Ptipois

If a market is important, then you would probably like inland Brittany, not far from Rennes, where one of the most famous markets of France is held. Le Marché des Lices is so great that people come there by TGV from Paris with their shopping carts on the weekends. Nobody has mentioned a region that is probably one of the most bewitching and most desirable for a medium-long stay: Val-de-Loire, which is beautiful, friendly, mild climate, lots of great food and outstanding produce (esp. fruit), beautiful architecture. Culturally it's the Frenchest place you can go to; the purest form of French language is spoken there. I particularly recommend the regions of Anjou and Touraine, around Angers and Tours, as well as the Nantes region which is culturally part of Brittany but still very much part of val de Loire. Great markets, great cheeses, butter, etc. Below that region you might also like the Berry (around Sancerre, Châteauroux, Bourges, La Châtre). Auvergne, either the Northern part (Puy-de-Dôme) or Southern part (Cantal) is like Brittany, another world — the problem is that it's extremely addictive and that you'd certainly want to go back there. It does that to many people. As for Alsace, I'm not sure. I love that country but it is not exactly French; if I were coming from the US I'd stay in Alsace for the sake of staying in Alsace; if I wanted a French experience, I'd go elsewhere.

Reading what you just wrote I'd suggest two places in the South: the Corbières in Languedoc, and the Lauragais also in Languedoc. Two very different landscapes, not far apart. Corbières is perfect for the smell of the garrigue, is reasonably close to the sea, very quiet and still relatively unspoiled. Lauragais is the region between Carcassonne and Toulouse, a wonderful countryside. If you crave lavender fields you should try Haute Provence, around Digne, Gréoux, Forcalquier. Still much less spoiled than coastal Provence. Further up North, there is Drôme provençale, quiet and gorgeous, but could be a tad lonely in Winter. Bear in mind that some parts of "France profonde" (Northern Provence, very rural Auvergne) can get a bit boring in midwinter if you do not have a job and family there. Maybe you'd be better off with a place closer to the coast and not out in the sticks. Brittany is one of my favorite places, it's a different world. I recommend the South coast, between Morbihan and Brest. I go to the Belon region every Summer and it's like paradise - like many places in France, but it's one I'm acquainted with. And the seafood! Normandy is quite nice too. Particularly the pays de Caux, the pays d'Auge and the region between Caen and the D-Day beaches (the D-Day beaches are amazing in their own right too).

Abra, I'd concentrate more on regions and their special characters than cities or villages in particular. I'd suggest first you pick the region, then you find the village. France is so diverse and has such an array of climates, landscapes, local languages and cultural styles that it's not easy to direct you from scratch. What are your preferences ? The sea, great seafood, sandy coasts, rocky coasts ? Or the land, the countryside, wide open or hilly with hedgerows? Mountainous or flat? Hot, dry and sunny or mild with a little rain at times? Are you keen on milk products and green pastures or do you rather crave dry rocky land and fragrant herbs? Do you like gathering shellfish at low tide or taking a stroll to a goat cheese farm? Does the place have to be in a wine-producing region? Do you want lots of fruit trees around? Do you want to spend time in the confit and foie gras culture? Would you like to get a grasp of the truffle culture in Winter? etc. I think the West might be a good idea, because it has such a nice climate in the Summer and is still lively off season. I mean places like Charentes, Poitou, Vendée. And the Southwest (Périgord, Quercy, upper Languedoc, lower Pyrénées) never disappoints because it's so culturally rich, including foodwise. I find Brittany (South of Brest) amazing, personally I'd pick it any day, but it's not a wine place. I'd avoid Provence except in the upper parts, which can be beautiful but a bit lonely too. Etc. Maybe you should express your desires so that we can narrow your search.

Generational, cultural, I do not think so. Stuffiness, more likely. It is, ultimately, a social matter. Whatever stuffy people are left in France (and there certainly are some) do not usually mix with unstuffy people. Social layers do not mix, actually I think they mix much less now than they used to back in the 70s. Society has tightened up quite a bit during the last 20 years. As an example: I think I know quite a few people in, say, Paris. However I do not know one stuffy person. No one ever was in my family and when I was younger I got to meet a few stuffy people but they appeared like outdated curiosities. And I think most of my friends are in a similar situation. People who do not belong together do not stick together and do not usually exchange their lifestyles. Which explains why, whenever someone brings up some "rules" like not peeing at someone else's place, most French people will say "why, never heard of that" and there might be a small minority who knows about it. Stuffiness still exists in France but it is by no means a feature of the majority, and I do not think visitors should ponder about its idiosyncrasies as if they were likely to be confronted to them any day. It is important not to confuse culture with marks of social belonging. I still insist that the vast majority of French people are not formal, at any rate they are much less formal than they are believed to be. If some rules are kept alive, it's because they allow the French to showcase a piece of their culture that they like. For instance the wine-pouring tradition — because it showcases "galanterie", which is a cultural thing the French are still attached to, even though it no longer is more than a symbol.

In France — which is, I recall, a not very formal country —, even things that are not, strictly speaking, "considered normal" are welcome when they're pleasant to everyone. Having people over for dinner is a good way to get acquainted, that is what it's meant for; if you wait until you know them better, you may never decide to ask them over. It's a vicious circle. So I'd say, jump in.

There is actually very little difference between tomme de Cantal and tomme de Laguiole, as the differences between cantal and laguiole cheeses are not dramatically wide. Although the Rouergue and particularly the Aubrac are politically included in Languedoc, they are culturally closer to Auvergne.

I thought of it. Reading your post, I was sure you were there. I do not know of any other place where they serve aligot that way.

I make aligot at home, being lucky to have a Produits d'Auvergne shop nearby, with fresh tomme blanche regularly available. It is okay to use young cantal or young laguiole, that will give you a decent cheese-and-potato purée but it cannot be named aligot. I'm not even saying a word about gruyère and I will abstain from any comment on the addition of horseradish Because "tomme blanche" for aligot is the early, white, unsalted version of laguiole cheese, it has a rubbery, springy, airy texture, very different from the butteriness of the matured cheese. Only tomme blanche can give you that incredibly ribbony texture; you should be able to raise your wooden spoon high and drop a ribbon that doesn't break. At La Maison de la Lozère in Montpellier, they actually weave strands of aligot, braiding them onto your plate from their wooden spoons. Aligot is not exactly mashed potatoes with cheese; potatoes act as a basis for the cheese. The cheese makes it all, there should be a good proportion of it (and of butter and cream too). It is more protein than starch. Why this thing is served as a "vegetable" with grilled sausages and ham is a mystery as long as you don't realize it's the Auvergnat way = protein with protein, sticks to the ribs and helps you climb up the puy to milk the salers cows. An electric mixer - ouch - will only make the stuff sticky and you certainly won't have the right texture. Though I admire Delia's use of Lancashire cheese. British cheeses like cheddar, wensleydale and lancashire are closer in taste and texture to the old cantal and laguiole family than any other cheese in France. I may raise a few eyebrows by writing this, but I think — judging by the texture of the cheese — it would be interesting to use good Monterey Jack cheese for aligot, for it is very much like tomme blanche. Couldn't be worse than cantal or gruyère, might actually be much better. Anyway, another secret is a lot of garlic, and then more garlic. For a perfect taste, crush another garlic clove and add it just before serving.

Hi Freshsnail! If Arnaud something cooks his frites in horse fat, or at least beef fat, as a Belgian should, he has my admiration. Does he?

The lily-of-the-valley and the Rose of the socialist party? Looks like I've found it, but that's a tough riddle for a non-french-born.

Good. More for us.

Hmm, bit of fun. Well, it doesn't fall into my definition of "bit of fun", but then I've probably got an atrophied sense of humor. This egg actually struck me (in the, um, upper thigh/lower abdomen area), hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to bruise. Apparently hurled from a car that had either slowed or was actually parked, presumably in wait for a single female (this the opinion of the older French couple strolling towards me from the opposite direction). Fortunately it wasn't rotten, and only my trousers were soiled. And fortunately they're machine washable, so no harm done apart from the mild shock of it. Waste of a perfectly good egg. ← Glad you didn't get it in the eye, as happened to my mother, but I can't see how anyone here could have guessed. Eggs on the sidewalk are usually left from shopping accidents or bizuthages. Hurling eggs from cars or bicycles does happen but it's very rare.

The egg is probably from a bizuthage — students practising a brutal type of initiation on a newbie. Or it could just be students from the Beaux-Arts (right across the river) having a bit of fun.

Well I was at La Grande Epicerie yesterday and indeed I saw the OT bottle. I do not remember the exact price but it was more than 18 euros (maybe 21) for 50 cl, so I turned away and went back to the 6-euro-a-liter Moroccan olive oil which has been my favorite for many months.

I'm afraid this is generally not done in French restaurants. But you can perfectly do this in salons de thé and pâtisseries that have a sitting space! Also, some large chain pâtisseries like Ladurée extend their services to being restaurants at lunch, but outside of lunch hours you may enjoy only sweet dishes if you wish.

For one liter, the price would be OK. I cannot see the capacity of the bottle. For 75 cl, it would be rather on the dear side. Oh well, there's a logo on it... that's about 25% of the price... Of course if the oil is really exceptional, well that makes more sense. I'll try and check tomorrow.

Ooh, a star (= hyped and Italian) olive oil, made by a star. Two big handicaps to overcome. Reason enough to give it a try. Does it say anywhere whether Toscani's name is on the label?

That place IS Le Gavroche, Backwardshat. You can be 100% sure. It simply never happens that a bottle of house wine that bears the name of the restaurant on the label is found at another restaurant. I know the place, I can tell you. The label even says "mis en bouteille au Gavroche"; I think the search stops here. (Oh, and I liked the zooming but not the blurring. Hence the "Ringu" reference.)

Very impressive Pti ← Thanks Felice, but how could I forget the BEST frites in Paris? It is actually the house wine, a chénas (not a Thomas). "Le Petit Gavroche" is a different restaurant in the Marais. BTW this thread is getting cinematographic with references to Blade Runner for the zoom-in photo research and Ringu for, um, the face on the picture

Le Gavroche, rue Saint-Marc? The frites look just like theirs. So does the tablecloth.

Rue Grégoire-de-Tours is not twisty. That must have been another place.

Hey, what's the use of Pti bothering? I think I found your place, several posts above.

Since you live in my neighborhood (I'm a place Monge girl too), I'll give you a precious tip: on marché Monge, every Sunday (maybe also on Fridays and Wednesdays too, we should check), there is a boulangerie stall that sells outstanding levain bread, with a gorgeous baguette. Better than all the places you've mentioned. I like Moisan, though. I'm not too keen on Le Boulanger de Monge whose bread I find too chewy, but it keeps a long time, which means it's based on a good recipe and good products (have you tried eating two-day-old Poilâne?); i've grown tired of Kayser after having had a few bad experiences. But the very best baguette in the 5e is near the Panthéon, on rue des Fossés-Saint-Jacques, at a boulangerie run by Italian bakers. Right where the street widens into a small square before separating into rue Lhomond and rue de l'Estrapade.

Yes, your description sounds very much like Pop'hot (<--- pun), a steak-frites joint in the 6e. I don't know if it exists anymore. It was (is) on rue Grégoire-de-Tours, near rue de Seine-rue de Buci. And yes, - steak-frites was for 2 people, - it was actually côte de bœuf or a large, thick entrecôte, so kind of fatty, - fries were thick-cut, - there was brick walls, heavy wooden tables, and the place was truly a hole in the wall, - there was a wooden bar directly to the left as you walked in. Lucky you to have known that place! (Edit: I've seen your pictures. It really looks like Pop'hot. But it could also be another place near Saint-Sulpice.)

Well, yes, le Comptoir du Relais (de l'Odéon). You can't really blame a restaurant for its approach, as long as the food is good. No, it was a food problem and a serious one, which makes all the hype and "booking policy" seem over the top.