Tag: seafood

Dijon, France: From beef Bourguignon to sushi

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Above: A chilled, creamy edamame soup with a dash of St. Germaine elderflower liqueur and islands of burrata at L’Arome in Dijon.

As the historical capital of Burgundy, Dijon enjoys a reputation as the primary destination for experiencing its most prized regional products – comte cheese, charolais beef and wine. However, the restaurant scene no longer is about just the famed boeuf Bourguignon, as delicious as it is. This blog’s customary alphabetical format for focusing on places we ate means a flavorful detour to sample a couple of seafood and vegetarian offerings before hitting the boeuf Bourguignon.

The lunch menu at Azerole features a set trio of amuse-bouches and a choice of a featured fish or meat for your main course. The fusion restaurant lists the set selections of the week online so you know what’s cooking before making a reservation.

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Postcard from Montpellier, France: Fishing for where to eat

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A postage stamp featuring a detailed illustration of a pike fish, labeled 'Esoc lucius' and 'Brochet', with a green background showcasing aquatic vegetation, and marked with a value of '5,00'.

Above: Red mullet stuffed with diced celery root atop zuccchini puree at IKAL.

The first stop of our spring trip was Montpellier in the southwest of France, and we had no trouble scoring the seafood we craved. Here’s an alphabetical list of spots we sampled for you.

Spaces under the arcades of the 18th-century Saint-Clement aqueduct are known for their vibrant food market, but we were not wandering around picturesque streets in search of produce to cook. The neighborhood’s Bistrot des Arceaux welcomed us with dishes prepared in what the owners refer to as “a modern home kitchen.” Artistic plating is not the kitchen’s specialty, but it knows how to turn out a plateful of flavor.

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Postcard from Guadalajara, Mexico: No need to gobble tacos on a stoop

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A vintage stamp from Mexico featuring three green bottles labeled 'Tequila' with agave plants, indicating a value of $10 and marked as 'Exportado'.

Above: Open kitchen at Birrieria Las 9 Esquinas

My days of wanting to stand in line to grab a meal at the street-corner taco stand, even when fresh tortillas and tantalizing smells rising from the grill are at their most seductive, are gone. I love street food, but I want to enjoy the experience…. At a table. Preferably with a shaken margarita and a beer or two alongside.

Guadalajara was heaven for me. Great ceviches and tacos in colorful, contemporary, relaxed settings. I have never eaten such a high concentration of tacos in a two-week period as I did there. I promise Lamar and I did not consume all of the food pictured below ourselves. There usually were four at our table, close enough friends and relatives for sharing freely, and we went to several of these spots multiple times.

As I start this alphabetical list to help you in your restaurant decisions, I realize that the first one, with white-shirted, black-aproned servers, is perhaps the most formal of all we frequented. In other words, you need not read any farther if you are seeking romantic white-tableclothed candlelit restaurants, or ones with any table coverings at all. Although two, Birrieria Las 9 Esquinas and Palreal, are recognized in Michelin’s new 2026 Guide.

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