Sainte- Barbe: Auberge de Mazagran

The opening last May of the stunning new branch of the Centre Pompidou has put the delightful city of Metz on the map for many travelers, and while there are plenty of good restaurants in town, it’s worth the effort to get slightly out of town to the Auberge de Mazagran, a beautifully restored old stone building deep in the countryside. Having worked at many of the best restaurants in Metz and Nancy, chef Cyril Monachon knows the Lorraine region par coeur, and cooks with the local seasonal produce whenever possible. Don’t miss his pot-au-feu of duck foie gras with baby vegetables in a rich chicken bouillon, for example. Monachon has a globe-trotting culinary imagination, however, as seen in a sumptuous scallop carpaccio with Italian white truffles, or turbot roasted with black pepper and served with a compote of orange-spiked fennel.

1 route de Boulay, Sainte- Barbe, 03.87.76.62.47. Fixed-price menus €28 (weekdays only), €39. Prices are per person, without wine

Originally published in the November 2010 issue of France Today

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