Sunday lunch in the French countryside

[carlux]

For those of you who seem to do nothing but eat in fancy Paris restaurants, I thought I would bring in a bit of reality – lunch in the French countryside. We live in the Dordogne, very close to the Lot, which although it is becoming more ‘gentrified’ still has lots of areas which are still very French, and very authentic.

Today we went to Vente des Plantes at Abbaye Nouvel, http://www.abbaye-nouvelle.fr/, held around the ruins of the 13th century Cistercian abbey. Bought some plants, went on to have our coffee at the side of the road surrounded by buttercups and orchids, and then a stop in Les Arques, home of the Zadkine (sculpture) museum and the wonderful Romanesque church. This is also the home of La Recreation, a restaurant made famous to many Americans by the Michael Sanders book, From Here You Can’t see Paris. But that wasn’t where we were going for lunch.

Instead we continued to Pomarède, to the Hotel/restaurants Murat, ‘Chez Jeanne’ where we usually go during the week for a ‘repas ouvrier,’ the set meal served to labourers in the area. Plain dining room, very basic, ambiance as one our friends calls it very 'avant guerre' - probably hasnt changed in the last 40 or 50 years.

We figured Sunday lunch would be even better, and it was. There were 3 of us, 2 had the 16 euro meal; I had the 19.50, with an extra course which I shared with the others. So we had:

White asparagus soup – à volonté as they say – all you want from the tureen, but we know not to get too carried away at this point.

Pork terrine and jambon de campagne with butter

Omelette aux cèpes - this was the extra course, and was wonderful, just right for sharing among 3

Gigot d’agneau, pommes Sarladaise, flageolets. We actually argued about what was best here. The lamb was pink and tender, the potatoes were crispy and full of garlic and goose fat, the flageolets with lardons and tomatoes were tender and wonderful. We didn’t finish everything, much to the consternation of our waitress.

Cheese – Cantal from the Auvergne, fromage de vache, a tender cows’ cheese, and Cabecou, the goat cheese of the region/

Dessert –Fresh strawberry tart, or for those of us who were fading, blackcurrant and lemon sorbet.

We couldn’t manage coffee.

We splurged on a 10 euro bottle of Cahors, one of the most expensive on the list, but in fact the pichet we followed with at 6 Euros was even better.

And so, wonderful meal, wonderful experience, for 3 people at under 70 Euros.

People sometimes ask us why we moved to France...........

[Dave Hatfield]

For those of you who seem to do nothing but eat in fancy Paris restaurants, I thought I would bring in  a bit of reality – lunch in the French countryside.  We live in the Dordogne, very close to the Lot, which although it is becoming more ‘gentrified’ still has lots of areas which are still very French, and very authentic. 

Today we went to Vente des Plantes at Abbaye Nouvel, http://www.abbaye-nouvelle.fr/, held around the ruins of the 13th century Cistercian abbey. Bought some plants, went on to have our coffee at the side of the road surrounded by buttercups and orchids, and then a stop in Les Arques, home of the Zadkine (sculpture) museum  and the wonderful Romanesque church.  This is also the home of La Recreation, a restaurant made famous to many Americans by the Michael Sanders book, From Here You Can’t see Paris.  But that wasn’t where we were going for lunch.

Instead we continued to Pomarède, to the Hotel/restaurants Murat, ‘Chez Jeanne’ where we usually go during the week for a ‘repas ouvrier,’ the set meal served to labourers in the area.  Plain dining room, very basic, ambiance as one our friends calls it very 'avant guerre' - probably hasnt changed in the last 40 or 50 years.

We figured Sunday lunch would be even better, and it was.  There were 3 of us, 2 had the 16 euro meal; I had the 19.50, with an extra course which I shared with the others.  So we had:

White asparagus soup – à volonté as they say – all you want from the tureen, but        we know not to get too carried away at this point.

Pork terrine and jambon de campagne with butter

Omelette aux cèpes - this was the extra course, and was wonderful, just right for sharing among 3

Gigot d’agneau, pommes Sarladaise, flageolets.  We actually argued about what was best here.  The lamb was pink and tender, the potatoes were crispy and full of garlic and goose fat, the flageolets with lardons and tomatoes were tender and wonderful.  We didn’t finish everything, much to the consternation of our waitress.

Cheese – Cantal from the Auvergne, fromage de vache, a tender cows’ cheese, and Cabecou, the goat cheese of the region/

Dessert –Fresh strawberry tart, or for those of us who were fading, blackcurrant and lemon sorbet.

We couldn’t manage coffee.

We splurged on a 10 euro bottle of Cahors, one of the most expensive on the list,  but in fact the pichet we followed with at 6 Euros was even better.

And so, wonderful meal, wonderful experience, for 3 people at under 70 Euros.

People sometimes ask us why we moved to France...........

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YES! Right on. Good job Carlux. I'm really happy to see somebody else stick up for the real France.

I love Paris, but in the same way I love my home town of San Francisco or London or Sydney or.... Nice places to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

On the other hand I really love France.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Oh, yes!

Another place that is a local favorite for extended family Sunday lunch is (thank you, Graham Tigg) Auberge de Saugras, between Montpelier and St. Martin de Londres (more specifically, between Viols le Fort and Vailhauquoes). This restaurant is so far off the beaten track that it gives special meaning to "destination restaurant". As I remember, it was a little more expensive than those you discuss, but a bargain in terms of country civility and local charm, probably around 100 euros for 3 very good courses, wine and coffee.

I've been trying to find an itinerary that begs us to spend the night in one of their upstairs rooms.

Edited May 19, 2008 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[Sam Iam]

We're renting an apartment with friends in Arcachon 8/30 for ten days, and hope to find some restaurants between Bordeaux and Arcachon that are as nice as the ones described here!

Any suggestions, anyone?

[John Talbott]

For those of you who seem to do nothing but eat in fancy Paris restaurants, I thought I would bring in  a bit of reality – lunch in the French countryside.

Ok Ok Ok.

Let's not go overboard here.

When I was 18 I thought Paris was really the pits and I much preferred the food, ambiance and scenery of Brittany, Provence and even (gasp) Northern France.

But now that I'm a bit more advanced in age not wisdom, I like both.

In 1985, we (there's Colette too, remember) tried to buy a pied a terre on Lac Annecy, but the regulations and co-ownership stuff were stiffling. So in 1990, when things were a bit simpler, buyer-wise, we pluncked down in the 18th, grace a Paga et Elan.

But since then, even we, dedicated shoppers on our market street, buyers at the Galeries Lafayette & Bon Marche, splurgers at Mavromatis, Bellota-Bellota and Noura, go outside the peripherique.

We, in Paris, are not Neanderthals, we go to Brittany, Normandy, Provence, the South-West, the Savoie, the Jura, the Pyrenees, even to Cannes (but not now), and we like the food, the people and the air.

As a psycho-medico-gastro-sociologist, I'd like to think that this discussion reflects our wishes to be inside and outside, cheap and generous, adventuresome and sitting by the fire - and there are no losers - everything wins.

In the next few weeks, I'll be in Bilbao, Toulon and Le Lavandou et environs and the Big P.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all France, it's all great - aren't we lucky?

[JudyB]

We're renting an apartment with friends in Arcachon 8/30 for ten days, and hope to find some restaurants between Bordeaux and Arcachon that are as nice as the ones described here!

Any suggestions, anyone?

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In Bordeaux itself there is La Tupina, which is definitely worth a visit.

We stayed just north of the Bay of Arcachon last August and Duncan wrote up a few of the places that we ate on his blog.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Ok Ok Ok.

Let's not go overboard here.

Oh dear, John. I didn't read Carlux' post as a serious Paris putdown but as a reminder that there is indeed a lot of France to explore outside the Ile. And there is an ambiance in the country that is not found in town, as well as visa versa.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all France, it's all great - aren't we lucky?

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Quite.

FWIW, I, for one, would like to see this thread continued. This is exactly the kind of first hand information I crave.

[carlux]

I didn't in fact mean this as a putdown - just that I think many of the posts on this board are Paris-based, and mean little to those of us who live in, or who want to visit, the countryside in France. In fact I was tempted to add it to the post about whether it was still possible to eat well with the high Euro/low dollar. Obviously it is.

There will always be a place for high end restaurants, and this week we hope to visit the new one star restaurant in Sarlat, Le Grand Bleu, which has received some very good reviews from friends (we knew it before the new chef changed, and obviously improved the menu.)

But we also love the lower end, good value, good food restaurants. We ate a few weeks ago in Brive for 12 euros, salad with magret, roast chicken and vegetable, dessert (great apple tart) And we were having the more expensive menu. Most people were having the plat du jour at 7 or 9 euros. Great ambiance, good food.

[Ptipois]

I didn't in fact mean this as a putdown - just that I think many of the posts on this board are Paris-based, and mean little to those of us who live in, or who want to visit, the countryside in France.

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I agree, and I also think that some visitors to France focus excessively on "high end dining" (some do not even know what a bistrot is, yes I've met them), and it should be reminded to them that this kind of approach does not give a truer image of French eating than if they spent all their time in France visiting supermarket cafeterias. Some things go without saying but are better off repeated sometimes.

[robyn]

We have traveled extensively in France during our lives. And I can say that the Dordogne is a great eating region of the country (it's foie gras and armagnac country - enough said). But there is no reason to say that a small city or town is better than a large city in a country - or vice versa. It is simply a question of traveling to various types of places during various stages of your life. Now that we are older - we much prefer longer stays in larger cities (where it is easy to get around by cabs and public transit) than hopping into rental cars and navigating back roads in a foreign language. IOW - these road trips - while wonderful - are - IMO - best done when you're younger - not older. So do them while you can! Robyn

[robyn]

P.S. There is *plenty* of high end dining outside of big cities not only in France - but in many parts of Europe. "Destination" restaurants. I recommend getting off the beaten path and trying them. And once you get away from 3 stars in easy to get to places in countries like France - you are pretty much off the beaten path. We were at 2 German 3 stars last year and we were the only non-Germans in the restaurants. And I know you all get bored by my endless repetition of this - but take the time to learn at least a little of the language of the country where you'll be traveling. It will add a lot of "texture" to your travels. Robyn

[Margaret Pilgrim]

As Robyn says, a country has many layers and dimensions. We, even at our ages, scour the countryside and have been rewarded with experiences beyond our expectations. We seek out simple lodging, hopefully one that offers an evening meal. We are often told that we are the first Americans to visit, that the last American they met was a serviceman in the '40s, that we don't meet their expectations of the typical American. The French are eager to meet and entertain Americans. And, did I mention, their concept of hospitatlity is extraordinary and that they really know how to cook?

[robyn]

Margaret - I couldn't agree with you more - but the lack of contact with non-French tourists goes way up the food chain (at least it did when we did most of our traveling in the 70's and 80's). We dined at L'Esperance when it had 3 stars (we had reserved when it was 2 stars). Our presence as non-French people was so unusual that almost no English was spoken by anyone. And there is nothing quite as much fun as going to a small local restaurant - being surrounded by local people - and having them argue about the best dishes - wines - cheese - whatever - on the menu that you simply *must* try. BTW - the only downside of traveling like you describe is coming face-to-face with that horrid fixture of a lot of European plumbing - the hand-held shower. Using one is a skill I have never been able to master . Robyn

[John Talbott]

I agree, and I also think that some visitors to France focus excessively on "high end dining"

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As Peter Ustinoff, imitating Commendatore Enzo Ferrari, said about his pre-Formula 1 racing cars' tendency to burn out their brakes, "Any fool can make a car stop, it takes a genius to make her go fast."

To paraphrase/translate: Anyone can read the Michelin/GM/Pudlo/Lebey/etc but it takes courage and focus to search the eGullet French Forum for real food finds. Happy searching and finding.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

... BTW - the only downside of traveling like you describe is coming face-to-face with that horrid fixture of a lot of European plumbing - the hand-held shower.  Using one is a skill I have never been able to master  .  Robyn

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Oh, yes. We endure this feature at our usual Paris hotel. In the country, however, most of the upscale chambre d'hotes have extremely good, state of the art showers, many with multi-jets, etc. As I continue to preach, we now try to stay with hosts who offer table d'hote, the "convivial"or family style evening meal. (Quite a few offer separate tables as in a restaurant, but we shun these when possible since they preclude much interaction with other guests as well as the hosts.)

FWIW, using the hand-held shower is no problem so long as one is willing to turn a blind eye to a flooded bathroom. One moment's inattention and "there goes the neighborhood".

[robyn]

Margaret - Whenever I use a hand-held shower - I feel sorry that the hotels don't have US federal flood insurance .

And John - it takes real guts to fly only by the seat of your pants without any information. Kind of impossible to do in France (unless you put on a blindfold) - but impossible not to do in lesser traveled countries. OTOH - when you're talking about places like Paris - or London - it isn't necessarily wise to fly only by the seat of your pants. You can wind up spending a ton of money for a mediocre (or worse) meal. Not a desireable result. On the third hand - who cares when you're spending 100 yen (about $1) on a tidbit at the Osaka cherry blossom street food festival? If you take a bite and don't like something - you just throw it away.

It is really unfortunate that high end dining in countries like France has become so expensive - because the prices encourage people to be very *safe* in their choices (assuming they can afford to eat at any high end places). I can recall eating 3 star meals for 2 for perhaps $150-200 for 2 people (including modest mostly regional wines) in France about 20 years ago. Exchange rates aren't the only culprit (I've been through many ups and downs with those). It is basically that there are more people now in the world with more money - and not many more wonderful restaurant seats - so prices have gone up accordingly - supply and demand. About the only thing I can think of that has gone up more in price percentage wise than meals at these restaurants is the cost of an Ivy League education. Robyn

[Margaret Pilgrim]

To paraphrase/translate: Anyone can read the Michelin/GM/Pudlo/Lebey/etc but it takes courage and focus to search the eGullet French Forum for real food finds.  Happy searching and finding.

And John - it takes real guts to fly only by the seat of your pants without any information.

I think John's point was that we have here on eG some of the best, most current and most discriminating comment on dining in France. One does have to forage for the information, but I must salute John for his constant efforts to make the search easier.

[cigalechanta]

We were staying at a B&B In Cazels. Our hostess recommended a restaurant In Saviac named La Casserole. We liked it very much. i wonder if Carlux has dined there?

[carlux]

We were staying at a B&B In Cazels. Our hostess recommended  a restaurant In Saviac named La Casserole. We liked it very much. i wonder if Carlux has dined there?

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I think you may mean Salviac, near Cazals. No, we haven't eaten there. It's actually out of our patch - we went to Pomarede on the way to a nursery, and now of course because we know it, it's become a destination.

We did, however, yesterday eat in Montauban, near Toulouse. After steaming past Montauban on our way to other places, we decided to stop there after dropping our friend off at the Toulouse airport. We'd heard that Montauban was pretty boring, being a dormitory community for Toulouse, but in fact it was quite interesting. We wandered around the old town, and then stopped in the central square, where we had quite a reasonable lunch. I was amazed at mine, the plat du jour, Carre de veau - a large veal chop, around 1 1/2 inches thick, very tender and well cooked. With cepe (mushroom) sauce, baked potato, and admittedly rather overdone veg., it was only 7E50. For 12.50 I could have had a huge plate of mussels, or dessert. I was happy not to have gotten carried away.

So it is still possible to eat well and cheaply in France. Sitting in a historic, double arcaded square (http://www.linternaute.com/sortir/montauban/la-place-nationale.shtml) eating well was a good start to the afternoon.

Unfortunately the Musee Ingres was not so interesting, as it has hardly any of his paintings, only what was left in his studio when he died and willed it to the museum. Go for the food, skip the museum.

[Abra]

If you're between Avignon and Orange, maybe visiting the Châteauneuf-du-Pape area, I recommend La Luisia in Saint-Laurent-les-Arbres.

A 28 Euro menu will get you a starter that's a truly gigantic platter of shellfish of many sorts, then a whole fish as a plat, and a variety of desserts. Bread made in house, friendly service, an outside terrace, and straight-ahead cooking, nothing haute, but good.

[Dave Hatfield]

Ive been holding back on posting on this thread. I'm naturally in complete agreement with Carlux. You can eat very well in the French countryside. Sunday lunch is usually something special and the rest of the weeks is pretty good as well.

Since I couldn't get my spreadsheet to post properly here I've posted it on my blog. (link below). This is a listing of restaurants that are within easy reach of where we live. Its by no means comprehensive, but is , I think, indicative of what's available even in our sparsely populated area.

Our absolute favorite remains La Vieux Pont in Belcastel. Michelin One star. Great ambiance, flawless service, innovative food served imaginatively. The weekday 3 course menu is 27 Euros. What you lack in choice over the full 4 course menu at 49 Euros you more than make up for by the fact that they throw in all of the amuses and little extras for free. They also offer a choice of usually three 'coup de coeur' wines at between 17 & 20 Euros. These are normally so good that I ask for the address of the producer.

I doubt that our area is at all unique. Outside the big cities and Provence you can still eat very well in France for not a lot of money.

Now if the dollar/pound would only recover a bit we'd be in heaven!

[robyn]

A bit OT - I am not exactly sure what dollar/pound has to do with the cost of eating in France - but the currencies are basically flat versus one another in the last 52 weeks. Robyn

[Dave Hatfield]

A bit OT - I am not exactly sure what dollar/pound has to do with the cost of eating in France - but the currencies are basically flat versus one another in the last 52 weeks.  Robyn

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Let me put it this way if 12 months ago you as a tourist came to France & had a meal for 10 Euros you would have, if American said, gee that was pretty good for $13.00; if British you would have said pretty good for 6.75 pounds.

Same meal, same price eaten yesterday; if American $16.00, if British 8.00 pounds.

Now imagine that you happen to live in France as I do and your income is mainly in dollars & pounds. Now, perhaps, you'll see my point.

[robyn]

Well dollar/euro is a lot different than dollar/pound. And I don't chart pound/euro (no reason I should). Although - since the pound is about equal to the dollar last year or so - I have to suspect that a pound/euro chart looks about as bad as a dollar/euro chart. But not to worry - these exchange rates change all the time (I've been through 30 years of them - up and down and up and down and up and down).

The one thing I can say is that no matter what the exchange rate - there are certain cities in the world that are usually relatively expensive. In Europe - Paris and - to a lesser extent - London are the standouts. And I think a lot of Europe is probably very over-priced these days (Paris is about twice as expensive as Tokyo in terms of things tourists spend money on - property is still very expensive). Not only for those who are visitors - but for those who live there too (I've been reading a fair number of articles recently about how regular people who live in places like France who drive very fuel efficient cars are choking budget-wise on gas that costs over $8/gallon). If I weren't getting older - and more concerned about our ability to travel 3-5 years from now - I probably wouldn't be going to Paris.

And for those of you in France - come on over - and enjoy our prices. We met a cabbie in London a few years ago. He had 4 kids and came to the US every year to vacation at Disneyworld here in Florida. Bought all of his kids' clothes for the whole year at Walmart. Saved enough at Walmart to more than pay for the vacations.

FWIW - I don't know how ordinary people get by in France - even if they are dining in the French countryside. Robyn

[hmspector]

Resurrecting this thread, I would welcome a suggestion for anyplace we could stop between Orly and Tours on a Sunday for a late lunch or early dinner. Outdoors would be a bonus.

hm$