The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur
April 28 - The Road to Burgundy
We
would gladly have stayed with Michele and Jean another day or two, but we have
reservations in Burgundy for the next few days and leave we must ... but not
before first getting in the first round of shopping in Michele's little store.
It is a grocery / deli / coffee shop / tea room / wine shop / knick-knackerie
with some pretty interesting stuff. Check below for photos.
It was spitting rain as we wound our way out of town for the three-hour drive north. We could have done the majority of the trip on the A6, one of the limited access toll highways that connect major parts of the country, but Jean had suggested we take the older local road that paralleled the A6. There was certainly more congestion getting through the center of a few of the towns but it only added an hour or so to the trip. There were no tolls and it was definitely more scenic.
It seems that restaurants in France and Italy stop serving lunch by 2:00 pm. Since we generally get a leisurely start to the day and have a late breakfast, we are not usually hungry until mid-afternoon ... but we have learned to watch the clock. As one unfamiliar with the area, I became aware of how important the exterior "feel" and ease of parking figured into my decision to pull over or keep driving.
We were not unbearably hungry, but by 1:30 we needed something. Had the weather been better, we would have opted for a picnic in some idyllic setting, but today seemed more like a "grab and go" sort of day. Rather than be forced to survive on pre-packaged supermarket cuisine, we stopped at a roadside bakery that also offered a couple of quiches, sandwiches and even small pizzas, any of which they would heat up in the big oven. It was the promise of pizza that made us stop although we opted for other (hot) fare. Not exactly haute cuisine ... but enough to take the edge off.
For the next few nights we are staying in the little village of Chaudenay-le-Chateau in the hills west of Dijon. As with our B&B last night, we found our Burgundian accommodations on the Internet. We go here without much trouble but when we arrived there was nobody in sight! Figuring they were just out doing errands or something, we did a little exploring around the area but when we got back we were still the only ones in sight. My cell phone reception was intermittant so we were unable to call the owner to find out what we should do ... but the door to the dining room was open ... so we decided to grab a bottle of wine out of the car and make ourselves at home!
About then another couple -- Paul and Sandra Chavez ... from Las Vegas! -- arrived looking for a room. His cell reception was better for some reason and the adventure began. The old man who answered the phone spoke no English but we finally figured out that the owner was in Paris until 10:00 pm that evening and this fellow knew nothing about our reservation. I found the number for the owner's cell phone on a brochure and called him, but again, no English. Still, something must have communicated because he called the first guy (who turned out to be in the building just across the courtyard) who finally got us keys to the rooms. Had he just looked out the window in the first place, we could have saved a bunch in international cellular fees ... but as the saying goes, all's well that ends well.
Paul and Sandra joined us for dinner in the town of Chateauneuf-en-Auxois for typical Burgundian fare in an ancient timbered building. The day proving once again that the most interesting parts of the trip are often the unexpected adventures ... and it is always the people you meet that make a trip interesting. They are celebrating their first wedding anniversary with a trip through Spain and France. Right after they get home they will move into a new home -- a project which I do not envy them. But for tonight, we eat and drink and enjoy each others' company.
Dinner in Chateauneuf-en-Auxois
© 2004 Restaurant Doctor
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