La Tupina, Bourdeux, France

We ate here for a late lunch/early dinner on a Sunday, a day where the open restaurants are limited. It is a Michelin noted restaurant and it serves very traditional French country food. A genuine institution, it champions dishes of yesteryear--such as Sanguette (blood pudding), macaronade (pasta with beef and tomato sauce), chips fried in duck fat (which we had alongside our roast chicken). I also loved how the plates and the woven linens had matching patterns.

The other aspect is that local produce is promoted with conviction in hearty dishes from South-West France, but also seasonal vegetables and meat roasted in the hearth. The fine produce on the counter certainly whets the appetite. We had the white asparagus because it was in season and on offer--I discovered that I really do prefer what for me is the more flavorful green variety, but that was only made possible by trying both side by side during this meal. The people watching was exceptional--several multi-generational French families, who were having uber-traditional meals as well. This is not my favorite French food, but this was a godd experience, especially on a day when there were few options.