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And don't forget the Provençal people are not at all snobbish about food. On the contrary, they genuinely appreciate tasting and talking "cuisine" and they are especially delighted if you appreciate their local dishes and their local wines.
Below is a list of some of our favorite restaurants in Lourmarin or within easy reach of the village. You'll notice that Elisabeth, who loves food and is not great with a camera, figures in a lot of the photos. The man behind the lens is Joe. The dogs are Tatu (white) and Fifi (brown).
| Fine Restaurants in Lourmarin : |
| Le Moulin |
  Edouard Loubet, twice-starred chef at nearby 'Bastide de Capelongue' keeps a very close eye on the menus and the standards here at the Moulin, where he started his career, and where he is still owner/manager. The food is simpler and lighter than at Capelongue, and much less expensive, but the Loubet touch is noticeable - strong, clean flavours, fresh and unusual local ingredients. Our guests particularly appreciate the friendly , unpretentious service. You can have lunch or dinner outside, around the fountain under huge parasols, or indoors in the elegant contemporary dining-room. Le Moulin offers an excellent selection of local wines
www.moulindelourmarin.com
Tel: 04 90 68 06 69 |
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Auberge
la Fenière |
Reine Sammut, has twice been voted Best Woman Chef in France. The cuisine is light and very Mediterranean, with a fresh approach to traditional ingredients and methods of cooking. Little butter, but olive oil instead. And the setting is really beautiful, with extensive and well kept gardens for strolling in.
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| Liz & Fifi at "la Fenière". |
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www.reinesammut.com - France Tel: 04 90 68 11 79
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| L'Antiquaire |
 A fine young chef who trained with Reine Sammut from"La Fenière", and who has been influenced by her approach to cooking. Excellent light cuisine using the best local ingre- dients, and very reasonable prices. Michelin recommended. Beautifully decorated, right in the centre of the village, and air-conditioned.
Tel: 04 90 68 17 29 |
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| L'Oustalet |
 Chef Pierre, and his co-owner Raphael both speak perfect English since they ran restaurants for a number of years in the United States. They bring a welcome New World touch to classic French cuisine, at a very good price. Raphael is extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about French wine.
This restaurant is a favourite with all our guests. They find the service and the staff helpful and friendly, and the view from the terrace through the trees to the Château de Lourmarin is unbeatable.
Tel: 04 90 68 07 33 |
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| We also like to eat on the terraces of the cafés in Lourmarin. There are three to choose from, and they all offer copious good food at reasonable prices. You will find Café de L'Ormeau, Café de La Fontaine, and Le Café Gaby side by side in the center of the village. All three have good lunch menus and daily specials. |
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| The Café de l'Ormeau |
 This is probably our favourite, although all the cafes in Lourmarin have their different advantages - the fountain outside the Cafe de la Fontaine, the friendly waiting staff at the Gaby. Here at l'Ormeau the cooking is excellent, and very good value for money. Since Martine, the new owner took over last year, the decoration has become delightfully chic and urban. Nevertheless, the Cafe de l'Ormeau remains a real village social centre, the best place to hear the latest Lourmarin gossip while soaking up the sun, sipping a Pastis and watching the world go by. |
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| Fine Restaurants in neighboring villages : |
| The Petite Maison de Cucuron |
The Petite Maison is located in a lovely village house overlooking the pond in Cucuron. The imaginative dishes in this fine restaurant are created using local, seasonal ingrediants. There are two 'prix fixe' menus, one at 35 euros and one at 55 euros which change every week. The generous, genial chef, Eric Sapet, was chef at the Moulin de Lourmarin and before that the Mas des Herbes Blanches in Joucas, where he earned one star from the Michelin Guide. This is one of our very favourite restaurants.
Tel : 04 90 68 21 99
www.lapetitemaisondecucuron.fr
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| The Bastide de Capelongue |
 Twice starred by the Michelin Guide, Edouard Loubet's imaginative cooking never disappoints.Just 10 minutes from Lourmarin, the elegant dining room at Capelongue, with its breathtaking views, provides an appropriate setting for the dramatic talents of this talented young chef. Many of our guests make the pilgrimage, and although a meal at Capelongue is expensive, they always come back raving about the fantastic " feasts " that Loubet provides. They appreciate the hospitable relaxed atmosphere and the attention to detail as well as extraorinary and copious food and the extensive wine list.
www.capelongue.com
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| Restaurant de l'Horloge |
 In Cucuron. Also one of our favourites for its very reasonable prices as well as its excellent cuisine. Listed in the Michelin Guide as well as in several other fine dining guides. A good place for lunch on a hot day, perhaps after the Cucuron market on a Tuesday morning.
Tel: 04 90 77 12 74
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| Gourmet Restaurants in nearby towns : |
| La Closerie |
In Ansouis. This small, beautifully decorated restaurant has over the last couple of years become a firm favourite among discerning local diners, as well as with our guests. The set-price menus are very reasonably priced, particularly at lunch time, the wine list has a good, representative selection of regional wines, and the cooking is excellent - light, balanced and beautifully presented . |
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Le Clos de La
Violette |
This is Aix-en-Provence's only Michelin two-star restaurant. You can eat top-quality traditional French Cuisine in a particularly elegant town-center setting.
www.closdelaviolette.fr |
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| Christian Etienne |
This Michelin one-starred restaurant in Avignon is tucked into the walls of the Pope's
palace. Cetienne serves contemporary Provençal cooking in a medieval setting. There is a delightful terrace. The restaurant is well-known for the chef’s use of local ingredients, such as olive oil and truffles, and particularly for his tomato-based menus in the summer.
www.christian-etienne.fr |
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| Lou Marqués |
This is the restaurant of the Hotel Jules Caesar in Arles. It provides simple, light and extremely tasty versions of classic French dishes, using the very best ingredients. You can eat outdoors on the gracious terrace overlooking the old city, or indoors in a traditionally sumptous French restaurant - all draped velvets and wood.
www.hotel-julescesar.fr |
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| Prévot |
  This is Jean-Jacques Prévot’s Michelin-recommended restaurant in Cavaillon. The chef is a master and a magician. Everything is centered around Melons and everything is delicious. The establishment is not only a restaurant, but also home to the "Melon Museum of France". As soon as you enter the premises, you will notice that the chef is quite single-minded! He is also very talented and imaginative.
www.restaurant-prevot.com |
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