For the Love of...: ...La Chope (Tours, France)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10

For the past month we have had the opportunity to explore several different regions of France. In the next few weeks we'll be posting on some recipes and restaurants we've been able to try and hope you'll follow along!

We started off our French travels in Tours which is a picturesque little city located just south of Paris in the Loire valley. It's a great place to stay when you're in the area to explore the numerous chateaux, vineyards and farms located in the region. We came for another reason though, the 100th edition of Tour de France. Connecting all the chateaux and vineyards are beautiful bike friendly roads that were the backdrop of two stages of the race.

On our first night in town we stumbled upon this little seafood restaurant on the main avenue of town just steps from our hotel. Thankfully our intuition for good restaurants paid off, and the tables packed with locals, delicious looking food and friendly wait staff all led us to an amazing meal.

We started off with the house smoked salmon served over steamed potatoes and a creme Fraiche sauce and the local torchon of foie gras. The fish was fresh as can be and matched perfectly with the light creme fraiche while the foie gras was perfectly prepared, rich and melting in your mouth.

For our mains we had steamed cod served with a garlic aioli and a seared duck breast served with a red wine reduction. The cod was steamed perfectly while the garlic aioli provided just the right amount of richness to the dish. The duck was cooked to a nice medium rare but was still very tender with a crispy skin.

In France dinner is not complete without a cheese plate and this evenings one was very generous with three different cheeses including a local chèvre and a runny St. Marcelin that were both amazing. The other option was the apricot and almond tart which was perfectly balanced between the rich sweetness of the almond paste and the tart fresh local apricots.

What we love about France is the great quality of food that can be had for very reasonable prices. Our entire meal was had for 25€ each. The huge selection of local wines all also at very reasonable prices added to a great dining experience.