In this well-furnished dining salon you will find, once again, cooking of irreproachable quality. Among the notable specialties were supréme de volaille Dubern and bécasse au foie gras, than which there is no better way to sublimate a woodcock. But I was most impressed by the fonds d'artichaut au foie gras, an utterly seraphic interpretation of the Lyonnais dish which couldn't have been done better by La Mère Filloux herself. The chef of the Restaurant Dubern was formerly with the Grand Hôtel in Paris. The wine list is most complete, and there is a fine old private stock brandy to be had. The prix fixe meals are reasonable in price and very good.
Restaurant Etche Ona
If you look down a narrow side street and perceive a sign bearing these cryptic Basque words, you have discovered one of the very best and most hospitable Bordeaux restaurants, at 11 rue Mautrec. The words mean “good house,” and they spell out a distinct understatement, in our opinion. The Basque and Bordelais cooking provided by the talented chefs of Etche Ona is not only good but downright delicious. They have their own regional ways of cooking veal kidneys and chicken and duck livers which open up a whole new culinary horizon. The restaurant is decorated in a charming rustic Basque style, the wines are splendid, and the service cheerful and good. For many generations this house has been in the hands of a Basque family called Sabalçagaray, a name as awe-inspiring as their cooking.
Hôtel Biscouby
If you happen to come to Bordeaux by train, there is an estimable hotel not far from the railway station, at 244 cours de la Marne. It is the Hôtel Biscouby, named for a hospitable gentleman renowned for his fine cooking and wines. We did not visit Monsieur Biscouby, but his reputation throughout the region is so fine that his name is worth remembering. He specializes in such regional dishes as bouillabaisse, cassoulet, piperade, and cèpes bordelaise. The hotel has been recently renovated, and the prices are reasonable.
A trip through the wine country, especially at the time of the vendange, is a soul-warming experience for any enthusiast for the good things of life. Famous châteaux whose names you have seen on wine labels for years suddenly come to life, and you encounter an amazing number of such old friends in a day's motoring. They aren't all architecturally impressive—none of them equals the majesty of the châteaux of the Loire Valley—but their names make you catch your breath with excitement. At the conclusion of the grape harvest, the Bordelais always celebrate with local village festivals. These bacchic ceremonies, called gerbaudes, are gay, carefree, and pleasantly pagan, a joy to the casual beholder as well as to the terpsichorean participants.
There is no more invigorating way of spending a crisp autumn day in France than motoring through the wine country. On such an excursion the wandering amateur need not worry about a good place to have lunch! Two memorable towns await him, Libourne and Langon. one in the heart of the Saint-Emilion country, the other in the Sauternais.
Hôtel Loubat
For over sixty years this pleasant hotel in Libourne, at 28 rue Chanzy, near the railway station, has been the gastronomic citadel of the Saint-Emilion wine region. It is a small city hotel without pretension, but its food will surprise and probably enchant you. Following a long and memorable tenure by Monsieur and Madame Loubat, an amiable gentleman by the name of Monsieur Michel has now taken over. He has maintained the lofty tradition, and you may feel sure of departing content and full of praises for his fare. Monsieur Michel really cooks with wine. You may have coq an vin, lamproie bordelaise, entrecôte à la bordelaise, and, on certain lucky days, lièvre à la royale. Then there is a more-than-adequate prix fixe for about a dollar. You can well imagine how good his “local” wines are!
Hôtel Oliver
Langon is a tranquil town of about four thousand inhabitants in the very heart of the Sauternes country. Life seems to be reposeful and filled with a gentle join de vivre in this old wine own, and this relaxed feeling is reflected in the small Hôtel Oliver. You settle down in the handsome dining room or in a garden sheltered with parasols, feeling that all's right with the world, after all. The food will only increase your sense of well-being, for you find yourself face to face with la grande cuisine bordelaise, and very gratifying it is, too We had a few simple hors-d'oeuvre, a Stuffed shad, some of those divine cèpes bordelaise with an autumnal red Bordeaux, followed by cheese, pastry, a perfumed Sauterne, and a coal-black cafénoir. In fond retrospect it seems inconceivable that the Hôtel Oliver could disappoint you.
If you happen to be motoring south ward from Bordeaux to the Pyrénées a very different landscape confronts you. Instead of sloping vineyards, there are endless stretches of pine forests. Even here, gastronomic good fortune does not desert you. There are two good country inns on this road, just south of Bordeaux. You can find a good meal in either of them, and if you prefer country tranquility, they can put you up overnight with comfort. One of these is the
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