La Botte D'asperges

Loire Valley Road Trip: 3 Days of Castles, Vineyards and MICHELIN Dining

"Deceptively unassuming, this Contres bistro serves daring, locavore cuisine that privileges ingredients from within about 25 miles. A spring menu kicks off with the Loire’s first white asparagus—plump spears that melt in the mouth under a cloud of smoked hollandaise—while Chef Stéphane Bureau enthusiastically details touches like egg yolks cured in salt and sugar for about 10 days, smoked, mixed with a little agar-agar and finished with hazelnut butter. A Loire native trained in MICHELIN-Starred kitchens, he cooks with evident passion for the region’s bounty of forest game, cereal grains and fish from the Loire." - Jennifer Ladonne