48 Hours in Lyon, France

View of Lyon from Fourvière

Jim and I are in Lyon, France for a short visit, on our way to Arles in Provence. We’ve been here only 2 nights...long enough for us to fall in love with France’s “Second City.” There’s a battle with Marseille for that title, the two cities having about the same population (second in size to Paris). But there's no dispute about another of Lyon's claims to fame: this beautiful city is truly the Gastronomic Capital of France. Our short experience with Lyonnaise cuisine would back that up.

On our first evening we met my young French cousin and her husband for dinner at Brasserie Léon de Lyon, a Michelin-starred restaurant that didn’t disappoint. I ordered Quennelles, a Lyonnaise specialty. These are delicate souffle-like dumplings (mine were made with minced fish and served with sauce Nantua). Soooo delicious! 

Yesterday we started our day (and culinary tour of Lyon) with cups of cafe au lait and a plate of tiny delicious sweets at the Grand Café des Négociants, a short walk from our hotel. Expensive, but worth the price to enjoy the elaborate decor of this Lyonnaise institution. 

Then we wandered all around Lyon, from top to bottom (starting with a funicular ride to Fourvière hill, where we had a spectacular view of the city). Our favorite area was Croix Rousse, perched on another hilltop. We rode the wonderful Lyonnaise Metro to get there, and worked our way down a steep hill through that artsy neighborhood, stopping for a cappuccino break at a very cool coffee shop named Mokxa. 

Mokxa cappuccino                               Cafe au lait at Grand Négociants

    One of Lyon's many beautiful fountains                                       Steep, colorful street in Croix Rousse

The second to the last stop on our long walk was at La Bouteillerie, a wine bar owned by a trained sommelier named Christophe (today I learned that a sommelier is a knowledgeable wine professional, usually the person in charge of wines in a restaurant). We intended to sample only one glass of Burgundy, but Christophe was a very engaging guy and his tiny wine bar was so cozy and comfortable...we left feeling very rosy after THREE glasses of delicious red! Our charming host steered us in the direction of his favorite neighborhood restaurant, L'escale des Saveurs, which (fortunately) was just around the corner. Christophe had called the restaurant to make our reservation- a good thing, because it was a very busy, packed place despite it's out-of-the-way location! Our meal was another memorable Lyonnaise culinary experience. I had pork, Jim had scallops. The sauces served with our entrees were amazing! My tender pork came with a creamy red sauce that had the unlikely flavor combination of beets and mint. Jim's scallops came with a pale yellow sauce that had a hint of mustard, and other wonderful flavors that he couldn't identify. A great meal to end a great day, in a GREAT city.

                                                      Our new best buddy Christophe, sommelier extraordinaire.