Day 8: Bordeaux
When planning an extensive customized trip, you have to consider the various options of transportation to each destination. In this case, the only direct way from San Sebastian to Bordeaux is by bus or car. It's quite expensive to rent a car because of the ridiculous fee to drop off the rental in a different country. We found the best option is to take two trains: one from San Sebastian to Hendaye (a city just over the French border) and then another train to Bordeaux. Total travel time is about 4 hours and 15 mins (including transfer time) for about 40 euros. The bus is a quarter of the price and average commute time is about 3 hours. Don't forget the possibility of delays, unpredictable traffic and accidents. Along with the mixed reviews of the various bus companies, we ultimately went with the train.
From Saint Jean train station, it was a short bus ride to our airbnb. Bordeaux uses rechargeable tickets that can be purchase at many tram and bus stops. If you plan on using transit often, it may be worth purchasing a 2 journey or 10 journey ticket, saving you a good amount of money. Our airbnb host was kind enough to allow us to check in to our place early. The apartment is very spacious and modern. And just like San Sebastian, there was a nice outdoor terrace with a high top table and stools. We even had a big screen television to watch the US vs Netherlands soccer game later in the afternoon. For lunch, we headed to the central area where most of the restaurants and bars are located.
Chez Jean appeared promising with their big portions and beautiful presentation. We started with two dino sized bone marrows with triangle slices of white bread and greens. This is how you eat bone marrow: sprinkle a little bit of salt on top of the bone; take your knife or spoon and begin to scoop the fat and natural oils; spread the good stuff on a piece of toast. Eat and repeat. The lettuce is available to help cut some of that richness.
We also ordered the crazy salad which is comprised of romaine lettuce, very thin slices of ham, fresh mozzarella balls, strawberries and tomatoes. Unfortunately the dressing lacked depth and flavor. It was as if we were eating individual components without anything to tie it together. The biggest disappointment was the vegan dish. It looked very attractive at first but there was virtually no seasoning on the vegetables. The sauces on the plate were bland and in some ways useless. The risotto was probably the best thing on the plate and even so that is a bit of an overstatement. This is a typical example of the lack of respect and reverence we see towards vegetables, in comparison to meat.
Since there was a nice flat screen tv waiting for us back in our place, we decided to stay in for the final world cup game. The first half was very competitive. Defensively, both teams did a great job preventing any goals. However Gragt's high kick to Alex Morgan in the second half changed the momentum of the game. The foul resulted in USA's first goal...penalty kick by the fan favorite, Rapinoe. 8 minutes later Lavelle sprints down the field, dodging defenders to score an impressive goal. The Netherlands never recovered and at the 96th minute, the US women's national team wins their fourth title. What an amazing game!
The opposite could be said about dinner at Michel. Their french onion soup was very deceiving as it was presented in a medium pot with crusty, puffy pastry dough on top. Breaking through the crust revealed the pot was barely filled half way with lukewarm broth. The absence of the traditional melted cheese as a cover was baffling. Instead there was a couple teaspoons of shredded cheese on the side for you to toss in. The onions didn't have that deep caramelized taste that can only be only achieved after a couple hours of simmering.
The vegetarian plate was not any better. The falafel and lentils desperately needed more spice. It's sad to say but we could have made a better vegetable platter. The world looks to France for all the finest cooking techniques, foundations and recipes. And to have another restaurant in Bordeaux serving an entree without the proper seasoning or sauce is very frustrating.
The mediocre dining experiences could be due to the number of restaurants closed on Sundays and Mondays. Fingers crossed, we find some better places to eat the next day. We do have some tours scheduled at two wineries just outside of the city. As you know, Bordeaux is really known for their top notch red wine. These two specific vineyards we chose to visit also produce white wine, something Jackie will absolutely appreciate. More to come soon!