Chalon-sur-Saone, Tour de France and More Food

Tom finally gets his Tour de France shirt that he's been trying to purchase for eight years.  Philippe helped make sure Tom had the correct size.

Chalon-sur-Saone is ready for the Tour de France.

This was in front of a bakery showing how wheat was once ground.

Chalon-Our-Saone is a lovely town to walk in

We were excited.  Finally we would get to experience first hand the Tour de France.  We went into Chalon-Our-Saone early since we knew parking would be an issue.  This meant lunch out!  We love these French prix fixe meals. They can't be beat for value, attractive presentation and at the same time good food.  On the Island we stopped at the first restaurant that had shade.  Le Braserio was a cook your meat at your table type of restaurant.

Relaxing while waiting for our meal at Viandes et Gambas.

First course started well.   The fruit salad was diced ripe melons pared with salty prosciutto and a small salad.  I could have stopped there.  But more was coming.

The main course was charolais beef thinly sliced to cook on a bbq placed in the middle of the table. A baked potato and ratatouille finished off the main course.

Making the meal more interesting (and tasty) were four sauces to use as toppings.

The "caravan" preceding the racers was long and amounted to a lot of advertising,  There were items for sale as well as give-aways.

Tom and Philippe enjoying the parade before the riders came through.

There were big screens allowing us to watch the race.

This is the head of the Tour de France with less than 450 meters to the finish line.  They've been cycling for five hours straight in the heat and humidity.  

Part of the peloton following along.

 Every week we have date night.  That means I don't cook and Tom doesn't have to do dishes.  It also allows us to enjoy the local cuisine which is always a treat.  Dinner was back on the island of Chalon-sur-Saone.

Tom informed me he had his glass of wine. I was on my own.

We had a relaxing dinner at Les Gourmands Disent...  The weather was perfect for an evening dining outside.

I had the best view of Tom and the Main Street lined with restaurants and apartments above.

First was a little cheese brioche and cold asparagus soup.  I'm adding cold asparagus soup to my summer menu.

 We started with the Entree...

Tomato green zebra, emulsion Burrata, basilic. In other words, green zebra tomatoes inside the shell with an emulsion of burrata cheese with a light basil sauce.

 The entree was followed by the Plate (main course)

Magret de canard aux pêches, puree cardinal, legumes racines.  I knew we were getting duck with peaches.  The rest was a mystery but perfectly prepared and delicious. 

Last was dessert

My dessert was savers d 'ete fruits rouges.  All I understood was that I was getting something with red fruits.

Tom loves rice pudding so he chose Au soliel levant, riz, kiwi, mangue. We understood  rice, kiwi, and mango, but didn't know what else would be with it.  It's always an adventure

 It was Saturday night July 13 and we assumed that the following night Bastille Day would have the fireworks and celebrations.  Unbeknownst to us all the little villages around us were having their celebrations that evening.  We walked over to where the viewing was and waited and waited.  Eventually we were rewarded with a mediocre fireworks show.

Celebrating Bastille Day early.

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Heading to Fragnes Via The Saone River and Canal du Centre, France

Lock house along the Canal du Centre

I'm finally planting this year's garden

Time to relax and enjoy the view

We're being followed

An economical way to move over 3,000 tons of lumber. 

Beggars asking for a handout

We're being attacked

Hot enough that the cows went for a swim

Canal du Centre was closed for 5 hours while the beautiful hotel barge Apres Tout struggled through to the River Saone.   We are all dealing with unusually low water levels due to the drought.

I passed Caroline a bottle of my home made Lemoncello so they could celebrate arriving safely on the River Saone

A careful handoff

Walking along the Canal du Centre

We continue to enjoy our morning walks

This friendly fellow likes to greet us

A beautifully restored old canal boat

The bakery near where we are tied up Karine et Thierry Duvernay.  The pastries and breads are made by hand and delicious!

It's peaceful walking along the canal

A small farming community in the background

We're excited about  Rabelo's new project.  We have a new Bimini being installed.  It will be lovely sitting up on deck without being directly in the sun. 

It's going to be a large Bimini.

We're looking forward to the job being completed

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Food and Wine in France

To your health!

We are continually asked "Why are you spending so much time in France?"  You could say that I'm a foodie.  I wake up thinking about food.  I go to sleep thinking about food.  I'm continually planning our next meals and what new recipes to try.  Hours are spent on the internet searching out new ideas.   I'm making my pie crust and pizza dough from scratch.  Eating out in France is an adventure.  I don't always know what I'm ordering.  Only twice have I been served something I wouldn't eat.  The food in France is delicious!  I love the traditional meals as well as the new lighter fare being created by a new generation of chiefs.  The cheeses are amazing with 400+ types to choose from.  The wines are delicious with even inexpensive wines from the market being drinkable.  The pastries and breads are world famous.  Going to the boulangerie can be almost a religious experience.  Food in France can be seasonable and regional.  Summer fruits are bursting with flavor and color.  Fall mushrooms fill the stalls at the farmers markets. The people have been lovely and so very polite.  For me it's heaven on earth.  So why not France?  As a friend's mother always said "what's not to like?"

We love beginning a meal with an aperitif

An aperitif sets the mood. 

A lovely deconstructed salad

We accidentally found a Michelin starred restaurant for dinner one night.  We almost didn't find it as it was tucked into a little village off the beaten path.  You need to be adventurous.  You need to be willing to turn yourself over to the chief and staff.  You must be able to relax and go with the flow.  The meal was exceptional.  Taken into consideration are any food allergies or restrictions you might have.  They will also discuss how you like your meats and/or fish prepared.  Then you wait for the show as there is no menu.  The only hint as to what the dinner night be is the question as to how you like certain things prepared from rare to well done.  Not only was every course presented on a lovely plate, artistically arranged, but a different bread/roll along with a unique butter was also served along side each course.  All in all it was amazing.  Auberge de la Charme in Prenois, France near the town of Dijon.

I can't even tell you exactly what we ate.  It was all beautiful and delicious.  Each course presented was unique in color, texture and taste.

Appetizers

Seafood 

It's difficult deciding which cheeses to try.

For desert I was presented with an apple which was so perfect I actually thought that was what I was being served.  I was surprised when I cut into the crisp green outer shell.

Chateau Sainte Sabine is a place we return to annually.  Their Prix Fixe meal is a delight to the senses.

The amuse bouche are clever and meant to tickle the taste buds.

A new presentation of escargot 

Each course is artistically presented with reasonable portion sizes.

Perfect

There are so many unique and special cheeses to sample.

 Besides my cooking and our occasional meal out, wine is an important part of living in France.  We've enjoyed meeting and spending time with Christine and Jean-Michel Jacob of Domaine Lucien Jacob Winery.

Wine tasting at Domain Lucien Jacob Winery

 The dining room at Abbaye de la Bussiere-sur-Ouche is magnificent.  Every detail carefully thought out and executed.  The service is always impeccable and the meals delicious.

Dinner at Abbaye de la Bussiere-sur-Ouche to celebrate Tom's birthday

It's unusual for me to order steak, but grass fed, hormone free Charlois beef is a treat for those of us coming from the USA.

In Beaune they have a large outdoor market.

Vibrant flowers help set the mood on this rainy day.

I think olives should have their own food group.

Candied fruits

With all the eating we do it's important to exercise.

We walked up to Chateauneuf and found a lovely bench for a photo op before a lunch of crepes

Marty and Sara joined us on Rabelo to celebrate Marty's birthday. 

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More to come.