From Palluau to La Ferté-Imbault to Blois

We had dinner in La Ferté-Imbault, deep in the forests of the Sologne, last night. The restaurant is called L'Auberge à la Tête de Lard — The Fat Head's Inn, or something like that. It was a five- or six-course meal for 30 euros per person.

Rooftop views at Palluau-sur-Indre

I'll recite my courses: head cheese (fromage de tête) with a balsamic vinaigrette; salmon terrine with asparagus points; boneless rolled roast of rabbit with a sausage stuffing and several vegetables, including fennel; green salad with walnuts; cheeses (local goat, Auvergne bleu, and Pont-l'Evêque from Normandy). Walt, Candy, and John had different courses that included things like duck with olives, sea trout with fennel sauce, snails in garlic butter, omelet with lardons and mushrooms, and... I just can't name the all.

New growth on a grove of trees in the Indre River Valley

The wines were a white from the Menetou-Salon wine area north of Bourges (a considerable distance east of Saint-Aignan) and a red from St-Nicolas de Bourgueil (considerable distance west of Saint-Aignan down the Loire, near Saumur). Both were excellent. Menetou-Salon is a Sauvignon Blanc that is softer and more florid than white Sancerre wine, the neighboring area. And St-Nicolas is a nice Cabernet Franc from the best part (according to many) of the Bourgueil area. It was a 2004.

No, this is not a joke. It's a street sign in Palluau.

It's pouring rain this morning and is supposed to rain steadily until mid-day. We will be driving up to Blois around noontime. Our friends are taking the train to Paris (and we don't get to go...) to spend a few days wandering the city and eating in some restaurants they have read about and want to try.

Views between Palluau houses

The pictures in this post are from Palluau-sur-Indre and I took them Sunday afternoon. As I think I wrote, Palluau is up on a promontory above the Indre River Valley, so the views are nice. It's what is called a perched village, of which there are many in Provence and the Dordogne but fewer in the Loire Valley.

I like the austere look of this house in St-Genou.

It's been a nice visit, despite some iffy weather. J & C say they might well be back for a return visit before the end of 2008, and we can look forward to that.

Typical doorway and stoop in Palluau