In the center of Grasse, it would be difficult to miss L’Alambic. It’s all rose colored umbrellas and a matching array of clothing surrounding the shaded dining area.
We take a table after scoping out the menu and some of the food already on tables. The plat du jour, steak and frites, looks pretty great.
Lunch at L’Alambic
L’Alambric is busy! It’s peak hour and they’re clearly understaffed in this, the height of tourist season. What looks to be a mum and dad outfit, they’re clearly doing their best. Our orders are taken fairly efficiently, then we wait for our drinks.
It’s not a well oiled machine. Our drinks arrive after about 15 minutes, Jason has a cold beer, I have selected a house red to go with the steak. We settle into the French way of a long lunch.
The wine is terrible. Whether an ill thought local or just the cheapest selected for the tourist of margins I’ll never know. But it’s definitely enough to make me wish I’d ordered a beer instead. Jason loses a few swigs of his beer in compensation for my selection error. We discuss the itinerary for the afternoon. Jason isn’t overwhelmed: a couple of churches, some nice vies and another museum. He’ll wander round and make the most of it. We also discuss our observations on the restaurant, reflecting our views on improvements whilst acknowledging that it must be a difficult balance to perfect.
After another half an hour, we’re almost ready to give up. However, our meals eventually arrive and, despite the long wait and the terrible wine, the steak is excellent. Mine is delectably tender, grilled with just the amount of flame kiss on the outside and still pink in the middle. The chips are hot and salty, the salad cold and crunchy, the sauce think and peppery.
In hindsight, the steak was worth the wait, it’s a good, honest plat du jour. It’s well priced, well cooked and set in a pretty town square with nice relaxed atmosphere.
Good To Know
However, the experience could be much improved by a bit faster service and a decent glass of wine. A little finessing of processes and improved (more timely) service and L’Alambric could vastly improve their revenue. For example, we were never offered another drink despite sitting here for an hour and a half.
Other than that it’s a great place for a steak if you’re not in a hurry, just steer clear of the house red.
Auberge de L’Alambic is located at 2 Pl. de la Poissonnerie, in Grasse. The crepes also looked quite good but I would definitely stay away from the chicken nugget salad.
Would I Return?
No.