Clos de la Violette  

Jean-Marc Banzo has instigated a small revolution in the Aix eating scene by dropping the bourgeois patina here in favor of a more contemporary decor. Last season, Pascal Consani took over in the kitchen, and Jérôme Place in the dining room. The regulars are shifting, the prices have been adjusted, and all is now in order in this discreet nook tucked away in the heights of the town with a superb garden and arbor. The cooking is straightforward and light: sole and fine endive cake with mussels; light cod brandade and gnocchis with cuttlefish ink; farm pidgeon pan fried with hazelnuts and mixture of old vegetables; roasted duck laquered with spices and black radish confit; quince and royal gala apple in a tarte and licorice sorbet.... Forthright taste and presentation and a wine cellar well stocked in Provençal vintages adds up to a rejuvenated Clos that is also better managed and priced attractively. The Aixois can be picky, but they have rediscovered this place.