Last night, Friday May 30, the hotel concierge recommended her favorite restaurant, Le Timbre, which was maybe 100 yards from the hotel. Fortunately she called for reservations; the 7:00 seating for the 12 tables (less than an inch apart) were fully booked. If you try to visualize your perfect, ideal French restaurant this was it. Well, except for the fact that the maitre de, waiter and manager was a Brit from Manchester. Oh well, communication was much improved and service was impeccable. The three course menu was out of this world. Brenda started with fried Calamari and I had the night’s special pate in pastry. We both had roasted lamb shoulder. You can’t imagine how tender and tasteful this was. Brenda had a prune dessert and mine, of course, was chocolate with a praline sauce. The recommended wine was the best we’ve tasted in France to date. This was a benchmark against which all other French meals will be judged.
The high speed TGV train was not that spectacular in spite of 200 miles per hour, smooth and quite and on schedule to the minute. The train was full. Most amazing is that no one ever asked to see our tickets.
We got a nice taxi to Joue les Tours and are staying at the Chateau de Beaulieu – see photo of the chateau and it’s lawn.
And, as to be expected, we had a great dinner.
The starter was smoked salmon on crème fraiche, followed by turbot with aniseed and an apple tart. We enjoyed the waiter’s recommendation of a dry white wine from the Loire Valley.
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