Deauville Best Bets

VINCENT RIMAUD, Haras du Quesnay
TROUVILLE FISHMARKET
Boulevard Fernand Moureaux, Trouville sur Mer.
   Deauville is a small town, and the restaurants don’t change that much, but someplace new and very nice for a quick seafood lunch is to go to the fish market in Trouville. All of the fishmongers are along the street, and now they have little tables across from each of their stations. You can sit there at the hightops and have oysters, and all the seafood they sell. You show them what you want and they will prepare them for you and serve it with a nice bottle of white wine. You can have lobsters or langoustes–if you are willing to wait and have them prepared–coquilles st jacques, oysters, shrimp, etc. They prep them right in front of you while you wait. You can go as early as 11 a.m., or during lunchtime, and it’s interesting because all of the people are passing by and shopping for their seafood. But that’s all they serve–seafood; no cheese or bread, or anything else. It’s a nice way to enjoy lunch.

SUE FINLEY, TDN Co-Publisher
LE COMPTOIR ET LA TABLE
1, quai de la Marine
www.lecomptoiretlatable.fr 
011-33 02 31 88 92 51
Open every day except Wednesday
   Carter Carnegie touted me on this restaurant last year in our Best Bets column, and I enjoyed my favorite meal in Deauville here, on my birthday, to boot. On the opposite side of town from the sales grounds–near the casino and overlooking the marina–it is well worth the trip. A waitress delivers the hand-written menu on a blackboard to your table upon arrival, and before long, Michel Saggioro–a charming French chef right out of central casting–comes to discuss it with you and make his personal recommendations. The food has Italian overtones, and the seafood is ridiculously fresh. My coquilles st. jacques were fantastic and tender, and my daughter was thrilled to see pasta after a week of French food. When I showed Saggioro Carnegie’s recommendation in that day’s TDN and told him it was my birthday, he not only sent over dessert, but comped us on the entire meal, wine and all. (Thanks, Carter!) 

Bayeux
   Arriving early at the sale, or staying late? There is a lot of charming countryside to discover a stone’s throw from Deauville. A 45-minute drive from the sales grounds finds you in the historic city of Bayeux, home to the tapestry of the same name. The central historic attraction in the town, the Bayeux Tapestry is a 230-foot long piece of embroidery that tells the story in 50 panels of the Battle of Hastings in 1066–an early piece of propaganda, if you will, aimed at portraying William the Conqueror and the Norman conquest in a favorable light to the masses, who couldn’t read. It is housed in a museum (Le Musee de la Tapisserie de Bayeux) where visitors rent audio guides and move from panel to panel around the tapestry, which is behind glass, to understand each scene. The town of Bayeux offers far more, and is well worth a day-trip. The large Cathedral of Notre Dame is a beautiful representation of gothic architecture, the British War Cemetery offers a sobering and peaceful tribute to those who lost their lives in the war, and the Museum of the  Battle of Normandy offers a comprehensive review of the events that led up to 
D-Day. It is also entirely possible to spend an afternoon wandering the streets of the busy town, which offers a mix of higher-end shops and restaurants, as well as some French chain stores and more modest bites. 

Le Mont Saint Michel
50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel
France
+33 2 33 60 14 30
ot-montsaintmichel.com
   Just under two hours from Deauville is the most-visited tourist destination in France outside of Paris, Le Mont Saint-Michel. An abbey dating back to the 8th century, Le Mont-Saint-Michel draws over 3 million visitors per year. Sitting on a rocky tidal island, the mont, in its early days, was cut off from land twice a day during high tides, making it easy to defend against attackers. Now, a high causeway allows tourists to come and go at will. Visitors to the mont park just outside its walls, and embark upon a long climb up and around the city’s streets to reach the abbey, where more climbing awaits. (A word to those afraid of heights: a teenage girl in our group was so intimidated by the combination of the height and the steepness of the stairs, she turned back to wait in a creperie.) The abbey itself offers guided and self-guided tours, and, of course, spectacular views from the top. A variety of restaurants and shops dots the steep and narrow roads on the way through the town and to the abbey.

CRAIG FRAVEL, Breeders’ Cup President
La Ferme Saint Simeon
20 Route Adolphe Marais, 14600 Honfleur, France
+33 2 31 81 78 00
   La Ferme St Simeon is a luxury five-star hotel and spa where we stayed for two or three days in October. It’s a very true Norman farmhouse converted into a Relais et Chateau hotel. The restaurant in the hotel is amazing–very warm and inviting.
   The hotel is everything you’d want in a French country venue and the town of Honfleur itself is a beautiful coastal town that has a harbor with restaurants surrounding the water, which is superb. The hotel has a very nice spa, and you can walk right into the town of Honfleur from the hotel, which is just outside the main village. You can drive over to Deauville, which is less than an hour away, and there are charming little towns on the way where you can try Calvados, apples and cheese. I would definitely go back. It’s a great place to stay for a few days before the Arc de Triomphe or before the Deauville sales. It’s really convenient.
  
MICHEL HENOCHSBERG
MARTINE LAMBERT ICE CREAM
76 bis, rue Eugene Colas, Deauville, France 
   Martine Lambert opened this shop in 1980 with no formal training as an ice-cream maker, but now averages sales of 4,000 cones per day to people from all walks of life. Her exotic flavors include the “Bermuda” (guava, strawberry and lime) and some 50-odd other varieties like blackcurrant, passion fruit, salted caramel, chestnut, rum raisin and coconut. It’s the only handmade ice cream and all fresh-fruit sorbet in town, and offers flavors you cannot find elsewhere. Lambert also sells to high-end restaurants and hotels, and her ice cream’s popularity has led her to open a shop in Paris and another in Trouville. The shop faces the town hall. 

CAFE DES ARTS
Place de Verdun
Beaumont en Auge
33.2.31.64.81.70
   Cafe des Arts sits on the square of a charming rural village about 15 minutes outside of Deauville. The town is a traditional Norman village of half-timbered houses and shops whose population is fewer than 500. Cafe des Arts offers traditional French cooking. Duck, crab tart, goat cheese tart and other staples are served in a simple, homey atmosphere out on the square. 

LE P’TIT BEAUMONT
20, rue du Pardis
Beaumont-en-Auge
33.2.31.64.80.22
www.leptitbeaumont.fr
   The restaurant advertises its concept as “good, nice, and not expensive.” Offering seasonal regional food, fresh scallops, homemade French fries in a restaurant that features a large terrace set in a garden, the restaurant is open for lunch every day but only Friday and Saturday nights. 

PIZZA SANTA LUCIA
15, Avenue de la Republique
Deauville
33.2.31.88.20.70
   A good spot for families with children, Pizza Santa Lucia offers Italian specialties like pasta, salads, veal and wide range of pizzas, including margarita, truffle, scampi and camembert. It’s always very busy, but reservations are accepted. Try the apple tart baked in a wood-burning stove for dessert. 

MARCHE DE DEAUVILLE (Deauville Marketplace)
   In the heart of town near La Place Morny, the Marche de Deauville is open every morning this year through Aug. 31. Offering a huge selection of foods–fresh vegetables and fruits, cheese, fish just off the boat, cider from local farmers, fruits and jams–the market is also home to dozens upon dozens of stalls selling clothing. Scarves, shoes, fabrics, sunglasses, flowers and more are found at the marche, and browsing among the crowds for that day’s finds is half the fun. 

AU DUC DE MORNY
59a, rue Desire Le Hoc, Deauville
www.auducdemorny.com
Closed Wednesdays
   Located in the town center, this traditional chocolate shop offers hand-made chocolates and their speciality, “pralines a l’ancienne,” or traditional pralines.
 
BRASSERIE LE CENTRAL
158, Boulevard Fernand Moureaux
Trouville-Sur-Mer
www.le-central-trouville.com
Open every day from 7:30 until dawn.
   If you are going to make the short trip over to Trouville, it’s worth a stop at Brasserie Le Central, a 1930’s style brasserie in front of the fish market and the harbor, and a sister restaurant to Deauville’s Le Drakkar. Featuring red moleskin seats and old-fashioned French posters on the wall, this popular eatery offers indoor seating, or outdoor seating on a large heated terrace. Valet parking on the weekend during the summer is a plus. The focus is on fresh products, with local shrimp, seafood platters, and regional fish taking center stage.

LES 4 CHATS
8 Rue Orleans, 14360 Trouville-sur-Mer, France
33.2.31.88.94.94
Open Thursday to Monday
   A very popular Trouville restaurant with the locals but fairly undiscovered by tourists, Les 4 Chats serves fresh meat and fish with a friendly staff and great atmosphere. A curved wooden bar with high stools dominates the Art Deco-themed brasserie. Their specialty is an incredibly tender sirloin.