For several years now I’ve harbored a special culinary fantasy, and that is for my husband and me to dine our way around the perimeter of France, and then through its interior. In my dreams we’d start in Normandy and Brittany, then drive along the southern Atlantic coast to Provence. We’d cross through Burgundy, then into Alsace, and finally wend our way through the Loire Valley and beyond. A Francophile since forever as well as a part time resident of Paris, I knew such a trip could take hours of research and planning. But, when my husband surprised me with a copy of Alec Lobrano’s new book, Hungry For France: Adventures for the Cook & Food Lover, I found that he had done all the work for me!

Normandy Cheeses

Beautifully photographed and illustrated, this colossal work is organized into 13 chapters, each of which highlights a special region. Passionately and articulately, the author who has lived and eaten in France for almost thirty years, takes you on a culinary journey through every one, pointing out a well-edited selection of bistros, restaurants, cafés, food markets, and specialty ingredients. He gives you a cheese primer in Normandy so that you can move beyond its celebrated Camembert, shares his favorite crêperies in Brittany, leads you to the best boeuf bourguignon in Burgundy, and makes certain you don’t overlook out-of the way places like La Merenda, a petit restaurant serving Niçoise specialties on the Côte d’Azur (and one of my favorites). Continue reading →