Rick Steves' Ordering Tip For An Unforgettable Dining Adventure In France

Rick Steves is the preeminent voice offering tips for traveling to a European country. His rules for dining in Europe, paired with his top mistake to avoid (eating breakfast at your hotel), are a smart place to start. If you're traveling to France, Rick Steves has one extra tidbit of advice for you. Order from "le menu" (per Rick Steves' Europe). 

That doesn't mean the menu, as bemusing as that is. The menu is referred to as la carte, which translates to the card. Steves says that if you order off the full menu, you might end up paying more than if you go for the fixed-price option — called le menu or le formule, which means the formula. These fixed-price menus are like a prix-fixe menu at an American restaurant, a multi-course, limited, set menu featuring some of the restaurant's choice items.

Rick Steves noted that choosing le menu option can take you on a culinary journey unique to each restaurant or venue. He detailed that his memorable meal in the Loire Valley began with classic escargots in a garlicky herbed butter, then came a beef course with a side of beans wrapped in juicy bacon, then a cheese course, followed by a dessert of a cinnamon-apple crepe with butterscotch ice cream. Cheese is often served at the end of the meal in many a European country — unlike in the U.S. where cheese plates tend to be appetizers.

As an illustration of this savory and smart choice, Le Genêts, a celebrated restaurant in Brem-sur-Mer, serves an ever-changing bistronomic menu – meaning the restaurant has the casual feel of a bistro with high-end gastronomic cuisine. One sample menu consists of an appetizer of oysters, marinated beef tartare, and smoked potatoes or candied egg yolk with buckwheat and cauliflower. The main course options include braised monkfish with potatoes (a la cottage pie style) or a farm-raised guinea fowl with leafy greens. After that, a cheese plate with fruit, and then a dessert of a chocolate dariole — a pastry, custard, or mousse cooked in a specifically-shaped mold of the same name — ice cream, or mixed fruit.

These traditional, affordable fixed-price menus are available at all kinds of French restaurants. Even the Michelin guide shares some secrets as to where to indulge in some delectable but discounted dining, such as Les Tables de Gaspard in the medieval village of Saint-Crépin (open only Thursday to Monday) or Le Raisin in the Pont-De-Vaux in the region of Bresse (closed Sunday and Monday).

Many of the Michelin guide recommendations are similar, including three or four courses — many with the option to add a glass of wine — for about €35 to €45. Often, diners may choose from a variety of combinations for different prices. From quaint, cozy family-run places to experimental kitchens run by innovative chefs, you can sample the finest French cuisine made with fresh, local ingredients by opting for the fixed-price meal.