Tasteful Voyages™

At the table in the Champagne Region

I am still glowing from our recent trip to France. We flew to Marseille, then boarded AmaWaterway's AmaCello for a 7-day river cruise on the Rhone and Saône Rivers, then went to Lyon, Reims, and Paris before returning home.

This was our first overseas trip in more than 2 years and honestly, it was easier than I had anticipated. Things are still in a state of flux, with countries in the EU changing their entry requirements almost day by day. I'm hopeful that things will continue to get easier.

While in France I realized that I needed to be more familiar with the various types of eating establishments and I did a bit of research. It seems we ate in nearly every type of eatery - I hope you enjoy this little research project. And when you're ready to plan your own culinary journey to France, please let me know - I'd love to help you!

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Boulangerie, Bistro or Brasserie?

France is arguably the foodie capital of the world. Food is revered and many cooking styles and techniques originated here. While food is greatly appreciated, it's also takem very seriously - here's a list of the various types of eateries found in France - and where possible, I've shared a representative photo from our recent travels.

CAFÉ - Cafés are typically neighborhood spots serving hot drinks - coffees, tea, chocolate chaud (hot chocolate), and alcoholic beverages. They offer light fare - sandwiches, salads, and so forth. They are typically open from morning until evening without closing mid-day. It's fine to come in and just have a drink - although you may be directed to a specific table or bar. This was L'Opera Café in Avignon; we ducked in here seeking shelter from the very chilly Provençal wind. (And I learned that in France Tulip-shaped glasses are preferred for serving sparkling wine - the shape of the glass enhances the bubbles and the aroma.)

BISTROT - A casual setting with reasonably priced, relatively simple food. Typically smaller and more informal than other restaurants. Bistrot are usually open for lunch and dinner, closed in between. They frequently have wicker chairs on the sidewalks in front of the restaurant, facing the street. Menu choices may be focused on seasonal ingredients and may also feature fusion with Asian or Middle Eastern cuisines. This was taken at the outdoor oyster (Huitre) shucking station at Les Antiquaires in Paris.

BISTROT ROTISSERIE - A bistro specializing in roasted meats. While in Lyon we had dinner at Cafe Terroir - which also offered foods typical of Lyon. Restaurants specializing in Lyonnaise food are also referred to as Bouchons - with lots of sausages, beef, pork, and fresh cheeses on the menu. (Since we had been on a tasting tour earlier in the afternoon, all I had room for was some lovely roast asparagus)

BRASSERIE - The root word here is Brasser which refers to the process of brewing beer. Unlike microbreweries in the US, very few brasseries produce their own beer, but they are likely to have a decent selection of European beers on tap and in bottles and a good selection of wine. Traditional, moderately priced French food is on the menu and the hours of operation are typically "service continu" - meaning that food is served all day. This lovely onion soup was served at La Feuillée in Theizé in the Beaujolais region.

BRASSERIE TRADITIONELLE refers to historic restaurants that have been in business for decades. Many feature elaborately decorated dining rooms dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century (the Belle Epoque) - the setting is a bit more formal and pricing is a little higher than a simple Brasserie. This is the dining room at Au Pied du Cochon; this restaurant has been in operation since 1946 and serves food 24/7.

AUBERGE loosely translates to "inn" and this type of eatery is typically part of a rural hotel or bed and breakfast. An "Auberge Terroir" uses certified regional (AOC) products. Food choices tend to be quite limited and are often part of a set menu. Small hotel restaurants may also be referred to as TABLE D'HÔTE (translates to Host's Table) and meals may be served family-style at a communal table.

Exterior of Hostellerie Due Vieux Pérouges; we stopped here for a snack during our day in Beaujolais.

This establishment is well known for their local specialty - Galette Péourgienne or Pérouges flat cake - basically sugar pizza

A homey lunch served at Les Boulles Dorées - roast asparagus nestled in asparagus mousse next to a poached egg in cheese sauce with a parmesan crisp.

The lovely dining room at Les Boulles Dorées overlooks a beautiful garden

A RESTAURANT typically offers multicourse meals including an Entree (starter/appetizer,) Plat (main course,) cheese, and dessert. Some combination of these courses is frequently offered at a fixed price. Restaurants are usually open for lunch and dinner, and offer an extensive wine list and elegant service. This restaurant, Severo, focuses on dry-aged beef - it's run by a former butcher (Boucher)

RESTAURANT GASTRONOMIQUE - higher-end restaurants, many with at least one Michelin Star. They are frequently associated either with a celebrated chef or a luxury hotel. Expect to pay a minimum of €100 per person, not including wine. Set menus may be available for lunch; lunch pricing is typically more reasonable. We had dinner at Leon de Lyon; my chicken (Volaille du Bresse) was seriously one of the best dishes I've ever had.

There are several additional types of eateries in France, including:

BOUILLON - traditional restaurants that cater to laborers and offer good food and great value
BAR A VIN (Wine Bar) - typically offering a very simple menu, for example, bread, cheese, and charcuterie.
TRAITEUR - originally "traiteur' was the nickname for the Guild of Cooks and Caterers who, over time, claimed exclusive rights to prepare dishes that were more sophisticated. Today the term broadly refers to caterers, but it also refers to a food shop selling prepared food for carryout or take away.
BOULANGERIE - is a French Bakery, distinct from a pastry shop. While pastries may be available, their primary product is bread which must be baked on the premises.
PÂTISSERIE refers both to French Pastry and the shop in which pastries are sold. To be a Pâtisserie in France, the pastries must be made by a licensed Mâitre Pâtissier (a master pastry chef.)
VIENNOISERIE refers to flaky pastries typically consumed at breakfast and baked in the style of Vienna, Austria. Brioche and croissants are both categorized as Viennoiserie.

One final thing I learned during our trip - France has a competition among chefs called Meilleurs Ouvrier de France (MOF) which translates to "the best craftsman in France." Chefs who win this competition are permitted to have a special collar on their chef coat, featuring the tricolor red, white and blue of the French flag. During our food tour in Lyon, I noticed a chef in a butcher stall who was also depicted in a huge photo - he was awarded the MOF for his butchering skills in 2016. Another MOF we came across in Lyon was François Pralus - who earned this honor in 1955 for chocolate pastry. He invented the Praluline - a brioche studded with pink praline - candy-coated almonds and hazelnuts. Delicious!

Rendering of François Pralus with his MOF collar

Delicious Praluline!

Didier Massot, MOF for his butchering skills, in his stall at Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse

Joan Qualls, Owner / Travel Advisor

joan@tastefulvoyages.com

CST #2123649-40

Enjoying the views from the open-air platform onboard Rocky Mountaineer

Rich and I are just back after a bucket list trip to Western Canada with Rocky Mountaineer.

What's Rocky Mountaineer? Their tagline is "truly moving train journeys" and after this experience, I must agree. I first learned about Rocky Mountaineer several years ago at a travel conference, and I've wanted to do this trip ever since. We booked more than two years ago - and after several reschedulings of our journey, we are so thankful that we were able to do this! In our case, we started in Calgary, then went on to Lake Louise, Banff, Kamloops, and Vancouver - with stays at Fairmont Hotels (except for Kamloops.)

Rocky Mountaineer packages luxury train travel segments with hotels and tours in some of Western Canada's most spectacular locations. There are lots of choices with respect to travel style - a trip can be almost all luxury, with "Gold Leaf" 2-level observation and dining car service, coupled with stays at historic Fairmont Hotels - or "Silver Leaf" service with alternate hotels and meals served at the seat. The train portion of the trip is supplemented with coach tours in each city along the way. With passengers coming and going on multiple itineraries, I must admit that I am in awe of the logistic prowess of this company!

Not ready to leave the US quite yet? Rocky Mountaineer has launched an all-US product with tours between Colorado and Utah, utilizing their Silver Leaf Cars.

This article is taking the form of a photo journal - it's my hope that this gives you a sense of our experience. Are you interested in a trip like this? Let me know; I'd be delighted to help you plan. Please contact me at joan@tastefulvoyages.com - and if you have an idea of when you'd like to travel, please include that information.

Cheers! and Enjoy!!!

Our first two days in Canada were in Calgary; we stayed at the lovely and historic Fairmont Palliser Hotel. We had dinner in the rotating restaurant at the summit of the Calgary Tower.

On our drive from Calgary to Lake Louise, we stopped at several scenic spots - including these "hoodos" - the odd rock formations in the center of this photo.

We stopped at Bow Falls, and they were beautiful - but the view opposite the falls was stunning!

We arrived at our beautiful hotel - the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise - this was the view from our room. We were surprised to find that Lake Louise was still frozen over - with folks walking on the ice sheet!

At Lake Louise's Swiss inspired restaurant, I ordered the "Clarified Cosmopolitan" made with white cranberry juice - the glass was dusted with a mixture of sugar and ground dried cranberries. Delicious!

The next day we set out on the Columbia Icefields Highway, named one of the world's most beautiful drives, parts of which are called "Glacier Alley." Highlights included a walk on the Glacier Skywalk.

The Athabasca Glacier itself is surrounded by several peaks, many with glaciers of their own. The glacier has been steadily receding; it's estimated that it may last another 75 years.

How did we reach the Glacier? In this custom vehicle called the Ice Explorer!

That evening we had dinner in the beautiful Fairview Dining Room - these large picture windows framing the awesome scenery are legendary!

Our next hotel was the Iconic Banff Springs Hotel - it's said that when Queen Mary first spotted this hotel during a 1934 visit, she exclaimed "Wow" - and to this day this vantage point is called "Surprise Corner."

We had a half day excursion to Jasper National Park - this spot, called the Natural Bridge, is one of the most beautiful nature scenes I've ever seen.

We had some leisure time built into our trip and had a lovely morning stroll through downtown Banff.

The Banff Springs Hotel offers many different activities - I opted for a mixology class and learned to make the signature cocktails from the Fairmont hotels in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper.

After 6 nights at three beautiful and historic Fairmont Hotels, it was time to board the Rocky Mountaineer for our 2-day journey to Vancouver!

We booked the "Gold Leaf" service featuring comfortable heated seats in an upper level glass domed rail car. The dining area, for breakfast and lunch, is on the first level of the carriage.

I spent most of my time gazing out of the windows at the spectacular views

The train hosts have a small food prep area on one end of the passenger compartment; during the day passengers are offered coffee, tea, juices and a selection of adult beverages - and lots of snacks.

Shortly after leaving Banff, we passed this marker indicating a Continental Divide - a point at which waters to the east of this spot flow toward the Atlantic, while waters to the west flow toward the Pacific.

The engineers are really great wildlife spotters; they alert the train hosts who in turn shout "Bear on the Left!!!"

Bear #2 - (We did see a mama bear and two cubs but I was not fast enough to snap the photo. It lives in my memory!)

We rolled past the aftermath of an avalanche - the power of nature is incredible!

The Spiral Tunnels are a railway engineering feat - an ingenious way to reduce the grade for train safety. The Rocky Mountaineer is the only passenger train to go through these tunnels.