From the owner: Vous êtes reçu dans une maison normande, où la décoration y est chic et minimaliste avec une…read moreambiance chaleureuse. (Décoration récente en Janvier 2012 par Mme Nathalie Chusseau) Le chef Grégory Derasse qui a eu un parcours allant de Paris au Sormani à la Suisse à l'Hôtel des Alpes, ou encore chez les frères Pourcel à Montpellier au Jardin des Sens, vous sert une cuisine riche en saveurs, créative et copieuse, en travaillant uniquement des produits de qualités minutieusement sélectionnés. Mina Derasse s'occupe de ces 3 salles dont une au premier étage avec une vue panoramique splendide sur les boucles de la Seine avec le défilement des bateaux.

Hidden away in a tiny village south west of Rouen, Manoir des Saules is quite simply a stunning…read moreplace to stay and dine. Dinner began at 7pm. Far too early to dine in france, i thought to myself. By 11.30pm, having taken two walks around the grounds, we were still only on dessert. Eventually, shortly after midnight, we retreated to our room with the most amazing box of petits fours, and pots of tea. had i know how many petits four were on offer, i probably wouldn't have ordered desert. Which would have been a shame, as it, like everything else, was stunning. Somehow, i found my way to breakfast at 9am.. again, totally wonderful. A more consistent water heating system for the showers would be good, otherwise this place is pretty darned perfect- they even valet my car, inside and out overnight :)

From the owner: Relais & Châteaux Au coeur de la campagne normande, le Manoir propose de multiples activités à ses…read moreconvives allant du golf, au canoë, à l'équitation. Ici, vous pouvez profiter du charme de l'architecture typique de la demeure avec ses colombages, mais aussi du jardin à la française et du potager. La décoration intérieure invite au repos et à la détente. Les mets proposés par le Chef sont raffinés et de grande qualité. Les ingrédients sont réunis pour réussir un séjour d'affaires ou d'agréments.

Wow! The owner of this restaurant went out of his way to make us feel welcome - including waiting…read moreon us himself and speaking English. My family & I are in the French countryside (which feels like the middle of farms and nowhere). We were very hungry when we stopped here, and the hostess found the 1 staff person in the restaurant who spoke English. We didn't know till the end of the meal that this staffer was the owner of the restaurant! Not only was the food here delicious (and much more plentiful than normal French portions) but the staff went out of their way to help us. For example, we asked the owner for directions to a gas station (our rental car has a leaky tire) and he gave us directions verbally and then came back to our table with paper and pen to give us written directions too! I highly recommend dinning here.

From the owner: Dans un magnifique décor, typique et original restaurant à spécialités et thème espagnol. Accueil…read moreet ambiance garantie avec les soirées à thème du mois. Voir www.casadelpapito.com

A week spent living in the countryside of Haute-Normandie, and I am still not sure whether it is…read moreevery restaurant that is wonderful in France, or whether it is just wonderful to be eating in France. Growing up in small town America we have too few such delightful eating establishments in a village of such size as Bourg-Achard. The charming proprietor (and wife of the chef) will tell you she does not speak English, but likely it is better than your college-level French. The food is deliciously prepared and the menu fun and varied. We ate there twice, once for a special birthday. The 5 course tasting menu (chef's choice for the table) was especially outstanding (all poisson on the night we were there). The restaurant clearly reflects what the chef can get in the local market without being at all (and for some tourists this may be a defect) heavily-old-Normandy in its creations. The cheese course is, however, very much local and as such orgasmically features Neufchatel, Livarot (don't miss it), Pont L'Eveque, and, of course, Camembert. A solid smallish wine list works after the tasty house cocktail to start (almond, as the name of the restaurant would imply, liquor laced Champagne), and the hosts every include one or two amuse-bouche treats! Highly recommended as it was so much enjoyed.