AU RELAIS NORMAND — Restaurant in Bernay

No frills bistrot serving hearty, Normand country food. Pleasant service and no long waiting between courses. Pitcher of wine very reasonable and drinkable. I had the croustillant of chorizo with Pont l’Eveque cheese which was tasty but a bit rich and quite dear for the portion. However, the cuisse de canard (leg of duck) with thrice cooked chips and homemade pepper sauce was to die for. There was a generous pot of the sauce which lasted the initial chip dipping through to the last morcel of duck. The duck was delicious, not dry and with crispy skin. The side salad with vinaigrette cut the fat and altogether this dish was a wonderful memory of French cuisine. The coffee was also very good. Didn’t have enough room for...

We had a truly delicious dinner here. If you don't speak French, don't expect them to speak English because they won't, but the super-traditional fare is wonderfully prepared and the wine is affordable and very good. Do try to stop and make a reservation if you can, with sign language in my case, as around 8pm they tend to fill up completely with locals. We were certainly made to feel like "Americans," but hey, you're in France, right? The food is well worth it and the owner is a very nice woman. For dessert, the creme...

Asked for medium rare steak. Got it so raw it could’ve walked off the plate. Sent it back with a picture to help. Second attempt? Well done, dry, and tough. Sent it back again, and they returned the same steak, now even drier than before (as dry as a tire, sadley). Waitress said it wasn’t her fault (it definitely was). Ego too big to admit a mistake. Didn’t eat it, still had to pay, and ended up in a pointless argument. Starters, my fish, and the wine were actually good, so it’s two stars instead of...