, but one following another. And they are so good, that even the threats of a wife cannot stop the guy with a sweet tooth from digging in. So they are not big, but they are delicious. Then with coffee a glass tray with small indentations arrives filled with bit sized desserts that simply cannot be left in place to whither and die un appreciated; well can they?

From the early days Cocotte de Legumes with chevre that still appears on the menu. zoom+		zoom+ Dessert - Millefeuille with Rhubarbe, strawberries and creme fraiche icecream. Asperges Provencale zoom+
zoom+ Home made vanilla icecream with hot chocolate sauce and apples served with more bite sized goodies and a class of Baume de Venise.

But this was what was on the menu this day. Your meal will differ but be just as good. From our standpoint, as much as we enjoy the food being served in this very special place, we do miss the unique upscale country dishes that were the hallmark of this establishment at the beginning. They were simply prepared with out the time spent on the finesse of presentation, fine chopping, foie gras and other embellishments. They were honest dishes, much too salty to be sure in those early days, but real, delicious with whole carrots and vegetables but with sophistication in the balance of tastes that was a delight. Back then this was new. Of course, it was also before the acolytes of Ducasse had not swept across the country and beyond around the.

Today the style at the Bastide is not new or novel as it once was, just excellent. It is country in as much as it is a market driven menu. But it is city sophistication rather than "haute" country. For those who never knew the spit roasted poultry, the iron pot cooked vegetables and meats basted in their own juices, this is not a loss. But we would love it if the Bastide brought back some of that style that made it a unique place to enjoy the valley, the hotel and the entire experience of the eating. But that probably says more about us than the Bastide.

A little history:

Opening in 1995 with just five rooms, each totally different from the other, the auberge has grown to twelve rooms, some in the main building and others scattered about the acres of grounds. They are furnished with antique pieces mixed with flea market items blended with modern versions of Provençal prints on the fabrics and draperies. Each room has television, phone with direct outside line and other modern conveniences like constant hot water and plumbing that works. The bathrooms are tiled with the lovely rustic tiles of Salernes, a famous tile village just a short way down the road to the coast.

The Bastide was the pet project of M. Ducasse when the only restaurant he commanded was his 3 Michelin star Louis XV in Monaco. He wanted to create a country house where the same guests that ate at his world class coastal restaurant could come and let their hair down and feel at home in the relaxed country atmosphere of this former pottery. While the decor is country it is definitely upscale country done in perfect taste with all the influences of Provence in color, style and ambiance. He wanted the furniture to be purposefully miss-matched just as it would be in a family home. There are bikes to ride, horses and ponies keeping the hillside grass short even a donkey that adds some textured comments from time to time, a classic medieval herb garden, and lovely grounds to wander in and a pool with a view to die for. Most of this has not changed from the opening, but some of the "homey", well worn-around-the-edges furniture has been upgraded to "homey AND comfortable". The bathrooms are all very cutting edge of modern country. Everything as neat as a pin.

With the new French drunk driving laws in place for 2005 (which are quite severe),  M. Potier has thoughtfully added hammocks for the designated driver who has consumed more than a glass of wine to sleep off lunch under the trees. The other option, of course, is just stay the night 

La Bastide is right at the entrance to the Grand Canyon of France the Gorges de Verdon and minutes from the lovely lake of St. Croix with boating, wind surfing, canoeing and other water sports. The most charming village of Moustier-Ste-Marie is just up the hill. It is a must on any itinerary.

Dogs:
Dogs are not allowed in the dining room. But reception will look after them so they are easy to check on between courses. They are allowed out on the terrace dining area and in the rooms but must be accompanied at all times and on a leach.