"Traditional or Normal?"

The host at our bed and breakfast was asking us what kind of food we wanted. My wife and I had just finished a tour of the grounds and had queried him about local restaurants. The nearest large town was 23 kilometers away. The place where we were staying was out in the country, miles from anywhere. We wondered if there was a good restaurant nearby.

"Traditional," he explained, "is food from our region, prepared in the traditional way. Normal is what you can get anywhere."

"Traditional," we answered, without missing a beat.

"There is a place close by, but you have to have a reservation. What time would you like?"

"7:30." we said.

He disappeared into the main house. In a few minutes he re-appeared.

"7:30 it is." He then gave us directions: go 7 kilometers down the road fronting the B&B, then turn left at the sign that says " Le Cap Blanc ". Go up the hill and pull in where the sign says " Auberge Veyret ."

"An Auberge ," he explained, "is an inn - a place where you can stay overnight that also has a restaurant."

Fifteen minutes later we were negotiating a twisting, turning country road, in the heart of the Périgord Noir . This is the northeastern quarter of the Périgord, a region in Southwestern France east of Bordeaux. It is an area of heavily wooded hills, winding roads, and breathtaking views of castles perched high on the edges of cliffs. Our host's directions were perfect, and within a half an hour we were pulling in front of the Auberge Veyret . A pleasant, grandmotherly woman greeted us at the front desk, and guided us to our table.

Throughout our trip, and even before we had left, we had heard about how fabulous, and inexpensive, the food was in the Périgord. "In the Périgord you will eat well," more that one person had told us. This restaurant looked like it would live up to our expectations. The room had a rustic feel, with exposed timbers in the ceiling and ancient stucco walls. We sat down, and occupied the last available table. The dining room was big, and filled for the night. Most of the people were in large parties, six or more to a table. Next to us was a group of about 10 people who were talking, eating, drinking - and obviously enjoying themselves.

The waitress brought us a menu and wine list. I glanced at the menu, which contained traditional foods from the region, and instantly knew what I would have. It was the Menu Gourmand for thirty-seven euros. Thirty-seven euros might seem high to the budget minded, but the Menu Gourmand was an outstanding value. It consisted of five courses, and included a before-dinner drink, wine, and an after dinner-drink. For an extra three euros, you could have a glass of Montbazillac to go with the foie gras course. One could easily spend thirty euros on the wine and drinks alone. Without hesitation I told my wife, "The Menu Gourmand is for me." She vacillated between one menu and another and finally settled on one of the smaller, even more reasonable, offerings. I, however, was undeterred. I came to the Périgord to eat well, this looked the place in which to do it, and the Menu Gourmand look like the menu with which to do it.

For anyone unfamiliar with restaurant dining in France, some terminology needs to be explained. Most restaurants in France have a menu , also called a menu à prix fixe . This is a list of meal choices, from salad to dessert, at a fixed price. There may be choices within each course, for example a meat or fish selection for the main course. Whatever you select within the menu will cost the stated amount. A menu can have from three to more than five courses. Sometimes wine is included, other times you need to purchase your wine separately.

The meal itself is like a play, with each course representing an act. The overture that plays before the curtain rises is the apéritif . This is a before-dinner drink, sometimes accompanied by a small appetizer. "Act one" is the entrée which could be a small salad or small meat dish. "Act two" is the plat. This is the main course. "Act three" is dessert , the same word in French as in English . This is the basic structure, but there can be more courses or "acts" in between. At the end of the meal, you might have a digestif - an after-dinner drink, or a café - a small cup of espresso coffee . Or both .

For apéritif I had white Pineau des Charentes , a fortified wine drink. My wife had another local favorite, Vin de Noix - a wine-based apéritif made with walnuts. Walnuts are a major crop in this part of France, and are used quite often in local dishes. Next, the waitress brought out a bottle of the vin maison - house wine, a very nice local red, and a bowl of potage , a thick soup. She had pity on my wife and gave her a bowl also. The potage was delicious, as was the fresh baguette that she brought in a small basket, along with fresh butter.

Now it was time for the entrée . I had chosen the pâté and the optional glass of Montbazillac . The Périgord is the capital of goose foie gras , and the pâté de foie gras , made on site at the Auberge , was delicious. Smooth, creamy, and full of flavor. Montbazillac , which is a sweet white wine very similar to Sauternes, goes well with the pâté . For those who may be wondering, foie gras is liver, and pâté de foie gras is similar to liver sausage, in the sense that a Mercedes-Benz is similar to a Chevy. My wife had a green salad with walnuts and a delicious dressing. We lingered long over these delicacies.

Then the time came for the plat . I had chosen the entrecôte de boeuf , a beef filet, cooked medium. My wife had ordered the cassoulet - a sort of French casserole. The entrecôte was served with a pat of butter on top - not for the high in cholesterol. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Served with the entrecôte where delicious home-grown haricots verts - green beans. I sampled some of my wife's cassoulet , and I have to say it was the best I have ever tasted. Tender succulent pieces of sausage and rabbit, white beans cooked to perfection - not too soft, not too hard, and the whole affair in a wonderful sauce, neither dry nor soggy.

So far I had eaten well over thirty-seven euros worth of food by Paris standards, and more was still to come. We had and interlude of fromage blanc with home-made preserves. This is a very delicate, fresh, white cheese, almost like a whipped cream cheese. You mix this with the preserves. The preserves were melon, peach and currant, all delicious, and all made at the Auberge . I was starting to slow down by now, but I still had room for dessert. This was an exquisite walnut cake, moist and delicious. To finish things off, my wife had an after dinner coffee, and I partook of the digestif maison . This was a cognac that came in an unlabelled earthen flask which the waitress wheeled in on a cart. It was very good - deep amber in color with a taste that warmed the palate.

For a while we sat in total silence. It was now 11:30. We had started eating at 7:30. Most of the other diners, who seemed like they were staying at the Auberge , had taken their digestifs and coffees out onto the terrace, where they were playing cards. We weren't stuffed to the point of being uncomfortable, but rather basking in the warm glow of magnificent food and good wine. We strolled out to the car. The night was soft and warm. The people playing cards laughed and talked. You will eat well in the Périgord, and the Auberge Veyret is the place to do it. If you are staying at a B&B in the Périgord and your host asks what kind of food you want, tell him "traditional".