Our Family’s (2nd) Year in the South of France
Kids and Castles - Our year with kids in the South of France

Scenes from the Village Cafe

I call it “the village cafe“, but it’s actually a multi-commerce (general store). You can buy bread, stamps, and laundry detergent, refill your cell phone, and have a coffee or aperitif.  It’s also a full-service restaurant.  But this is not the “video rental and fresh bait” kind of general store you find in small towns in North America, this restaurant has a real chef and food that is absolutely exquisite.

One of my favorite things about France is that our cafe does plat à emporter (take out) including a really lovely chilled foie gras. You read that right, TAKE OUT FOIE GRAS. Seriously!!!  How awesome is that? Today JM and I had lunch there  and my canard (duck) was superb with a really incredible morel mushroom sauce. Last Friday the pork with chestnut sauce was absolute poetry.

But aside from the amazing food, the cafe is also a great place to experience the village:

  • Today there was a notice in the window announcing the birth of a new baby complete with picture and a general invitation to the baby shower – which would be held at the cafe, of course.
  • While were were eating, a local farmer showed up at the restaurant carrying a HUGE butternut squash under his arm, vanished into the kitchen, and came out with an enormous pail of food garbage.
  • Monsieur le Cowboy, a local character, came in for a drink and stopped by our table to flirt a bit, taking my hand and putting it to his lips, but then kissing his own hand instead at the last minute.
  • As we were leaving, the chef came out so of course JM chatted him up. He gave us a taste of his salt-cured duck, which sounded kind of scary to this simple prairie girl, but was excellent.

A totally charming lunch in our wonderful Provencal village cafe.

6 Responses to “Scenes from the Village Cafe”

  1. dad says:

    You don’t say it but is your place also the best place for community news gossip and related good stuff ?

  2. vered says:

    We want to see pictures!!!

  3. patti says:

    sounds so lovely!

  4. Genna (Bernard) says:

    Hi guys, this blog is amazing! B has mentioned we should visit France this year while you are there so finally getting organized I went to JM’s fb to MSG to find out where you are located and links all over to here! I’ll have to get more info. Cheers from YVR, Remembrance Day. Know they honour in the N…

    • Diane H. says:

      Hi G and B. Great to hear from you. Definitely come visit!!! Just say when. Glad you enjoy the blog.

  5. Lise Patenaude says:

    We had a wonderful osso buco that Denis made over the last weeend. Even reheated it was really delightful. But foie gras as a `’plat à emporter’, now you’re talking. Heavy on the waistline, but oh so delicious.
    Come to think of it, maybe I would gain too much weight in Provence.