Les Dodus

A militant chef dedicated to the local, organic way of life, Antoine Pépin (ex-Living Room in Brussels and Château de Mercuès) and his partner Amandine Bessières recently opened up a village bistro with an oak bar and green walls, in which the former lets his pantry express itself: free-range pork raised by Julien Veyrac, vegetables from the Ferme de l’Origan… The other day at lunch, we savored a poached egg spilling out onto a carrot and almond milk mousseline; plump, slow-cooked pork fillet, tucked into a bed of buckwheat crozet pasta and thinly sliced cabbage, drizzled in a red wine and onion sauce, even better when sponged up with bread from country baker Marie Mouly; before a divine rocamadour cheese from the Ferme de Laspeyrières, and a lovely citrus cake for dessert. The dinner menu will have you wanting to come back at night, for dishes like a potato and leek parmentier velouté and warm potato salad; lamb from Le Quercy, millet couscous and crookneck pumpkin; and a white chocolate clementine. // Gérard Roubeix 

FEELING THIRSTY? : Exclusively natural wines: Puech Auriol, a Languedoc white from the Domaine Vila Voltaire (€4 a glass), Le Blanc, a bergerac from the Domaine du Bout du Monde (€18 a bottle) or Tour de Terre, a Cahors from the Domaine du Prince (€29). 
PRICE: : Set menu €19 (weekday lunch), menu €45, plates €9-19.