ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Food and Cooking Forums › Restaurant Dining Experiences ›  THE BEST OF FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE RESTAURANTS ... VIEWPOINTS
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

THE BEST OF FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE RESTAURANTS ... VIEWPOINTS

post #1 of 8
10/30/11 at 8:12am
Thread Starter 

 

WHILE the French countryside is blessed with talented cooks and Chefs working in relative obscurity, it is also rich in restaurants whose chefs receive high praised from far and wide ... Here are a few I have enjoyed over the years ... PLEASE, let us have ur viewpoints ...

 

1. In Orvillers, just west of Paris and across the road from where former actor Orson Wells's country manor stands shamefully in decay ... LA TABLE D' HOTE with four tables, a self taught cook and her husband ... One exceptional dish was the FILET DE BOEUF, garnished with crispy fried shallots ...

 

2. The operetta set village of Kintzheim, Alsace is home to L'AUBERGE SAINT MARTIN where 3 Michelin Star Chef Marc Haberlin told me he has eaten good and bad and he marinates all his meats in white wine with herbs and spices ... His lamb, beef and pork.

 

3. Sort of a landmark in PROVENCE in the village of Puyloubier which Cezanne painted over and over, is LES SARMENTS ... In 1953, Gabrielle Jugy founded the Relais Chateaux located nearby ... So Jugy worked at the Relais and then opened up his own venue. Deep flavoured cuisine ... no fussiness. His Braised Beef ...

 

Off until next week ... Margcata

Reply
post #2 of 8
11/1/11 at 5:17am

France is full of unknown small restaurants, bistros, brasseries, tables d'hôtes, cafés... wether in the countryside or in the cities.

You have to be sheer out of luck not to have visited a good one "à l'improviste". Many are exceptionally good!

lille7.jpg

Reply
post #3 of 8
11/1/11 at 8:33am
Thread Starter 

 

Time ... time ... If one travels for a wkend which includes a Friday late morning thru a Sunday after lunch, it is not always time conducive to just browse about and select restaurants when on editorial assignments. Many times reservations have to be made in advance. However, I have eaten in so many wonderful venues, I could write encylopedias worth of data. I had decided to blog as I do not have enough room in the print version of my English version magazine to put all my experiences.

However, I have to say, Italia and Spain in addition to Portugal I do randomly select restaurants without bookings.  

Reply
post #4 of 8
11/1/11 at 8:34am
Thread Starter 

Where is this restaurant ... lovely foto and open air sidewalk terrace ...

Reply
post #5 of 8
11/2/11 at 6:11am

It's Lille, a town in the north of France, very close to where I live in Belgium. The picture is taken in "le vieux Lille", the old city. It's full of small sized bistros and restaurants. Nothing fancy but tasty good food. 

 

I should have mentioned the "Routiers" too in the list in my previous post, don't even know if they exist anymore. A long time ago when we went to the Provence or Côte d'Azur, we avoided the "Autoroutes" and took alternative routes, in those days knows as "Bison Futé" touristical routes. They were roads going from village to village. Some of these villages had "Routiers", a place for truckers to eat and rest. Simple houses, many only recognizable from the Routier sign they carried. These places were also visited by many others who weren't truckers at all. Routiers were known for simple but abundant food in a totally simple interior. As always when we went to the south of France, we did it in 2 étappes and stopped mostly in the Burgundy region. I still remember once to have eaten in a Routier in that region where the owner banged a gigantic bowl of rillette on the table followed by a similar pot of homemade paté and a baguette. That was the starter. We were supposed to serve ourselves from the big pots, then they went to another table and another... Same thing with dessert where the whole pot of mousse au chocolat landed on our table to serve ourselves and then it travelled from table to table. Seems I stank the whole day from the garlic in the delicious paté...

 

The whole "Bison Futé" experience was a real discovery of France and the french way of living. We did those routes many times. Sadly enough I no longer enjoy long cardrives, but the memories are very vivid. God doesn't live in France but I'm sure He has a hidden pied-à-terre  somewhere in France, I gamble on the Provence.

Reply
post #6 of 8
11/2/11 at 9:00am
Thread Starter 

 

 

Thanks for the information on Belgium ... Haven´t been in years ... However, the photo reminded me of Rapperswil on Lake Zürich and Zürich´s centre ...

I shall consult you on my next trip to the French and / or Belgium countryside ... It is lovely during late spring ...

 

I am going to post the 12 best Cavas for the Christmas Season in the wine section ...

 

M.Cata.

 

 

 

Reply
post #7 of 8
11/5/11 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MARGCATA View Post

 

 

Thanks for the information on Belgium ...

M.Cata.

 

 

 



Where on earth did I provide information about Belgium, it's all about France? Aaaarrrggghhh!  It would be nice when you fish for viewpoints to at least read the answering posts. Thank you!

 

Reply
post #8 of 8
11/5/11 at 11:26am
Thread Starter 

 

 

Lille ( restaurant with stunner outdoor open air terrace Photo ... apologies ... ) it is in France, close to where u reside in Belgium.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Restaurant Dining Experiences
ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Food and Cooking Forums › Restaurant Dining Experiences ›  THE BEST OF FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE RESTAURANTS ... VIEWPOINTS