At the foot of the Saint-Romain cliffs, Bertrand Gueucier (ex-Rôtisserie du Chambertin and Aux Terrasses in Tournus) runs this saucy little country bistro that keeps local winemakers well fed. Served in his rustic cabinet of curiosities (sage green walls, vintage furniture, old vinyls, deer antlers on the wall…) the night we went: strips of smoked catfish tucked into shaved raw squash dressed in a silky gravy; a superb Dombes duck breast with an intoxicating caramelized onion jus, with roasted carrots and puffed buckwheat; before a wild blackberry tart dressed up with siphoned vanilla cream on a shortbread crust with rum-flavored almond cream. It’s also worth noting that the lunch menu gets the job done quite nicely (squash and country bacon velouté, veal blanquette with preserved lemon, bressane cake), as do the small plates at cocktail hour – fried fish from the Saone River, smoked pancetta, etc. // T.J.
FEELING THIRSTY? Local wines and wines from a little further away: a Saumur red from Thierry Germain (€7 a glass), a Saint-Romain white from Taupenot (€40 a bottle), an Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune red from the Domaine Dandelion (€48), a Morgon from Foillard (€50)…
PRICE: Menu €22 (weekday lunch), à la carte €32-37.
