I Prefer Paris: Hotellerie de Bas-Bréau in Barbizon

Last Friday I spent an ideal day in the French countryside.

I was sent a press release earlier this month about a fall menu consisting of mostly game and mushrooms at the Hotellerie de Bas-Bréau in Barbizon. The publicist arranged a tasting of the menu and a visit to the hotel.

I took the 37-minute train ride from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau station. I was picked up by the owner of the hotel, Jean-Pierre Fava in his forest green Range Rover. Jean-Pierre was one of those true French gentlemen, impeccably dressed in brown, whale bone corduroy trousers, white shirt, taupe colored sport jacket with a faint geometric pattern, and a sand colored knit tie neatly tucked into his trousers. He also had a mild whiff of soft, powdery cologne. During our 15-minute drive through the town of Fontainebleau, passing the chateau and entering the flat grounds of forest and open pastures of Barbizon, Jean-Pierre shared about the hotel, which he has owned for 50 years, and the area.

Barbizon is tiny with just one long main street lined with boutiques, restaurants, food shops, museums, galleries, and hotels.

After arriving at the hotel I met Jean-Pierre’s lovely wife Dominique. A handsome woman with short blonde hair, she was warm and hospitable, giving me a tour of the hotel and the grounds. Jean-Pierre and Dominique have two grown sons; one working part-time at the hotel and the other just opened a new bistro in Paris, which I will go to in the coming weeks.

They shared the history of the hotel; the front building of the hotel housing the dining room and reception area was constructed in the 1600s, serving as a horse stable and a carriage house. A neat historical fact they shared with pride was writer Robert Louis Stevenson stayed in the hotel in the 1800s and met his future wife there.

It was one of those storybook autumn days with blue skies dotted with clouds, crisp clean country air and the trees doing their foliage dance of fiery and earth colors. The property sits on three acres of flat land and the gardens were beautifully landscaped with squared hedges, manicured lawns, statues, and immense trees, now showing off their fall colors.

There are twenty rooms and each is designed differently. The décor of the rooms I saw were rustically decorated in earth tones of red, rust, mustard, and green and my favorite room had various toile de Jouy prints with a canapé bed. Most rooms have spacious bathrooms and with tubs with Jacuzzis.

Lunch was in the intimate bistro dining room with twelve tables. I sat at a table facing the window to the main road, which had sun pouring through it.

A amuse bouche of escargot with carrot puree was the size of an entrée, a good sign that the portion sizes were going to be more than ample. The entrée of crunchy, oversized langoustine was excellent accompanied with a zucchini puree. Jean Pierre said the chevreuil/roe deer was a must for my plat. An artfully designed plate arrived with four pieces of meat surrounded by mini carrots, asparagus, and mushrooms. The deer had the texture of a beef filet with the taste of duck with a strong game flavor. I ate the vegetables one at a time, slowly savoring the freshness of each. Dessert was a perfectly executed Grand Marnier souffle, a delightful end to a full but well-balanced meal.

The menu I had cost 60€ but there is also the bistro menu, which has two courses for 29€.

Tomorrow I will share about the rest of my lovely day in Barbizon.

Hotellerie de Bas-Bréau
22 Rue Grande, 77630 Barbizon
http://www.bas-breau.com/uk/index.php

Jean-Pierre and Dominique

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