What delicious food in Saint-Étienne!By Emmanuel TresmontantHalfway between Auvergne and the Lyonnais, the birth town of the great chef Pierre Gagnaire, far from being 'off the gastronomic map' as has been said only too often, boasts on the contrary plenty gourmet treasures and addresses. An exceptional cheese If there is just one marvel of which you absolutely must bring back a sample from your stay in Saint-Étienne, then it is well and truly Fourme de Montbrison cheese. Like its sibling from Auvergne, Fourme d'Ambert, it was first created in the 8th century in the Monts du Forez where summers are hot and winters cold and long. This cheese is still produced today in low, thatched farms called 'jasseries' grouped in hamlets. Fourme de Montbrison is a cow milk cheese cellar-matured for several weeks and which expresses in an incomparable manner the fragrances of heather and gentian that grow on Monts du Forez. Under its orangy rind, the cream colour body is soft and streaked with blue, and is less fatty than Fourme d'Ambert. You will find an excellent one at the cheesemonger's Grangier, where you'll also discover other specialities like the Brique du Forez (goat milk cheese), grilled colza oil, Chapuis coffee (roasted in Saint-Étienne) and egg pasta from Cornand's. Volcanoes wineWhile the wines of Côte Rôtie and Condrieu no longer need presenting, the wines of Côtes du Forez on the other hand still remain very little known. This minute wine growing area (200 hectares), located at an altitude of between 400 and 600 metres between the Massif Central and the Lyonnais, has one of France's driest climates, with fearsome spring frosts... Grown on volcanic land, the Gamay du Forez is more mineral, wild and nervous than the Gamay du Beaujolais, as evidenced by its fragrances of gunflint. Three passionate vine growers engaging in organic viticulture have won over the most famed restaurants of the region and are well worth your visit. Gilles Bonnefoy, first, whose 'Mémoire de Madonne' wine has fragrances of bilberry and wild blackberry, and peppery and spicy undertones with sharp and fruity tannins (8,20 ¤ per bottle). Jacques Logel and his wife also propose very fine fresh and thirst-quenching wines, but which may also be concentrated, rich, soft and full like the superb 'volcanic cuvée' (5 ¤ per bottle).  © E. Tresmontant/ViaMichelin Daniel Mondon, last, who has become passionate about wine late in life, grows Viognier vines (symbolic vine variety of Condrieu) vines on the slopes of the ancient volcano of Saint-Romain-le-Puy with its 10th century priory. His white wines are magnificently fresh, very clean and also very round, with fragrances of litchi. Daniel also produces a very fine straw wine (the grapes are left to dry in the sun for two weeks) and an amazing ice wine (the November frost concentrates flavours) which are both marvellous with Fourme de Montbrison.  © E. Tresmontant/ViaMichelin Three must-visit addressesIn the centre of Saint-Étienne, don't fail to visit the town's star grocer's: Cornand et fils. Established in 1919, this local institution is above all renowned for its home-made pasta: raviolis, cannellonis, and pasta flavoured with curry, saffron, basil, garlic and parsley, not forgetting lemon and cocoa! The other famous address is of course Weiss, the well-known chocolate maker established in 1822, whose 85% cocoa chocolates are used by France's greatest pastry cooks. Locals love in particular the 'nougamandines' combining chocolate and nougatine. Au Gruau Lorrain is not only the oldest bakery in town but also an exceptional address that all lovers of good bread should discover. Old-style breads, rye bread, walnut bread, prune bread, bread with brown flax seeds, with sunflower seeds, and with sesame seeds... You're spoilt for choice!  © E. Tresmontant/ViaMichelin Where to eat in town and in the surrounding area?In Saint-Étienne itself, the major chef is undeniably the young Stéphane Laurier whose restaurant Nouvelle has sported a Michelin star since 2002. The restaurant decoration, for its part, is interestingly the work of his wife and is a marvel of balance and good taste. Stéphane Laurier's cuisine is market-sensitive, full of nuances and improvised on a daily basis, as with his steamed duck foie gras and his fillet of hind with cocoa. The wine menu has a predominance of local wines especially the Viogniers by Daniel Mondon. Lunch from 25 ¤.  The other excellent address of the region, the Michelin one-starred Le neuvième Art restaurant is located in Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert, 11 miles from Saint-Étienne. Incidentally, it is housed in a former country station closed in 1957. The chef, Christophe Roure trained at Pierre Gagnaire, Paul Bocuse and Régis Marcon, and became a Meilleur Ouvrier de France a few weeks ago. His extremely refined and delicate cuisine impresses by his great skill in composing dishes resembling a miniature view of scenery like Japanese prints. His cream of Buchot mussels flavoured with fennel is a subtle starter. His brochette of Norway lobsters with seaweed risotto and candied lemon is, for its part, marvelously suited to a great white Saint-Joseph, full of delicacy. For dessert, the soufflé with green Chinese tea, enhanced with candied chestnuts icecream, confirms the extraordinary talent of this poetic chef. From 55 ¤. AddressesGilles Bonnefoy Au Jobert 42 600 Champdieu Tel.: 04 77 97 07 33 Jacques Logel La Côte 42 130 Marcilly le Chatel Tel. 04 77 97 41 95 Daniel Mondon Fontvial 42 560 Boisset-Saint-Priest Tel.: 04 77 76 33 30 Grangier 3, rue Pierre Bérard 42 000 Saint-Étienne Tel.: 04 77 32 23 97 Cornand et fils 5, rue Pointe Cadet 42 000 Saint-Étienne Tel.: 04 77 32 90 45 Chocolat Weiss 8, rue du général Foy 42000 Saint-Étienne Tel.: 04 77 21 61 09 Au Gruau Lorrain 20, rue Denis Escoffier 42 000 Saint-Étienne Tel.: 04 77 32 78 95 Nouvelle 30, rue Saint-Jean 42 000 Saint-Étienne Tel.: 04 77 32 32 60 Le Neuvième Art Place du 19 mars 1962 42 170 Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert Tel.: 04 77 55 87 15 |
Tourism and Gastronomy
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