Americans of a certain age may remember that jingle advertising a couple of Hershey candy bars. It came to mind when a friend once asked where I preferred to dine. Did I prefer a Michelin star restaurant with a waitstaff in uniform serving Asian fusion or was a local tavern featuring French farmhouse cooking more to my liking?
Sometimes, I feel like a nut...
If you feel like trying a quirky, funky roadside tavern with a terrace with a view, served by a young waiter old enough to shave but who chooses not to, featuring diverse but not overly fussy plates that are (mostly) properly constructed and prepared, head up the Orb River above Roquebron to the little village of Vieussan where you'll find Le Lezard Bleu. We did and we can recommend the experience.
Connie chose the menu of the day - a cucumber salad followed by tuna in cream sauce with mashed potatoes and finished with a plum tart. The only nit to pick was the industrial crust under the tart. Cathey and I started by sharing a meze - a plate of bits and bobs that included a salad of white beans and cubes of feta, cheese-filled phyllo cigars, samosas, stuffed grape leaves, a wedge of melon, and a small dish of smoked salmon. Enough for all three of us. Cathey had trout tartar with coriander, I had a grilled lamb chop, and the sides for the two of us were nicely seasoned hot frites and a small salad with very ripe local tomatoes. Again, a nit. My chop was grilled almost to the point of being crispy. Okay by me but I can see others might object.
Service was leisurely. It's France. The Belgian owner spent a lot of time chatting. At one point, he asked me to spell my name, then returned with a bottle-fermented Belgian beer with my name on the label. I bought a bottle, though he protested that wasn't his purpose. Interesting taste. I likened it to hard cider.
The tab came to 103€. Reasonable for a filling, enjoyable evening. And at checkout, the owner handed me a glass mug with the Faro logo. We'll return.
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