Cheap and Cheerful near St Cyprien
 

We are arriving at a gîte north of St Cyprien on Saturday, June 2. Since we'll be tired and there will be no food there, we are looking for a restaurant nearby. I was sad to see that le Jardin d'Épicure has closed (thank you, La Tour de Cause, for the warning), but it was probably a little fancy for our first night. I have happily made notes of your recommendations for the best restaurants in the Dordogne for later in the week; has anyone any suggestions in the cheap and cheerful category close to St Cyprien?

If you're north-east of St Cyprien, try this:

La Metarie east of les Eyzies de Tayac, just below Beyssac Chateau on the D47 05 53 29 65 32
Sept ’05
It had an attractive, very welcoming, very French décor (stone walls, pastel tablecloths, wood rush-seat chairs, several large wooden antique-style cupboards & buffets).
We both had the 24.50E menu (Choices of 1 entrée/appetizer, 1 plat/main course, & 1 dessert from among many appealing choices)
We started with a little plate of savory pastries and then an Amuse Bouche of the traditional garlic soup (appeared to be streaked with egg white);
Stu’s Menu:
-Riz d’Agneau, braised, with a reduction-type creamy sauce, accompanied by a mounded green salad and asparagus tips, served on a rectangular plate.
-Quail breast in a pastry crust, with mushrooms, vegetables inside. The quail legs were sauteed & served outside the pastry. This was accompanied by a long, crisp, dressed lettuce leaves and a tall glass of light vegetable emulsion
-Delice aus Chocolate (excellent, Stu says)
My Menu
-Salmon marine with 7-grain toast. Here, I must elaborate! I really like salmon marine, so I order it frequently, so I can claim to be a bit of a “subject matter expert”. This presentation (in spite of its modest description on the menu) was amazing. The salmon marine was thinly layered on a fairly thin bread, with a thin layer of “something herbed” between them. Interestingly, a circle had been cut from the middle of the bread/salmon square and, in that opening was a tall cylindrical (small) glass with a green/vegetable froth – almost like a vegetable or herbed whipped cream. Coarsely ground walnuts & snipped chives were sprinkled around the plate along with a dollop of caviar on the side. A bread stick was in the cylindrical glass.
-Fillet du Cabillaud on a bed of cepes & pastry with cepe cream sauce, served with a fricassee of girroles, asparagus tips, and a “cylinder” or ratatouille.
-A “verre au chocolate” dessert. A glass tumbler, layered with coffee mousse, chocolate, topped with coffee whipped cream.

We were both dazzled by this restaurant, not only for the wonderful food, and value (2 menus, 2 kirs, 2 half-bottles of wine, ½ badoit, for 82E), but also by the presentations and the ambience.


Stu Dudley

A belated thank-you, StuDudley. I have your notes, and had put La Métairie on my short list, but in the confusion of last minute details, I forgot it was so close.

Without you, and the other "pros" and amateurs on this forum, helping to organize a trip like this wouldn't be nearly as much fun. More to the point, the trip wouldn't be nearly as rewarding. Thank you all!

My husband & I will be staying in St. Cyprien in July for a week. We'd like to discover new restaurants as we have previously "done" all the local ones. We don't mind travelling. Also any other day trips to do?

Please do not neglect to pick up a roast chicken and potatoes from the vendor in the sunday market. Might be the best of these I have ever eaten!

I had an excellent lunch two weeks ago at La Table du Terroir near Montignac so you might put that on your list for later in the week.

Thank you for your response! We will defo try those hints. We'll have a hire car so don't mind travelling to different restaurants and beaches etc.

The Jardin de l'Epicure (just east of St. Cyprien) has closed. However, The Bistro de l'Epicure has opened in its place!! Very fine food, creative menu, hospitable owners, clean, nicely decorated and reasonable prices. Highly recommended. No lights in the upper carpark so if you are planning to quaff/eat/chat until it is dark, bring your flashlight.