No, it’s not just for the truffles, although the thought is tremendously tempting. They’re one of those things where you really could let yourself be talked into shelling out a few hundred euros that you don’t have, after a bottle or two of the excellent regional plonk (all of it is good. especially after a few bottles of it.) The whole area seemed unspoiled and beautiful, and the prehistoric caves at Les Eyzies (apparently the only ones of their kind in Europe that you can enter — make sure to get tickets early as the number of visitors daily is limited) were insanely impressive.
Good food, too, and it just wouldn’t be a cool French destination without the food.
Without much ado, three favorites that we tried while there:
#1: La Tour des Vents
Lunch doesn’t get more decadent than this, even with the incredibly gnarly-and-smelly-looking motorcycle tourists running around the back lawn while you’re trying to have decadent coffee and sweets after your decadent meal (how do those guys travel, anyway? They carry a suitcase the size of a lady’s purse full of clothes, and every time the weather’s nice enough to ride motorcycles, it’s also hot enough to cause them to have to peel the damn leather crap off like a sweaty second skin. Ugh. Think happy thoughts. Think friandises and coffee on the balcony.)
It’s about 5 minutes outside of Monbazillac with its beautiful castle (you’re supposed to pay entrance, but to hell with that if you only want to see the park and take some snapshots from the outside. I figure that if the original inbred castle-bound aristocracy had had access to the same sort of motor trikes that were tear-assing around the parking lot while we visited, the middle ages would have been a whole lot more fun. Or interesting, at least. Imagine dueling on one of those.) No specific recommendations, as everything we had was excellent, and everything everyone else ate looked delicious. Stick to the local wines, the older gentleman (sommelier?) dealing with all things hospitality had some great stories about all of them. And avoid going when it’s not warm enough to eat outdoors, the views of the Dordogne and of Bergerac are stunning.
Moulin de Malfourat
F-24240 Monbazillac, FR
+33 (0) 5 53 58 30 10
moulin.malfourat@wanadoo.fr
www.tourdesvents.com/
#2: Le Moulin du Roc
This one’s really special, from the super-cute location (unfortunately the rooms were over our budget) to the extra-chirpy hostess and the brilliant food. Ask for the table outside by the stream/pond.
Check website for exact directions / address
F-24530 Champagnac de Bélair, FR
+33 (0) 5 53 02 86 00
www.moulinduroc.com
#3: L’Imaginaire
Really cool dinner place here, in what looks like an old wine cellar re-done with all sorts of modern decor. Must be really cool in summer when you can sit outside and avoid the pretentious Parisian (?) wieners parading around. Looks like they knew the chef. All the food was outstanding, though, three thumbs up despite the pretentious Parisian (?) wieners sitting next to us.
Place Foirail
F-24120 Terrasson Lavilledieu, FR
+33 5 53 51 37 27
www.l-imaginaire.com/
