La Rose de Vergy
Sometimes, France wants to
show you elegance and grace in their natural state. Such is the experience at La
Rose de Vergy, where the in-house products appeal to every sense. They smell
wonderful. The samples are tasty. Give the breads a gentle squeeze and
reconsider your notions of “soft.” The hushed conversation in the adjacent tea
room is the sound of dignity and discretion. But your eyes are the most
dazzled. Look at the perfect, individualized wrapping for the nonettes de Dijon. See the line-up of
bonbons in funky flavors, like bergamot and rose, which are made downstairs, in
the cellar, on a machine from 1850. Each plastic bag of homemade cookies has
its own little ribbon in a perfect bow. This is a classy but accessible and
friendly place.
What: Food store
Where: 1, rue de la Chouette, Dijon, Côte d’Or,
Burgundy
How Much: Bonbons are affordable
Grain de Cassis
This little store,
bright and bouncy, is something different on the food landscape. The products
marry modernity and tradition, like teenagers doing the waltz.
Surprising vinegars with
pulps from passion fruit, tomato, or mango and cardamom claim shelf space.
There is an impressive display of specialty lemonades in striking colors and
flavors: pink grapefruit, shimmering green pistachio, lemon cinnamon. On the
label it says, “Artisan Limonadier Depuis
1930.” (“Nice to meet you, Madame. What do you do for work?” “Lemonader.
Been in the family nearly a hundred years now.”)
Products change
frequently, a sign that the young owner is committed to keep her clientele
interested and coming back. Lemon candies from England, artisanal chocolates,
fine coffees, and even Arizona Iced Tea (“it sells well here in France,” the
shopkeeper says) are all on display. On a recent visit, she was selling bugs:
grasshoppers, pepper and sun dried tomato crickets, sesame cumin mealworms and
the like. To eat. As a cocktail snack.
What: Food store
Where: 14, rue Rameau, Dijon, Côte d'Or, Burgundy
How Much: Priced to fit any
budget. Lemonades are about 4 euros.
Au Duché de Bourgogne
On this beautiful plaza in the middle of Dijon, this
little-bit-of-everything store beckons with those familiar but seductive words:
produits régionaux. And regional
products there are: wines (duh), anis candies, mustards, pain d’épices,
liquers, snails, honey. All good things.
The store also has a
wonderful selection of specialty wine glasses, decanters, corkscrews, and books
about the wines and cuisine of Burgundy. There is also an excellent selection
of food and wine-themed postcards, fun for every traveler.
What: Food, book, and wine store
Where: 1, Place de la Libération, Dijon, Côte
d’Or, Burgundy
How Much: Spend three euros or three hundred
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