Daniel (who used to work for Guy Savoy, Gualtiero Marchesi, and was the former head chef at Le Diamant Rose in La Colle-sur-Loup) and Catherine Ettlinger settled down with their pots and pans in tow behind the old church in Le Rouret, a tiny village in Grasse’s back country. Seated inside this former village bar that’s been transformed into a charming inn, or on the hackberry-lined terrace with its shady arbor overhead, we savored the locavore menu, which is adaptable to all diets and crafted daily by Augustin Dupuis (ex-Guy Savoy at La Monnaie de Paris). The day we went for lunch, that included: incredible beef mi-cuit, sliced thin and served with crisp greens dressed in an aromatic vinaigrette; fresh goat cheese from the Ferme des Courmettes sprinkled with country bacon bits and sautéed eggplant with a tomato emulsion and a drizzle of olive oil from Gérard Ferry; perfectly plancha-grilled sea bream with grilled heirloom zucchini, tender potatoes slow-cooked in broth and sauce grenobloise with capers; before ending the meal with a light brioche French toast served with chilled amaretto sabayon. // Lenny Vega
FEELING THIRSTY? A thorough and sharp wine list of local options: a white from Le Clos Saint-Joseph (€62 a bottle), a rosé from the Château Roubine (€66)… and from elsewhere: a Mâcon-Villages from Chloé Bayon (€9), or a Crozes-Hermitage by François Villette (€54 a bottle).
PRICE: : Set menu €50 (lunch, except Sunday and national holidays), €70 and €86, special truffle menu €130-140.
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