One week ago, restaurants in France were allowed to reopen. Of course, we took advantage of that – while being cautious and eating outside. (Chapter 107)
Today, seven days later, we couldn’t resist – we had to eat out again. And again, outside. What a spectacular place we found to do just that. We went to Mont Roland – sitting high on a hill 15 kilometres from Auxonne. Half-way between Dole and Sampans.
The restaurant is called Le Chalet du Mont Roland.
We had a choice of eating “à la carte” or having the “Menu.” In France, “la carte” is what we call the menu and “Menu” means the special of the day. It is almost always what to choose. It is always fresh – usually the ingredients are picked up at the market that morning. Based on what he or she finds, the chef then decides what the Menu will be that day. What you get in quality, you lose in choice.
Today at Mont Roland, the entrée was smoked ham with a melon salad. The plat (main course) was chicken in a very tasty sauce. Dessert was strawberry soup. Followed by a very strong coffee. With tax and tip, the total was €18.50. (That would be $19.75 plus tax and tip in Canada. I write it that way as tax and tip are not included in the prices shown on a Canadian menu – but they are on the Menu and Carte in France.)
Sitting outside but under the shade of an awning (The temperature was in the 30s.), we could look out over nearby fields. It was a lovely way to enjoy a delicious meal.
There are only three buildings in Mont Roland – the restaurant, a tiny bistro, and of course, a church. Way larger than the restaurant and bistro combined.
Numbers in France:
As you can see on the Menu board, a ‘1’ is written differently in France. It has a tail extending downward and forward at the beginning. No straight vertical line for ‘1’ in France. It can easily be mistaken for a ‘7’ except a ‘7’ has a dash through the middle of it. Using numbers to count floors is different, too. But that’s for another chapter. This one is all about food.