I'm rating La Petite Auberge 5 stars for service. We were staying the night at Les Chambres Claires…read morein town at the end of two weeks spent in Rustrel in Le Vaucluse.
As anyone who has spent time in France will attest to, at some point you grow
weary of the three hour meals and just want something simple Saint Loup des Varennes has what looked like a lovely more formal restaurant, but we were tired
And knew this would be a three hour commitment. Our other choice would be a pizzeria which seemed unfortunate when I noticed La Petite Auberge.
The lights were on, but their sign indicated they were not open- we were in between lunch and dinner. The door was open, so I poked my head in and in my sad attempt to speak french, asked if we could "manger"she inquired "now" in french. I said oui, now. She called out to the chef who was in the kitchen asking if three "touristas" could eat.
The chef, I think her named is Lucia, came out and asked what we would like-offering several enticing choices - all in French, no one spoke English and my French was minimal.
What we were presented was just perfect in every way. A cold plate of delicious sliced hams and a generous cut of delicious roast beef, prime quality. A green salad with fresh tomatoes, a remoulade, olives and pickles. This was followed by a yummy gateau au chocolate and cafe cream, just perfect in every way.
We were so warmly welcomed and at no time made to feel like we were inconveniencing anyone, in fact during our 2 1/2 weeks in France we were always met with warm hospitality.
This is my tenth visit to this beautiful country and I'm always surprised when Americans complain about the lack of hospitality by the French, I've always had very pleasant experiences such as this.
