Beaune - A Walk Along the Ramparts and Dinner at La Ciboulette

Beaune seemed very different in the evening after the tourists are gone or are done in after a busy day of wine tasting.

After taking our own short nap, we awoke, refreshed and ready to do more exploring of the village before dinner.

We started at the what we considered the heart of the old town; Place Carnot. Things were much more relaxed and peaceful at this hour; even on a Friday evening.

Perhaps folks were just resting up for a busy night ahead.

We decided to head out and do part of the city wall; the "Remparts" (ramparts), the city walls of the old town. Beaune is a medieval walled city and much of it still stands. We decided to take a stroll on the ramparts during the "Golden Hour", which just made everything come alive.

Things were fairly quiet....so you could just imagine how things might have been back in the 14th and 15th Century.

I was fascinated by this tower.

So I did a bit of research and found that this is the Madeleine Tower, once used to store the ingredients' for gunpowder.

We stepped down at Rue d'Alsace, where the Missus decided we should just take a walk down the street right outside the walls, Rue du Faubourg.

Here there was much more hustle and bustle. You get a better feel for what life in today's Beaune is like.

This was at the end of October last year; so the sun started setting quite quickly. It was time head to dinner.

We had learned our lesson the previous night. You needed reservations; so we headed out last evening and tried to make them for the places on my list. We got two, which we were happy with.

I had really enjoyed my first taste of traditional Burgundian food at Chez Leon in Dijon and really wanted to have another dinner with those type of dishes. I had La Ciboulette on my list and we managed to get reservations for dinner.

The restaurant is located within the city walls, but on the North side of town. The place was quite bust when we arrived. We really enjoyed the service here; it was warm, unassuming, and very friendly. They even accommodated our request for five "entrees" (appetizer/salad/soups), instead of the usual three course meal.

But first, some wine for the Missus.....

Now my French is horrendous; I believe I've detailed my strategy of trying to get train tickets in French and "crashing and burning" spectacularly....to the point the agent would undoubtedly say; "monsieur, monsieur, I speak a little English......". Luckily, I do know basic French food items, cooking techniques, so this was slightly helpful.

We started with the Veloute de Potimarron - potiron = pumpkin, marron = chestnut. So this was some type of Pumpkin/Squash soup. Turns out this was made from Red Kuri (Hokkaido) Squash and was quite delightful.

Very clean flavor; mild sweetness, but very refreshing.

You know if there's foie gras on the menu, right?

A workable version; good flavor, rich, mild offal flavor with a not too sweet fruit compote.

The Missus absolutely loved the Escargot here.

The snails were so plump, tender, and juicy. The light parsley based sauce really allowed us to taste the earthy, almost mild shellfish flavor of the snails. These were Her favorite version of escargot of the trip, but I still preferred the version at Chez Leon.

We got the Salade d'aiguillettes de canard.

If I recall; aiguillette would mean a specific way of cutting skinned and defatted duck breasts into strips. The duck was on the chewy side; but the flavor from what tasted like a Balsamic glaze was delicious and went well with the mildly gamey duck. Of course; the Missus wanted some salad, and we got it here.

And of course; the classic Oeufs en Meurette - eggs poached in red wine.

In spite of the not quite tasty looking presentation, this was really delicious. Those slices of "lardon" were super tasty; the eggs perfectly poached, so runny, making this into a velvety, rich, tangy, slurry of goodness.

They even dropped off a good sized ramekin of potato gratin.

After lunch and this meal; we sadly, had no room for dessert.

As you can tell, we really enjoyed our dinner here. We loved the atmosphere; the service was lovely. We're definitely coming back here if/when we get back to Beaune.

La Ciboulette
69 rue de Lorraine
Beaune, France

We decided to stroll slowly back to our apartment taking in the sights and sounds....

This is the Porte St Nicholas, the North Gate to the walled city.

This current gate replaced the old gate in 1770 which used to have a drawbridge and fortifications to defend the city.

We were starting to understand that there was quite a bit to see; like the "Beffroi", the Romanesque Clock Tower which I read was built in the 1400's.

There would be much we didn't see or visit; like what is considered the most important sight; the Hotel Dieu des Hospices de Beaune.

We've found out over the years that in order to really enjoy ourselves; we should always think like we'll return someday.

We made our way back slowly. The once bustling shopping streets were now quiet. There was a different, relaxed feeling in the air.

Arriving back at our accommodations, we found that we weren't tired in the least. So it was time to take advantage of one of the nice features of our apartment, the wine "cellar". I've mentioned how much we loved this accommodation before.

But I'll say it again....we loved this place. And what could be better after a full day, than to relax with a bottle of wine. The appliance had a sheet on the top, describing each wine and the price. Things worked by the "honor system". You just got the bottle you wanted and left the money in the drawer.

The prices were really inexpensive and seemed cheaper than the wine shops and markets.

We each had a glass. The Missus relaxing, I wrote a blog post.

We stored the rest of the wine for tomorrow.

I was sure that it was going to be another full one. And I'd need a nightcap for sure!

Thanks for reading!

 

Comments

[kat]

this area sounds like it had just enough hustle and bustle...nice!

[Kirk]

It did Kat. Just right for a fun, but relaxing time.

[Soo]

Lovely city! The north gate was very impressive. The tower and the carousel were cool looking too.

[Kirk]

It really was Soo!