Two friends and I had walked the eleven kilometers from La-Ferté-Alais in the Essonne River valley across the plateau to Lardy in the valley of the Juine River, stopping along the way to admire a 5,000-year old dolmen known as La Pierre-Levée.The hostess, who also took our orders and served our food, was one of the cheeriest people I have ever met in France: if you think that the French are dour and condescending, a meal at La Fleur de Thym will promptly cure your Francophobia.We had the three-course, prix-fixe lunch menu. For starters, the ladies were served gigantic portions of quiche; I had a generous slice of pâté à la bretonne. For the main course, one of the ladies ordered pike and the...
