After spending the morning enjoying the historic sights and exploring Dijon, France, we had an excellent lunch at Le Pré aux Clercs, located in the heart of this charming city. This stylish and elegant restaurant has a warm and inviting atmosphere which pairs well with their delectable food and an enviable wine menu. Bon Appetit!
We spent a perfect morning on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, exploring the city and seeing the historic sights of Dijon, the capital of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, with our new friends who were also staying at the luxury manor house, Domaine de Cromey in St. Sernin du Plain, followed by a lovely lunch at the restaurant, Le Pré aux Clercs. The gastronomic restaurant is a Brasserie by Georges Blanc, founded in 1990, and has two levels of seating, including private dining rooms on the second floor for small dinner parties and more intimate dining.
As we were a party of twelve, we sat in an attractive private dining room on the second floor with a large window overlooking the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy that dates to the 14th and 15th centuries, with historic black and white photographs gracing the dining room’s crimson walls accented with ivory wainscoting, a long wood table flanked by crimson upholstered chairs, and a round, contemporary black metal light fixture to softly illuminate the room.
Burgundian Gougéres
The restaurant began our three-course lunch with traditional Burgundian gougères, light and airy cheese puffs to stimulate our palates. For the first course, there was a choice of Blackcurrant Salmon Gravlax, Citrus Lemon, and Pistachio Crumble, or Confit of Jerusalem Artichokes with Caramelized Apple, Puffed Rice, and Sour Cream.
Salmon Gravlax with Blackcurrant Sauce
We decided to order the salmon gravlax and the confit so that we could share both. The salmon was stunning in its simplicity and its freshness, enhanced with the addition of the delectable lemon and pistachio crumble, and dots of blackcurrant sauce. The Confit was also interesting with its mélange of textures and complementary flavors that delivered excellence on the palate.
Confit of Jerusalem Artichokes
For the second course, there was a choice of Poultry Supreme, or Roasted Brittany Blue Ling (Ling is like Cod), and we selected one of each to taste both offerings. The Poultry Supreme was beautifully presented with mashed new potatoes with spring onion nestled on a pool of rich and creamy curry, which had a wonderful melding of flavors that made this course a standout.
Roasted Brittany Blue Ling
The Roasted Brittany Blue Ling was presented on a velouté of celery with cardamom and black garlic juice. This was another excellent preparation of style and flavor that showed the talent of the kitchen with the moist, flavorful, and flaky fish enhanced with the creaminess of the velouté.
Poultry Supreme
Le Pré aux Clercs has an enviable wine menu, and as we were in Burgundy in the heart of wine country, of course we indulged in three fabulous wines to pair with the three-course menu. Our first wine was a P&L Borgeot, Grand Vin De Bourgogne, Santenay 1er Cru, Clos des Beauregards, 2020, 13.5% alcohol, made from chardonnay grapes. This excellent and delicious wine is easily distinguishable by the windmill on the front of the label and will be one for us to keep in mind for the future.
Our second wine was an excellent Domaine Prunier-Damy, Volnay Les Pluchots, 2019, 13% alcohol, made from the grape varietal pinot noir, which was from the Côte de Beaune and was a lovely wine to pair with the Poultry Supreme.
The third wine we experienced was a Domaine Michel Lafarge, Volnay, Clos des Chênes, 2005. This was a gorgeous wine with lots of concentrated dark berries and fruit on the nose, and floral notes and layers of fruit on the palate. Velvety soft tannins that come with age made this wine so exceptional.
Poached Pear in Red Wine
We ended our gastronomic lunch at Le Pré aux Clercs on a sweet note, by sharing a dessert of Pear Poached in Red Wine with Burgundy Cream of Blackcurrant, and Roasted Hazelnut Burst. The dessert was richly decadent with a wine finish on the palate. From beginning to end, it was a memorable lunch at Le Pré aux Clercs to remember our exceptional day getting to know Dijon, France.
Until next time, Bon Appetit!
Le Pré aux Clercs Hours: Monday through Friday from 12:00 until 1:45 pm, and 7:00 pm until 9:30 pm. Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 pm until 2:15 pm, and 7:00 pm until 9:30 pm.
For more information on Le Pré aux Clercs, please visit their website: www.lepreauxclercs.fr
Le Pré aux Clercs
13 Place de Libération
21000, Dijon, France
Telephone: 03-80-38-05-05
Email: contact@lepreauxclercs.fr
Website: www.lepreauxclercs.fr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lepreauxclercsdijon/?locale=fr_FR
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preauxclercs_dijon/
For information on purchasing wines from Burgundy, please visit the website: www.BurgundyWine.com, where they have an excellent selection of wines, and ship worldwide.
Read more about our adventures in Burgundy, France in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Luxury Products – Gifts, Wine Cellar, and Gastronomy sections.
You might also like to read about our stay in Paris in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, and Arts sections.
For more information on visiting France, please visit the websites: Atout-France: https://www.atout-france.fr/fr and Paris je T’Aime: https://parisjetaime.com/eng
Paris je T’Aime Tourist Office
Website: https://parisjetaime.com/eng
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p.infos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisjetaime/
Follow Luxury Experience on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LuxuryExperience to see photos and videos.
Follow Luxury Experience on YouTube: @edwardnesta9910 @luxurypair
Follow Luxury Experience on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/luxurypair @luxurypair
© January 2025. Luxury Experience www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.
