An Epicurean Tour of the French Provinces

Finally, Franche-Comté is bountifully blessed with poultry, hence eggs. The local lore has it that eggs “font chanter clair et rendent amoureux”—make one sing clearly and make one amorous—not a new idea by any means, or a proved one. However, there is no doubt that they should be eaten fresh. There is a precise moment of freshness for every delicacy, according to an old Franche-Comté proverb, which takes quite a sudden tangent, from hours to days to years, from eggs to lovers:

Oeuf d'une heure

Amant de trente

The high road to Switzerland passes through Franche-Comté, and it is spoiled with several good country hotels to hearten the traveler. They are not palatial establishments, but they are clean, comfortable, and reasonably priced. And their standard of cooking, if not so lofty as that found in the Bresse or the Lyonnais, is still exceptional.

Dôle (Jura)

The birthplace of Pasteur and the capital of the Jura is a busy city of considerable charm. Being a natural stopover on the highway from Paris to Switzerland, the competition among the hotels of Dôle, or at least among the hotel billboards, is keen. The winner seems to be the HÔTEL CHANDIOUX, one of the few hotels in this chapter which can claim the virtue of cushioned comfort, as the guidebooks express it. The rooms, which have recently been redecorated, are spotless and inviting. The dining room is a bit formal, the service is deft, and the cooking is on the more elaborate scale, with prices (and taxes, alas!) correspondingly higher. Crayfish, trout, and chicken are well presented in more ambitious formulae, together with some bottles of the finer wines from Arbois, Pupillin, and Château-Châlon.

Arbois (Jura)

You will pass through dozens of French towns before finding one which has exactly the atmosphere and the inviting charm to make you slam on the brakes and say. “This is the place I've been looking for!”

Arbois, we feel, is just such a locality. Surrounded by vineyards, straddling the little river Cuisance, it is one of those irresistible provincial towns which seem to sum up all of the French virtues and very few of their drawbacks. Gabriel Chevalier might have had it in mind when he wrote his ribald classic, Clochemerle. It is the perfect French country town. Luckily, Arbois boasts a hotel in keeping with its charm, the hospitable HÔTEL MESSAGERIES. The atmosphere, the friendliness, the comfort, and the cooking of this civilized auberge were indefinably but precisely right. The Molliet family are gracious, experienced hôteliers, and the skill of their chef is abundantly evident, especially when he prepares chicken in the yellow wine of Château-Châlon and rich cream! Its full name is poularde de Bresse au vin jaune et à la créme, just so you won't possibly miss it.

Poligny (Jura)

This is a pleasant valley town on the road to Switzerland known for its excellent white wines. One hotel here is plentifully plastered with disks of recommendations from gourmet societies and automobile and touring clubs. These are not always sure badges of excellence, but in the case of the HÔTEL DE PARIS they are well bestowed. Monsieur Biétry is a most capable host, and some of his specialties are still embossed in our memory, particularly mountain ham cooked in the fragrant yellow wine of the Jura.

Champagnole (Jura)

If four members of the Club des Cent, the exclusive French gourmet society limited to a hundred members, happened to be motoring along Route National No. 5, I would be willing to wager a basket of truffles that they would stop for the night or at least for luncheon at the GRAND HÔTEL RIPOTOT in the attractive mountain town of Champagnole. Monsieur Ripotot and his family have built up a formidable reputation among the epicurean elite, and they maintain that reputation by keeping a relentless eye on the high quality of their fare. The personal touch is here—the intent scrutiny of every plate as it passes through the kitchen trap door, the unfeigned solicitude for the guest's wellbeing, the serious discussion about the appropriate wine. The hotel is large and comfortable, very reminiscent of the resort hotels in Switzerland, and it should be a charming place for a protracted stay in summer. Gastonomically, it appears to be the best bet in the Franche-Comté.

Lons-le-Saunier (Jura)

This busy town is worth a visit, if only for the HÔTEL CHEVAL ROUGE, an informal country inn with commendable Franche-Comté food. You can't miss the Red Horse Inn. Its architecture is bizarre, and its crimson paint is almost blatant. But it is food we're after, and Monsieur Martinet can provide it. He is a master at preparing regional dishes and was once the Jura guest chef at Maxim's in Paris during one of their regional weeks. We tried his pike quenelles and truffled pigeons, accompanied by a fresh, clean vin de l'Etoile, with happy results. Prices are very reasonable.