The train is one hour late. I won't wait in the station, it's an occasion to test a new restaurant in Le Mans... A quick surf on the Internet and I choose "Le Nez Rouge", heartily recommended from all sides. We walk through the old citycenter et we finaly find the place...
The restaurant is over crowed. But the evening is balmy enough to stay at one of the outside table, despise by the passerbys. Appetizer, rillettes du Mans, deligthful rillettes. Then a delicate and inventive meal, with a half bottle of wine aside, I forgot its name.
As the time goes by I can less and less bear to pay for poor food : cooks who don't have any respect of the products they use, any knowledge about the lenght of cooking and baking, any esteem for their clients'mouth.
Conversely, I am delighted at discovering new - and good - restaurants, enjoying a nice moment around a table covered by simple and harmonious dishes that give me appetite and feed my curiosity. That is one of my greatest pleasures.
Maybe one regret. I have often noticed that, if creativity is an ingredient of the starters and main course, I am regularly disappointed by desserts. At Le Nez Rouge desserts are good but not surprising. It is a common situation. Cooking salty dishes or pastry and dessert are two very different jobs.
But definitly if you come to Le Mans go directly to Le Nez Rouge.
107, Grande Rue, 72000 Le Mans - Tel : 02 43 24 27 26
Pictures : two starters chosen from the menu (starter, main course and dessert) which costs less than 30 euros. Top : Scallops. Bottom : Frog Canelloni. Delectable.
