Petit Jacques

Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, graillez-vous, graillez-vous ? Brother John most certainly would eat at the restaurant run by Suzanne Yvon (ex-Passerini and Frenchie) and Francis Jacques (ex-Maison Boulud in Montreal, Troisgros, Passerini and La Grande Brasserie), a French-Quebecois couple who met at Semilla in Paris and now operate high up in the village of Grimaud. Inside this former Italian eatery that’s been retiled, re-carpentered and reupholstered, the Ferrandi-trained Suzanne and Francis with his transatlantic CV (Éric Trochon, Jean-Luc Boulay) wake up the anti-jet set crowd. Take the other night for example: colorful bagna cauda with raw, cooked and pickled veggies (peas, asparagus tips, celery, etc.), tickling a cheeky combo of marinated anchovies and pan bagna (stale bread soaked here in milk and then olive oil); tender squid in garlic and parsley butter lounging over slow-roasted tomatoes and lightly grilled fennel, bok choy and pimientos on a bed of black rice; and finally, after resisting the mouthwatering cheese platters flaunting themselves at either end of the room, we opted for a devilishly good slice of brioche, kneaded by hand and prepared as French toast with delicious silky caramel sauce. // Scotty Lard

FEELING THIRSTY? : Organic bottles: Éclat De Granit, a Côte Roannaise from the Domaine Sérol (€9 a glass), a Côtes-de-Provence rosé from the Château de Roquefort (€38 a bottle) or Les Argiles, a chenin produced by François Chidaine (€54)… along with Bulles de Provence beers from a family-run brewery (€8 for 330 ml) or homemade ginger lemonade.
PRICE: : Appetizers €18-19, mains €29-36, Noire de Baltique prime rib €135 (to share), cheeses €16, desserts €8-12.