Grignan, the most beautiful village in all of France! At least this Drôme hamlet of 1,500 souls is reputed to be, thanks to its stone houses, once the stronghold of Madame de Sévigné. Adrien Godard (ex-Clown Bar in Paris) and his stylist partner Camille Vial brought a splendid building with a stepped terrace and a somewhat chilly dining room that’s warmed up by plenty of bottles of natural wine, in order to preach the gospel of tapas. For us, the other night: shaved tomatoes from the Roudol farm with garlic blossoms; libidinous organic chickpea falafel tickled by a goat cheese cream; incredible Luberon chicken nuggets served with sauce gribiche; overly garlickly eggplant caviar; patatas bravas that weren’t even greasy; before a light verbena-infused panna cotta with an organic peach coulis. // A.A.
FEELING THIRSTY? A hundred-some bottles of wine that are at the very least organic: a Côtes-du-Rhône red from the Domaine Gramenon (€5 a glass), an Alsatian orange wine form Louis Maurer (€6.50), a Rhone Syrah from Maison Stéphan (€45 a bottle)… or local La Vieille Mule beer (€5.50 for 330 ml). And for all those in the mood for Drappier Marc de Champagne liqueur after their meal (€8), Camille and Adrien have B&B rooms available!
PRICE: Tapas €5-12, dish of the day €12-15, desserts €6-9.
