Inns and Meals in the Countryside

Monday, April 30^: La Ferme Lamy, Meyrals

We left Le Mely reluctantly; Luc was such a fabulous host. The weather was terrible – torrential rain all day.  The trip to Meyrals, through the Dordogne Region, was spoiled as a consequence. Luc had recommended many points of interest to see, but the rain was so heavy, we didn’t even get out of the car.  We did stop at the National Museum of Pre-History, an ambitious and modern institution that offered more about its focus than anyone could really stomach. The displays were interesting, replicating the 10,000 to 30,000 B.C. cliff dwellings, cave paintings, as well as hundreds of finds from that period that have been excavated.

Dinner at La Ferme Lamy was simple for France: three courses, with the omnipresent Foie Gras, duck breast and a delicious three-chocolate confection. Totally pleasing…

Tuesday, May 1: La Chartreuse du Bignac, Bignac

The day was beautiful, the first in many, reaching the low 70s! We revisited some of the spots on the Dordogne we had by-passed yesterday, due to the rain.  May Day is a major holiday in France, as it is in many European countries. It is a celebration of Socialism. The roads were crowded; people were enjoying cafes, shopping flea markets, cruising shops…. Motorcyclists, RVs, bicyclists were everywhere. I shudder to contemplate what it is like in summer, particularly August!  To add to the congestion, the Dordogne River was in flood, washing out parking areas and other stopping spots. We stopped in Domme, La Roque-Gageac, Beynac, Montfort, Les Eyzies.

We decided to stop for lunch because, due to the national holiday, we knew the hotel wouldn’t be serving meals.  Margo was driving and as we rounded a bend, she spotted a nice-looking place for lunch – Les Pres Gaillardou. We enjoyed a delicious regional meal, reasonably priced.

(Margo) I chose terrine of duck with a small salad and onion confite (relish), followed by coq au vin, ancient style, whatever that is (!), with roasted potatoes and a green salad.  Steve ordered the green lentil salad with slivers of grilled duck breast, followed by herbed, roasted duck breast and fries with a tomato salad. For dessert, we whose dessert of the day: fresh white goat cheese smothered in wild strawberry sauce. All was delicious!

We chose the hotel on the basis of its “red” markings in the Michelin Guide. It was fantastic.  A huge layout of what must have been a major farm in the 1800s, it sprawled in a lovely landscape.  The hosts were charming, our room delightful.

May 2: Auberge du Centre-Poitou, Coulombiers

Again, a listing in the Michelin Guide attracted us to a detour on our way to La Rochelle, about 100 kilometers. The guide described it with both a blue “Bib” (an accommodation of both special quality and value), and a red “Bib” (special quality and value of food).

The drive wasn’t particularly attractive, but the major roads were high speed, with huge numbers of big rigs from countries outside France.

We stopped for a rather unsatisfactory lunch; Margo had a salad with what appeared to be artificial crab, and I a salad Nicoise with poor quality tuna.

The inn was spectacular; founded in 1870 with four generations continuously operating it. Though food and accommodation were relatively inexpensive, everything was special. Every generation had added to the plant, buildings connected, floors added, etc.

The place was packed for dinner.

(Margo) Steve ordered cream of green lentils with warm Lyonnaise sauce and passion fruit vinaigrette; I chose ravioli with fruits de mer (squid, shrimp and mussels) with a curried dried fruit sauce.

For dessert, we both ordered the special of the day: warm dark chocolate tart with caramel sauce, topped with chopped and toasted pistachios – a strange but delicious combination.