I, generally, do not work to indulge in any of the Seven Deadly Sins but last night I think I committed one – Gluttony. Gluttony is the overindulgence and overconsumption of anything to the point of excess. 

Pamela, Kimberly and I had dinner at Py-R in Toulouse. It is a 2-Star Michelin rated restaurant in Toulouse. The Michelin website describes it as follows:

How fiery, this Pierre Lambinon! A stone’s throw from the Pont-Neuf, its cuisine is as bubbling as the waters of the Garonne in bad weather. The meal starts with a salvo of appetizers, a real laboratory of the flavors that will mark the meal. The chef is at his best, with skillful dishes designed around garden herbs, seafood and beautiful seasonal vegetables: plates that happily marry grilled, iodized notes and vegetable bitterness. This is the case, for example, of Saint-Jean-de-Luz line hake or Pyrenees trout in gravlax, bean and bear garlic in tonic pesto and citrus juice with concentrated honey. It’s original, and it works! On the decor side, a room where white dominates, with some paintings by contemporary artists to catch the eye. Definitely, a table that looks.

The setting is very beautiful and artistic. The restaurant is situated in the caves that were the old fish market of Toulouse. The entrance is an ancient street that has been bricked over. The original street led from the ancient part of Toulouse down to the banks of the Garonne where the fisherman delivered their fish to the market which is now the dining rooms and kitchen of the restaurant. The restaurant is a half floor below street level and under other buildings. The room we ate in is a domed brick broken up by arches and columns. It is painted completely white with eclectic modern art with vibrant colors on the wall. The tables are draped in white table clothes so the whole ambiance is stark but modern and very clean within an ancient building. The maître d’ said that the street was older than the Pont Neuf which was built in the 1600s. I like that the Pont Neuf (new bridge which is still used) was built in the 1600s.

The restaurant is a prix fixed menu with two options, the Projection (smaller options) and the Spectacle (larger option). Our server (cannot really call the servers waiters as they are much more), explained the two options. The Projection he said takes about 2 hours to consume and the Spectacle takes about 3 hours. Since we had decided to indulge in the gluttony for the evening we went for the Spectacle. The server underestimated the time to consume as we were in the restaurant for 4 hours.

We ordered glasses of champagne to go with Mise en scène.

This was the hors d’œuvre selection. When they became laying the table with the bites that were included with it, we understood why the server said the tables were large. The Mise en scène included:

Baked Apple

Turnip, bergamot

Samoussa, leek and kiwi

Laguoustine-celery cornet

Beetroot sphere – one of my favorites

Puffed Potato – sweet onion

Radish, pesto

Blanc manger, comté, orange blossom

Carrot, ginger

Royale Fois Gras – size

Duck Tartare, garlic

Tartlet, mushroom juice

Squash, comté, pear

Pear, Miso

Asparagus tartlet

Butter Normandie

Toast Butter

Butter olive oil-lemon

To go with the Mise en scène they brought breadsticks and crackers.

The second part of the Mise en scène included

Pork Cannelloni – polenta

Gnocchi, coriander sabayon, caper leaf

Dried Duck, rice pasta and lemon with red cabbage juice

Potato, guanical rust

Spring roll, trout from the Pyrenees

Salsifis-broccoli-Myrtle

Next up was Jardin de printemps (Spring Garden)

Asparagus from Lavernos-Lacasse, artichoke from Perpignan, white asparagus from Acquataine

Bear Garlic, egg-yolk confit ras-el-hanout and haddock broth

Asparagus carpaccio, Taggiasche olive – one of my favorites

Anise-Fennel ice cube – unbelievably creative and good

Next came the Fois Gras

Pan-fried fois gras from Gers, beet pickles, duck juice

Poultry Broth, homemade brioche

Next was Monkfish – which is not really exactly what came but it did include monkfish

Monkfish, cresson, burnt vegetables juice

Squid pomegranate, black sesame

Sardines, Jerusalem artichoke, satay

Coquels, egg yolk candied seaweed, marinière

Scallop, chard kiwi, white butter of Buddha’s hand

Langoustine silver sorrel, bonito broth, pearl of Japan

Oyster, yuzu, turnip – I think my favorite of the whole evening

Next up – Hake

Hake from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, caught by line

Bean peas, crycoconcentration celery, fish soup

Chicken from La ferme Maleterres

Chicken cooked at low temperature, chicken sauce, semolina grass citrus, endive Asian spinach Sauce à manger, chickpeas, poultry mousseline

I do not have a picture of this and, to be honest, it was my least favorite portion of the meal.

The final parts were dessert.

Apple Tatin

Dome of roasted vanilla praline

Madeline ice cream

Frosted Nut

Citrus

Bergamot sorbet, Meyer Lemon paste, tangelolo

Citrus juice, tarragon oil

Chocolate

Madagascar vanilla Cream

Mango, Barbary fig

Kiwi-verbena fruit pasteP

Purple Namelaka

Chocolate Py-R

I brought some of the chocolates home.

I did not get a picture of this but since it was close to 12:30 pm and we had started eating at 7:30, I think I can be forgiven. I was also probably in a food coma at the time.

Since it was mostly seafood and vegetables with had a very nice Beaune Premier Cru Burgundy with dinner.

Dinner at Py-R was truly an experience and a fantastic meal. I do not believe I have ever had a dinner like that before. It was not inexpensive but it was worth every penny in my estimation.

The restaurant was beautiful and visually engaging. The service was impeccable and friendly. There was nothing stuffy about the servers – they engaged with us and were mote than willing to answer questions. The food was unique, delicious and challenging. I liked almost everything served.

I saw signed rugby balls in niches on the wall and asked about them. The restaurant is popular with Stade Toulsian rugby planners and the President of the club. Stade Toulsian is one of the premier rugby teams in France and the world. They are in the European Championship at the moment and the next big match is against Bordeaux – their arch rivals.

One of the best parts was having dinner with Pamela and Kimberly. The company added to the experience. The conversation flowed easily, we learned more about each other and as stated by Rick at the end of Casablanca – Pamela and Kimberly, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” !!!