A weekend in Lyon

Last weekend, I went to visit the fabulous city of Lyon France- aka the gourmet food capital of France.  Not only did I go to explore this foodie paradise, I had been in contact with a fellow Memphian (Michelle) who I learned is now living in France through her blog, http://www.memphistanista.com/, that my mom shared with me. I emailed her about a month ago and we decided to meet up! Let me just say now, this is a very very small world – we even found out this weekend that we are both friends with Benito of Bentio’s wine blog and who is the son of my family’s good friend Mr. Al and Susan!! So crazy and we discovered this connection while in a wine shop. Let me just say, our meeting was meant to happen!

Michelle and Me

I could not have chosen a better weekend to go, after a week of grey, misty weather in Poligny, I arrived to Lyon welcomed by a sunny clear sky paired with comfortable autumn weather! Perfect for sight seeing. 

Coolest bookstore - love the entrance

We saw some of the main highlights of Lyon – starting with passing through a traboule – very typical of Lyon. It’s basically a passageway that allows you to pass from one side of the street to the other via the building. It was originally used by the silk manufactures to transport their products and later used during WWII to hide Jews. Pretty cool! You would never know that a random door would be an entrance – you kinda have to know where they are located if you want to go through.

Then we wandered around Old Lyon (Vieux Lyon) – which is probably the most touristy part of the city, but for good reason.  It’s quite quaint complete with cobblestone streets, darling cafés on every corner, and little boutiques peppering the streets. I really liked this area of town and we even ventured into one of the most expensive and gorgeous hotels in the area – Cour des Loges  – to use the free restroom (very rare in France). The interior was gorgeous and the architecture of the dining area was full of light and high ceilings – definitely worth a trip inside. 

When I return to Lyon, I will most certainly be exploring this area more. 

Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvier

 

After exploring Old Lyon, we headed up to see the famous Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, which sits upon the top of the city and brilliantly sparkles in the sunshine.  We took the funicular up to the top  - thank goodness, it would have been a rather steep walk! It’s an impressive sight to behold – absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately, the inside was covered in scaffolding due to renovation – but despite the work, the intricate stain glass windows were stunning and the light streaming through was lovely.

Finally, it was time for our lunch at one of Paul Bocuse’s brasserie’s Le Nord. He has 4 brasseries around the city – Le Sud, L’Est, L’Ouest, and Le Nord – each featuring food from the regions of France. I was quite excited about eating here since Paul Bocuse is one of the most famous chefs in France! Along with the 4 brasseries, which are affordable, he has The Paul Bocuse restaurant, which has Michelin stars and is extremely pricey!

The Paul Bocuse Restaurant

Painting of Julia Child on side of Paul Bocuse restaurant

Now, on to my Le Nord food experience.

Le Nord had a very cozy atmosphere that was very inviting and warm and the food featured was heavier, which reflects the traditional cuisine of the north of France.

So I settled on the menu fixte, which included an entrée, plat principal, and a dessert or cheese. You get a lot of food for a terrific rate. We got 2 pots of wine  - red and white (pots a little smaller than bottles and more economical). Both were very nice and from the Rhone valley.

For my entrée, I choose a typical Lyonnaise dish of saucisson et pistache en brioche. Oh my was it good. The brioche bread was so light and airy, yet full of rich flavor and that paired with the round of sausage was just delightful.  

For my plat principal, I chose the Truite de mer paired with bacon, fava beans, and carrots. Okay, so truite means trout, so we all were thinking a trout of the sea would be a light white fish, you know, like normal trout! But were we in for a surprise! When I received my dish, the fish looked and tasted like salmon!! I swear, never in my life have I even heard of trout of the sea or salmon trout – but ladies and gentlemen, it does! Despite this slight misunderstanding, it was quite scrumptious! The fish was perfectly cooked and the bacon cooked with the fava beans and carrots was a brilliant pairing. 

Then for dessert (yes, I was stuffed by this point) I chose the Fromage Blanc (White Yougurt) with raspberry sauce and applesauce. It was delicious – so light and refreshing.

From Le Nord, Michelle and her boyfriend took me to see the famous Paul Bocuse restaurant – it was quite a sight – especially watching the people leave – you could just tell they were stuffed. The restaurant was already decorated for Christmas – as is the rest of France! 

Siavoche, Michelle, and Me at Le Nord

On the way back to their apartment, we stopped at an overlook and I saw Mont Blanc – the largest mountain in Europe! It was over 300 km away, but I still could see it and it was breathtaking!! It was covered in snow and dappled it pink from the sunset – what a sight! I definitely have to take a trip to see the Alps.

Mont Blanc - way off in the distance

That night, Michelle and I had a Memphis girls’ night. It was so wonderful to be able to converse over a glass of Rhone valley red wine at a little brasserie about our experiences in France thus far and connect it to Memphis – so rare to find. Plus, the wine was so smooth and warming – perfect for an autumn night. We had a fabulous time. Plus, Lyon at night is gorgeous. Everything is lit up and the basilica shines over the city. It’s as though a different city comes alive at night. All the cafes are bustling with people, the buildings take on a different appearance, and the city just shines. 

Lyon at night

Le Cafe Comptoir Abel

Although I had a late 3 course lunch, I was in Lyon and I had to try out the local cuisine … so we reserved a table at a typical Lyon type restaurant – a bouchon –  ABEL (Café Compotir Abel).  So a bouchon is a type of restaurant native to Lyon that serves very traditional Lyonnaise cuisine – like good ol’ home cooking mixed with a comfortable and jovial atmosphere. I have to say that I am now officially a HUGE fan of this bouchon! So the atmosphere of Abel was fantastic   - old wooden tables, cool photographs and prints on the walls, and close tables. The only draw back was the temperature in this small bouchon – man it was hot as a humid southern summer night – Michelle’s glasses even fogged up! 

Quenelle...mmmm

Nevertheless, I had a fantastic experience. I chose a typical Lyonnaise dish of a Quenelle, which is basically aerated bread that tastes like pasta but has the texture of an ebelskeiver – really light and fluffy and full of flavor. So it takes a good 30 minutes to prepare and comes out a lovely golden brown color and is smothered in this divine cream, cheese, and mushroom sauce. I nearly licked my plate, but used some French bread instead- more civilized that way…

When I return to Lyon, I will definitely be stopping by this place again!

Lazy Sunday

Park near her home in Lyon

Paella cooking in the market

After strolling around a lovely park covered in brilliant fall leaves, Michelle and I headed to the absolutely fantastic market that was stationed along the Rhone river.

I could not believe my eyes; this market was open air and full of vendors selling extremely fresh and interesting foods and flowers – it was a cook’s heaven. The smells were incredible, especially the wafting aroma of freshly prepared shrimp paella or roasting chickens and potatoes.  

Everywhere I looked, I saw beautiful and vibrant produce, wide arrays of dried sausages and unique and local cheeses, and even lovely selections of olives and herbs. I seriously wanted to take it all home and whip up a brilliant meal. 

Clementines from Corsica

I’m quite jealous that Michelle gets to experience this grand market on weekends and a smaller version every single day – oh what a boon!

Considering Lyon is a quick train ride away from Poligny, I was able to purchase some food goodies. I bought two typical Lyonnaise food products: Saint Marcellin cheese – 2 for 1.80 euro as well as dried sausage – I choose the Beaufort variety – it’s mixed with gruyere cheese. I have to say, the cheese is quite good. It’s a type of goat cheese but has a more pungent flavor but not too strong. I highly recommend 

Dried sausages

trying it. I also purchased some homemade pasta – tagliatelle. Oh I prepared it last night, it was so good. I cannot truly explain in words how much better homemade pasta is than store bought pasta. I could taste the richness of the egg and flour, mmm. Finally, I bought a large half loaf of rustic wheat bread – oh the flavor is fantastic and so nice on the palette!

For lunch, Michelle fixed a delicious meal. But as an appéro, we had garlic soaked in olive oil and herbs  - it was actually quite good and not at all what I was expecting. Not too pungent. We also snacked on some local green and purple olives – both extremely fresh. 

Then for the main course, we had a roasted chicken, which had been raised in Bourgouge and man it was falling off the bone tender! Then we had a purple cabbage slaw with walnuts and goat cheese – quite easy to prepare, yet so good. Finally, ratatouille, which is a medley of sautéed onion, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, and herbes de provence. It was my first time to ever have ratatouille and I have to say, I am a fan. We had Côtes de Rhône red wine with the meal. It is probably one of my favorite red wines I have had since being in France. It is rich, warming, and very drinkable. 

Cotes du Rhone Red Wine

I can’t wait to go back to Lyon and explore this fabulous city some more!