Fine Dining in Wine Country...

Last night we went to Pavillon des Boulevards, which was in an area of town I'd never been in. We were greeted warmly and directed to a back dining room with the far wall all glass, a planted terrace outside.

We decided on the Menu de la Fete, 10 courses in all. For a wine, and in consultation with the sommelier, we had a Chateau Beychevelle, a 2003 St. Julian. It came as advertised, supple more than powerful, with a delicious nose and an expansive taste.

Our meal simply was the best yet. Here's a quick run-through of the menu:

• Asparagus and caviar
• Three balls of foie gras, one rolled in sesame, one in gingerbread crumbs, one in chocolate. There were three accompaniments, mango jam, apple sauce, and a diced gelatin of Sauternes
• Mashed potatoes with shaved truffled and minced pig's feet
• Langoustine with ginger soup that came with an emulsion of seafood (this was Ira's favorite)
• Lobster with a slab of fresh foie gras
• Sea bass, accompanied by chopped oysters on a thinly sliced leek plus a salad with chopped mango
• Lamb with eggplant, with grilled red onions on the side and goat cheese on a bit of red pepper
• Ginger bread with a sorbet of robichon cheese (which was the only dish I didn't like)
• Chocolate mousse with a dark chocolate cookie, along with pear slices and lemon sorbet with pepper (I'd had this in Italy and didn't like it, but the combination was a triumph this time.)

It was just one of those meals.

We also ate at the more famous La Tupina. While I enjoyed my meal of scallops and cassoulet considerably, I got violently ill that night, so I'm not going to rave about it.