La Récréation, Les Arques

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Any first hand reports of this village resto?

[cigalechanta]

I was staying in a nearby village (cazals) but because the book came out, "From Here You can't see Paris." they were booked way, way in advance. My hostess said that would never have happened before the book. Someone on another forum ate there and gave no details except they liked it.

[menton1]

I highly recommend that book, "From Here You Can't See Paris". It's a wonderful account of a restaurant operation in a small town. According to the book though, the restaurant basically shuts down around October. Most of the SouthWest gets very quiet from mid-September on. We just returned, we were in the SW in mid-Sept and the season was already winding down. Restaurants were only half-full at dinner.

I can recommend one place if you are nearby, Le Privilege in Monpazier. A beautiful village, bastide-type, and a wonderful family-run place. Lovely courtyard for dining, if it's not too cold already.

What is your itinerary and timetable?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I highly recommend that book, "From Here You Can't See Paris".  It's a wonderful account of a restaurant operation in a small town. 

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I enjoyed the book also, hence the interest in the village and restaurant. To be honest, the food as described in the book does not sound very good (too much emphasis on non-local prioduct), but the spirit of the kitchen and dining room is endearing. In my mind, this is the book that Peter Mayle could have written but didn't.

According to the book though, the restaurant basically shuts down around October.  Most of the SouthWest gets very quiet from mid-September on.  We just returned, we were in the SW in mid-Sept and the season was already winding down.  Restaurants were only half-full at dinner. 

This is fine with us. In fact, it is exactly what we try to experience.

What is your itinerary and timetable?

I am working on summer 2006. We would be taking a sidetrip from Angouleme for a few days prior to an event near Cognac in the first week of September.

[menton1]

Well, it sounds like you may be at the peak of the French August Holidays; for a little slower pace, try to get to the Gers, a very quiet region off the beaten track. This is old Gascogne, lots of history, centered around the villages of Auch and Condom (no comments please). Also the home of Armagnac. The Gers will be less crowded, and the prices are a bit lower than Lot and Dordogne, although they are all much lower than Provence. Enjoy!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Well, it sounds like you may be at the peak of the French August Holidays; for a little slower pace, try to get to the Gers, a very quiet region off the beaten track.  This is old Gascogne, lots of history, centered around the villages of Auch and Condom (no comments please).  Also the home of Armagnac.  The Gers will be less crowded, and the prices are a bit lower than Lot and Dordogne, although they are all much lower than Provence.  Enjoy!

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Everything you say is true. I should explain that it is only the book that is drawing us to this area of Lot/Quercy. I am essentially trying to string many weekend events in August together by finding interesting places to nest in in between. Hence, several days within a short day's drive of Angouileme. And then I read the book, and... well, you get the idea.

[Abra]

We had an absolutely gorgeous lunch yesterday at La Récréation. It's smack dab in the middle of nowhere, so it's definitely a destination restaurant, and it's only open between March and the end of October, but if you can roll with that, it's very worth your time to go there. The cooking is refined but rich and hearty, classic and inventive, the menu is generous and the prices spectacular for what you get. There's an extensive list of local Cahors reds. In fact, if I were to quibble about anything, it's that the most interesting things on the menu yesterday weren't really good matches for the intense Cahors wines, but I think that was just the luck of an ever changing menu. The service was impeccable and super friendly, in short, it's everything you would expect after reading the book, and more.

Pictures of our lunch are here on French Letters.

[kiliki]

I was there last year and it was one of the two best meals of our Dordogne/Lot trip. It's a very worthwhile trip.