No Reservations Season 6 Episode 8: Provence
Tony opens the episode talking about the beauty of Provence. He says Provence is “where great painters painted and great chefs cooked”. Tony waxes on to the viewers how he talked his producers into letting him and the crew stay for a week at a villa with a beautiful garden and pool while filming the episode. Tony tells the viewers he made the mistake of inviting friends and locals over so he could cook dinner at the end of the week and realizing what he has done, he panics. Shots of Tony fumbling with the French stove and unable to find cooking utensils in the villa’s kitchen tells you he has good reason to be nervous.
The next shot has Tony narrating about the Romans and the history of Provence. Tony tells the viewers “don’t let the terrain like Martha Stewart’s head fool you, this is a poor country”. Anne Daguin, sister of Tony’s friend in New York, visits with Tony as Jeanne Bayol’s mother makes aioli for Tony and the crew. The aioli is made in a mortar and pestle, rising up into a frothy mound of garlic and olive oil as it is prepared. The meal is simple yet delicous: carrots, potatoes, green beans, fennel, cod with the aioli and wine. Tony states its time for a nap and crashes in a covered cart in the garden.
The next morning is Sunday and Tony meets Cedric, a relative of Anne’s, for a traditional morning gathering at Bar du Marche of local men to eat cheese, sausages, bread and drink wine. Tony and Cedric stopped beforehand to pick up meat and cheese for the meal, but it is obvious they need much more than they brought to feed this hungry crowd. The men enjoy eating and drinking together but the one rule is, no women allowed. After a few of the men’s wives drive by signaling them to come home, the group breaks up after singing, toasting and drinking one more time, leaving Tony to sit drinking and snacking at Bar’s sidewalk cafe while watching the world of St. Remy go by.
