great restaurant choice for normandy
 

we will be spending a week in normandy in september, and I am hoping for some great restaurant options. I have never eaten at a michelin starred restaurant, but think it would be nice to treat ourselves to one on this trip (maybe just one star, not sure if 2 star is affordable but will consider!). Can anyone suggest some good choices? (non michelin choices are of course welcome too if they are delicious....)

we will be 2 nights in Dinan, 1 night Bayeux, 3 nights Honfleur, and travelling around the countryside in between (the usual, etretat, mt st michel, roeun etc...

Bayeux: Recommend the restaurant at the Hotel Lion d'Or highly, not Michelin starred but very good.

It's been a few years, but the best meal we had in Normandy was in Rouen at Restaurant La Couronne. We happened upon it entirely by chance, and we were the only English-speaking diners that night. Beautiful room, excellent food and service. A few years later we were amazed to see the restaurant in the movie "Julie and Julia." Supposedly, Julia Child had her first meal in France at this restaurant.

http://www.lacouronne.com.fr/en/home.html

An excerpt from Child's book "My Life in France" and the "Julia Child Menu" at La Couronne:

http://www.lacouronne.com.fr/en/Menu...d-couronne.pdf

Like HappyTrvlr, I too really like Hotel Lion d'Or restaurant but from a value standpoint. However La Rapiere is tops for a quality dining experience

Le Pave d'Auge in Beuvron en Auge; I believe it has one Michelin star. Excellent food in a lovely, traditional Normand setting.

wonderful start! I will look up all of these- any more suggestions?

thanks!

In Dinan, try Chez la Mère Pourcel.

The food is great at the Lion d'Or, the service perhaps not so much. I'd still go there.

In Bayeux (from my 2012 trip report:

"Our hotel had made reservations at a restaurant that had received a good deal of hype on the Fodors Board and elsewhere in the Foodie world. Not really being a foodie, but one who enjoys a good meal (obviously), I was skeptical it would live up to the hype (doubting Thomas, I guess).

Le P’tit Resto, 2 Rue de Bienvenu, lived up to all the advance press and more. We were seated in the front section of the restaurant near the bar (the trend continues), and we only saw a few more tables seated in this tiny restaurant on a drizzly Tuesday night (we sat between a couple from Cape Cod and a couple from Canada…not Mary).

Tracy and I started with a Kir Cassis, and after that we didn’t have a kir in the world. This is a restaurant for more adventuresome diners, because the menu changes often and is rather limited.

Although limited, our choices were spectacular. We started with the amuse-bouche of warm figs with jambon.

Next up was the appetizer. Tracy had crème fraîche and caviar on soft bread. I sneaked a bite, and it was the first time I ever tasted anything with caviar (not that I dine on caviar often) that I enjoyed. So much for the doubting Thomas. “This is going to be fun, “ I said to Tracy.

I started with an appetizer of foie gras (I didn’t tell the ducks when I got back to the hotel) with cinnamon and apple slices. It was fantastic.

For the main course, I had an incredible pork tenderloin on a bed of risotto with a shot of caramel sauce on the side for 17€. It sounds weird, but the caramel sauce was the perfect complement to the meal.

Tracy went for the smoked salmon in a puff pastry on a bed of mashed peas with a shot of warm gazpacho. It, too, was magnificent.

This was no rime to stop even thought we were rather full, so on to dessert we traveled. Tracy’s Baba-au-Rhum was like no Baba-au-Rhum we’d ever seen (well, we had never seen one in person, but had looked at pictures). I had one little bite, but Tracy liked it so much she wouldn’t share, a unique experience from my usual caring spouse.

The Baba-au-rhum was reconstituted with framboise and a shot of liquor that wasn’t easily recognizable (you’ll have to see the photo when I put it up, because it’s hard to describe), although through our sheer powers of deduction we figured it must have been some sort of rum.

Not to be outdone in the dessert department, I had a scrumptious chocolate mousse in a chocolate shell on a bed of pistachio cream. Our bottle of Saumur vin rouge lasted almost throughout the entire meal.

The total bill came to 101€, and it was totally worth the price. It was one of the best meals we’ve had anywhere."

((H))

In Bayeux, we really enjoyed Le Pommier

In Dinan, The Cottage

Honfleur was where we had the most expensive dinner in any year. The Ferme St Simeon which is high above the old port where the Calvados trail is
http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Resta...on-11381-41102

In Bayeux it was Le Petit Bistro when we were there--may be the same as above. The best meal we had in two weeks in France.

Le Breard in Honfleur and La Couronne in Rouen!

Another vote for Le Petit Bistro; also Au Bouillon Normand in Honfleur.

We were on, pretty much the same trip last October (3 nights Dinan, 2 nights Bayeux and 2 nights in Honfleur). I can't speak too much to the Michelin starred restaurants. Our host at Maison Pavie in Dinan suggested L'Auberge du Pelican in Dinan because it had a Michelin star. It was fine, but nothing great. Our favorite meals were at Chez Victor in Cancale and La Grenouille in Honfleur (also recommended by the B & B in Pennedepie). We spent a week in Paris also and had great meals at Cave la Bourgogne on Rue Mouffetard. One place I would recommend seeing is Etretat (about a 1 hour drive from Honfleur). it is on the coast and the views are breathtaking! Can't help with a restaurant though because we we picked up a baguette, etc. for a picnic while in Etretat.

In Rouen, Le 37 was amazing. Bayeux is a wonderful town, have fun there!

In Bayeux we had our best meal in France. La Fringale. Husband had the four course dinner and I had the three.

The Michelin Guide (on-line) gives lists of restaurants in any town or city that they have included in their guidebook. Dinan has 3 restaurants in their guidebook and they are - Le Cantorbery, L'Auberge du Pélican and Au Coin du Feu. I ate at Le Cantorbery and enjoyed my meal there.

http://restaurant.michelin.fr/restau...ce/22100-dinan

I loved this restaurant in Honfleur

http://www.chatquipeche.com/

It is NOT a Michelin starred one.

Yes, Le Petit Bistro changed name to Le P’tit Resto about four years ago.

((H))