So I have one more France post that I feel I must share. While in Epernay (my new favorite place), the Englishman and I had an amazing anniversary dinner at La Cave a Champagne at an insanely affordable price. In fact, our dinner at La Cave a Champagne may rank as one of my top meals in LIFE.
La Cave a Champagne is a small, nondescript restaurant tucked away off a side street in the heart of Epernay. In fact, we walked by it twice because we weren’t even sure it was open! We saw someone else go inside so we quickly followed suit into the cozy restaurant that only seats about 30 people.
Once we were seated we were presented with a variety of prix fixe three course menus ranging in price. The Englishman and I both decided on one of the cheaper menus, which was three courses for roughly 25 euros a person. It was also at this point I realized we were dining in a Michelin-star restaurant which was pretty exciting. I should also note that all the pictures were taken with my cell phone camera since taking pictures of your food isn’t exactly the most popular thing to do in France.
We started our evening off with a glass of champagne, because when in Epernay, you drink champagne. And of course it was delicious.
For our first course, I had ordered the foie salad, and for some reason in my head I spaced out that “foie” means liver, but I actually really liked it! The salad had chicken liver, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes and was dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was also my first time ever having chicken liver and I am pleased to report it did not disappoint.
The Englishman ordered a seafood flan, which is exactly what it sounds like: seafood prepared in the same consistency as flan. I’m used to traditional Mexican flan so this was a little strange for me, but the flavor was really good.
For the entrée course, I had to go with boeuf bourguignon, which came with some parsnip puree and potato gratin and it was outstanding. I’m pretty sure I used my spoon to lap up every last bit of sauce.
The Englishman went with salmon in a creamy sauce with lentils and potatoes. We both shared bites of each other’s dishes and agreed they were fantastic. But salmon is always a winner in my book so I knew I would like it.
Then it was time for dessert. You can’t go to France and not indulge in the fromage, so naturally we ordered 3 different cheeses for dessert. I’m pretty sure I housed the camembert all on my own.
We also ordered a trio of fresh fruit sorbet to go with our cheese. It ended up being the perfect sweet and salty pairing and we found ourselves having bites of cheese followed quickly by a bite of sorbet. Perfection.
I was beyond impressed with our dinner at La Cave a Champagne. The food was top-notch and there wasn’t one dish we didn’t like. We dined there on a Monday evening and by the time we left it was packed, which is just a true testament to how great the food is.
If you ever find yourself in Epernay, you MUST dine at this restaurant. The quality of food and price can’t be beat.
Where have you had your most memorable meal aka where do I need to eat next?
