It's nice to be in NW Europe at this time of year. It's 9:30 and the sun is just thinking about setting beyond the Loire. It's warm and the birds are flying excitedly over the rooftops till the bats take over. The town is peaceful and very pretty, but it isn't all about tourism. The place has a life of its own, and it seems a pleasant, rather decorous one.
We ate at a fairly ambitious place called L'Alliance, an easy little stroll from the hotel. Very nice, though "real" andouille was a little offal for my taste -- I prefer the New Orleans version. We had a simple but very pleasant local wine at 23€ a bottle, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Cot, Cab Franc and Gamay. Not the stuff of high scores but an apt pairing for our courses, the first of which was a terrine of duck fois gras with a confit of grapefruit and cinnamon -- really excellent. Actually, said I wished I had a Lambrusco too.
I admit I like this version of France much better than Paris. I just wonder why every park and traffic island has at least one banana plant growing in it. Is it a Green comment on echauffagement global, if that's exactly how they term it?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
rechauffement de la planete.
Posted by: Fredric Koeppel | July 15, 2008 at 04:47 PM
Thank you, mon vieux. Incredibly, I am stil awake but not for long. I'd correct the error but not now!
Tomorrow -- a couple of wineries to hit. So many choices!
Posted by: Strappo | July 15, 2008 at 04:51 PM