We have just come back from a wonderful short break in Burgundy. The idea was to go to the house in Meursault and make sure everything was good for the season ahead. Despite a “petit” problem with the boiler all is good. The “petit” problem meant that we had to stay in Beaune in the delightful Hostellerie Le Cedre.
It is perfectly located for exploring Beaune, as it is on the ring road and makes walking into the town centre a doddle. I heard one guest asking for a taxi which made me laugh, as you can literally get to the Hospice in 5 minutes – it is that close.
Being forced to stay in Beaune meant that we had plenty of opportunities to discover some new foodie and drinking establishments and re-visit some favourite haunts.
One street that is packed with excellent choices for eating and drinking is Rue du Faubourg Madeleine. You can literally walk or waddle from one amazing wine bar or restaurant to the next. Here are some highlights:
The first stop has to be
Not really Rue du Faubourg Madeleine but so close it has to count! The food Les Popiettes cooks is modern but beautifully executed, and thankfully not enormous portions. We both started with chickpea soup flavoured with tiny bits of lardons and celery, and then for main course I had the beef bourguignon. Such a classic dish, but it was done so well. The meat was tender and the mash potato that the beef was sitting on was perfect. We had a few of the excellent wines by the glass up go with it of course. The decor is very modern, with a central long sharing table with modern chairs and lights. I would highly recommend this. I spotted that they did a Sunday brunch. We didn’t try it this time, but will definitely make it a stop next time we are in Beaune.
Continuing down the road proper you come to the best wine shop in Beaune. Mes Bourgognes
We always go here to check out the latest natural wine makers in the area and they have a great selection at very reasonable prices.
Caves Madeleine is a superb simple bistro. The cooking is great, but the real pull is the wine list, well to be more accurate the array of wine bottles surrounding you on shelves that you can inspect and then choose to accompany your dinner. This is definitely a wine makers/buyers go to restaurant, because on a number of occasions we have been here and ear wigged on great conversations about the wine industry. Almost next door is L’Ardoise; which again serves simple food extremely well cooked and presented. Across the street is a wine bar call Le Bout du Monde. We went on a Friday night for a quick pre-dinner drink that turned into several. The place was buzzing. They serve great wines by the glass and I particularly liked the house cremant. They do small plates of charcuterie that looked really tempting, especially if you have over done it at lunch time and just want a light snack with the wine of choice for the evening. It was child friendly (well at least the night we were there), so it is a good option if you want the little ones there too.
Also along this stretch is 
which as the name suggests highlights great food stuffs from the Jura (that is Dave by the way checking out some more wines no doubt). If we had been staying longer we would have definitely made some purchases to enjoy chez moi.
The end of the road is one of the top flight restaurants in Beaune, but the photography I am about to share really makes me laugh because it makes it look awful. Here it is:
L’Ecusson is an amazing experience of fine French dinning, but the fact that it is off a busy roundabout and the front of the restaurant looks a bit shabby really shouldn’t deter you. We didn’t go this trip but have been before and it is really exceptional food.
We are returning to Burgundy in the Summer, so check back then for more updates and new additions. Hope these restaurant/foodie suggestions are of help.
The Urban Garden Cook 