CHEZ SERGE Carpentras France

   Susan and I have just returned from our visits to France and Germany.  It was an incredible trip, first staying with our friends Maria and Dieter in Germany, and then flying to Marseilles for a week in the south of France.  It is hard for me to say what my favorite part of the trip was....waking up each morning in Maria and Dieter's beautiful home, full of light, amazing collections, Provencal furniture and good food was definitely a highlight.  Jumping into our car each morning in Provence and heading out to markets in breathtakingly beautiful hilltop villages was a dream (plus, Susan did a superb job of driving our rental car each day, many times under stressful conditions and on the edge of perilous drops to nowhere!).  The weather was perfect with extremely cool nights and warm, sunny days.  I took hundreds of photos, as I had planned, and am torn between which ones to use for my first post on my return.

Right before we left on our trip, my friend Maureen sent me an article from the May 18th issue of the New York Times Magazine, titled PROVENCE PROFOUND, and it mentioned CHEZ SERGE, located in Carpentras, the town we made our home-base.  It did not disappoint! 

We were the first ones waiting that noon at the iron-gated entrance, and were able to be seated on the picturesque outdoor patio. 

In a matter of minutes, every table was taken, forcing later arrivals to be seated indoors. 

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My entree consisted of guinea fowl in a morel mushroom sauce, potatoes and a molded carrot puree.

                         My daughter dined on French pizza.

I chose the lemon tart for my dessert (I always choose lemon if it's on the menu), but the winner was my daughter's choice; panna cotta with fresh strawberries that Serge had purchased that morning at the Carpentras market.  We all agree that our meal at Chez Serge was our favorite meal that week in France.