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Yes indeed, this restaurant is filled with the tastes of Haute-Provence both in its food and in its ambience. The family Gleize (father, Pierre, and son, Jany, and Mom too) are not only delightful and welcoming hosts but together create a cuisine inspired by the best of local ingredients in a style that is modern but Provençal to the core. Fresh herbs from the hillsides, goat cheeses from the plateau of Valensole, traditional olive oil from Les Mées, lamb that has spent its life roaming the hills and valleys eating the wild rosemary, thyme and lavender.
It is part of the Hotel La Bonne Etape which has lovely, Provençal rooms and suites. They are decorated with great taste in Provençal fabrics, antiques and colors. Here you will feel part of the tapestry of Provence. Stay and eat knowing that you can enjoy that wine selection and armagnac and not become a target for the highway patrols!
It has been some years since we were last there and there have been a few changes but we are happy to report, that despite the temporary leave of a absence of son Jany, M. and Mme. Gleize have maintained the establishment exactly as it has been for the last 20 years - the quality of the cuisine, excellent, despite the pressures of an adverse economy, and they have added a country bistro, "Au Goût du Jour" for those wanting cuisine filled with the famous Gleize quality but less fancy and easier on the purse.
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Pierre Gleize, Chef de Cusine La Bonne Etape Restaurant.
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Fleurs de Courgettes Farcies - Baby zucchini and its flower stuffed with sweet basil accompanied by a "Caviar d'Aubergines"
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The main dining room filled with antiques, golden colors and tranquility.
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Over the years we have returned again and again and have been able to report that the quality has remained consistent and high at this charming establishment. A few years ago we experienced a glitch in this delight so we are especially happy to see that all is on track today. While the surroundings resonate with the fabric of historical Provence, the cuisine is what we are calling "classic modern" as opposed to the classic cuisine of Escoffier or the modern "fusion" or the concotions of oddly matched tastes that many young chefs indulge in to try to make their name. While the dishes change with the seasons, older recipes dropped and new ones created, the style is the same as it has been for the last 20 years.
Pierre Gleize met his wife back in his youth. He was a pastry chef working down on the coast and had decided to take a trip up into the hinterlands of Haute-Provence on his aging motor bike. As luck would have it, the bike managed to break down right in front of the local inn, La Bonne Etape. The owner welcomed him in and helped him find someone to repair his bike. But it took a bit of time. Meanwhile the daughter of the establishment caught his eye and the rest is history. He transformed this small country inn into an upscale hotel famous for its fine food. His son Jany grew up in the kitchens, so it was natural that he join his father in producing some of the finest cuisine in this part of the region. So much so that not only has be been welcomed into that hallowed enclave of the "Maitres Cuisinières de France" but has made La Bonne Etape an important member of the prestigeous Relais et Châteax group of hotels and restaurants.
Our meal this Spring:
On this visit I chose the seasonal prix fix menu dedicated to tastes from the garden and the hill priced at 80.00€ with 5 courses, and delicious it was too. Linda opted for À la Carte. But to wet our appetites, the meal started with serving of a chilled oyster topped with shaved ice making a "granita" of green apple, a mini-brochette of 3 duck kidneys and a tiny bowel of tasty Gazpacho. What an unusual and delicious way to start the meal! It was superb.
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Salade d'Asperges Vertes, Morilles and scrambled eggs Provençal.
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Loup with pea pods and pissaladiere.
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Ravioli stuffed with garden herbs and cèpes.
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My lunch hillside inspired lunch started with a baby zucchini and its flower stuffed with sweet basil accompanied by a "Caviar d'Aubergines", which is a sort of smooth chutney made with Egg Plant, and a coarse tomato "chutney" alongside. This was followed by a dish called "Salade d'asperges vertes du Val Durance, Morreilles et oeuf brouillé" which was not a salad at all but a marvelous dish of green asparagus standing upright in an edible ring with a generous helping of warm morels compote and accompanied with a Chinese spoon full of scrambled egg with tiny chunks of black truffles. I moved on to the next course of large raviolis stuffed with garden herbs and the large, black mushrooms called "cèpes" and served with a tomato sauce made with the renowned olive oil from nearby Mées. This dish gave on to the generous selection of cheeses from the region and to an excellent dessert of a green apple "millefeuille" served with home made olive oil ice cream. You may think this a strange mixture, but it is primarily a taste of vanilla laced with just a hint of a delicate aromatic olive oil. Very well balanced and a perfect finish.
Linda ordered the same "Salade d'asperges vertes du Val Durance, Moreilles et oeuf brouillé" to start that I had as part of my menu which she followed with a light fish dish of Loup grilled on its skin side only and served with tender green pea pods and a Pissaladière. A delicious but miniscule half roast pigeon followed served with garlic and olive oil coated asparagus. Pigeon is hardly a dish to quench the appetite, but half a pigeon only yielded a couple of small bites! I wonder what they were thinking.
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Pre-dessert of sliced strawberries with ball of vanilla ice cream.
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Millefeuille of green apples, pears and rosemary with olive oil vanilla ice cream.
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Sorbets with fresh fruit.
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The new bistro "Au Goût du Jour".
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After the main course, we were treated to a "pre-dessert", a trend that I heartily endorse, of a light mini-bowel of chopped fresh strawberries topped with a ball of vanilla ice cream. Linda finished with an excellent grouping of sorbets served with a generous and artistically arranged assortment of fresh cut fruit.
A lovely meal, redolent of Haute-Provence, in a classic modern style served in a calm and relaxing environment filled with tradition but not hindered by it. A perfect place to destress!
La Bonne Etape Restaurant
Chemin du Lac
04160 Chateau-Arnoux
tel:011-33-(0)4.92.64.00.09
fax:011-33-(0)4.92.64.37.36
e-mail:info@bonneetape.com
Web Page: http://www.bonneetape.com
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For a link to the Relais & Châteaux Group of hotels and restaurants own site, click on the button left.
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