In White Post, Virginia (USA) the French Inn L'Auberge Provençal has the look of the quintessential Country Inn. Let us not be fooled by the word 'country'. The Inn is accommodated with all modern comforts and amenities. In November last year, for my birthday my spouse and I were overnight guests in their Royal Suite. Located against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the breathtaking Shenandoah Valley, this particular Inn is situated on eighteen acres of land, designed to attract luxury accommodation that matches the lifestyle of the rich and the famous in the South of France. Words cannot describe the scenic beauty even when we went there in late November.
In the summer, one has to book lodging six months in advance, and the price is exorbitant because of the luscious green golf courses, horse-riding, water activities, and visits to the vineyards. The peace and quiet of French country living also attracts many Washington, DC area urbanites. In the winter when it is considered off season one can also get away from the hubbub and chaotic life just for an overnight stay, for celebrating a special occasion, or to have a romantic five course meal in the Inn's dining room for the fraction of an in-season price. The rooms are better than luxury hotel rooms for it has the style and quiet elegance. They add a decadent feeling of home with nice linens in calming colours like shadow green, beautiful paintings and a fireplace in each room. The bathrooms are like the ones they have in an upscale spa with soft light and designer accent pieces. The shower has brocade shower curtain in natural colour with monogrammed towels and bathrobes.
The inn offers elegant French dining, known as La Grande Cuisine. French cuisine doesn't satisfy everyone's palate, especially if one cannot read French. One might end up eating delicacies like snails, frog legs, and other animals' internal organs. Having taken French way back in college, I considered myself somewhat well-versed in French. Little did I know that I had a few surprises that were waiting to put me to the test.
A typical formal French dinner starts at eight PM and rolls out over two hours. We guests at the Inn were reminded of the need for punctuality, and we dressed up in our best dinner attires, and arrived at the very elegant dining room. We were greeted in French by the owners, Alan Borel and his wife Celeste. I felt very giddy with happiness that I would feel at home here. For a few minutes, I felt that I was really in Provence, because of the ambiance of that elegant and exquisitely decorated dining room.
The décor just took my breath away. The walls were covered with a rich fabric of brick-red and the furniture was dark mahogany. The room was decked with antiques and old lamps and various artifacts from France.
A formal French dinner consists of a five course meal but it can go into seven. After we were seated at a table that had a formal table setting we were given a wine list which we politely declined in favor of non-alcoholic beverages; our choices were mango sorbet and mineral water. While sipping cool sorbet from the handcrafted crystal glass I started to feel a little edgy because the menu was coming. I knew I would have to make selections from French writing. It has been a while that I have seen a French menu, and the few French novels I own are somewhere at the back of the old bookcase in the basement gathering dust.
When the smartly dressed waiter handed us the menu, I took it from him with a lot of air of confidence and told myself if I end up ordering weird items then I can always not eat it and that put my mind at ease. My hubby was no help because earlier I told him I can handle the menu. He just sat there looking amused when he sensed my uneasiness and that made me even more nervous. Whatever I understood from some of the familiar words I summoned up the courage and put a brave face on and began to order à la carte. Slowly I started to relax and we settled in for this experience of a life time.
The meal was divided into five parts: Hors D'oeuvres (entrée), Plat Principal (the main course), Salade (Salad), Plat de fromages (cheese platter), and Dessert. This could be extended to having a soup (Potages) and chocolate and petit fours yogurt after dessert, which meant a seven course, instead of a five course meal. Ours was a five course meal.
For appetizer (mostly finger foods) we selected the Assiette de Crudités (raw vegetables) and the Assiette de Charcuterie (selection of cold meats), which is also called Pâté, cut into thin slices made from meats from various game. With a special request, one could also order Caviar (fish eggs), Saumon Fumé (smoked salmon), Fruits de Mer (seafood), including huîtres (raw oysters) that were flown from Maine, a New England state that is famous for sea food. Another popular choice on the menu was Petit Quiche au Fromage et Jambon (mini ham and cheese quiche).
For second course (Potages) we ordered creamy Purée soup a l'oignon (onion soup). The other choice was the bisque, which is a creamy lobster or shrimp soup. One could alternate it with Poissons (fish) with creamy sauce.
For the main course (entrée) we chose Poulet au romarin et chou-fleur au gratin (Rosemary chicken and cauliflower). They had all other meat available: turkey, duck, goose, lamb, rabbit, horse and snails.
By the time the fourth course came along I was already stuffed. We ordered the Salade dijonne. It had a very few vegetables with vinegar oil dressing. French chefs often use vegetables as a garnish that accompanies the entrée. Some vegetables were curved into shapes and sizes like an art. In French cuisine how the food is presented is of utmost importance. French food is very appealing to look at and the harmony that a dish creates is something that one almost never sees in other cuisine.
Now it was my favorite part of the meal, Fromages (cheese). I saw the waiter was bringing the cheese cart around from table to table and I couldn't wait! The menu boasted seemingly hundreds of varieties. All were big blocks of cheese and after we made our selection the waiter went to work. He curved and sliced from each block and put the slices on our plates. By that time my taste buds were happy. I tasted so many different kinds of cheese that I never even knew existed.
Last but not the least was Dessert and by that time I had no space in my stomach. At first I decided to pass but ordered anyway. They had glace (ice cream), pastries and ten different kinds of custards and fresh fruits. And yes, they had cakes too. My choice was Clafoutis aux Cerises (a cherry flavour dessert) that was topped with chocolate ice cream. Then I washed it down with the remaining palate cleanser, the mango sorbet.
On our way out of the dining room I stopped by the table where there were every imaginable kind of chocolates and I took a handful of Truffles (plain chocolate), Praline (milk chocolates), and Ganache (dark chocolates) made by La Maison du Chocolat.
What a treat it was! Bon Appétit!
The writer is a columnist and a fiction writer, has a love for culinary arts and enjoys preparing Bengali delicacies for loved ones. E-mail: zeenat.khan1983@gmail.com
An excellent dining experience
Zeenat Khan | Published: April 18, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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