Le Pastel
237 route de St-Simon
Cuisines: French
About
One of the best restaurants in the area occupies a stone-sided manor house built around 1850. It lies 7 minutes southwest of the center by car, but within the city limits. Today it's the domain of Paris-trained chef and entrepreneur Gérard Garrigues. The setting is as restful as the cuisine is superb: Terraces ringed with flowers near an outdoor pergola and dining rooms accented with paintings by local artists contribute to the placidity. The menu changes every week. During our visit, it featured Scallops "jubilatoire," roasted at very high temperatures with beef marrow, garlic, and balsamic vinegar; deliberately undercooked foie gras with a confit of quince and cornmeal brioche; roebuck with wine sauce and old-fashioned vegetables; and steak of sea bass with hearts of artichoke and truffled vinegar. Wine choices are as sophisticated as anything you'll find in Toulouse.
