Jacques Chibois is the chef orchestrating this symphony of flavor at the fine five-star hotel, La Bastide Saint Antoine in Grasse. Renowned among the culinary cognoscenti, La Bastide Saint Antoine is a powerful magnet drawing visitors up to the hills of Grasse otherwise known for its flowers and perfume. Maître Chibois is firmly grounded in the terroir Grassois, successfully integrating the heady aromas of Grasse with Provençal products and produce. His dishes evoked the scent and colors of a flowery bouquet without actually using any flowers. Fortunately! The weekday lunch menu offers a wide choice of seven or eight starters, main courses or desserts which I think is important in this age when everyone is on some strange diet or another. Trying to cut down on high glycemic index whatever, I forsook the risotto appetizer with lobster and shrimp and ordered the Poitrine de Caille tiède, sur leur Croustillant de Carottes et Courgettes de Nice, Safranée à la Cardamone, which is to say “warm quail breast on crusty carrots and zucchini perfumed with cardomom”.  The small chunks of quail breast were lightly grilled on the outside while pink and tender on the inside. The cardomom and other mysterious flavors added just the vaguest whiff of exoticism without overwhelming the dish. My skinny companion went for the Le Mitonné de Homard, grosses Crevettes en Risotto de Cèpes secs au Champagne which I tasted and found extraordinary. “Isn’t the rice undercooked?” he asked. No, no! Risotto should be and rarely is al dente. It … Continue reading →