After posting previously seeking recommendations for Bouillabaisse, I thought I’d share some spots that we really enjoyed last week when we were in France. Spoiler: I was left nonplussed by the meal at Restaurant Michel. The experience just didn’t justify the expense in my mind.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
11046 posts
If it's alright, I'll add your opinion about the bouillabaisse to all the others I've heard and shared in the past.
Posted by
OP
Upstate NY
90 posts
Of course, please do. I’d be happy to save someone the €€.
Posted by
Normandie
453 posts
It's usually a mistake to visit an expensive must-see place. Do some homework and see where the locals eat rather than the tourists, lined up and ready to be fleeced.
I've had bouillabaisse exactly once. It was a business trip from Lyon to Marseille for meetings near Berre the next day. My co-workers picked the place and it was, well, fine. The soup was delicious, the service was fine, but it was hardly an earth-shaking experience.
Posted by
OP
Upstate NY
90 posts
And there it is again - the unnecessarily dismissive tone (“do some homework”) that I’ve come to associate with this forum. Bob - I’ve been in the hospitality business for 40+ years and have been traveling throughout Europe for nearly the same length of time. This particular restaurant was recommended to us by someone from Marseille as a venerable institution. It failed to deliver. Period. Maybe try not to be so obnoxious.
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
1982 posts
redheadlibrarian,
In Marseille, in the Vallon des Auffes, there are two restaurants I have been to, but some years ago. Both have been around for many years and have good reps. Chez Jeannot specializes in pizza (Marseille style, pissaladiere especially) and has some other typical French/Provencal main courses, including fish. Chez Fonfon is in the same vallon but is more upscale and offers bouillabaisse as well as other good menu options. It is pricier than Jeannot. Both were excellent, and I don't expect that their quality has deteriorated over the years. The Vallon des Auffes is an "inlet" of sorts in Marseille from which fishermen leave in the early hours of the morning, and the fish you get at either restaurant is always the freshest. Both are popular with the locals.
I am not a seafood afficionado, but the rest of the family is and they enjoyed their seafood meals there a lot. Regarding the fish in bouillabaisse, there are certain ones required to make it official. The one I remember for sure is rascasse. Either restaurant will provide you with an authentic seafood dish or stew or soup. Just remember that if you get bouillabaisse, you will get a dish of broth with bread and rouille and the fish will probably come on a separate platter. There will likely be a lot of it, of various sorts.
Hubby spent some childhood years in Marseille and the family only served fresh fish from the day's catch, so when he says a bouillabaisse is good, it is good!
Bon appetit!
Posted by
OP
Upstate NY
90 posts
Hi Judy. The day after we dined at Chez Michel we took a walking tour of Marseille and visited that area which you mentioned and saw both of those restaurants. If I have a chance to return to Marseille, I’ll definitely give them a try. Thanks for providing the name of the flatbread pizza we enjoyed on a sunny afternoon in Nice, pissaladiere. It reminded me of Flammkuchen, which I’ve had in the Black Forest. It was delicious!