Before we walked through the market hall in Romorantin, we stopped at a restaurant across the street where I had had lunch back in 2003. I wanted to see what was on the menu nowadays. It turned out there was no printed menu. There was only a page-size blackboard with tiny handwritten scribbling all over it. It was basically illegible. We talked to a very busy waiter who seemed to be running the place and asked for a printed menu. He just dismissed us and walked away. We walked away too. We went to see if we could find another restaurant where we could have lunch after seeing the market.
We didn't find another restaurant that interested us. I really wanted an omelet, and E. and E. said that sounded good to them too. We had a big dinner planned. The only restaurant that was serving omelets was the one where the rude waiter had turned us away. We decided to return there after all. This time, we got a table and the waiter brought us the chalkboard "menu" — I set out to decipher the omelets listed on it. Esta said she was going to just order a beer, and then she and Evelyn could share an omelet. I feared the worst. Usually in French restaurants you can't ask for substitutions or request special orders. Esta ordered her drink, while Evelyn and I ordered our omelets.They were filled with ham, cheese, tomato, and potato. They were served with French fries, too, which seemed a little over the top since there were sauteed potato slices inside the omelet already.
Well, it turned out to be delicious. The fries were the best ones I'd had in a long time. And the omelet was perfectly cooked — not dry inside but nicely golden brown on the outside. I pressed my luck and asked the waiter (the same one) if he could bring Esta a plate so that she could share Evelyn's omelet. I expected him to say no and walk away again. But it was no problem. He brought the extra plate immediately. We all thought the food was excellent. We were glad we hadn't gone elsewhere. You just never know. The meal we had in Vouvray the day before had been excellent too. I don't know why I didn't take any photos at either restaurant.
That night, we had dinner at the chambres d'hôtes inn (B & B) where E. and E. were staying. We were served oven-roasted pork tenderloin and a gratin of garden-grown Swiss chard with Gruyère cheese. Then there was a cheese course featuring local goat cheeses. Dessert was a delicious chocolate mousse. Local Sauvignon Blanc, Côt (Malbec), and Gamay wines flowed freely. Conversation was lively and bilingual. There were six of us at the table, and we all speak English. Four of us live here and also speak French. The woman who did the cooking and serving, Françoise, was the only person who doesn't, and she wanted to get to know us better. My head was spinning... no, not because of the wines, but because we kept switching languages and there were usually two or three conversations going on around the table at the same time. It was a lot of fun.
As simple as it sounds, an omelet could be undercooked or overcooked. The perfect omelet, is something to really enjoy. Glad you finaly got a good restaurant.
ReplyDeleteIs the B&B where E&E stayed called La Tour de Babel?
Both the restaurants (Vouvray and Romorantin) were very good. I can't remember the last time I went to a restaurant in France... The B&B is La Noisetière, in Noyers-sur-Cher.
DeleteThanks for the link B&B E&E!
DeleteGreat markets and great restaurants, two reasons to love rural France
ReplyDelete"Then there was a cheese course featuring local goat cheeses." That's all I'd need to hear to choose that restaurant. Loire goat cheeses might be my favorite cheeses in the world. And your whole meal at the B&B sounds fantastic.
ReplyDeleteOh, my, my, my! The meals sound wonderful, and the market photos are a joy. I just love yogurt in France -- it harks back to my au pair year, because yogurt, cheese, and coffee were all things that I fell in love with, thanks to their French versions that I discovered that year. I love the little individual glass container yogurts, because they are so French!
ReplyDeletePerles de Lait!
DeleteWhat an amusing and fun dinner party that must have been! To share a meal in a restaurant is something I am really looking forward to! These past 18 months have really been different for me. I've been single for quite a while, now, but the weeks always included events to share with others. I am so anxious to be social, again! So glad you had this opportunity, Ken! I can only imagine how just being together felt like but then the conversations in two different languages, the laughing, the smiling (all visible- now!) just makes me smile, now. I was in a small store on Saturday and the clerk came around from his large plexiglass divider and told me how nice it was to see my smile, and how great it is to have all the customers without masks! WE DID IT!!!
ReplyDeleteThose pastries in your photo look wonderful. I might need to sample those. Baba au rhum....
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