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Faro, Portugal; Great Expectations, Oustanding View, But A Disappointing Breakfast Buffet

Harune Restaurant - AP EVA SENSES HOTEL Av. da República, 1  8000-078 Faro, Algarve, Portugal  Phone: +351 289 540 100 Email: book.eva@ap-ho...

TravelValue: The Culinary Capital Of The World - Lyon, France

La Mère Jean
5 Rue des Marronniers
69002 Lyon, France
Place Bellecour - 2ème Arrondissement
Phone number: +33 4 78 37 81 27
Prices: €€€€


It was a misty December night in Place Bellecour, the top of the brilliantly lit blue Ferris wheel that dominates the square barely visible beneath the low-lying cloud cover. I was thinking about our meal just a few nights before just around the corner on Rue Marroniers and how good it was, but little did I know that the dinner waiting just ahead was going to be even better. It is no wonder that Lyon is the culinary capital of France, if not the World.


We visited Le Mère Jean, which translates to "The Mother Jean", on our first night in Lyon, a damp, chilly Saturday night, but she was fully booked - "Complet" - so we reserved a table for the following Monday at 7pm. The proprietor, Jean perhaps, recommended Les Comptoirs de Marroniers just down the cobblestone covered road, having learned to cook there as we were told. They were kind enough to make room for us based on her thoughtful recommendation and the subsequent meal was outrageous, a Lyonnaise four-course meal that blew my socks off for just €36, but that my friends is another story altogether.






Le Mere Jean is a small place in an old building, long and narrow, seating only 20-25 diners in a rustic dining room with a tiny kitchen at the back. That small kitchen produced a lot of chow, very good chow, generating a fair amount of heat in the process. A tad warmer than we would have desired, particularly because we were dressed for winter, we quickly acclimated in order to focus on the task at hand. A three-course dinner was waiting for my wife (from the €16 menu) and I (the €19.50 menu) with a 50cl bottle of Cote du Rhone setting us back a mere (no pun intended) €12, a pittance comparatively speaking.

Our first course, or “entrée” as it referred to here, was the Salade Lyonnaise, a huge bowl of fresh, seasonal greens topped with chunks of hot, salty bacon, homemade croutons galore, and two perfectly cooked poached eggs sitting on top. There was more than enough for the two of us and was absolutely wonderful, a recipe I shall incorporate into my own repertoire when we finally get back home.
For our second course, or “plat”, my wife decided on the Chicken Fricasee, large chunks of de-boned chicken breast in a cream sauce that was both rich and flavorful. The Onglet de Bœuf Poêlè Sauce St Marcellin, a steak in a savory cheese sauce, was my choice, accompanied by potatoes Lyonnaise which are very similar to what many have come to know as potatoes au gratin. The steak was of a reasonable portion, about eight to ten ounces (500g), tender, and perfectly cooked to medium on the inside with just the right amount of char out. The cheese sauce that enveloped it was made from the local St Marcellin cheese, a savory, gooey concoction only the French could devise … MERCI BEAUCOUP!


For our third and final course, dessert, my wife had the local favorite, a praline tart. Lyon is famous for their pralines, a pink candy-coated almond I have only seen here. They make a variety of desserts with them, including a praline brioche and, in this case, a crispy, baked pastry filled with a praline cream that resembled a small strawberry pie ... YUM! I had a warm chocolate cake surrounded by a sweet cream that was rich and delicious.



An incredible dinner for two, both three-course meals, and a bottle of wine set us back just $65, the best $65 I have spent in a long, long time. I am sure that I will fondly reminisce about my many superb meals while visiting Lyon, but this was one that I will not soon forget … HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Mère de Jean 10 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My WALL OF FAME … More Bombs Are Better!

Ten Bombs Equates To:


Translation for Civilians: 

HOOAH!: "Phonetic spelling of the acronym HUA, which stands for 'Heard Understood Acknowledged.' Originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan. More recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate an affirmative or a pleased response." - Urban Dictionary

"The Department of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee claim HOOAH 'refers to or means anything except no' ... Regardless of its meaning ... the term is an expression of high morale, confidence, motivation and spirit." - WarChronicle.com

"The U.S. Air Force stole 'HOOAH' from the Army because we were part of the Army until 1947 and rather than waste a bunch of time coming up with something new and unique like "ROO-YAH" or "HAL-A-LOO-YAH", we said 'screw it, let's go with HOOAH' ... thanks Army ... HOOAH!" - CombatCritic
Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Read Chris S.'s review of La Mère Jean on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!
Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicleswith Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!


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Title: Lyon, France: One Mother Of A Meal ... Thanks Jean!

Key Words: Le Mère Jean, le, mère, Jean, mother, Lyon, Lyonnaise, France, marronniers, Place Bellecour, place, bellecour, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp


Copyright 2018 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved






Le Comptoir des Marronniers
8 Rue des Marronniers 
69002 Lyon
Metro: Bellecour
Phone number: 04 72 77 10 00
Prices: €€€

I have no idea why this place rates just 3.5 stars because it was one of the best meals I have ever had for under $100 (€78 or $87.15 for two, including tip, to be precise). The name Le Comptoir des Marronniers literally translates to "the counter of the chestnuts" although I could not find a connection between the nut and the restaurant.
On a narrow cobblestone street just one block east of Place Bellcour's giant, blue ferris wheel, you will find a rustic, yet charming bouchon Lyonnaise with wood beam ceilings and knick-knacks de cuisine scattered around the rather large dining room. The service was impeccable with a friendly maître d'hôtel who took our reservation earlier and seated us upon arrival, a semi-friendly waiter, and his two very jovial and efficient assistants.





When in France, or in this case Lyon, I always try to eat like a local. We started with a regional delicacy called Cervelle des Canuts ("brain of the weavers" - €5) and a 45cl bottle of Côtes du Rhône AOC (€12). It is really not brains, but a local soft cheese mixed with herbs to be spread upon bread and eaten with the accompanying sliced dry sausage (think salami) - YUM! The baskets of fresh, sliced, crusty bread seemed endless and the local wine was also quite good, an excellent value at just $13.60.


I had the four-course Menu Marronniers (€36), starting off with six Escargots Belle Grosseur followed by the Bevette de Black Angus Sauce au Poivre Vert, the Demi Saint Marcellin Affine, and then a Fondant au Chocolat au Cœur de Caramel Beurre Salé. The escargots (snails) were delicious, especially when accompanied by some fresh, crusty bread to mop-up the excess butter, garlic and parsley sauce. The sole faux pas of the evening (and the only reason they did not receive my top rating) involved my steak, which I had ordered to be cooked "medium". Gordon Ramsey would shit a brick, but I could care less, not finding blood all over my plate all that appetizing. Aside from all of the blood, my medium-rare steak was tender and flavorful and the peppercorn sauce (which came on the side) divine. The accompanying potatoes au gratin were crispy outside and soft and flavorful inside, and the sautèed veggies tasty. The local Saint Marcellin cheese was creamy and rich with a bite reminiscent of bleu cheese, only milder, and easily spread upon the two slices of bread also on the plate. As if all of that were not enough, my chocolate lava cake oozed its warm, creamy center as I cut into it and the salted caramel and whipped cream were just enough to optimize the overall flavor of the dessert.






My wife had the three-course Menu Lyonnaise (€20.00), starting with Lyonnaise Salad, a mix of seasonal greens, poached egg, thick chunks of bacon and croutons, then the Pork Breast Fondant in a "crispy" sweet or sour sauce, and, finally, a Praline Tart with praline ice cream. The salad's poached egg properly oozed its yoke all over the bacon and lettuce, the combination of which were delicious. Her center-cut boneless pork chop, coming with a unique, mild sweet and sour sauce, was also quite tasty, having been sat atop two boiled new potatoes and more of the savory cervelle des canuts cheese - a perfect combination. One of the highlights of the night, of which there were many, was her praline tart and praline ice cream, both of which were fabulous.



Taking about two hours in all, the meal was delightful, the service impeccable, and the ambiance perfect for our first meal in Lyon, the culinary capital of France, if not the World ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Le Comptoir des Marronniers A Nearly Perfect 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!


Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Read Chris S.'s review of Le Comptoir des Marronniers on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!
Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicleswith Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!


Title: Lyon, France: I HATE Chestnuts, But I LOVED Le Comptoir des Marronniers

Key Words: Lyon, France, chestnuts, Le Comptoir des Marronniers, comptoir, marronniers, bouchon, Lyonnaise, Place Bellecour, bellecour, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu,  review, Yelp, Zomato, Google


Copyright 2018 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved






Stay In A Studio Apartment In Central Lyon For Just $61.50 - Save Up To $55 On Airbnb Now!

If you are familiar with or already use Airbnb, there's no need to read any further. However, if are not or do not and do any traveling at all, then this post is for you ... this way please!


I use Airbnb all the time in my many travels – my most recent destination was country #43 . On this most current trip, I paid just $54/night for a very nice private room in central London (3rd most expensive city in the world), $70/night for an entire studio apartment in central Paris (18th most expensive city in the world), and $61.50/night for a private studio apartment in the best neighborhood in Lyon, France. 





If you like what you are hearing and use the attached Airbnb referral link, you will not just save money on your future trips, but I will also save a bit on one of my future trips. It’s a win-win situation for all of us! 




Whether you use Airbnb or not, I wish you safe and happy travels and a very joyous and healthy holiday season ... Happy New Year! 

Sincerely,

CombatCritic


Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"


Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!
Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

View my food journey on Zomato!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicleswith Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!


Title: Stay In A Studio Apartment In Central Lyon For Just $61.50 - Save Up To $55 On Airbnb Now!

Key Words: Airbnb, website, discount, room, apartment, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, hotel, accommodation, destination, product, service, business, review, Yelp, Google, Facebook


Copyright 2018 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved


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