The four merry men, well two women and two men set off for Rodez this morning to view the new exhibition in the Pierre Soulages musée. From Varen it took us just under an hour and a half, a good clear run with easy parking at the musée and attached Café Bras restaurant. We had a half hour quick browse and then went into the adjoining Bras restaurant.
We all liked the chic look of the place and I commented on how smart the staff all looked in their white smocks. One of our party thought they looked like Aveyron shepherd smocks, although I think they were chefs whites and they certainly had tall chefs hats on in the kitchen. We counted 7 chefs working diligently away. I must just say that the food was exceptional as befits the name and reputation of Michel Bras.
We went for the Menu du jour at 29 euros and started with an amuse bouche of a salted fish paste, a bit like brandade de morue to spread on our crusty bread. Then a soup which was so delicious, creamy potato and garlic with a blob of cream, the nicest soup we have all tasted for a long time. The choice of main course was good with fish, pork and veau and once again the taste was yummy with presentation fabulous. A choice then of the cheese board or tarte au chocolat avec sirop d' orange reduit or " le blanc mange à la vanille, pomme reinette et glace confiture de lait". We were all licking lips, spoons and nearly the plates.
If it was just for the food we all would give it 5 out of 5 but one of our party marked it down as she felt she would have liked a view from the window which was covered in black mesh fitting in with the buildings design. Another in the party who I must add wore a tie was so incensed by a little old Frenchman not taking off his flat cap for the meal, he even talked about knocking it off as we went, and he marked it 4 for being annoyed with the man!
You must all go, you will love it especially if no one keeps their flat hat on!
Then back to the exhibition which 3 of us thoroughly enjoyed, the fourth was not keen on the Picasso's and indeed many of the other lithograph works. As when we previously visited the Soulages exhibition he was not taken with these we had rather expected they may not find favour with us all.
The exhibition was entitled "From Picasso to Jasper Johns,from the atelier of Aldo Crommelynck"
Aldo had a workshop printing the lithographs for a lot of the great and good artists in France, England and the US from 1930 to 2008. So we had examples from Picasso, David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Jim Dine, Richard Hamilton, etc. I think I liked them all and would have been pleased with any on my walls.
A really interesting exhibition, great meal and day out which we all enjoyed
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