Jamikins & Bikerscott Pickle Themselves in France (again)
Jun 2nd, 2011, 12:39 PM
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Kerouac - we had the same conversation!! How did the new town come about? Why would they have wanted to build there? Very curious about that...
We were reading a few of the signs and books in the info centre at the martyr village and they said that Oradour (the original) was a very nice country town, quite well off, and a place where people from Limoges would visit on their weekends to spend time in the country. And it was certainly bigger than I had imagined. Many cafes and hair salons, lots of commerce...so very very sad.
We were reading a few of the signs and books in the info centre at the martyr village and they said that Oradour (the original) was a very nice country town, quite well off, and a place where people from Limoges would visit on their weekends to spend time in the country. And it was certainly bigger than I had imagined. Many cafes and hair salons, lots of commerce...so very very sad.
Jun 2nd, 2011, 05:43 PM
#102
We stayed overnight in the new town of Oradour when we visited. They had just had a fair or something like that nearby. Very quiet and a bit ghostly I thought (it was the off season), but a nice enough place to live it seemed, people having ice cream and walking around post-festivity. Life does indeed go on.
I'm enjoying this vicarious trip to France very much.
I'm enjoying this vicarious trip to France very much.
Jun 2nd, 2011, 11:48 PM
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Glad everyone is enjoying (although probably not as much as we are). Today we take the train to Paris for the weekend before heading home. We are staying at Hotel Cosmos, a reasonably priced hotel in the 11th (€67 a night!). Jamikins has posted it for others looking for budget choices with the preface that we have never stayed there but we plan to in June. Hopefully it is a fantastic find - fingers crossed.
http://www.cosmos-hotel-paris.com/en,1,6436.html
But we may not have wifi, so after this post there may be a short delay until Sunday when we get home...
Day Eleven – No Soup For You – May 30, 2011
The forecasted thunder and lighting storms were nowhere to be seen this morning, although evidently it had rained a bit overnight. I was actually a bit disappointed; I enjoy a really good lighting storm.
Our mission for the day was to explore the southern Charente. We’d loved the Dordogne so much the previous two visits, we thought the south of the Charente would be as charming. We were wrong, it seemed.
One of the things I love about being in France is the fact that we’re no longer in England. I love living in London, and think that it’s a fantastic place and the people in Britain generally are amazing. However, when I’m in rural France, I want to be surrounded by French people doing French things. We found a cute village in the southern Charente, and found a restaurant that had a large outdoor seating area under the trees in the central square in the middle of the town, and didn’t hear a French voice the entire time. Even the waitress was English. We might as well have been in Eastbourne (which I’m sure is a lovely place, but it clearly isn’t in the southwest of France).
Somewhat disappointed, we got back into the car and programmed the next village on our tour of the south Charente. Actually, we set the sat nav for a town called “Montbrun”, which seemed a good distance in the direction we were generally looking to travel. The plan was to start driving and to stop in any likely looking villages that we passed along the way. It turns out there isn’t much between Aubterre Sur Dronne and Montbrun actually. The drive was pretty quick.
By the time we got to Montbrun, I was ready for an ice cream. This is easier conceived than achieved in Montbrun on a late Monday afternoon, when absolutely everything is closed. Except the Intermarche, which had lines the size of, well, lines in an Intermarche in Montbrun on a late Monday afternoon.
Again disappointed and this time ice cream free, we got back into the car and started driving back to Confolens. While the storm hadn’t arrived in the morning, it was certainly looking like it was trying to make up for lost time, with thick black clouds massing over the Dordogne. We made it back to the B&B just in time, as the thunder and rain started just as we got back.
We spent a few hours reading before getting ready for dinner. The plan was to drive back to Rochechouart for dinner at Le Roc du Boeuf, the other recommended restaurant in Rochechouart. We’d checked the opening times carefully, and as it was a Monday didn’t think reservations were essential. It probably would have been better, in retrospect, to have called.
Had we done that, we would have found, prior to the 35 minute drive that they were closed for no apparent reason on this particular Monday. Bugger. For reasons that remain unclear to us now, we decided not to drive back into the main part of the village to have dinner at the same excellent restaurant we’d eaten at a few nights ago, no, we decided to spend the rest of the evening driving frantically around rural France looking for somewhere to eat.
The only thing we could find that was open was the “Relais d’Etegnac,” which turned out to be a hideous truck stop with no restaurant that we could see. We eventually ended up at the Mere Michelet hotel and restaurant, with attached pub “Le Twickenham.” It was not good, although it made up for this by being very cheap. To be fair, for €11.50 we had reasonably passable steak au poivre with chips and a €6.50 demi bottle of Cotes de Rhone red. It’s hard to argue with the price.
After dinner we stopped in at the little bistro across the road from the B&B, and found that despite appearances, we love it. The Chez Eric bistro is run by Eric, who seems to keep it open as something to do in the evenings, and a place for his friends to spend time. It’s not posh, it’s not scenic, however it is friendly and fun. We spent a good two hours chatting with Eric, who told us about the new residents in town, the way the festival and Bastille day keep him going for the rest of the year, and other general chatter. I’m impressed with us – while we can’t necessarily speak French as well as we’d like, our comprehension is getting miles better, as we spent the entire two hours conversing almost entirely in French.
Tomorrow is set to be one of my favourite days I think – Cognac tours and tasting in Cognac itself. Hopefully the weather clears up and we get some sun. On the other hand, dark and stormy seem appropriate for Cognac, so I can’t really complain either way.
http://www.cosmos-hotel-paris.com/en,1,6436.html
But we may not have wifi, so after this post there may be a short delay until Sunday when we get home...
Day Eleven – No Soup For You – May 30, 2011
The forecasted thunder and lighting storms were nowhere to be seen this morning, although evidently it had rained a bit overnight. I was actually a bit disappointed; I enjoy a really good lighting storm.
Our mission for the day was to explore the southern Charente. We’d loved the Dordogne so much the previous two visits, we thought the south of the Charente would be as charming. We were wrong, it seemed.
One of the things I love about being in France is the fact that we’re no longer in England. I love living in London, and think that it’s a fantastic place and the people in Britain generally are amazing. However, when I’m in rural France, I want to be surrounded by French people doing French things. We found a cute village in the southern Charente, and found a restaurant that had a large outdoor seating area under the trees in the central square in the middle of the town, and didn’t hear a French voice the entire time. Even the waitress was English. We might as well have been in Eastbourne (which I’m sure is a lovely place, but it clearly isn’t in the southwest of France).
Somewhat disappointed, we got back into the car and programmed the next village on our tour of the south Charente. Actually, we set the sat nav for a town called “Montbrun”, which seemed a good distance in the direction we were generally looking to travel. The plan was to start driving and to stop in any likely looking villages that we passed along the way. It turns out there isn’t much between Aubterre Sur Dronne and Montbrun actually. The drive was pretty quick.
By the time we got to Montbrun, I was ready for an ice cream. This is easier conceived than achieved in Montbrun on a late Monday afternoon, when absolutely everything is closed. Except the Intermarche, which had lines the size of, well, lines in an Intermarche in Montbrun on a late Monday afternoon.
Again disappointed and this time ice cream free, we got back into the car and started driving back to Confolens. While the storm hadn’t arrived in the morning, it was certainly looking like it was trying to make up for lost time, with thick black clouds massing over the Dordogne. We made it back to the B&B just in time, as the thunder and rain started just as we got back.
We spent a few hours reading before getting ready for dinner. The plan was to drive back to Rochechouart for dinner at Le Roc du Boeuf, the other recommended restaurant in Rochechouart. We’d checked the opening times carefully, and as it was a Monday didn’t think reservations were essential. It probably would have been better, in retrospect, to have called.
Had we done that, we would have found, prior to the 35 minute drive that they were closed for no apparent reason on this particular Monday. Bugger. For reasons that remain unclear to us now, we decided not to drive back into the main part of the village to have dinner at the same excellent restaurant we’d eaten at a few nights ago, no, we decided to spend the rest of the evening driving frantically around rural France looking for somewhere to eat.
The only thing we could find that was open was the “Relais d’Etegnac,” which turned out to be a hideous truck stop with no restaurant that we could see. We eventually ended up at the Mere Michelet hotel and restaurant, with attached pub “Le Twickenham.” It was not good, although it made up for this by being very cheap. To be fair, for €11.50 we had reasonably passable steak au poivre with chips and a €6.50 demi bottle of Cotes de Rhone red. It’s hard to argue with the price.
After dinner we stopped in at the little bistro across the road from the B&B, and found that despite appearances, we love it. The Chez Eric bistro is run by Eric, who seems to keep it open as something to do in the evenings, and a place for his friends to spend time. It’s not posh, it’s not scenic, however it is friendly and fun. We spent a good two hours chatting with Eric, who told us about the new residents in town, the way the festival and Bastille day keep him going for the rest of the year, and other general chatter. I’m impressed with us – while we can’t necessarily speak French as well as we’d like, our comprehension is getting miles better, as we spent the entire two hours conversing almost entirely in French.
Tomorrow is set to be one of my favourite days I think – Cognac tours and tasting in Cognac itself. Hopefully the weather clears up and we get some sun. On the other hand, dark and stormy seem appropriate for Cognac, so I can’t really complain either way.
Jun 2nd, 2011, 11:51 PM
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And a few pics of Day 11:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7626838796868/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7626838796868/
Jun 3rd, 2011, 11:24 PM
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Sitting here in Hotel Cosmos waiting for Scott to finish his shower and thought I would do a mini review of the hotel. So this is a budget option in the 11th, close to the Parmentier and Oberkampf metro stops. Also close to Republique. We are paying €67 a night for a double.
Pros:
- clean (always important)
- very affordable for Paris
- good cafes, restaurants, and boulangerie on the same street
- good water pressure
Cons:
- a bit small
- noisy with the windows open at night (due to the cafes etc) and no air conditioning
- lacks charm - its more functional (think dorm room, but not that bad)
All in all, I think we would stay here again because we dont spend time in the room in Paris. Its a good option for the budget traveller, or someone on their own on a budget as its close to everyone and in a fun neighbourhood.
It is not for travellers that want amenities and charm.
OK - off to spend the last full day of holidays in sunny PARIS WOO HOO!
Pros:
- clean (always important)
- very affordable for Paris
- good cafes, restaurants, and boulangerie on the same street
- good water pressure
Cons:
- a bit small
- noisy with the windows open at night (due to the cafes etc) and no air conditioning
- lacks charm - its more functional (think dorm room, but not that bad)
All in all, I think we would stay here again because we dont spend time in the room in Paris. Its a good option for the budget traveller, or someone on their own on a budget as its close to everyone and in a fun neighbourhood.
It is not for travellers that want amenities and charm.
OK - off to spend the last full day of holidays in sunny PARIS WOO HOO!
Jun 3rd, 2011, 11:35 PM
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And before we go off for the day - here is Day 12
Day Twelve – The Adventures of Mr. Creosote – May 31, 2011
Today was our Cognac adventure day, plus we ate the largest dinner known to man. I feel like Mr. Creosote just before he had the wafer thin mint, and suspect that if I were to have one myself I might end up the same.
After breakfast this morning, we loaded up little Nancy and pointed west, stopping first in Echoisy to see the little water mill at the Domaine d’Echoisy. Not too far out of our way and apparently it’s a good place for a light lunch or a coffee on route. It’s a bit of a mission to find, off the D-road and down a little gravelled path, which is actually quite steep at times. As is our luck lately, it was closed and so all we could do was wander around for a bit taking photos. Having said that, the view is amazing and I would have very happily spent some time there sipping a coffee and listening to the sound of the wind in the trees and the water flowing through the mill race.
At this point, I realized that my decision to wear my shorts and sandals was possibly a mistake. Despite the sun, it was actually quite chilly and I was glad that I’d remembered to bring my sweater this time. I thought that as with other days, the temperature would go up as the afternoon progressed.
We drove back up the little gravel path and back onto the highway, and an hour later we were in Cognac. We actually found a little parking lot and paid our €2.50 for the afternoon. Somewhat unusually for us, the parking lot was right next to the little tourist information office where we got a several maps of the town, including directions to the little pedestrian street where we could get some lunch.
We stopped in at the first place we came to and sat down. Waitresses flew about all around us, taking orders and delivering food. We, however, seemed to be invisible. After taking the opportunity to use the facilities (it had been a long drive) we had finally had enough and left.
It was a bit of a walk before we found the next reasonable looking place that wasn’t a kebab shop. It was actually quite a nice restaurant with a beautiful terrace out the back. We stood in the entranceway again, where the waitresses had the reservations book and were picking up food from the kitchen for delivery. Again, it was like we were invisible; not a single waitress even looked at us, let alone told us she’d be with us in a minute. Eventually we got the attention of one, who told us that they were full.
Next option was a creperie down the pedestrian street that to our amazement seemed quite chuffed to see us and sat us down quickly. We both had quite tasty galettes and then a very nice caramel and salted butter crepe. Hard to go wrong, and I’m actually happy we were so completely ignored at the other two.
Next on the list was a guided tour of the Hennessey distillery down on the Hennessey Quai. We were a bit early, so after buying our tickets we went to the distillery next door, which I’d never heard of – Rouiller-Fransac. Evidently it’s a cognac that doesn’t get exported much, and when it does only to the US really. The old guy at the counter let me try the 15 year old, 30 year old, and then the 50 year old. I could have had more, but was driving so declined. It turned out to be really good cognac, much better than I was expecting. At this point, it was time for the tour next door so we told him we’d be back and walked back to Hennessey.
Unfortunately, a large group of tourists had decided that a cognac distillery tour was a good idea to bring their large brood of small children on. To be fair, they were quite well behaved given the circumstances, but still incredibly annoying for the tour.
I’m not sure what I’d been expecting of the tour, but I hadn’t realized what a massive production Hennessey is. They only grow 2% of their own grapes, and that which they buy isn’t even in grape form – they apparently buy either completed eau-de-vie (the wine which they use to make the cognac) or finished brandy itself. Complete surprise to me.
The cognac warehouses are something else though. Thousands upon thousand upon thousands of huge barrels in their endless rows, all of which are slowly releasing “the angel’s share.” Two to three percent of the volume of a barrel evaporates every year through the wood, and gives the air in the town a very distinctive smell. In the warehouses themselves it’s almost overpowering.
After the tour we got to taste some Hennessey cognac, and this is where I was first entertained and then annoyed. The entertainment came when one of the horde with the kids asked the tour guide if instead of drinking their taster on-site, if they could instead have it to take away. I’m not sure how much he was thinking he was going to get, but the look of confusion and shock on the guide’s face was priceless.
Secondly, we’ve done our fair share of champagne house tours, winery tours, distillery tours etc – basically if it’s alcoholic, we’ve toured it. At Hennessey, I paid €20 for the XO tour ticket, and Jamie paid €6 for the “Harmony” tour (it was half price as the second ticket). Mine included a taste of the XO cognac (extra old), and Jmaie’s was the regular and the VS and VSOP tastes. For the price I paid, I’d expected mine to include those as well, in addition to the XO (for the price of three tickets, I could’ve bought a whole bottle).
As it turned out, I actually preferred the Rouiller-Fransac next door so quite happily went back to buy a bottle of very nice 35 year old grande champagne. Jamie also found one of their liquor products – a mint chocolate concoction that tastes exactly like liquid After Eight mints, possibly her favourite thing ever.
At this point, our parking was almost up so we walked back up through the narrow and winding streets of Cognac. By the time we got to the car, we’d had a long discussion about our thoughts on the town. For all the money that must go through it with the cognac, it’s not the nicest place in the world. There doesn’t seem to be much for tourists there other than the cognac houses – a few restaurants and a few cafes, not many nice places to sit and enjoy a glass of wine and relax. Having said that, we really only spent a few hours there and much of that was on the Hennessey tour.
Given the fiasco of dinner last night, we’d made sure to book in at a nice restaurant for this evening. We’d called La Grange aux Oies in Nieuil to book a table for 7:30 and had left a message. We made sure we got there a bit early to confirm, and it’s a good thing we had – they hadn’t called us back and we were apparently only a tentative booking.
We were 45 minutes early, so we took a walk around the grounds of the stunning chateau which is also a very posh hotel, although they have a large sparrows nest in the giant reception room and while we were poking around, sparrows were flying in and out. A quick look around showed that sparrows had spent quite a bit of time doing what sparrows do – almost everything was splattered in little white sploches, including the chairs and even the large paintings on the walls. Unpleasant.
We were still about 30 minutes ahead of schedule, so got back into the car to both warm up (it was about 14 degrees celcius at this point and the shorts and sandals just weren’t cutting it) and also to drive into St Claud for a quick espresso.
When we got back, we were just in time to be seated for what turned out to be the most indulgent and almost painful meal of my life. For €48 (€44 for me, as I decided not to have any wine, what with the driving and all) we were presented with a delicious five course meal (with an amuse bouche and final desert snack as we paid thrown in for good measure).
I think we would have been okay except for two fatal mistakes. First, I was feeling a bit dehydrated, so ordered an entire litre of Badoit to drink instead of wine. I managed to finish it all by the end of the meal. That’s a lot of Badoit to consume, and it takes up quite a lot of room. Second, when they brought the cheese cart around (this after the amuse bouche, a starter, and a very large main), Jamie asked if we could between us try each of the five cheeses. I guess the language barrier struck, and the waitress carved off five very generous slices of each cheese for each of us. I mean this was a LOT of cheese, and we would have had trouble with it even if we’d not already eaten two large courses.
Next came the dessert cart. I’d gone for the light strawberry tarte, but Jamie’s eyes were much bigger than her stomach and she had a big cup of extraordinary tiramisu plus another generous portion of lemon tarte. I’ve never eaten so much in my life. They brought little chocolate treats and cherries soaked in liquor as we paid, but I couldn’t even look at them.
A side-note about the importance of carefully reading menus in France, or anywhere really. I know the word for lamb in French is agneau. I also know the word for rice is riz. When the menu said something about ris d’agneau, I somewhat naively thought that my starter would be some sort of a rice and lamb dish. This was not the case.
Those paying attention, or who have checked the French-English dictionary will have spotted my error. Ris is sweetbreads, riz is rice. Very different things, despite the similarity in spelling. So yes, I accidentally ordered lamb brains as a starter. This after the disaster with the tete de veau in Champagne. Jamie thought it was odd, but assumed I knew what I was doing so didn’t say anything (she claims that she’d pointed out that it was lamb sweetbreads on the menu, all I heard was her saying something about lamb).
In the end, the ris d’agneau turned out to actually be quite tasty, and with the help of a few gulps of water (for the particularly brainy bits) I managed to eat almost all of it, and enjoyed quite a bit of it (not the particularly brainy bits). I realize that given my history of eating the gibbly bits of many animals (lips, chins, cheeks, stomach, tail, liver, kidney, heart, feet, brains, bone marrow, lower intestine, tongue, skin with hair still in, ears…) you may not believe that this was an accident of translation, but this is my story and I’m sticking to it. (I’ve just read that list, and am both a bit impressed and slightly disgusted, in equal measure).
Day Twelve – The Adventures of Mr. Creosote – May 31, 2011
Today was our Cognac adventure day, plus we ate the largest dinner known to man. I feel like Mr. Creosote just before he had the wafer thin mint, and suspect that if I were to have one myself I might end up the same.
After breakfast this morning, we loaded up little Nancy and pointed west, stopping first in Echoisy to see the little water mill at the Domaine d’Echoisy. Not too far out of our way and apparently it’s a good place for a light lunch or a coffee on route. It’s a bit of a mission to find, off the D-road and down a little gravelled path, which is actually quite steep at times. As is our luck lately, it was closed and so all we could do was wander around for a bit taking photos. Having said that, the view is amazing and I would have very happily spent some time there sipping a coffee and listening to the sound of the wind in the trees and the water flowing through the mill race.
At this point, I realized that my decision to wear my shorts and sandals was possibly a mistake. Despite the sun, it was actually quite chilly and I was glad that I’d remembered to bring my sweater this time. I thought that as with other days, the temperature would go up as the afternoon progressed.
We drove back up the little gravel path and back onto the highway, and an hour later we were in Cognac. We actually found a little parking lot and paid our €2.50 for the afternoon. Somewhat unusually for us, the parking lot was right next to the little tourist information office where we got a several maps of the town, including directions to the little pedestrian street where we could get some lunch.
We stopped in at the first place we came to and sat down. Waitresses flew about all around us, taking orders and delivering food. We, however, seemed to be invisible. After taking the opportunity to use the facilities (it had been a long drive) we had finally had enough and left.
It was a bit of a walk before we found the next reasonable looking place that wasn’t a kebab shop. It was actually quite a nice restaurant with a beautiful terrace out the back. We stood in the entranceway again, where the waitresses had the reservations book and were picking up food from the kitchen for delivery. Again, it was like we were invisible; not a single waitress even looked at us, let alone told us she’d be with us in a minute. Eventually we got the attention of one, who told us that they were full.
Next option was a creperie down the pedestrian street that to our amazement seemed quite chuffed to see us and sat us down quickly. We both had quite tasty galettes and then a very nice caramel and salted butter crepe. Hard to go wrong, and I’m actually happy we were so completely ignored at the other two.
Next on the list was a guided tour of the Hennessey distillery down on the Hennessey Quai. We were a bit early, so after buying our tickets we went to the distillery next door, which I’d never heard of – Rouiller-Fransac. Evidently it’s a cognac that doesn’t get exported much, and when it does only to the US really. The old guy at the counter let me try the 15 year old, 30 year old, and then the 50 year old. I could have had more, but was driving so declined. It turned out to be really good cognac, much better than I was expecting. At this point, it was time for the tour next door so we told him we’d be back and walked back to Hennessey.
Unfortunately, a large group of tourists had decided that a cognac distillery tour was a good idea to bring their large brood of small children on. To be fair, they were quite well behaved given the circumstances, but still incredibly annoying for the tour.
I’m not sure what I’d been expecting of the tour, but I hadn’t realized what a massive production Hennessey is. They only grow 2% of their own grapes, and that which they buy isn’t even in grape form – they apparently buy either completed eau-de-vie (the wine which they use to make the cognac) or finished brandy itself. Complete surprise to me.
The cognac warehouses are something else though. Thousands upon thousand upon thousands of huge barrels in their endless rows, all of which are slowly releasing “the angel’s share.” Two to three percent of the volume of a barrel evaporates every year through the wood, and gives the air in the town a very distinctive smell. In the warehouses themselves it’s almost overpowering.
After the tour we got to taste some Hennessey cognac, and this is where I was first entertained and then annoyed. The entertainment came when one of the horde with the kids asked the tour guide if instead of drinking their taster on-site, if they could instead have it to take away. I’m not sure how much he was thinking he was going to get, but the look of confusion and shock on the guide’s face was priceless.
Secondly, we’ve done our fair share of champagne house tours, winery tours, distillery tours etc – basically if it’s alcoholic, we’ve toured it. At Hennessey, I paid €20 for the XO tour ticket, and Jamie paid €6 for the “Harmony” tour (it was half price as the second ticket). Mine included a taste of the XO cognac (extra old), and Jmaie’s was the regular and the VS and VSOP tastes. For the price I paid, I’d expected mine to include those as well, in addition to the XO (for the price of three tickets, I could’ve bought a whole bottle).
As it turned out, I actually preferred the Rouiller-Fransac next door so quite happily went back to buy a bottle of very nice 35 year old grande champagne. Jamie also found one of their liquor products – a mint chocolate concoction that tastes exactly like liquid After Eight mints, possibly her favourite thing ever.
At this point, our parking was almost up so we walked back up through the narrow and winding streets of Cognac. By the time we got to the car, we’d had a long discussion about our thoughts on the town. For all the money that must go through it with the cognac, it’s not the nicest place in the world. There doesn’t seem to be much for tourists there other than the cognac houses – a few restaurants and a few cafes, not many nice places to sit and enjoy a glass of wine and relax. Having said that, we really only spent a few hours there and much of that was on the Hennessey tour.
Given the fiasco of dinner last night, we’d made sure to book in at a nice restaurant for this evening. We’d called La Grange aux Oies in Nieuil to book a table for 7:30 and had left a message. We made sure we got there a bit early to confirm, and it’s a good thing we had – they hadn’t called us back and we were apparently only a tentative booking.
We were 45 minutes early, so we took a walk around the grounds of the stunning chateau which is also a very posh hotel, although they have a large sparrows nest in the giant reception room and while we were poking around, sparrows were flying in and out. A quick look around showed that sparrows had spent quite a bit of time doing what sparrows do – almost everything was splattered in little white sploches, including the chairs and even the large paintings on the walls. Unpleasant.
We were still about 30 minutes ahead of schedule, so got back into the car to both warm up (it was about 14 degrees celcius at this point and the shorts and sandals just weren’t cutting it) and also to drive into St Claud for a quick espresso.
When we got back, we were just in time to be seated for what turned out to be the most indulgent and almost painful meal of my life. For €48 (€44 for me, as I decided not to have any wine, what with the driving and all) we were presented with a delicious five course meal (with an amuse bouche and final desert snack as we paid thrown in for good measure).
I think we would have been okay except for two fatal mistakes. First, I was feeling a bit dehydrated, so ordered an entire litre of Badoit to drink instead of wine. I managed to finish it all by the end of the meal. That’s a lot of Badoit to consume, and it takes up quite a lot of room. Second, when they brought the cheese cart around (this after the amuse bouche, a starter, and a very large main), Jamie asked if we could between us try each of the five cheeses. I guess the language barrier struck, and the waitress carved off five very generous slices of each cheese for each of us. I mean this was a LOT of cheese, and we would have had trouble with it even if we’d not already eaten two large courses.
Next came the dessert cart. I’d gone for the light strawberry tarte, but Jamie’s eyes were much bigger than her stomach and she had a big cup of extraordinary tiramisu plus another generous portion of lemon tarte. I’ve never eaten so much in my life. They brought little chocolate treats and cherries soaked in liquor as we paid, but I couldn’t even look at them.
A side-note about the importance of carefully reading menus in France, or anywhere really. I know the word for lamb in French is agneau. I also know the word for rice is riz. When the menu said something about ris d’agneau, I somewhat naively thought that my starter would be some sort of a rice and lamb dish. This was not the case.
Those paying attention, or who have checked the French-English dictionary will have spotted my error. Ris is sweetbreads, riz is rice. Very different things, despite the similarity in spelling. So yes, I accidentally ordered lamb brains as a starter. This after the disaster with the tete de veau in Champagne. Jamie thought it was odd, but assumed I knew what I was doing so didn’t say anything (she claims that she’d pointed out that it was lamb sweetbreads on the menu, all I heard was her saying something about lamb).
In the end, the ris d’agneau turned out to actually be quite tasty, and with the help of a few gulps of water (for the particularly brainy bits) I managed to eat almost all of it, and enjoyed quite a bit of it (not the particularly brainy bits). I realize that given my history of eating the gibbly bits of many animals (lips, chins, cheeks, stomach, tail, liver, kidney, heart, feet, brains, bone marrow, lower intestine, tongue, skin with hair still in, ears…) you may not believe that this was an accident of translation, but this is my story and I’m sticking to it. (I’ve just read that list, and am both a bit impressed and slightly disgusted, in equal measure).
Jun 3rd, 2011, 11:37 PM
#109
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And the pics (I feel ridiculously full just looking at them!!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7626736234489/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7626736234489/
Jun 4th, 2011, 12:05 AM
#110
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Actually, ris/ sweetbreads is the pancreas, not brains, but neither very desirable imo. Am not sure brains are served much any more, if at all, due to mad cow. Speaking of organs, sounds like you had a crise de foie!!!
Jun 4th, 2011, 07:30 AM
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Oh, my what a Saturday morning I have had reading your report (and I haven't even looked at the photos yet).
We must have been separated at birth! I love Champagne and so your TR started off with a bang for me...and was in Reims not quite two years ago and it is my favorite cathedral in France, so far. Would love to see the lighting that Kerouac mentioned.
I also loved Chenonceau! The vegetable an flower garden was loaded with huge dahlias and other amazing flowers and vegetables and we loved it. We also loved the story of the wife vs. the mistress.
I also love your rebel side...come one, I can't have a glass of wine in my room? Good for you. I woulda done the same.
Our experience at Le Cinq last Christmas is proof that sometimes a meal is just too good and too decadent. We ate so much that we were miserable. Just laid on the bed from 5pm until the next day (Christmas day lunch was the meal).
Your experience in trying to get out of the parking lot is hilarious and we had a similar tinny French voice experience in trying to get Metro tix...we had entered through an exit, essentially and then found an entrance but had some trouble buying tix...our communications with the tinny voice was pointless (our fault...we speak very little French). It is funny now!
Last, I also mistakenly ordered sweetbreads at Aux Lyonnais last trip. We both did and it was quite good. Although once it came out, I knew it was thymus...so thanks Pvoy for proving me right (without knowing it).
Great report!
We must have been separated at birth! I love Champagne and so your TR started off with a bang for me...and was in Reims not quite two years ago and it is my favorite cathedral in France, so far. Would love to see the lighting that Kerouac mentioned.
I also loved Chenonceau! The vegetable an flower garden was loaded with huge dahlias and other amazing flowers and vegetables and we loved it. We also loved the story of the wife vs. the mistress.
I also love your rebel side...come one, I can't have a glass of wine in my room? Good for you. I woulda done the same.
Our experience at Le Cinq last Christmas is proof that sometimes a meal is just too good and too decadent. We ate so much that we were miserable. Just laid on the bed from 5pm until the next day (Christmas day lunch was the meal).
Your experience in trying to get out of the parking lot is hilarious and we had a similar tinny French voice experience in trying to get Metro tix...we had entered through an exit, essentially and then found an entrance but had some trouble buying tix...our communications with the tinny voice was pointless (our fault...we speak very little French). It is funny now!
Last, I also mistakenly ordered sweetbreads at Aux Lyonnais last trip. We both did and it was quite good. Although once it came out, I knew it was thymus...so thanks Pvoy for proving me right (without knowing it).
Great report!
Jun 4th, 2011, 10:47 AM
#116
Denise - ditto us at le cinq and it was only sunday lunch!
Bikescott- how things change. I seem to remember that our tour of Hennessey was free - but sadly it was over 25 years ago.
keep it coming.
Bikescott- how things change. I seem to remember that our tour of Hennessey was free - but sadly it was over 25 years ago.
keep it coming.
Jun 4th, 2011, 10:53 AM
#117
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OK...the pics are just fabulous! I think though that day 11 photos were actually Day 9...so would love to see the real day 11. You have an eye for great shots.
Looks like so much fun. I love the little ice cream cone in the strawberry dessert.
Looks like so much fun. I love the little ice cream cone in the strawberry dessert.
Jun 4th, 2011, 12:15 PM
#118
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denisea - you are right - sorry!!! Day 11:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7626736435967/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7626736435967/
Jun 4th, 2011, 07:49 PM
#120
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Things I learnt on Fodors today;
ris is "sweetbreads"
"sweetbreads" is thymus
thymus is edible
people actually eat it when they are not starving, living with limited resources
people pay good money to eat it - at restaurants
to order "ris" is risible
not to order "ris"
ris is "sweetbreads"
"sweetbreads" is thymus
thymus is edible
people actually eat it when they are not starving, living with limited resources
people pay good money to eat it - at restaurants
to order "ris" is risible
not to order "ris"
