Two years ago we stayed in Sarlat for several days as part of a larger trip. One of our favourite dinners in Sarlat was at Gueule & Gosier located on a quiet side street. We also did a cooking class at Cook Dordogne at Le Chevrefeuille which was one of the highlights of the trip for us.

Following a tour company’s itinerary and time frame doesn’t work well for independent travelers. Tours have a bus driver so no looking at gps or maps or looking for hard to find parking places in unfamiliar towns and cities.

Kiddo both of these sound wonderful! Thanks so much.

In Sarlat I can recommend 2 restaurants that we enjoyed very much:
Le Presidial - we dined outdoors in their beautiful garden. Indoor seating is in a city landmark historic home.
Le Bistro de l'Octroi - another delicious meal

For a very non-touristy experience, while you are in Provence, and if you have the time, I suggest visiting the village of Eygalieres. It's near St. Remy. If you can visit on Friday morning for their market, that is even better. We have visited Eygalieres many times. You will hear very little English, if any, at all. Mostly French citizens. The market is fun. At the top of the hill there are very interesting church ruins with beautiful views. On Fridays the restaurants serve a traditional white fish dinner that is only served on Fridays.

Also while in Provence, if you plan on going to the market in L'Isle Sur la Sorgue, I recommend going on Thursday instead of Sunday. Their Sunday market (which includes the antiques market) is EXTREMELY crowded. We rode around and around looking for a parking space. My French son-in-law said "never again". The Thursday market is less crowded and more manageable and has lots of interesting wares.

I do have to mention that I concur with all the advice you have received on this forum about your very rushed itinerary. We visited France for 10 years when our daughter lived there with her family, and we have been to all the regions you are visiting except for Normandy. I realize it's too late for this trip, but in the future, I suggest that you ask for itinerary advice from all the experts here before you make your reservations. Regarding Rick Steves, I don't dislike him. I sometimes use his guidebooks (along with others), and I watch his shows, but I would never, never base an itinerary on his itineraries. They are much too rushed, and cover too much ground that would be very difficult for an independent traveler to do on their own. HappyTrvlr makes some good points about this. He also omits some wonderful destinations so I always use additional guidebooks, such as Michelin Green Guide and Rough Guides. Lonely Planet was one of my favorites until recently. I don't like their new format.

My pleasure Emily.