FriedaL

Russ lives in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, but he gets around in Provence! I humbly suggest to also consider my own website: www.aboutprovence.com where you find various articles on towns and villages in the Var. Although perhaps not much discussed in this forum, the Var is (after Paris) the most visited region in France, with the coast (St Raphael, Ste Maxime, St. Tropez, etc) as the biggest attraction. But the other regions of the Var (the Haut Var, the Green Var) are equally or even more interesting. And, as Robert mentioned, the islands off Hyeres, but off season. Forgot to mention that I live in the Var. Frieda

In principle, Bouillabaisse is not a luxury dish, but a hearty, filling peasant meal, made of local available fish, though rascasse is essential. With the depleting fish supplies and the consequent steep rise in fish prices, bouillabaisse has become an item at the top end of local menus. To push further by including langoustines is, to my mind, an excessive exploitation of the current market and little to do what is basically bouillabaisse, An honest and great b. can be had at Maurin des Maures in Rayol-Canadel (on the coast, in between St-Tropez and Hyères), where Chirac has a bouillabaisse whenever he visits his Bormes-les-Mimosas villa. Maurin des Maures is a boisterous place, filled year-round with local people and visitors. Also a place for authentic Provencal coastal cuisine, created by the grandmother who refuses to show her face outside the kitchen (a myth?). The restaurant gets its fish supplies from a local fisherman. That said, I offer a caveat: in summer tourist season the demand for fish dishes in the south of France vastly surpasses the supply of local fish. Most fish then come from the Atlantic, down to Senegal. There's nothing wrong with a rouget from Senegal, though some Mediterranean purists may differ. Best advice is to eat fish in winter or spring. At Maurin des Maures they will tell you whether the fish is available, from their fisherman, or not. Frieda

Most French roads indeed do not have lampposts, none on the Routes Nationales or Departmental routes. The rural roads can be a challenge, certainly in the dark. Even during the day they can be startling for overseas visitors. So often I hear from the rest of the car: please, Frieda, tell me this is a one-way road... Edited: Cabrales, after reading all those "pc" messages on France, I'm almost immune to a lighter tone. Missed it, Cabrales, and your lampposts, thank G. Frieda

First off, my post is not to encourage drinking and driving. Au contraire. The best way to enjoy a meal with wine is to stay in the area or have someone be the designated driver. Also, avoid French rural roads during Sunday afternoons! In France, driving a car with non-French plates has its advantages. At general check points, the gendarmes will let the foreign cars pass; the paper work is too complicated for them. I once drove back from the jazz festival in Ramatuelle (where I had a glass of champagne during the intermission), got lost on the way back (nothing to do with the champagne, it's just a tricky road) and found myself in St-Tropez with a sobriety check. Each car was stopped, except mine, still with Dutch plates and a non-tipsy driver.. When it concerns simple trespasses, such as not wearing seat-belts, everyone is stopped. Then you have to pay on the spot. No liquid funds? Leave your car there and find an ATM that will give you the necessary euros (60 per person, I believe, but with the euro inflation?). Non-French plates also help with parking tickets... Alas, my new car has regular French plates, and I need to be careful as the next French person. With reason. Frieda

Bux, Thanks for the quote, but only the first sentence came from my keyboard. Who knows, maybe I am an anarchist by nature. John, next time you visit the region I'll give you a tour of vrai St-Tropez, sans phone booths, though your card may still be valid. Frieda

John, the Perigueux market I remember from 20+ years ago and have not forgotten until today. Such an abundance of fresh farm foods. But then, the Perigord is a region with rich taste. In my region of southern Provence, my favorite market is that of Saint-Tropez. A produce as well as people-watching place. Twice weekly, Tuesday and Saturday morning. In the high summer season, practically undoable, with the acces road jam packed, parking at the port always full, the toursist throngs moving along the stalls, pushing baby-buggies, some double wide (the number of twins+ is astounding these days). But off-season, or early morning in summer months, the market is a delight for its varied stalls. There you can find anything from a unique farm Roquefort (forget about Président, and its high-market luxury-brands, that has 95% of the market), the best pizza in the world at a truck stand with wood-burning oven, in season the most delicious cèpes, at a price, and fresh, fresh, vegetables. The roasting stand on the far eastern side is an absolute must with the juiciest hams. The first time I joined the waiting line, I asked a Tropezienne (you can tell because they wear either all black or all white, with plenty of golden jewelry, sometimes carrying a helmet in hand -- a Vespa is the most practical mode of transportation in Saint-Tropez) if this was an OK stand. She told me that it was the very reason to visit the market. The market is on the Place des Lices, an area of firm dirt soil, shaded by centuries-old Plane trees. On off-market days it is a busy place for Pétanque (jeu de boules) players. Since Jan. 2000, EU regulations stipulate that food products on a market should be sold on a hard surface, black top, concrete. For a brief moment, local newspapers were full of articles about the possible solutions on this issue. Should the Place des Lices be black topped (evicting the Petanque players)? Or the market moved to the austere parking du port? Solution? Do nothing. To hell with those bureaucrats from Brussels. If you visit St. Trop, do include the daily fish market, just behind Sénéquier on the port. Frieda

The Routiers have a myth about them as undiscovered treasures. The truth, as far as I have experienced, is that those truckers' places offer decent food for very decent prices. Sometimes quite good, sometimes dismal with ingredients straight from the supermarket frozen section or worse. French truckers are allowed a two-hour break for lunch, paid by their company (lunch included, within budget). To illustrate: once, I stumbled on an off-off country road on a Brinks or other security co. van, all doors open, view of the loot, one of the guards quickly emerging from the back of the van, still chewing his lunch (sandwich?). Lunch is sacred in France. The best shoestring French meal, to my mind, is a picnic assembled from ingredients found at a market. Each French village has a once or twice weekly market, a major French town a daily market. There you find the products of the terroir that make a very satisfying meal. If I can speak of my region (southern Provence), I would visit the local market, basket in hand, buy tapenade and/or anchoiade from the sympa woman who owns the stand. Even if I try hard, I could never approach her excellent tapenade. Ok, also a scoop-full of Nicoise olives. On to the vegetable stand with its surly owner. Are those melons from Cavaillon? Without speaking, he points to the, required in France, notice that lists the provenance of each product. Ah, there's the farmer with his fresh tomatoes. Opposite, the mini-stand of the goat cheese fabricant. My basket is filling up with lettuce, tomatoes, tapenade, olives, cheese, a small container of wild strawberries (perhaps with the young goat cheese?). I need more, a base.There's the truck with roasting chickens, rabbits and pork ham. I choose a farm chicken, "oui, jus inclu," and finish my shopping round at the boulanger for a couple of baguettes à l'ancienne (these baguettes are made the old-fashioned way, grayer inside, and much tastier). With the loot, we could drive to a favorite spot, Col de Babaou for instance, in between Collobrières and Bormes-les-Mimosas, where you find a splendid, high-up view of the Mediterranean sea and the Iles d'Or. Does anyone have a favorite market in France, or even a favorite picnic spot? Frieda

It's strange that Avignon seems to offer so few outstanding places, considering its vibrant cultural life. For another forum I was asked to list "reasonably" priced places in Avignon and other towns in Provence. Since my only lunch experience in Avignon was a funky, eclectic place (of no interest, I'm sure, to lofty eGullets) I asked a French friend who lived there for 20 years: "pas grand-chose" she said, but mentioned that on l'ile de la Barthelasse one finds the best restaurants, certainly qua ambiance. She mentioned Le Bercail "pas de la grande cuisine mais un cadre magnifique, sur le Rhône, avec vue sur le Palais des Papes". Frieda

Jordyn, I did not mean to be condescending, paternalistic or even maternalistic, more conform my gender. Of course, everyone has the right to follow his or her path of culinary enjoyment in France. What saddens me, and made me write my previous post, is the tenor in the France Forum that only the 3-star restaurants, ok a few 2-star, are worth a trip. A 1-star is treated as a local bistrot, in case the loftier ones are fully booked. If you follow this route, you'll seldom meet a live French person, apart from the waiting staff. Perhaps that was not your intention to begin with (I admit to a bit of p/maternalistic tone here). On other eGullet forums I find informative discussions on wild mushrooms, prizes for best questions or other silly things. But the French forum sticks out as the sugary domes of Hotel Negresco, over-priced and over-done. Frieda

Just a piece of information for those mushroom pickers who might visit France and get to work on their hunting skills. If in doubt about a particular mushroom, visit a local pharmacy; the pharmacist will advise you freely and with great pleasure (at least I've never encountered a grumpy reaction). During their studies, French pharmacists are required to take at least a one-year course in mycology, fours years if they wish to advertise themselves as certified mycologists. Frieda

I find this thread to be illustrative of the eGullet forum on France. Jordyn, who, I believe, will make her first trip to the provinces of France, has already sorted out her destinations on the basis of 3-star restaurants. The respondents pick up on that and rehash their preferences of Veyrat over Bras, or vice versa, and so on. A Ferris-wheel that never changes. Dear eGullet members, I find it almost decadent to advise a first-time visitor (or a second, or a third) to discover the French countryside that way. Buxbaum touched upon the fact that France is more than just starred restaurants in two of his posts, but no one has picked up on that. France is an enormously varied country, blessed with mountains, plains, lush green valleys and harsh Atlantic coast. With that, a great tradition in regional food ingredients and preparation that can be enjoyed from things bought at the market to a superb dining experience in a local place. If you only hop from 2 to 3 star and back, you'll miss out on that variety. Above all, your senses will be dulled to a point where there is no longer room for a Wow! The only thing left then is to jump on the eGullet Ferris-wheel and put in another half-penny to the steadily turning wisdom. Frieda

Two years ago, on quatorze Juillet no less, we watched the finish of the Tour étape in Draguignan (Var). We had arrived in the late morning, found miraculously a parking space (one friend knew the backstreets of the town), had lunch in one of the few decent places and then settled along the boulevard, some 300 meters before the finish, expecting to be bored for another hour or so, before the peloton raced to the line. But the reality was quite different. The anticipation among the spectators was tangible, not so much for the cyclists, but for that media spectacle that precedes the peloton, namely the caravanne. For one hour (it seemed) a string of vans and some bizar vehicles passed the spectators, all the while tossing free gifts on the sidewalk: baseball caps with Michelin logos, keychains of a coffee brand, car sunscreens that advertised the latest Fiat model. The frenzy on the sidewalk was unbelievable, but also the later bartering: Your Michelin cap for my Fiat screen, and so on. Then there was a lull, an advance car, suddenly a sole rider. Behind him, at 300 meters, rounding the corner; the group in pursuit, too late. Later, we walked to the finish line, where there was a seemingly disarray of feting the winner with the Tour Miss of the day, booths of sponsors with past Tour riders, Poulidor in the coffee booth, handing out autographs, second-string riders retreating to their second-rate hotels, while their bicycles were being pumped up in in the travelling vans of their team. The Tour de Franc is a huge circus; very much worth watching from whatever perspective. The Mont Ventoux is such a classic. To get a good advantage point, I think you should prepare yourself early in the morning, with picnic stuff, and see how far up the mountain you will be allowed. Unfortunately, ther are no sneaky backroads there. Frieda

Cabrales, Alsace Choucroute is a hearty meal, down to earth, originally a winter meal when fresh ingredients were less or not available. Therefore, "soured" cabbage, with juniper berries and cloves, potatoes , various types of sausages, salted pork loin. Maybe a peasant meal, but nowadays richly enhanced with extra sausages, saucisses, hams or pork ribs. Now, a type of meal that draws you to the Vosges mountains afterwards (or before?) for a good walk. The Baeckeoffe (translation = "baker's oven"), a multi-stew dish, consisting of beef, pork and lamb (or mutton) pieces, cooked slowly for 4+ hours in, preferably, the baker's oven "after hours," when the bread baking is done but the oven still hot enough for such exotic non-bread dishes as Baeckeoffe. The starred restaurants offer an alternative with Bresse chicken (to justify the price? be more inventive? lighter?), but it's not the real thing. Incorprating poulet de Bresse in an Alsatian dish is like adding filet mignon to a Paella, if I may be so blunt. Neither scenario makes any sense. To find the best place for a true Choucroute or Baeckeoffe in the Alsace is by asking local people (forget for an instant Michelin or G/M). They will answer just as passionately as the Provencals on the coast if you ask them about the best bouillabaisse in the region. Frieda

Lizziee, Alsace is my favorite region of France, if it weren't for the abundant rainfall in the off-season. Then again, it makes for a lush, verdant countryside. If your schedule allows, try to make some time free for the mountainous Vosges, a great region for walking/hiking after or before a copious meal. In younger years, I spent three summers in the Vosges/Alsace, low-budget camping with enough sou to enjoy the basic delights of Alsace cuisine: tarte d'oignon, Kueggelhopf or choucroute at Maison Kammerzell in Strasbourg (it's still alive and well). One summer we knocked on the door of a cheese-making farmhouse in the Muenster valley and were allowed to pitch the tent for one night (but, please hidden away from the Gendarmes). We ended up staying there for three weeks, some nights dining on just the cheese from the farm, a crusty baguette and a bottle of Riesling. This Muenster is not to be confused with that orangy specimen in the US, nothing to do with this cheese. Also, the vrai Muenster arrives in many shops in Europe too late, overly pugnent. If you pass such a farm, try it out. Apart from this Muenster, the Alsace region is not especially known for cheese, but the desserts are another matter: very rich and sumptuous, unlike anything you find elsewhere in France: vacherin, meringues glacées. We once ate at a regional restaurant in Andlau, Boeuf Rouge, where at 10 pm the place would fill up with locals, just for the desserts. The Route de Vins is indeed very worth while. Off-season, I don't think you need to make an appointment. In general the winegrowers in Alsace are very friendly and informative. One tip: ask the Haerberlins at Auberge de l'Ill for a recommendation. When we had a memorable meal there 15 years ago (outgrown our camping vacations), with a superb Riesling and Gewuertz, we asked where we could find the domaine and were given the precise route. The following day we stopped by: "Ah, you had dinner at the Auberge" as the Haeberlin place is simply known in Alsace. I can go on about the simple pleasures of the region: a gite that served local fresh-water trout (I wish I had taken notes then), a Winstub in Riquewhir. Enjoy your trip to Alsace. Frieda

The initial post from JD ,and following, raises intersting issues. First of all, JD is right: historically the Cote d'Azur is part of Provence just as much as the Luberon (Peter Mayle country) or the Camargue. Considering Roman times, even Barcelona is part of Provence! The name Cote d'Azur was coined by a sous-prefect, Stéphane Liégard, in the late 19th century. He had written a "literary" guide book of the coastal region, named it with his home region Burgundy (where he owned an important domaine), Cote d'Or, in mind. On the basis of his writings, he desperately tried to be voted into the prestigious Académie Francaise, but was time and again turned down, despite his generous gifts of cases of wine from his Burgundy domaine. Most likely the voting members didn't want those generous gifts to stop. It's true that in the most touristy areas it's hard to find a restaurant with a decent meal for a decent price, apart from up-scale places. As a friend of mine who works seasonally on the coast says: hey, you slice a tomato, put slices of mozarella in between, some basil on top, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of pepper and salt, all this for 95 francs (sorry, 13 euro) and no one complains. I won't even discuss the main courses. Why do the French visitors put up with this? They're on vacation and nothing is going to spoil that. Back home they'll visit their treasured places. For the time being, they'll put up with what they can find. Meanwhile, in the hinterland, especially in the Haut-Var, you can find excellent places with reasonable prices. For instance the modest Auberge du Lac in Bauduen or the more up-scale Hostellerie des Gorges de Pennefort in Callas, a true Provencal kitchen. France is the # 1 tourist destination in the world, with more than 70 million visitors. After the Paris region, the department of the Var is second. It's strange to contemplate, because in the coastal region of the Var you do not find the high-rises as in Cannes or Nice. Where are all those millions you wonder, only to be checked when you are stuck on the road to Sainte-Maxime for hours. After such a long wait, you grab anything, if only a tomato-mozarella dish for 13 euro. Frieda www.aboutprovence.com