Madame Murat

Good food is everywhere in France. It's one of the many things Joe and I love about this country. It doesn't matter how remote a restaurant is, people will flock to it if it serves good food.

Case in point: Madame Murat's. Her restaurant 'Chez Jeanne' is in an unassuming hotel building surrounded on three sides by a street and 2 parking lots in the village of Pomarede (population 192). We learned about Madame's restaurant from our hosts; the owners of the house we're renting.

We decided to have lunch there yesterday. We drove through fields and forests and quickly arrived in Pomarede. From the street, the restaurant didn't even look open. The two parking lots were full of semi-trailer trucks parked every which way. We found the entrance to the restaurant at the back of the building. There was a small chalkboard on the wall advertising what was being served that day.

We walked into the restaurant and were warmly greeted by the staff. The place was full of workmen in their dusty overalls. We were directed to a cozy table in the corner. It was only after I sat down, that I noticed the tables were already set with an un-labelled bottle of red wine and a basket of bread. "Wow! How did they know I was coming?" I teased Joe.

No one came to take our order. Every customer got the same thing. Whatever Madame cooked that day is what everyone was going to eat. Is that not a great concept? I thought so too.

The first course was a thick chicken noodle soup. Followed by a simple tomato and lettuce salad. A plate of pork terrine was close on the salad's heels. We were full after three courses and the main one hadn't even been served yet. Just the way I like it!

The entree was a plate of pink roast beef, vegetables and pommes frites.

Once that got devoured, a plate of thick and creamy Brie cheeses arrived on our table.

Unfortunately, all of the creme brûlée was gone by the time we were ready to eat dessert. (My favourite dessert of all time.) Instead we opted for a dish of freshly made Cassis sorbet.

And the cost of this delicious 6 course meal with a bottle of black, teeth-staining Cahors wine? A mere 13 euros each. I don't know how they make any money. But I guess that's not the point.

At the end of our meal, Madame Murat came out to clear the dishes off of our table. We thanked her for such a great lunch. She turned to a small bouquet behind her and picked out a red rose. "Pour vous," she said. And handed me the rose. We asked if we could take her picture and she willingly obliged as long as I was in it with her.

We will be back.

**Dear Joe. Before you take my picture, could you please give me the universal 'fix-your-bra-strap' signal? Much appreciated. Your wife. xoxoxoxox