Proof positive that service can make or break a place. Our concierge at the Franc Maynes recommended this place in the middle of beautiful Saint Emilion (it really is stunning.) It didn’t seem terribly dressy like some of the top-notch-looking places in the region, and you usually can’t lose with local food, so we gave it a shot.
In short, the food was great, but the staff (save one really cute but slightly lost waitress) was just weird. They varied between friendly and kind of strange; the headwaiter refused to make eye contact with Karin when we ordered wine, despite my continued attempts to make it clear that she’s the resident oenologist, and his colleague abandoned us in mid-sentence when we asked for dessert recommendations (he was spot-on about the fluffy chocolate thingy, though.) In combination with the couple next to us who kept staring at us and our plates (they turned out to be really friendly, just interested in what was coming next because they’d ordered the same menu — they’re not all psychopaths, you know) it gave us a bit of a weird vibe.
The food itself was fantastic — we had an all-singing all-dancing all-truffle menu, starting with truffle bruschette, whipped egg/cream with truffles, turbot with truffles and hand-mashed potatoes, noisette de veau on mashed celery (with truffles), goat cheese (also with truffles) and aforementioned fluffy chocolate thingy with a chocolate truffle inside — Karin ordered some sort of yoghurt called “cailled de brebis” with honey. No truffles. Everything good quality and delicious, even if the truffle part mainly consisted of truffle shavings dropped on top. The fairly rustic à la carte portion of the menu looked like a good value and reasonably delicious.
Letdowns: service, wine recommendations (yes, we know that powerful wines might muscle out the subtle flavor of the truffles — did I mention there were a lot of truffles involved?) but the overpriced bottle of 1998 Despagne Grand Cru really wasn’t all that spectacular. Then again, maybe we’re just not civilized enough to spot the subtle elements of some Bordeaux. At the time, it just seemed kind of wimpy. On the whole, I think this place would be good fun to go to if you want a casual, tasty low-key dinner with a bit of local color.
L’Envers du Decor
11, rue du Clocher
F-33330 Saint-Emilion
+33 (0) 5 57 74 48 31
