Dining out in France - or elsewhere in a French-style restaurant

[Risky Thicket]

Used to have offices in Paris and holiday in the South. Food was pretty great everywhere from the local village bakeries to the expensive stuff in Paris. Only thing I eventually got tired off was rare cooked duck breast in a rich wine sauce. Turned up at every damn high level customer lunch for some reason.

Worst French restaurant experience I ever had was some snobby place in Helsinki, Finland where the local celebrities dine. All showy service with the French accents etc, and crappy food.

Same same me with the "rare cooked duck breast in a rich wine sauce". I may be turned off duck for the rest of this life as a result. For a while rare duck breast was ubiquitous. How could you not have it? I soon tired of it.

French food in France is often surprisingly good; they often exceed their reputation. We've eaten fantastic meals in little places in back streets or in small mom and pop's in villages that were off the beaten path with outstanding local wine.

All that said, Lyon doesn't rock my wife or me. Blasphemy, I know.

Lyon takes its food seriously. For me Lyon cooking can be too adventurous. As a food town I prefer Paris.

The best French food I have ever had was in Rouen. We had a proud and knowledgeable French waiter. We asked him to select (with a bit of our guidance) our main course for a five course dinner and to pair the wine with each course.

 

[Rumpel]

I was last there in July 2018 and booked to return in December 2019. COVID messed up our return trip.

For some time I could not even go to nearby Alsace because of Covid.
And "my" restaurant there was closed anyhow then.

 

[Rumpel]

Côtes du Rhône is a wine-growing Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for the Rhône wine region of France, which may be used throughout the region, also in those areas which are covered by other AOCs. In a limited part of the region, the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages AOC may be used, in some cases together with the name of the commune.

Côtes du Rhône are the basic AOC wines of the Rhône region, and exist as red, white and rosé wines, generally dominated by Grenache for reds and rosés, or Grenache blanc for whites.

Côtes du Rhône AOC - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Today in Seltz, Alsace:

a bacon baguette for 4,60 Euro
and a quarter of a fine Côtes du Rhône rouge for 3 Euros
= 7,60 Euros for a fine lunch!

 

[Rumpel]

So it was a simple meal - and it tasted better for me than many an expensive meal in a noble place.

 

[Rumpel]

I am not going there as often as I used to for a while.

 

[Rumpel]

For a change I have been to this restaurant today:

>>> https://autonneaufleuri.fr/ <<<<

in Salmbach in Alsace, France:

Au Tonneau Fleuri​

 

[Rumpel]

And that is what I had there:

Fleischschnackas[1] (French pronunciation: [flaiʃ.ʃnəkə]) (Alsatian word) are an Alsatian dish made from cooked meat stuffing (usually the remainders of pot-au-feu), eggs, onions, parsley, salt, pepper rolled in a fresh egg pasta.

The meat stuffing is spread on the fresh egg pasta and rolled. The tube obtained is then cut into slices of 1.5–2 cm, the Fleischschnackas. The slices are cooked on each face with butter in a frying pan then broth (usually pot-au-feu broth) is added and the rolls are cooked ca. 12 minutes.

Traditionally, Fleischschnackas are served with a small quantity of broth and a green salad.

Fleischschnacka literally means "snails of meat". It comes from words: Schnacka (snails) and Fleisch (meat).

A similar dish of meat-stuffed pasta, Maultaschen, is popular in Germany, particularly in the region of Baden-Württemberg which shares a border with Alsace. Maultaschen cut in half can resemble Fleischschnacka.

Fleischschnacka - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I am quite surprised that this Alsatian dish has an article of its own in the English Wikipedia

 

[Rumpel]

Here you can see a "Fleisch-Schnacka" = a snail of meat:

>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleischschnacka#/media/File:Fleischschnacka.JPG <<<

 

[Rumpel]

After some break I will go to have a meal in France again.
This time at another place than usually.

There:

Charming little restaurant with a lovely terrace. The chef offers you a refined cuisine and original and varied dishes of remarkable quality.

Link with picture:

Restaurant A l'Agneau

www.outdooractive.com

Btw: This is not meant as an advert!
I do not get any money for my info!

 

[Rumpel]

It was some dis-appointment today.

For starters: a mushroom soup. That was OK.
For dessert: some kind of cherry cake. That was OK also.

But the main course was a piece of pork and some rice.
Both completely taste-free, to put it politely.
Quite un-typical for France.
And I thought to myself: No need to go to France for THAT.

Surely I will go France again, but not to this "Lamb" again.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

And that is what I had there:

Fleischschnacka - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I am quite surprised that this Alsatian dish has an article of its own in the English Wikipedia

To my eyes it vaguely resembles a "New England Boiled Dinner" only the meat is different because a NEBD is corned beef.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

It was some dis-appointment today.

For starters: a mushroom soup. That was OK.
For dessert: some kind of cherry cake. That was OK also.

But the main course was a piece of pork and some rice.
Both completely taste-free, to put it politely.
Quite un-typical for France.
And I thought to myself: No need to go to France for THAT.

Surely I will go France again, but not to this "Lamb" again.

So "nessun sapore?"

 

[Cordelier]

To my eyes it vaguely resembles a "New England Boiled Dinner" only the meat is different because a NEBD is corned beef.

View attachment 67422515

*LOL* You're tickling my Irish heartstrings now.

 

[Cordelier]

I think no discussion of French cuisine is complete without mentioning Gascony.

https://www.dartagnan.com/gascony-food-duck-and-duck-fat.html

A good meal of Duck with a snifter of Armagnac. One of life's treasures.