It’s hard to think of anything other than drinking glass after glass of that golden, sparkling heaven in Champagne. Though one should be cautious to keep the food reserves high, if only to soak up all the bubbles. We stayed in Epernay, Reims and Avize whilst touring the champagne region so these restaurants are a little spread out. Though each hit a spot for us and all are well worth a visit.
Chez Max
In Epernay, Chez Max is a laid-back bistro just over the river from the old town. The menu is chock full of the usual bistro classics. Order the steak tartare and have Max himself prepare it tableside. He’s a character and his well-rehearsed routine is great fun. We also enjoyed a perfectly cooked fillet steak and frits. Alongside all that meat we needed a red. A half bottle of 100% Pinot Noir Geoffroy Cumières Rouge really hit the spot. Still wines from this region are known as Coteaux Champenois to distinguish them from Champagne, the sparkling wine. Although a still wine, this little gem came in a champagne style bottle with a little metal staple holding the cork in.
Chez Max – 13 Avenue Alfred Anotole Thévenet, Magenta
Au 36
At this super cool venue in Hautvillers you can drop by just to stroll through the well-stocked wine shop downstairs or head upstairs to the bright, airy rooms of the restaurant. The menu celebrates the traditional local dishes of Champagne. A plate of Spécialités Régionales included Pâté croûte Champenois, a chunky style terrine in buttery pastry, ham from Ardenne, white sausage from Rethel and mustard from Reims. For mains, we ate the Potée Champenois, according to the waitress a stew traditionally served during harvest. The cocotte, served on a wooden board, filled with smoked sausage, ham and vegetables. The bathroom in a cool little loft space is worth a visit too! After a blind tasting of three different champagnes over lunch we stopped downstairs to purchase a bottle of Denis Salomon Carte Noire, a 100% Pinot Munier, for further inspection at a later date.
Au 36 – 36 Rue Domaine Pérignon, Hautvillers
Les Avisés
For something a little special make sure you book a table at Les Avisés in Avize. The restaurant is housed in an old mansion on the property of Champagne Jacques Selosse. Jacques Selosse was one of the trailblazers of the grower champagne movement. Grower Champagnes are wines produced by the same estate that owns the vineyards where the grapes are grown. The wines tend to be more terroir-driven than those of the big houses that dominate the region.
There were a couple of Selosse Champagnes on the winelist when we dined, though I’ve been told they are not always available. You will need some good connections or to stay at the guesthouse onsite to get into a tasting. We started in the lounge with cheese gougères and a bottle of Jacques Selosse Initial Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs. It was quite incredible to experience a champagne that drinks a lot like a white burgundy in texture and flavour but bubbles like a sparkling wine
Once we moved through the dining room we were seated in a lovely, spacious booth. The menu is a set 4-courses with optional cheese course for 62€ each. The dishes of Stéphane Rossillon are adeptly created with local ingredients. His wife Nathalie is just as skilful on the service side of the restaurant. The highlights were seared fingers of tuna in a silky asparagus vichyssoise and the tender, juicy duck breast with little cubes of poached foie gras. Throughout dinner we sipped on a bottle of Bouzy Rouge, one of the most comically named wines I’ve come across (red wine from the town of Bouzy). It can be quite hard to find in Australia so this was the perfect opportunity to try a great version from well-known producer Benoît Lahaye.
Towards the end of our dinner, and perhaps a little on the sillier side of a couple of bottles of wine, I spotted the winemaker Anselme Selosse at a nearby table. He was kind enough to come and say hi, posing graciously for a photo with us (Nicholas was mortified!).
Les Avisés – 59 Rue de Cramant, Avize
L’Épicerie Au Bon Manger
In Reims, we spent a lazy afternoon enjoying the vast selection of cheese and charcuterie
at L’Épicerie Au Bon Manger. The walls are lined with wines, and natural is their jam. Pick up a grower champagne, a Jura white or Loire red and sit back and graze all day. We started with a couple of glasses of the superb, biodynamic Etienne Sandrin A Travers Celles Champagne. Followed by a bottle of Clos du Tue-Bœuf Coteaux de Giennois, a juicy, funky Gamay/Pinot Noir blend from the Loire Valley.
L’Épicerie Au Bon Manger – 7 Rue Courmeaux, Reims
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