Back at L'Auberge Provençale: A Weekend in the Virginia Countryside

13630 Lord Fairfax Hwy, Boyce, VA 22620; Tel: +1 540 837-1375 www.laubergeprovencale.com

By J.P.

Four years later, almost to the day, we went back to L'Auberge Provençale, during the 4th of July long weekend. This time we spent two nights at L'Auberge, instead of one night, but otherwise we followed the same routine, including a stop in Middleburg on our way there, for a bite at Julien's around 1:00 PM.

Julien's looked pretty much the same as four years ago. The dining room was almost full and very lively when we arrived. Our choices were in line with the light meal that we were looking for: smoked salmon (J.P.), zucchini and tomato quiche (A.M.). Both were good.

Julien´s Dining Room

Smoked salmon

Zucchini and tomato quiche

We got to L'Auberge shortly after 3:00 PM and checked in at a small wood construction next to the parking area. Entering this office, we were greeted by a cat that walked peacefully on the counter. A friendly staff immediately came and then took us to our room. After enjoying excellent dinners, and a very comfortable room, I thought, in retrospect, that L'Auberge deserved a better reception area.

Julien´s bar and dining room

L´Auberge Provençale

We had made 7:30 PM dinner reservations for both days, with the intention of possibly changing plans for the second night. In this case, the alternative would the Ashby Inn, a ten-minute drive from L'Auberge, in nearby Paris. We have been to Ashby Inn a few years ago. Although their restaurant is less sophisticated than that at L'Auberge, it would be a good option if we wanted to have something different. In the end, we had dinner at L'Auberge on both nights. In addition to being the easiest option, the first night dinner was excellent. Moreover, the second day was rainy, with frequent storms, and that made leaving the hotel even less attractive.

The Ashby Inn

As you enter the L'Auberge Provençale restaurant, there is a small dining area with six tables. From there you can go down two steps and reach a larger dining area. We were seated in this area in the first night and in the smaller area in the second. In both occasions, most tables were already occupied, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

Dining room at L´Auberge

There are two set menu options: a three-course (appetizer, main course, and dessert) for $91, and a five-course that allows three choices from the appetizer category, for $105. We took the first option in both nights, and varied our choices within each category. However, we could not change the amuse-bouche (corn vichyssoise with shaved chocolate), which was the same on both nights. Fortunately, it was very good.

Corn vichyssoise

For appetizer, our choices for the first night were burrata (beets, mission figs, pistachio, citrus) (J.P.) and buttered lobster risotto (chanterelles, mascarpone, summer squash) (A.M.), while for the second night I had Hudson Valley foie gras (rhubarb, strawberry, speck, smoked macadamia, saba) and A.M. had tagliatelle fruits de mer (lobster, Maryland crab, sea urchin, Calabrian chili). Saba or mosto cotto is reduced grape must. The appetizers were all very good, but both the burrata and the foie gras were somewhat conventional. While recognizing that it is difficult to innovate in this respect, especially with the foie gras, I must say that neither of the two appetizers, nor any of their sides, struck me as something special.

Burrata

Lobster risotto

Foie gras

Tagliatelle Fruits de Mer

Before the main course, we were offered a cold lemon balm infusion that definitely did not add much. However, things did take a significant turn for the better as we got to the main courses.

Lemon balm infusion

In the first night, we both made the same choice, Wagyu beef tenderloin (foie gras, amontillado sherry, morels, almond). This was absolutely outstanding: delicious beef with perfect cooking; excellent foie gras, served in a small, but correct serving, so as not to become overwhelming; great mushrooms and sauce.

Wagyu beef tenderloin

In the second night, I had duck breast served with aromatic stone fruits, dandelion, spring onion soubise and pine nuts. A.M. had black bass with smoked eggplant, preserved lemon, tomatoes and black olives. The high expectations triggered by the beef tenderloin from the night before did not go unfulfilled. I cannot say the duck breast was exactly at the same level, but it was very close to it. Here the highlight was the duck itself, which was very tasty and again cooked to perfection. A.M. also liked the black bass and thought the citric sauce was excellent.

Duck breast

Black bass

Main course was followed by a pre-dessert that was the same both nights: raspberry sorbet with lemon snow.

Raspberry sorbet with lemon snow

Desserts were overall good, but not exceptional. In the first night, we both had Cherry Napoleon with almond ice cream and cherry sorbet. In the second night we diverged. I had a Summer berry terrine (dried berries, berry ice cream, crème fraiche, sponge cake) and A.M. had a chocolate dessert (chocolate, cherry, malt, vanilla mousse).

Berry terrine

Chocolate dessert

Gourmandises

The wine list is extensive and of good quality, but prices are on the high side. Finding a wine in the $60 range was a bit of a challenge. In the first night we had a Rhone wine: Saint-Joseph, Domaine du Chêne, Anaïs, 2004 ($54). This wine, produced by Domaine du Chêne, owned by Famille Rouvière, is 100% Shiraz. The wine is named after the daughter of Dominique and Marc Rouvière. Wine Spectator rated this wine at 89 and described it as having “black cherry and shaved vanilla notes that mingle nicely on the integrated, supple finish”. However, it suggested that this wine be drunk up to 2010. In any case, it still tasted good in 2015. According to the producer, the Anaïs is a wine from old Syrah vines, located mostly on the hillsides. The Anaïs received the gold medal in the Syrah du Monde 2013, a competition among the best Syrah in the world.

In the second night the wine choice was less satisfactory. We chose a Montagny, which is not a top white Burgundy, but that can be very satisfactory. This was the Montagny, 1er Cru, Les Coères, Domaine Stéphane Aladame, 2005 ($68). Domaine Aladame is a producer from Montagny les Buxy, in the Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy. This wine tasted less fresh than a typical Montagny and that may have to do with the 10-year age, a bit on the limit for the average Montagny.

Service was overall very friendly and efficient. One small flaw occurred with the pouring of the white wine. It was placed in an ice bucket away from the table, and pouring was not always timely, which is a recurring issue in many restaurants.

In summary, dining at L'Auberge Provençale is still an excellent experience. Compared to my memories from four years ago, I would say it exceeded expectations. Actually, I would not hesitate to rate the Wagyu beef tenderloin as memorable.

The Inn at Little Washington

What to do during the day? We could not go to the pool because it was rainy. Hikes were also out of question (we are not hikers). Therefore, we decided to visit a winery. We could do some sightseeing on the way there and remain protected from the forecasted rain. The fliers in the room had a long list of wineries in the region. In order to guide our selection, I needed an authoritative source. I then remembered that some of the entries of The Inn at Little Washington wine list were from Virginia. I thought that I could trust their sommelier, and selected two wineries with wines in the Inn's list. One was visited on Saturday, and the other on Sunday, on our way home.

Linden Vineyards

We first visited Linden Vineyards, a beautiful property in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia. The tasting area is very well arranged and includes a very nice balcony looking down to the vineyards. We were told that the balcony was reserved to members (commitment to buy twelve bottles per year). However, since this was our first visit to Linden and the balcony was not full, we would be given access to it. We ended up having a glass of the Linden, Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 ($7/glass), which was accompanied with:

Linden Vineyards tasting room

Cold-smoked salmon - Atlantic salmon, double smoked on hardwood chips in NY lox style; cured with orange and lemon juice, coarse salt and dill ($12) (J.P.) Lox is a brined salmon, and NY lox refers to a salmon cured in milder brine,
Allegheny chèvre - fresh goat cheese with a clean, tangy taste, and soft, crumbly texture, produced at FireFly Farms by cheesemaker Pablo Solanat ($8) (A.M.)

Cold-smoked salmon and chèvre

The Sauvignon Blanc was delicious, and on our way out, we bought a bottle ($23), as well as a bottle of the Hardscrabble Chardonnay, 2012 ($38).

On Sunday, we visited the Pearmund Cellars. The tasting area is much less upper-scale than that at Linden, but the wine was good. We had a glass of their Viognier, 2013 ($4/glass) and also bought a bottle on our way out ($25).