Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Another lunch at the Mange-Grenouille

One of the prettiest restaurants in Saint-Aignan is called le Mange-Grenouille (The Frog Eater). It's been open for about five years and just recently changed hands. Our friend CHM took us to lunch there on Monday and the food was just as good as it ever was. It's standard French fare and for lunch on weekdays they serve a great menu for fourteen euros.

CHM and Ken in the courtyard dining area of the Mange-Grenouille. The tables filled up after we arrived.

The menu has a couple of options for appetizers, then three choices for the main course. There is usually one beef dish, one fish dish, and then something else. Cheese or dessert is included in the menu price, but wine and coffee are extra.

The appetizer.

Each of us had the same appetizer on Monday. It was a salad of smoked lieu (I think Americans would call that pollock) with lettuce, chopped tomato, sliced and marinated pears and cucumbers, a spear of white asparagus, and crispy fried shallots. Very tasty. The other choice, which we didn't taste, was rillettes de canard (potted duck).

My main course.

We each had something different for our main courses. Mine, pictured here, was a roti de porc (pork roast) in a balsamic sauce. It was served with a mix of fresh green and yellow beans, carrots, and eggplant, and half a roasted potato. Ken had a steak in pepper sauce and CHM had skate wing.

Dessert.

We also had a bottle of Pinot Noir from across the river in St.-Romain. Our dessert was a slice of French toast with an apricot compote and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then we each had a coffee.

The Tadpole's menu (for kids under eleven).

The restaurant's decor is very nice; it was done by a local woman from whom we bought some antiqued furniture when we arrived here seven years ago. She has a shop in St.-Aignan. The weather was very pleasant and we were able to snag a table in the courtyard and enjoy the greenery and the sunlight.

18 comments:

  1. Looks a charming place. I love a steak with pepper sauce.

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  2. Now I know where to go when I rent the gate house!

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  3. That place looks so beautiful and inviting.

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  4. The first photo à table made me want to jump on a jet plane...Vous me manquez.

    Lewis would never chose the ray fin. He did that once and the anatomy got to him, plus it took a while to dissect the flesh from the fin bones. It's a gourmet choice though.

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  5. It looks so inviting and relaxing. What fun! Great post.

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  6. I really like those chairs :) I think that chairs really "make" the look of a restaurant, since there are so many of them.

    All of the food looked almost as appetizing and delicious as the dishes you and Ken make! :))

    Judy

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  7. Place mats in English?

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  8. The courtyard is beautiful and the food looks great.

    I have to admit, I did not know what skate wing was, and had to look it up.

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  9. It looks so tranquil Walt. What a wonderful spot to eat good food and have a bottle of wine.

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  10. Hi Walt .. now this looks a lovely place to eat, and just look at the tasty food too. For 14 euro that is brilliant, and all so fresh. :-)

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  11. Lunchtime is definitely the time to eat - so many places offer menus that are a real bargain. This looks incredible for 14 euros.

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  12. You could have a career as a food photographer & stylist... but, I understand that you may not wish to have another career outside of being a handsome, talented blogger.

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  13. I second what Stephen said.

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  14. I am always late or last , so I don't get to say anything original rats.

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  15. victor, so do I, but I try to vary things a little.

    leon, yes!

    rick, on the night you're not invited to our house for dinner, that is.

    cubby, it does and it is. Very comfy.

    evelyn, we miss you, too! Next time you come we should go eat there.

    suzanne, thanks!

    judy, I agree with you about the chairs.

    carolyn, they're kind of tacky mats advertising the Château de Blois. In French and in English. It's tourist season. I'll bet they don't use those placemats for the dinner service.

    diogenes, it was a popular menu item in San Francisco about ten years back.

    kyle, right on!

    anne, hi! Yes, a good deal these days. But we're out in the country, so...

    jean, so true.

    vtt, :)

    stephen, flattery will get you everywhere.

    anon, :)

    michael, well, "rats" is certainly original... for this post anyway.

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  16. How delightful! I'm visiting the area at the beginning of the September, and I'll be sure to stop at le Mange-Grenouille for lunch.

    BTW, I'm so impressed by all of your photography! What type of camera do you use?

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