Exploring Arcachon (France) - 1: Visiting Bordeaux’s Family Vacation Spot a Second Time with
Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
Laurent
and I were going on a weeklong beach vacation in Arcachon outside Bordeaux
(France) with baby Florence. We headed
southward out of Paris and waited through the traffic jam to get on the highway
to Bordeaux.
Just
when we got on the highway, it started to rain.
I made a list of several restaurants by the port that we could try for
seafood when we arrived.
The
French stay slim by looking for the best “quality-price” value on restaurant
meals. They do not always choose the
cheapest restaurant, but they also refuse to be financially exploited by eating
at a restaurant that marks up a dish by 15%.
The
French read cookbooks and shop themselves to know prices, so they can assess
good values on restaurants and food purchases.
We
arrived late in Arcachon and started looking for restaurants. We spent six hours under a downpour from
Paris to Arcachon. Laurent was not too
keen on looking at every restaurant on the port.
Almost
all the restaurants were closed, but I tried the locked door on the Taverne du
Pêcheur anyways. The owner smiled at us
huddling under our umbrellas and opened the door.
“Could
we order some sandwiches at this hour?” I asked as I balanced Florence on one
arm and the umbrella on the other.
“No
sandwiches,” he laughed.
“I
only serve full-course meals. Please sit
down,” he said.
We
started our meal with a vegetable terrine that had layers of orange, green, and
white, puréed vegetables and a cream sauce.
Then,
we ate a dozen raw oysters each or “fresh” oysters as the French would
say. The theory goes that you should
only eat oysters with months having Rs in them.
Arcachon
oysters are famous for their plump light, green flesh. The ones we ate were clear and not milky for
the season.
We
drank a wine called “Entre-Deux-Mers” with this meal. It is named for the peninsula between the
Garonne and Dordogne Rivers where the vineyards are for this wine.
We
ate simple fish dishes with potatoes following this: Sole meunière for Laurent
and grilled sole for me.
By
Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
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| Ruth Paget Selfie |
