Centuries of intense study of the culinary arts has produced a country where the food is almost invariably excellent. It is difficult to have a bad meal because the French standards are so high. But in the tourist spots there are places where the standards slip - to avoid this the classic tip is to choose busy restaurants.
Each village in this region has a market day. You can buy local fare from the farms of each region breads, cheeses, sausage, olives and preserves and have a picnic while exploring the countryside.
If you are going for a sit-down meal, you have many types of dining experiences to choose from. Restaurants are more formal in France, serving full dinner menus and at a pace that is slower than in, say, North America. You are expected to enjoy the food and it should be the main reason for going out. It is considered inappropriate to request that a dish be prepared in a different way than is stated on the menu. Restaurants usually have a selection of set menus, each with a different price range. You can also choose from a list of a la carte items.A bistrot is more casual and has more individual items. A café is even more casual, serving press coffee, drinks, sandwiches like the ubiquitous croque monsieur or pizzas.
