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Restaurants Overview

Brittany's two main cities, Rennes and Nantes, offer extensive dining options all year round, and serve dinner later than in smaller towns, where some restaurants close for some, if not all, of the off-season (November through March). Smaller towns around the coast may only have one or two restaurants, so don't be surprised if they're booked solid in July and August. Crêperies are the regional specialty, catering just as readily for those in quest of a quick snack as a three-course meal.

Brittany is a land of the sea. Surrounded on three sides by water, it's a veritable mine of fish and shellfish. These aquatic delights, not surprisingly, dominate Breton cuisine, starting off with the famed homard à l'armoricaine (lobster with cream), a name derived from the ancient name for Brittany -- Armorica -- and not to be confused with Américaine. Other maritime headliners include coquilles St-Jacques (scallops); cotriade, a distinctive fish soup with potatoes, onions, garlic, and butter; and langoustines, which are something between a large shrimp and a lobster. Other popular meals include smoked ham and lamb, frequently served with green kidney beans. The lamb that hails from the farms on the little island of Ouessant, off the coast of Brest, are famed -- called pré-salé, or "pre-salted, " they feed on sea-salted grass, which marinates their meat while their hearts are still pumping, so to speak. Try the regional ragout de mouton and you can taste the difference. Fried eel is a traditional dish in Nantes.

Brittany is particularly famous for its crêpes, served with sweet fillings, or as the heartier galettes -- thicker, buckwheat crêpes served as a main course and stuffed with meat, fish, or regional lobster. What's the difference between the two? The dark galette crêpe has a deeper flavor best paired with savory fillings -- like lobster and mushrooms, or the more traditional ham and cheese. A crêpe plain and simple is wafer-thin and made with a lighter batter, reserved traditionally for the sweet -- strawberries and cream, apples in brandy, or chocolate, for example. Accompanied by a glass of local cider, they are an ideal light, inexpensive meal; as crêpes dentelles (lace crêpes) they make a delicious dessert. Incidentally, crêpes are eaten from the triangular tails up to save the most flavorful buttery part for last. Folklore, however, permits older folks to eat the best part first in case some awful tragedy prevents them from enjoying "la part de Dieu." Kouign are delectable sugar cakes made from yeast dough, while kouign-amann are the same thing with butter or cream. A far breton is a warm or cold flanlike dessert made with prunes. If your sweet tooth is yearning for more, search for the kind of candy called berlingot and the region's very delicious macaroons. Of course, nothing is easier than to strike up a conversation with the Bretons than over a glass of Calvados.