Brittany Dining Inspired by the Sea

Purple mussel shells dotted the beach, making the water line look like violet cobblestones. The tide was coming in, and with each new wave, the shells clicked together, then lapsed into silence as the water retreated.

This beach at La Baule, on the Atlantic coast of France, is said to be one of the most beautiful in Europe, but nature’s concert on this evening was an indication that the real treasures lay far below water level.

“This is the best region in France for seafood and fish,” said Michelle Pomies, a longtime resident of nearby St. Nazaire. “The products from the sea here are very, very beautiful and they are shipped all over the country.”

This part of Brittany, near the estuary where the Loire River flows into the Atlantic, is a seaside haven for the French in the summer months and is known for fresh turbot and sole, as well as clams growing in the local salt marshes that have been the region’s cornucopia for more than 300 years.

Although popular with Europeans, the region is somewhat off the beaten track for Americans. This is a shame, since we found prices here to be about half those demanded in Paris. We also found that the region was cloaked in an aura of serenity after the crowds of summer had left and fall winds from the Atlantic brought a crisp edge to the air.

“In 1634, the Duke of Brittany decreed that the people who lived around the Briere salt marshes could use all the products of the marshes--they could fish, hunt duck, catch eel--without being taxed for them,” Pomies said.

With the bounty from La Briere, which today is a national park, and the products from the Atlantic, La Baule is an excellent place to sample the culinary specialties of Brittany.

“This is the best restaurant in the area for seafood,” said Pomies, as we walked into the Grand Hotel de l’Ocean in Le Croisic, about a 30-minute drive from La Baule. We sat by large picture windows that looked onto the Atlantic, where waves smashed against huge, craggy boulders.

Fresh foie gras got a new twist with langoustines: tiny crawfish that maintained a hint of salt spray .

Then came lobster, fresh from the Atlantic. They were small, tender and sweet, and served in a white wine sauce. Vegetables had an intensity of flavor that made biting into a simple turnip an occasion. Carrots and zucchini tasted as though they had been picked that afternoon.

Duck, raised in the Briere salt marshes, was the centerpiece of the next course. Magret de canard, breast of fattened duck, came in a peppercorn sauce. The duck was juicy and just pink enough to keep the flavor and tenderness. Pieces of banana and pineapple that had been dipped in a light batter and deep fried made a deliciously unexpected accompaniment.

At the end of the meal, Grand Marnier souffles arrived perfectly cooked, air light and scented with the flavors of the sweet orange liqueur.

But all this perfection did not come cheap. A three-course meal at the Grand Hotel de l’Ocean cost about $65 per person, without wine. However, that is about half of what a similar meal would cost in Paris. And here there are the sights and sounds of the ocean to make the meal special.

It is possible to eat more cheaply, however. All along the avenue Charles de Gaulle, the main walking street of La Baule, are little creperies, informal restaurants where you can try the galettes-- thin buckwheat crepes that are another Brittany specialty. After cooking on a griddle, they are filled with anything from ham and cheese to fresh seafood and then folded into a square.

We stopped for lunch at La Caleche, a small, informal restaurant with ceiling fans and white plastic tables. There a ham-and-cheese galette cost about $5, a galette of sauteed onions about $4. Both were savory and good, with a hot-from-the-griddle freshness. For dessert, we had another crepe, of course--this one made with white flour and filled with sliced bananas in a seductive butter and cinnamon sauce (about $4).

Walking back toward the beach, we couldn’t resist stopping at the window of the pastry shop Kouign to buy a small gateau Breton : atraditional Brittany butter cake. Consisting mostly of eggs, sugar, flour and Brittany’s famous slightly salted butter, the cake was so dense and rich that we could only manage a few bites, but it was a treat we wouldn’t have missed.

For dinner that night, we went to the Castel Marie-Louise, a chateau-like hotel framed by tall pines and set back from the beach by an expanse of lawn. Floral prints decorated the dining room and candles illuminated each table. The early autumn weather was turning cold, and a brisk wind began to rattle the windows as it swooped in off the ocean, making the dining room seem all the more cozy.

We settled on rack of lamb, and the meat was tender and succulent and served with a sauce of morel mushrooms, pine nuts and parsley. A timbale of layered mousses, broccoli and sweet potato added a good flavor contrast.

Desserts were exceptional. A chocolate tart was smooth and rich, and the tarte tatin, a dessert of caramelized apples, was not overly sweet and was redolent with the taste of fresh local apples. A three-course meal at Castel Marie-Louise cost about $80 per person, without wine.

GUIDEBOOK

Dining in Brittany

Recommended:

Grand Hotel de l’Ocean, Plage de Port-Lin, 44490 Le Croisic, France, local telephone 40-62-90-03.

La Caleche, 30 avenue Charles de Gaulle, La Baule, 40-24-59-76.

Le Castel Marie-Louise, 1 Ave. Andrieu, BP 173, 44504 La Baule Cedex, 40-60-20-60.