Is there non-French food in the Dordogne?
Aug 29th, 2001, 05:23 PM
#1
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Is there non-French food in the Dordogne?
We are going first to Paris and then the Dordogne. After about 10 days of French food, I know we'll be in the mood for something different. Can you recommend any oriental, Italian or other cuisines in the Dordogne region? Even a good American hamburger will be appreciated! Thanks.
Aug 29th, 2001, 06:48 PM
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Well, gosh. A post upon which StCirq, the Queen of the Dordogne has not pounced. The USA is chock full of all those fast food "ethnic" places - McDonalds, Taco Bell, China Bell. But, the Dordogne is NOT. If you'll be "in the mood for something different", go to all the ethnic spots in Paris, then enjoy regional French cuisine in the Dordogne. Contrary to popular notions, "French Cuisine" is not always "haute cuisine". You'll find spectacular salads, sandwiches, preparations of the best and most fresh of the day creations of virtually everything. If you want to find a "good American hamburger", you won't find it in the Dordogne. If you're looking for Fast Food Heaven off an interstate, travel about the US interstates. You could always pack Skippy, M&M's, Pringles, and lots of candy bars, just to experience something "different" in your travels. MOST FOLKS, though, appreciate experiencing and enjoying the LOCAL specialties in their travels.
Aug 29th, 2001, 07:49 PM
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You won't find a hamburger in the Dordogne, but if you are determined to eschew the finest cuisine in the Dordogne, it can be done. <BR>Try Le Pha in LeBgue for some true Toilette-spitting fare. <BR>And the take-out pizza place in St-Cyprien for some major horking-in-toilet cuisine, including the pizza featuring foie gras, lardons, and duck gizzards. <BR>If you're traveling in the Dordogne, you won't have a variety of cuisines to choose from - you're in France and at the mercy of the local cuisine, and it ain't pretty for a newcomer. You've got duck and goose and cheese and that's about it - not a hamburger in sight. What is your problem with the local cuisine? We simply don't have Italian or oriental or or other alternatives. <BR>
Aug 30th, 2001, 07:27 AM
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Tom's stridency seems vaguely familiar. <BR>Too bad Jeannette had to get caught in *that* maelstrom. <BR> <BR>That being said, we did find an occasional pizza place in some of the small towns, and lots of markets (outdoor and super-) to buy sandwich and salad makings for lunches (we were renting a house, so we also bought food to make dinner - we succumbed to Yankee pot roast one night). <BR> <BR>I know what you're feeling re a taste of home. The food in the Dordogne is simpler than the haute cuisine of Paris; I think you'll be able to find simple chicken dishes, stews, etc. without difficulty. <BR>
Aug 30th, 2001, 08:13 AM
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Many of the responses to this post have missed the point. Provence, for example, has a large SE Asian population that resettled in France following the French exodus from that area. They have created astonishing Asian food with a French influence. Any traveler to the larger Provence cities would be making a big mistake to miss this cuisine. I suspect there are similar finds in Dorgogne. <BR> <BR>It's not that Americans can't live without their hamburgers, but two weeks of the same cuisine make me long for change. It certainly happened to me while in Italy, Spain, and Provence. <BR> <BR>
Aug 30th, 2001, 08:27 AM
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Dave: The only "foreign" populations in the Dordogne of any significant numbers are the Brits and the Dutch. As far as I can tell, the Brits haven't contributed much of their cuisine except that there's a tiny space allotted in the Intermarchés for salad cream, shrimp paste, and tinned curry sauce. There are two Brit-run restaurants I know of, and they both serve local French food (plus tea). I don't know of a single Dutch establishment, although the markets carry Gouda and Mimolette and a couple of other Dutch cheeses as well as those fried dough things with sugar (in the outdoor markets). Every outdoor market has a stall selling nems and a couple of other Vietnamese offerings. There's usually someone selling paella too. And oh yes, there's a place called Le Mentalo in Les Eyzies that has decent pasta. But the VAST majority of restaurants serve duck, duck, goose - with maybe a chicken confit thrown in. And yes, I agree it can get boring. If you don't want to eat the local cuisine every meal, I think your best bet is to visit the outdoor markets and put together an ethnic picnic.
Aug 30th, 2001, 09:15 AM
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No, Dave. The situation in Dordogne is very different. Provence has historically been a region open to foreign influence : it was close to italy, and the rhone valley was a major communication way. More important, Marseilles was a major port, receiving most the trade from muslim countries and after the opening of the Suez canal, from the french colonies in Asia. Finally, at the beginning of the century, Provence became a touristic destination receiving a lot of foreign visitors. <BR> <BR>On the other hand, Dordogne was a rural area, enclosed in the middle of France, without contact with the outside world. It became touristically attractive only quite recently, and anyway most of these tourists were searching for a "real rural france experience". Also, Dordogne lacks major towns in which "exotic" restaurants are usually found. You'll certainly be able to find some pizzerias here and there, but not much more, I'm afraid (well...actually i'm not affraid at all...I'm pretty satisfied of it).
Aug 30th, 2001, 09:31 AM
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<BR>StCirq <BR> <BR>I was going crazy tryng to remember the name of the Italian place in Les Eyzies <BR>where we frequently had breakfast (for a lot less than at the Centenaire across the road) and fairly good pizzas and pasta for a change of pace lunch <BR>Le Mentalo--thank you--I guess I was having mentalo problems! <BR> <BR>AH
Aug 30th, 2001, 10:02 PM
#12
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Oh goody, another food post. I think it must have been at Le Montalo where we had pizza, when we needed a bit of a change too. But we were somewhat disappointed, because for the price, the regional cooking was a far better value. Salads were great everywhere, as I remember. <BR> <BR>St. Cirq, this has stayed with me for over 7 years (when we were last there). We stayed at the lovely hotel on the circle at Sarlat...the one with the tower. They have a very nice little restaurant, and I remember their plat du jour was a fish with what they called a "sauce americaine". I thought this was odd and asked what it was, that I wanted to make sure it wasn't ketchup. The waiter thought this was funny indeed, and rose in gallic pride to say something like, "jamais, Madame, à la Dordogne". He then explained that it was fresh tomato based sauce with herbs. Which makes me wonder: 1) what exactly is a sauce Americaine, and 2) whether or not the delicious dish may have been a back-handed compliment? <BR>
Aug 31st, 2001, 11:29 AM
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Now N, do you really think there is no decent food in America? Come to Hawaii, a foodie's paradise. When I travel, finding the best regional foods is a definite priority. There's wonderful food throughout America, if you avoid fast-food chains. It would be very sad to live in a place where that was the only choice.
Aug 31st, 2001, 12:36 PM
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Kalena: <BR> <BR>I suspect the waiter said "sauce armoricaine." That's a sauce that's basically a concassé of fresh tomatoes, tarragon and basil, and a bit of cream. Sometimes it's "deepened" with the addition of a bit of brown gravy as well. It originated in Brittany. <BR> <BR>
Aug 31st, 2001, 12:48 PM
#18
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Duuhh....
<BR> <BR>As I recall, it was in writing on a chalk board, the "a" and the "o" not too clearly distinguishable, and funny, I don't remember the "r". <BR> <BR>And yes, that's what it was...we had a richer, lobster stock reduction- enhanced variation in Bretagne this summer. Thanks... now I know where to look to try to approximate it myself. It's fabulous.
<BR> <BR>As I recall, it was in writing on a chalk board, the "a" and the "o" not too clearly distinguishable, and funny, I don't remember the "r". <BR> <BR>And yes, that's what it was...we had a richer, lobster stock reduction- enhanced variation in Bretagne this summer. Thanks... now I know where to look to try to approximate it myself. It's fabulous.
