Saint-Rémy-de-Provence: Le Mas de l’Amarine

The hotel-restaurant Le Mas de l’Amarine, in an enchanting old stone mas, or farmhouse, just outside of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, has caused a local sensation, earning accolades for the charming welcome and winning 1950s retro decor by Alice Monnier and the excellent market-driven cooking of her partner Bernard Coloma. A graduate of the Lausanne hotel school, Monnier met Coloma while they were both working at the superb Domaine de Murtoli in Corsica, and they hatched a dream of creating their own special place under the southern French sun.

The hotel opened after being renovated several years ago, but the restaurant is just a year old, and it serves up exactly what everyone wants to eat in Provence—incredibly fresh seasonal produce cooked in a Provençal tradition with a shrewd contemporary touch. The menu changes with the seasons, bien sûr, but on a beautiful Indian summer night, I loved every bite of my meal: red tuna ceviche with a salad of Granny Smith apples and avocados; rack of lamb served under a glass dome with smoldering herbs and a side dish of white beans cooked with sage; and poached white peaches with lemon verbena sorbet.

Ancienne Voie Aurélia, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, 04.90.94.47.82. website. Lunch menu €29– €35, à la carte €65. Wines start at €24.

Prices are approximate, per person without wine.

Originally publised in the October 2012 issue of France Today