mustard and wine

26/3/2008

last night was one of the best nights sleep i've had in a long time! mme rousseau fed us a traditional french breakfast with coffee, croissants and strawberry jam, baguettes and butter. it was perfect!

we walked around centre ville after getting our train tickets for tomorrow, finding a cigar cave and the wednesday town market. after buying some honey (8 different flavors including lavendar!) we made our way to the mustard factory. it was really interesting actually and we even got a taste test and a couple little jars each. we were the only english first language speakers and the other people were very concerned about making sure we understood.

we stopped for lunch - pizza with olives and tomatoes and a croque balard which had bleu cheese on top of a regular croque monsieur. then we found a great wine store/cellar where we tasted about 8 different wines and bought two bottles. come late afternoon it was time for a nap to prepare for the night ahead of us... and what a night it was!

we had reservations at caves madeleine for 7pm. i told the owner that my dad didn't speak french but really wanted to talk to him so did he speak english. luckily he did and we told him just to pick the two best things from each part of the "menu" and drinks to correspond. he had stories for each dish and explanations for how to cook them the best way in his opinion. he told us he goes to the market every morning to pick food, and if not he has poor energy the rest of the day. he made a dish from his grandmother's recipe and served a drink with alcohol-soaked cherries from his father's garden. his parents own a b&b here in beaune where they host a cooking school. dad said he's his new best friend he just doesn't know it yet!

so full!