Disbrows Travel: St. Emilion

Here's the long and wandering story. We got here early enough to check in to the chateau (a Chambres de Hotes) we're staying at and get some dinner in town. At the chateau we ran into another couple. They were from New Zealand and have been on the road for a while. They were kind enough to give us the lay of the land and some hints about the town - the biggest being that there were parking spots outside the town and it was much wiser to park and walk than try and drive in the town. The second hint was that it was a bit touristy. After a brief freshen up we went into the town.

The first interesting thing is we found parking without a problem. There were four cars in a lot with at least 100 stalls. We arrived bout 6 pm and everything was pretty closed up - all the wine shops (there are at least 50) and the few tourist trinket shops (there are about 3). We knew we were early for dinner so we started walking around exploring. We were pretty much alone. I mean spooky alone like a post apocalypse movie or something. Not a bar open or even a small "tabac" (place to get a soda and, if you are so inclined, cigarettes). Nothing. The town is a half bowl carved out of limestone (between 900 and 1200 AD monks carved an abbey and 125 miles of catacombs under what is now the city - today the catacombs serve as the cellar for half a million bottles of wine). To get anywhere in town you end up going up or down some pretty steep and dangerous slopes. We went by a restaurant a friend had recommended but there was a sign on the door that said they'd had an emergency and were not open tonight. So we went down to the Plac du Marche, the central square of the town. There were 2 of 8 restaurants open (turns out both had the same owner and wait staff so you could order from either menu at the same table). No locals at all. A couple of other tourists. A bad sign looking back on it.

We grabbed a table and had, charitably, a pretty mediocre meal - I had the only dish that remotely stood out (a beef carpaccio). We asked for some regional specialities and were steered toward a few dishes (chicken with prunes, a fish soup, etc) that were not tolerable. We asked the waitress for a couple of glasses of her favorite local wine (we ended up with two different St. Emilion Grand Cru's). They were terrible. It wasn't that they needed to open up - they actually got worse when they were open. Next time we'll just go with the cheap house wine. Bottom line: mediocre food and bad wine. I can't think of another town in Europe that at least some locals aren't out in the evening eating or drinking in the main square. I know why they weren't in this one. So here's an addition to Ken's rules of eating: Avoid places with no locals.

Amendment: OK we did find a decent restaurant our second night. A few simple fish dishes and an apple tart were, while not outstanding, quite good.

The city is picturesque and the country side is gorgeous. The people at the chateau (Chateau Meylet) are very nice (it's a working winery) and I recommend staying here if you choose to visit the town. St. Emilion is about a half a mile from the chateau - it can be walked but along a busy road. St. Emilion itself felt like an old abandon city someone uses as a mall to sell wine to tourists during the day. It does not feel like a living, thriving community (though the Chateau's around it are lively). I don't think St. Emillion will be on our list of places to visit again.

Here are a few pictures of the place: