Restaurant - Ma Cuisine    June 2002 Ma Cuisine Passage Sainte-Hélène 2120 Beaune France Tel.  +33 380 223 022 Fax. +33 380 249 979 The main square in Beaune (it's a circle really) close to the Hospices de Beaune is called Place Carnot. There is very limited parking here, so you're better using one of the bigger parking areas just outside of the town centre. Anyway, just off Place Carnot you will find the pedestrian only Passage Sainte-Hélène. On the right just past a small wine-bar/cafe is Ma Cuisine. On the warm mid-week lunch-time I visited, no reservation was necessary, the place being just about half full by 1:30 pm. Apparently at weekends and evenings it's advisable to book ahead. When I visited the place, it was completely open to the outside, café-style, probably not the case in January !! It's quite small inside, with perhaps seating for 20+ on the entrance level, and towards the back is a higher level with room for 10 or more at a guess. The decor is a nice 'homely' style. Although dining solo, I had loaf of bread cut for about 5 or 6 people to myself with a selection of olives etc. while I made the most important decisions. There was a very cheap (€16) 3 course menu du jour that looked quite interesting, but as I'd made the 2+ hour trip I went for the à la carte selection. Starting with a warm salmon and salad starter, followed by veal in a garlic and mushroom sauce. The wine-list is very impressive - even for Beaune. Red or white, it's full of famous and not so famous names (from Burgundy), with a reasonable selection of older vintages. Dining on my own I was restricted to the half-bottle list, which although quite long, is less interesting than the main list if you are looking for something older. I plumped for a 1988 Charmes-Chambertin from Dujac. The salmon was really excellent, though naturally not a perfect match for the wine once I liberally dosed it with lemon juice. A much better match was the veal which had roast garlic liberally dotted around the plate. I was feeling quite happy with the world at that point, so was 'persuaded' into an 'assiette de fromages'. I have always been of the school of thought that drinking good burgundy with cheese was a waste of good burgundy, but in this case was happy to be proved wrong. They really took some of the acidity from wine's back-bone and made it 'super-smooth'. And the wine? Colour was brick red, fading at the rim. Nose was deep and sweet and like turned-over soil with some background pipe tobacco. The palate had good volume and still retained a healthy amount of 'stewed plum' fruit. The tannin was just about gone, but there remained a strong lick of acidity. Very long finish and very good, but I suspect it would be time to start drinking these. With the salmon, the acidity was too dominant. With the main course all fell into place, though the acidity was still running the show, and amazingly (for me) with the cheeses (Livarot, Reblochon etc.) a perfect match. The final bill was €100.50, of which, a little over €60 was the wine. An easy recommendation for this restaurant, really excellent. © nanson.ch 2000-2002