While there’s plenty of advice on the internet about where to eat in Paris, trusty restaurant recommendations outside the big city are far less common. For our first and only dinner in the Loire Valley, we found an adorable little bistro in Tours called Le Turon, where the food was solid and the service was efficient.

What made the night more festive than usual were the crowded streets full of locals celebrating the summer solstice. Our meal was punctuated by the beating of drums and the twirling of dancers. The French really know how to ring in summer.

While The Astronomer and I indulged in the three-course “Menu Gourmand” for €26.50, Mom ordered a lone fish course a la carte.

Even after witnessing the gavage at the foie gras farm earlier in the day, I could not resist the terrine de foie gras de canard maison et son tartare de poires au miel. I guess this means I favor deep-rooted culinary traditions over the well-being of animals. The house-made terrine was served with toasted baguette rounds and a pear compote sweetened with honey.

The Astronomer’s carpaccio de Saint Jacques, marinade de chorizo et citron vert was as light and as fresh as we had hoped. The silky slices of scallop paired exceedingly well with the chorizo ribbons.

For my main course, I chose the timeless classic magret de canard a l’orange. Juicy slices of duck breast painted in a tart and slightly bitter orange sauce will never lose their appeal. The potatoes served alongside were buttery little things worthy of major swoonage.

The Astronomer’s agneu de sept heures, lamb cooked for seven hours, tasted simpler than its description led on. It turns out that seven hours of cooking just means really, really tender meat and slightly muted flavors. The Astronomer desired a mustier and more assertive lamb preparation.

To finish, The Astronomer dug into the poire pochee au vin rouge et sorbet cassis. While the poached pears with black current sorbet were certainly refreshing, it needed more sugar to soften the red wine’s acidity.

I was pleased as pie with my pannequet de pommes flambees au Calvados et glace caramel au beurre sale, apples enrobed in a buckwheat crepe topped with salted caramel ice cream.

The next morning we visited the beautiful Chateau de Chenonceau, then we were off to Provence!

—

Le Turon
94 Rue Colbert
37000 Tours, France
Phone: 0247661425

One year ago: Nha Trang – San Gabriel
Two years ago: Pasta with Corn, Burrata, Pancetta, and Chilies
Three years ago: La Diferencia – Tijuana
Four years ago: The Road to Bejing: Heiku to Kunming
Five years ago: Xinh Xinh – Ho Chi Minh City