What does a French gourmet meal really look like?

Last weekend my husband and I celebrated my father-in-law's birthday with lunch at La Renaissance, a cuisine gastronomique restaurant in Rive de Gier, France. I thought you might enjoy seeing what a true French gourmet meal is like. Here are each of the courses in the menu I took:

#1 the amuse-bouche—a tiny starter dish (this was maybe three bites) that's just a little something to tease your taste buds. Pretty isn't it? The three little dots remind me of my cards.

#2 the entrée—aka appetizer. Just an aside here, but why do Americans use entrée for the main dish when entrée means the entrance into something? Just to confuse everyone I suppose. Anyway, here's mine. This was a brochette of curried scallops with a carrot mousse.

#3 the main dish—fish—Dorade Royale braised with olive oil, served with a light sauce and a few veggies.

#4 the cheese cart—served right before the dessert.

#5 what I chose—goat and sheep cheeses with a bit of jam and you get a glimpse of the wine, a good Bordeaux.

#6 dessert—is this a work of art or what?! It was apple on a cake like bottom with chocolate sides and a little scoop of sorbet on top.

#7 mignardises—these little cakes and sweets come after dessert with your coffee. My husband and father-in-law attacked them—no sense of aesthetics these guys—before I had a chance to take the picture, originally they were arranged in rows, all nice and pretty, with three of each thing (one for each of us).

There you go, a true French gourmet meal!

Food, France