Bordeaux, France

Bar a Vin

I tasted Bordeaux wine at this wine bar offering a selection of wines from the region that can be tasted by the glass, a nice option for a single traveler. 

I had a white 2021 Pessac Leognan, a 2016 Canon Fronsac from the left bank, and a 2018 Pauillac from the right bank. 

Cent 33

I genuinely enjoyed everything presented at this restaurant. The ambiance was a welcoming and warm and the food was creative and perfectly executed.

Cuttlefish

This was served like linguine over confit of tomatoes with pine nuts and black garlic. It was surprisingly pleasant, as cuttlefish is not typically a favorite for me as it can be a rubbery texture without a definitive flavor for me. This was really innovative in my opinion! 

Truffle

The truffle was presented on a rice cracker with a delicious black truffle puree. No words are exactly adequate to describe the creamy and rich texture and flavor offered in this bite.

Mushroom 

A contrast to the richness of the truffle, a simple mushroom was presented on a rice cracker and I appreciated the juxtaposition of these two, as each were really lovely, but a strong contrast to each other. 

Parmesan crusted hake

This was presented with clams and white beans in a frothy seafood sauce with a memorable depth of seafood flavor as it contrasted with the light fluffy and froth texture that delivered the powerful flavor. The parmesan crust was incredibly thin an crispy, almost unbelievably delicate.

Tonka bean madeline and custard

The madeline cookie offered a delicate and tender crumb alongside the creamy and rich custard served with a perfectly portioned dot of caramel. A somewhat simple, but lovely final punctuation to the meal.

Les Abeilles de Malescot

While wandering through Bordeaux, I found myself at a specialty shop filled with honey. The honey was special as there was a particularly large variety of "flavors", meaning that the bees sourced the honey from different plants. The bee keepers facilitated this by moving the bee hives to be near various different plants at different times and it was undeniably evident in the tastes captured in each jar of honey!