MAISON CARNE AIX — Restaurant in Aix-en-Provence

Nothing special, a waste of the product, and a waste of time. The “concept” is that the owner and manager barely have to do anything, but through some sleight of hand, make it appear more special than it is.

The positives: the beef tasted good. The fries were very good, I suspect cooked in tallow but I can’t be sure. The price is reasonable. I did not get the dessert course, but looked to be of very good quality, as it should be, you practically trip over specialty grocers and merchants on your way to the restaurant.

The negatives: the only portion available is a cut of steak over a kilo, 600 grams are edible (per the waiter). Bone, fat, and gristle are all left on. Why on earth do I have to carve this up myself? I split this meal and offered to prepare my partners portion for them, I was left with a pile of bones and fat on my cutting board that was serving as a plate, before I could even begin.

Boy I bet all those trimmings would make a great stock to get some quality sauces going in the kitchen, but no, those go in the trash. Speaking of, no sauce….? What are they thinking? In France, eating a well aged piece of quality beef…..and there’s no sauce. Brain dead move.

The salad is served in prep bowls that only have the smallest flat on the bottom. Any attempt to eat from it results in the bowl wobbling all over the place. Once again, just serve it in a normal vessel.

Lastly, the stupid drawer in my table with utensils and salt and pepper etc. It’s just gimmicky. I have to take it all out to eat…just set it on the table like a normal restaurant. The salt and pepper were unusably coarse and served in cigar tubes. Guys, just put a salt and pepper grinder on the table.

Every aspect of the concept on the restaurant saves the owner and staff time and effort. They don’t cook but a single item, they don’t have to set the tables, trim the meat etc.

I think the owner has done a masterful job of creating the world’s easiest to run restaurant, but passing off the drawbacks to the customer as some sort of...

Simple and effective concept. One type of steak, one size (weight) divided between two people (or one with a good appetite), French fries and a simple salad and house wine charged by the cm! Let me explain about the wine experience: you receive a large bottle of house wine, drink as much as you like and then you are charged by the amount you drink calculated by cm etchings on the r bottle. The service again is simplified with all that you will need (knives , forks, napkins, salt and pepper) in drawers in your table. The waiters are very pleasant and polite. Price was very reasonable and the whole experience...

The concept is great but the quality of the steak and how it’s cooked isn’t great at all. I asked for my steak medium rare and it was bleu. Most of the steak was cold only parts around the edge were warm. After a. While the waiter came to ask if it was ok I said not really the steaks completely uncooked and he just gave me a little camping stove to cook the meat more. Had really high hopes for the meal sadly it was really disappointing. The house wine was nice though I have to say. Sadly didn’t feel like trying any desserts so can’t...