L'Atelier - Marsanne

We had a very nice evening with a very good dinner. The restaurant is quite spacious, in many other ones extra tables would have been crammed in. Very friendly people. The only downside is the price of the wine which could have been a bit more moderate.

We celebrated the mariage of our daughter at L'atelier. Starting in L'orangerie, a large airy room with glass windows viewing the garden, we toasted with champagne this special life event, after a small informal mariage. Our hosts were very welcoming and the service discreet and present. We went to the front of the restaurant for our lunch and had a view of the Mairie and center of the village. We chose a variety of the main dishes, which were all delicious. The Manhattan cake for desert was excellent and gluten free!I highly recommend this lovely restaurant, suprising in its mix of contemporary and innovative cuisine in a small charming village in the Drome.

We went here because again I forgot (grrrrr) on Wednesdays our favorite Auberge: Les Aubergistes around the corner is closed for lunch. Only one choice in menu-du-jour so take it or choose a-la-carte. Nothing special for a pretty steep €19,- menu-du-jour. Basic cut slices of tomato (the very hard stem from the top of the tomato was not removed) with very tiny pieces of chopped garlic as starter, an ok salmonpieces with mashed patato and basic green salad. I topped it off wuth I think nice chocolate cake which was also homemade but sadly enough too long in oven so a burn taste throughout the rich cake. Verdict: an overpriced menu for this region: should be in the €13,50 - €15 range max.The "plat" from menu was veal with white rice (€ 18) which we took too. Tasted good but again not worth this € 18.1/2L of rosé in caraffe (basic, basic) for € 9,50, again way overpriced. You typically get a full bottle of this price. We had to ask for water although there were glases on our table. Bread was hard and dry. And there is so nice bread in this area. Our bill for this quick lunch was € 54 including tips (for the effort) but we expected really one level better than this experience. But maybe we were not lucky with the menu, nevertheless give at least a choice between entree, plat and deserts in the menu-du-jour, like typically is the case in this area.Staff was really very nice and friendly and did their best, but overall it did not left a memory with us. I felt the owners where pretty new so I'm sure they will improve. For the time being, we go back to René at Les Aubergistes ;-) .

Magnificient!The most delicious food we've eaten in France on this holiday (I'm French,my wife is English and we like our food).Flavours explode in the plate. Very fresh vegetable and fruits and all products are from local producers. Don't miss the tomato soup or the tarte tatin de tomate for starters, or the tuna or lemon chicken for mains.Best restaurant in Marsanne hands down and one of the best in the region.The owners are charming and welcoming and the atmosphere peaceful with lots of books, including an area for children in the back.

On my second visit to Marsanne, this time with my wife, we had lunch at L'Atelier because our French friends felt that it was the better choice over Les Aubergists where I had dined before (reviewed on this site). The setting is pretty and bright and nicely decorated. Most diners were on the terrace; we chose the interior to avoid the smoke. The waitress was nice, but the service was slow & indifferent (including forgetting to bring my main course, the daily special, until I reminded her). My wife was delighted with her choice of a salad plate, but I felt that my choice of chicken brochette was tasty but not special. L'Atelier has more curb appeal than Les Aubergists, but I know that I had better service and food at the latter. I would go back to either one again, but now I know which one I would try first.