Le Vistamar, Monte Carlo
January 19, 2021
Le Vistamar is the fine dining restaurant of the Hôtel Hermitage in Monte-Carlo. Nicole and Daniel joined Linda and me for dinner there on October 17, 2020. The ambiance in the hotel and the restaurant was a bit sad as tourism in Monaco has dried up during the epidemic. Tables were widely spaced.
To cheer things up, we started with glasses of Champagne. There were à la carte choices and a «Gourmet Chic» Menu, which we had.
We ordered a bottle of 2014 Jean-Louis Chave Saint-Joseph, which was very nice.
The first course was
Soufflé aux crevettes bio, délicat fumé de crustacés
The airy shrimp-flavored soufflée was topped with two shrimp and dressed with a shellfish glaze. Lovely.
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Pavé de bar Dugléré, riso de sarrasin
A crispy-skinned thick piece fof sea bass was served on a bed of buckwheat risotto. The sauce was a creation of Adolphe Dugléré at the Cafe Anglais in Paris in 1866. A fish filet is poached in a stock made with the fish bones from the filleting. The poaching liquid is then used to make a white wine sauce with tomatoes. Excellent.
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Pintade fermière en fricassé au vin jaune
cèpes et pommes noisette
The thigh of the guinea hen had a crisp skin and a slightly gamy flavor. The breast meat was served on a a sauce made from a wine similar to a dry sherry. Alongside were sautéed porcini and small balls of mashed potatoes.. Very good.
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Chariot de fromages affinés
Well, with the small number of diners, there was no cheese cart. Three cheeses were served with a confiture and a small salad.
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Figues rôties au miel de nos ruches
zeste orange et nougat semifreddo
Figs had been roasted in honey. They were served on and around a disk of soft, cold nougat. Nice.
The mignardises were milk chocolate, nougats and fruit gels.
This was an excellent meal. It was traditional in most of its conception, which fits in with the image of Monte Carlo. The portions were large in the traditional style. The ingredients were top class and the recipes perfectly executed. Bravo.
https://www.montecarlosbm.com/en/restaurant-monaco/vistamar-gourmet-restaurant
