The Loire Valley is one of the great gastronomic areas of France. As you might expect, freshwater fish such as pike-perch, shad, pike, eel and bream feature widely on regional menus. Their delicate flavors are often accentuated by a beurre blanc sauce made with shallots and vinegar. The Loire is also renowned for its pork-based charcuterie and rillettes, game (hare, venison and wild boar) and goat cheeses, among which Selles-Sur-Cher, Crottin de Chavignol, Sainte-Maure and Valençay are perhaps the best-known. During our trip, we dined exceptionally well. The following restaurants provided some of the highlights.
After a successful stint in Tours, young chef Olivier Arlot took over an established restaurant (La Chancelière) in nearby Montbazon and transformed it into one of the finest in the Loire Valley. His prix-fixe menus follow the seasons, but dishes such as shrimp with avocado and grapefruit, cod in red wine sauce on black rice with girolles, and peaches and raspberries in a Vouvray foam show off his inventive style.
1 Place des Marronniers, Montbazon. Tel. (33) 2-47-26-00-67.
Though the atmosphere at this establishment — within an easy walk of the Château de Verrières — can be a little stuffy, the contemporary cooking is delicious. The menu changes often, but runs to dishes such as shiitake mushroom soup with bacon, goat cheese éclair with arugula emulsion, and duck breast with a cashew nut crust. Excellent cheese selection and a notable wine list.
6 Rue de Lorraine, Saumur. Tel. (33) 2-41-67-65-18.
After working at Le Meurice in Paris, chef Jacques Guillaumat took over this auberge outside of Chenonceaux and now serves reasonably priced modern French cuisine. expect dishes such as langoustine-and-crab-stuffed cannelloni with avocado mousseline, and pike-perch in vanilla sauce.
30 Rue Nationale, Chisseaux. Tel. (33) 2-47-23-86-67.
Located on the banks of the Loire, this popular restaurant has three dining rooms — two modern, one traditional — and offers dishes such as foie gras marinated in Muscat wine, roasted guinea hen with pistachio butter, and mille-feuille with passion fruit caramel.
17 Quai Charles Guinot, Amboise. Tel. (33) 2-47-57-00-23.
This welcoming restaurant in an old lodge adjacent to the Château de Blois serves intelligently updated French classics such as boned frogs’ legs in lettuce cream with goat cheese gnocchi, veal sweetbreads with mustard sauce, and Grand Marnier soufflé.
1 Avenue Jean-Laigret, Blois. Tel. (33) 2-54- 78-05-36.
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