While the quality varies from dish to dish, there is enough on the menu to make a delicious meal. Certainly, it would not be a restaurant to which the late M. Francoise Mitterand would drive over two hours for lunch from his house in Gordes if it did not serve satisfying food. But it is the exquisite charm of the small, antique rooms and the incomparable view that augments the dining experience that is the true draw of this restaurant. One side faces the main square across from the village church; the other overhangs the gorge that cuts the village in two through which the pure waters rush on their way down from the peaks above to the lush valley below. Throw a few pieces of bread down into the pool below and watch the trout appear from hiding and make it dissapear in seconds.
The postage stamp terrace offers this view that changes with the seasons and with the time of day. Equally calming to the soul are the several small dining rooms filled with antiques, missmatched beams and set on different levels. The walls are white washed. From the outside the pots of brilliant red geraniums compete with ivy to cover the walls.
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Exterior of Les Santons at night.
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While there are many other dishes to choose from, I go to Les Santons for the Spiced Chicken. Cooked in a sauce of lavender honey mixed with several spices then set on caramelized onions and served with a small tian of scallop potatoes and probably a stuffed zuchini, it is always a treat. Their "barigole des artichokes" is superb to start and the "creme brulée" saturated with the essence of coffee is to die for. But for a variation, try their lavender ice cream served with a warm apple tart with a sauce of lavender honey. Don't knock it until you try it.
"Les Santons" derives its name from the "Santons" that are traditional Provençal 1/4 life size figures created for Christmas celebration in the highland houses. The village would be recreated in miniature and all the people in it would be crafted as these small figures. Manufacturing these "Santons" is now a Provençal cottage industry. You can see them being made in Greoux-les-Bains about 30 minutes from Moustiers-Ste-Marie.
It is a small restaurant, so be sure to call and make a reservation in advance. If you can't make it, please be sure to call and cancell since they need their few tables filled to make a living in this seasonal town.
Les Santons
Place de l'Eglise
04360 Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
tel:011-33-(0)4.92.74.66.48
fax:011-33-(0)4.92.74.63.67
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