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| Christine moves through the crowd with a platter of nibbles at the soft opening on 24 February. |
Christine Véré and Patrice Mellot have bought the restaurant la Claise in Preuilly sur Claise and it reopened on 28 February, now a bar as well as a restaurant.
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| Looking in through the front door. |
For the past four years the couple have dreamed of quitting their jobs and working together in their own restaurant, with Patrice in the kitchen and Christine doing front of house. Patrice's parents are restaurateurs the Vosges. Initially he looked set to become a professional footballer, but injury saw him returning to the family business, where he worked for 15 years. He learnt on the job and is now an experienced chef. For Christine it is all much newer. She retired from the French Air Force and started working with Patrice.
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| Looking in through the side window. |
They found La Claise by accident, during a visit to family at Ligueil. Patrice noticed the establishment was advertised on SOS Village, a website dedicated to ensuring all French villages have at least one restaurant. Preuilly had lost all its restaurants in August last year when the last one, La Claise, closed due to the health issues of the owners. L'Esperance also ceased serving food at about the same time due to health problems in the family of the owner. Several years previously we lost l'Image, and some years before that the Auberge Saint Nicolas. We were reduced to a pizza vending machine!
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| The new bar. |
La Claise will offer breakfasts, frequently changing brasserie style lunches and a limited choice dinner menu. In the bar you will be able to play board or card games and order a snack on a plancha. The restaurant seats 30 covers, with a back room which will be available for private functions. They have benefitted from a grant to buy new equipment for the kitchen.
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| The mayor, Jean-Paul Charrier, presents Patrice and Christine with a gift at the soft opening. |
They are open Tuesday to Friday from 7:30 am to 3 pm and 5:30 pm to 9 pm (end of service) and on weekends opening at 9 am. They are closed Sunday afternoons and all day Mondays.
4 comments:
Jolly good, we look forward to trying it out when we finally make it to France.....
I never realised Proolie was without.... I hope they don't overprice themselves... it looked rather expensive from the menus that have been published.
This is very near your campsite isn't it??
I think that's going to help them.
I am thinking of the right place aren't I.... just across the bridge?
Jean: I will be interested in your feedback.
Le Pré de la Forge: The lunch menu is perfectly reasonably priced.
PS Yes, the south side of the bridge, opposite the co-working space, who are already regulars. The campsite hasn't been next door for years and is now the other side of the swimming pool, so not especially close, and campers will tend to use the guinguette. They are hoping to benefit from cyclists on the voie verte though.
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