Unauthorized

An excellent restaurant that I had not visited for more than a decade, Les Cédres is located about 15 minutes outside of Tain l'Hermitage. It is run with great enthusiasm and passion by Jacques and Jean-Paul Bertrand. The wine list is stunningly rich in wines from the northern Rhône, with a solid selection from the south. Since I had been tasting northern Rhônes for four days, I decided to go with one of my all time favorite southern Rhônes, the 2001 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Chaupin. Decanted an hour before we had it, it was gorgeously rich. While we waited for it to be decanted, we drank Gosset's non-vintage Champagne, which was competent as well as rewarding. The medallions of sautéed foie gras were beautifully rendered as was the grilled lobster. The French seemingly never over-cook lobster, leaving it beautifully sweet, rich, and juicy. That was followed by some wonderfully rich, aromatic, impeccably prepared lamb. This excellent restaurant has garnered one star from the Guide Michelin, which it certainly deserves.