A French country kitchen par excellence.  This famous restaurant, a stone’s throw from one of  Bordeaux city’s old city gates, Porte de la Monnaie, has been serving southwestern France regional specialties since 1968.  It was on my hit list for my September 2007 Bordeaux wine country visit and it should be a must stop for anyone visiting the Bordeaux region.

As you enter the restaurant you’ll immediately see a country kitchen with wood burning fireplace straight ahead of you.  Laid upon a red checked wood display table are baskets of fresh cherry tomatoes, radishes and generous slabs of beautifully marbled cote de boeuf.  You’ll also likely see one or more whole ducks or chickens being spit roasted over the fire with a large iron kettle of duck fat also bubbling away; they fry their signature chunky fries in this kettle.  It’s a perfect Bordeaux tableaux and sets the scene for a fabulous experience.

Specialties of the house include duck and foie gras, grilled cote de boeuf, the herb spit-roasted chicken, duck rillettes, the crispy & insanely flavorful duck fat fried potatoe chunks and for good measure, heritage black pigs and farm fresh lamb from the region.

After being seated I was presented with a basket of the aforementioned cherry tomatoes, radishes and a generous portion of crispy fried pork tripe strips.   I followed that up with some gently sauteed fois gras, roasted bistro chicken with the duck fat chips and an oh so petite molten chocolate cake.   In a word……incroyable!  Service was friendly and efficient.

With today’s exchange rate and battered dollar you can expect to spend at least $50 per person for lunch and likely closer to $80 per person for dinner. The wine list includes countless local wines, some quite reasonable as well as an extended selection of Armagnac.

Don’t miss this restaurant; you’ll experience a life affirming tribute to the southwestern France country kitchen.  Also recommended, take a long walk north along the Garonne immediately after dinner.

La Tupina
6 Rue de la Porte de la Monnaie
33800 Bordeaux, France
+33 (0) 5 56 91 56 37
www.laptupina.com