...Brasserie du Grand Café de L'Opera (Toulouse, France)

Overall - 7.5/10
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Food - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10

A year ago, we were lucky enough to have spent a month in France.  This summer we won't be travelling so we thought we would post on a few of our memorable experiences from our trip as a way to reminisce.  We hope you find these posts helpful if you plan on stopping by a few of the same locations or at the very least, enjoyable to read.  Toulouse is a beautiful city to visit.  We happened to be in Toulouse for Bastille Day and it was a fantastic experience.

Our luck with trains this trip seems to have run out and we have been been hit with multiple delays and cancellations. The trip from Tours to Toulouse was particularly bad. Right off the bat we were delayed three hours at the train station. Then just as we got underway we were told that our train would no longer be making the full journey to Toulouse. Instead we had to spend the night in a sketchy motel until the next train in the morning (we have to note that the train driver was very kind in making sure we had a place to sleep instead of waiting at the station in the middle of the night for 4 hours).

When we finally did arrive in Toulouse we thought a celebratory dinner was in order. We chose the Brasserie du Café de L'Opera which was located conviently around the corner from our hotel. Maybe it was the previous day spent eating pre-packaged sandwiches in train stations but we felt very lucky to be sitting down to a nice dinner even if we weren't necessarily wowed by the food.

Caramelized onions and cheese on bread 

We started our meal off with the beef carpaccio and the tomato salad.  The beef was sliced finely and quite fresh but nothing special. 

The tomato salad however was excellent. The tomatoes were perfectly ripe and bursting with flavour while the accompaniments of buffalo mozzarella, basil pesto and Parmesan cheese were very well chosen.

Or mains included a grilled red snapper dish with peppers and steak with caramelized shallots. 

The fish was well cooked, moist but somewhat bland. The steak tasted really good with the sweet caramelized shallots and is a combination that we'll be trying at home.

For dessert we chose an apple tart and the crème caramel. Both were well done and not too sweet. Again nothing particularly special but after the ordeal of the day before just being able to sit at a table with wine and enjoy our dinner made for a special evening!

Apple Tart

Crème caramel

Looking back at the pictures we are now wondering why we thought the food was just average, because it all looks pretty dang good a year later.  I think we were completely spoiled on this trip with the all-around fantastic food in France.  You don't have to pay much to get a good meal so when we came here, a fine dining restaurant, where the flavours were just as good as what you could get at a lower priced restaurant we felt slightly underwhelmed.  However, we definitely recommend L'Opera for the ambience and service. 

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...La Tomate Verte (Aix en Provence, France)

Overall - 8/10
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Food - 8.5/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance 8/10

A year ago, we were lucky enough to have spent a month in France.  This summer we won't be travelling so we thought we would post on a few of our memorable experiences from our trip as a way to reminisce.  We hope you find these posts helpful if you plan on stopping by a few of the same locations or at the very least, enjoyable to read. 

When you're in Provence you can just tell. For some people it's the sunshine, for others it's the smells of lavender but for us it's the food. Our first meal here at La Tomate Verte in Aix en Provence couldn't have been a better welcome to the region. The flavours of lavender, rosemary and thyme permeated our meal while the generous use of the locally produced olive oil made for a wonderful first meal here in the south east of France.

Our first starter was a whole eggplant stuffed with tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and dressed with herbs and copious amounts of olive oil. Although the dish seemed simple it was made from the freshest of produce from the market that day. The eggplant was first slowly roasted until tender, concentrating its flavours then the marinated tomatoes were stuffed into it creating a great contrast between fresh and cooked flavours. This dish was Provence on a plate.

Our next appetizer was called 'Caillette' which is essentially a warm pork terrine/meatball that was served over toasted bread and with sweet pickled onions. Another awesome combination!

For our mains we had a roasted duck breast with ratatouille (essentially a dish of sautéed eggplant, tomato, zuchinni, onion and garlic), and a slowly braised lamb shank in herbs de Provence served with olive oil mashed potatoes. The duck was cooked to medium rare and matched well with the earthy flavours of the ratatouille. The lamb shank was super tender and again went really well with the traditional flavours of thyme, rosemary and lavender.

Lamb Shank

Duck breast with Ratatouille

For dessert we had the rhum baba and the chef's interpretation of Callissons. For those of you who are not familiar with Callissons, they are a traditional Provençal sweet made from almond paste. Our dessert this night was made from this same almond delicacy but wrapped around a vanilla bean ice cream. The rhum baba was also quite good but could have used a bit more rum for our tastes.

After such a great meal, I'm sure the flavours of Provence will remain in our minds for a long time to come.

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Restaurant Emile (Toulouse, France)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance 8/10

The food of the Toulouse region is much more rustic than that of the rest of France. The flavours are bold and the style of cooking and presentation much less finicky than in say Paris. What we found out after eating at Restaurant Emile though is that robust flavours can still be done in an elegant way. In fact, we were more satisfied with this meal than many we've had elsewhere in France, this place was just that amazing!

Hôtel de Ville or City Hall of Toulouse

Foie gras is one of the most famous regional products in these parts so it was a must order type of dish. The torchon of foie gras here was among the best I've had. Sometimes if not prepared very carefully the foie gras can be somewhat stringy due to the connective tissue in the liver that needs to be removed. Here the torchon was silky smooth and buttery.

Our second appetizer was a huge platter of house smoked salmon. The portion was very generous and the fish was nicely smoked and fresh.

For our mains I went with the classic Toulousienne dish called cassoulet. It is essentially a dish of slow cooked beans , sausage, pork and confit duck. Once all the ingredients are tender and falling off the bone the whole lot is broiled until a delicious crispy crust forms on top. As you can imagine the beans absorb all the porky flavour and are the best part of the dish.

The seafood option was a grilled fish dish that included monkfish, sole, snapper, mussels, sea bass and cuttlefish. Each fish was expertly cooked and the sun dried tomato oil served alongside added a great sweetness to the fish.

Our desserts that night were just as good as the preceding courses and included a Grand Marnièr soufflé and a wild strawberry Napoleon made from layers of homemade almond crisps. The soufflé was super light and airy and exploding with the flavour of the orange liqueur while the Napoleon really highlighted the flavours of the ripe summer strawberries.

Overall this is a place that is frequented by visitors and locals alike, probably due to the traditional Toulousienne cuisine and attentive service that can sometimes be hard to find in France.

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...Le Relais D'Alsace (Tours, France)

Overall - 7.5/10
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Food - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance 8/10

Ever since our  first taste of Alsatian food we have not only craved the heartily and down to earth meals of sausage and roasted meats but also the lively atmosphere of the restaurants and plentiful beer. Le Relais D'Alsace is a monster of a restaurant located in the heart of Tours' shopping district. It's got an amazing terrace but also two stories of dining space decked out in the traditional Alsatian decor.

Starters we sampled include this rillette de porc which is essentially slowly cooked pork shoulder and belly shredded and potted in its own fat and cooking juices. It is then spread over crusty French bread and enjoyed with either a cold beer or some local white wine.

For lunch we had both the  roasted whole fish served with a beurre blanc sauce and the classic choucroute which is a huge dish of braised sausage and potatoes served over sauerkraut. The fish was fresh and well cooked while the choucroute was extremely filling. In hindsight the choucroute probably would have been enough for the two of us but when in France it's tough not to sample as much food as you can. If you're a sausage fan, the choucroute is definitely for you as there were a number of different locally made sausages including a garlic sausage, bratwurst and frankfurters.  The fish was extremely fresh and was accompanied with a beurre blanc.  Absolutely the best grilled whole fish I've tried.

As Alsace is located fairly close to Belgium, moules et frites or mussels and fries are another popular dish. Unlike the mussels we get here in Canada which seem to be quite large and minerally these ones were small, plump and much sweeter.

The grilled rib steak was also a great choice for dinner. It was flavourful and grilled just right albeit slightly tougher than then the beef we have here in Canada.

Le Relais D'Alsace is a great place to have a meal after an afternoon of shopping. By no means would I call the food refined but the overall experience was definitely satisfying!

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Les Papilles (Tours, France)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 8/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance- 9/10

The Avenue Grammont is one of main streets of Tours and is the location of a number of great restaurants including La Chope. Les Papilles is another one that we had the fortune of discovering. French for 'taste buds' Les Papilles definitely delivered when it came to taste but also hit it out of the park with the super friendly service and chic yet comfortable decor. We knew we were in for a good evening when upon walking into the restaurant we were greeted with big smiles from every server we passed on our way to our table.

Again as it seems in France the  price fixe menu for 28€ each for a starter, main course and dessert was the way to go. We began with a house made terrine of poultry and the friccase of girolle mushrooms. The terrine was well prepared with strong herby flavours of parsley and chervil. The mushroom fricasse was essentially sautéed girolle mushrooms with shallots and ham. The mushrooms also called chanterelles are a local variety that were in season. We could tell this not only by their intense flavours but also the quantity that made it onto our plate. This was one of the best tastes we've had in France!

Our main courses included a poached monkfish in a Moroccan style sauce and a slowly braised veal dish loaded with more of those girolle mushrooms. The veal stole the show and was the epitome of the great French food that can be had in Tours. Even though it was a simple dish of slowly braised veal with girolles and buttered carrots the perfect execution and intense flavours in each mouthful brought it to the next level, The monkfish though cooked well just didn't stand up to the awesomeness of the veal. The dish was described as 'Moroccan tagine monkfish' but reminded us more of a curry that seemed a little one note in flavour. 

To finish we had the obligatory cheese plate and a molten chocolate cake served with a passion fruit sorbet. Both were a great way to end another excellent meal in Tours!

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...La Chope (Tours, France)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10

For the past month we have had the opportunity to explore several different regions of France. In the next few weeks we'll be posting on some recipes and restaurants we've been able to try and hope you'll follow along!

We started off our French travels in Tours which is a picturesque little city located just south of Paris in the Loire valley. It's a great place to stay when you're in the area to explore the numerous chateaux, vineyards and farms located in the region. We came for another reason though, the 100th edition of Tour de France. Connecting all the chateaux and vineyards are beautiful bike friendly roads that were the backdrop of two stages of the race.

On our first night in town we stumbled upon this little seafood restaurant on the main avenue of town just steps from our hotel. Thankfully our intuition for good restaurants paid off, and the tables packed with locals, delicious looking food and friendly wait staff all led us to an amazing meal.

We started off with the house smoked salmon served over steamed potatoes and a creme Fraiche sauce and the local torchon of foie gras. The fish was fresh as can be and matched perfectly with the light creme fraiche while the foie gras was perfectly prepared, rich and melting in your mouth.

For our mains we had steamed cod served with a garlic aioli and a seared duck breast served with a red wine reduction. The cod was steamed perfectly while the garlic aioli provided just the right amount of richness to the dish. The duck was cooked to a nice medium rare but was still very tender with a crispy skin.

In France dinner is not complete without a cheese plate and this evenings one was very generous with three different cheeses including a local chèvre and a runny St. Marcelin that were both amazing. The other option was the apricot and almond tart which was perfectly balanced between the rich sweetness of the almond paste and the tart fresh local apricots.

What we love about France is the great quality of food that can be had for very reasonable prices. Our entire meal was had for 25€ each. The huge selection of local wines all also at very reasonable prices added to a great dining experience.

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