Contributor blog post by Michel: We frequently take day trips from Sablet to explore the hilltop villages of the Luberon. To get there, we drive down the D4, a scenic route that takes you across Carpentras before it becomes a narrow winding road flanked by cherry orchards until it passes below …

For years, I came to Nice every chance I got. It wasn’t just for its luminescence, warm sunshine and beautiful landscape. It was her flavors: delectable, often surprising, and always memorable. And the people who made my favorite dishes: full of soul and personality, their passion infusing every bite. Now …

Contributor blog post by Michel: As I have told you previously, we were in Sablet last fall with our Michigan friends Steve and Mary. The wines of Cairanne have recently been elevated to cru status—placing them in the same category as those of Gigondas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape (though they cost far …

The truth is it doesn’t cost much to eat like a king in France. Though there are many Michelin-starred restaurants and fantastic dining experiences to be had, often it’s the simple café and bistro food that’s the best. The scrumptious buttery omelettes, the quiche, the crêpes, the freshest of salads—of …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: It’s a while since we have visited La Table des Saisons so were happy on a recent visit to find the same standards of quality that this young couple have insisted on from week one back in December 2013. The chef is Lionel who has …

We have been to Grignan in the Drôme Provençale several times, an area that falls between the Rhône River and the Alps north of the Vaucluse. So when we were in Sablet last fall with friends Steve and Mary, we took a day trip to Grignan and ate lunch at …

Contributor blog post by Michel: One of our favorite villages near Sablet is Villedieu, a small village (population 514) built on a hill overlooking vineyards, olive groves and pine trees near the Eygues River on the border of the Drôme Provençale. Villedieu is located about 7 1/2 miles northwest of Sablet …

One day while taking a walk up the very steep road behind Bonnieux, I saw signs for la Bastide de Capelongue and Édouard Loubet, Relais and Châteaux. Curious, I kept walking. I continued up past the village and onto a side road. I soon came to the grounds of a …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: If only the authors of guide books who drool over Provencal markets with such glowing, romantic prose could witness the scene today! The few brave traders in the cours Mirabeau were packing up by 11, such was the wind; but this unlucky one didn’t strike camp …

Contributor blog post by Michel: One morning in October, we headed to Avignon with friends Steve and Mary for lunch at La Mirande Restaurant. Shirley and I had eaten at La Mirande before at the suggestion of fellow blogger, renown cooking instructor and friend Barbara at Cuisine de Provence, but this …