Maison Duler - Domaine de Saint-Géry — Restaurant in Cahors

A little background, my wife and I first came across Maison Duler in a TV broadcast about artisan food producers that produce sausages, hams etc. in a traditional fashion not using any chemicals at all in the process, no preservatives, no coloring agents, no flavor enhancing agents, nothing just pure artisanal hand work. This is why we choose to visit the B&B and restaurant on our road trip through France.

This review covers 3 parts of the Maison Duler business:

1. The charcuterie 👍

2. The B&B 👎

3. The restaurant 🤮

4. The charcuterie is absolutely phenomenal, their hams which are aged up to 6 years are heaven in your mouth, just like their pates, confits etc. you can really taste the love and care that goes into these products. I've read in some reviews that people were not happy with the quality they received and I guess that is to be expected with an artisan product, there will be issues at times as letting nature do its work and be 100% perfect all the time is almost impossible. For those reviews I feel it depends on how Maison Duler dealt with the complaint, if they dismissed it out of hand then the 1-star reviews are valid, otherwise if a replacement product was offered the reviews should be revised.

5. We visited Maison Duler at the very end of October which is the rainy season in the Cahors region and so we expected the rain but we didn't expect all the amenities (except for the walk paths on the estate) of the B&B to be closed as well, especially not with a 340EUR/night price tag of which you must book two, eg. 680EUR minimum for a stay. At this price point you expect a place to be fully operational and not be greated by a sign on the gate saying that the reception doesn't open till 18:00 or the pool not being heated. Although when we called at 16:00 the lady of the house was present and graciously allowed us to checkin. But after that we were on our own, we were able to use the honor bar with a choice of a white or rose wine and some beers but that was it, there was nothing else to do but to walk the estate not what you would expect for the cost they charge per night. The breakfast as many have commented is an absolutely ludicrous 53EUR per person per night! We did not partake in the breakfast because that's the kind of money I pay for a breakfast at a Ritz-Carlton and where I know I will pretty much getting anything to eat that I could possibly want. The crowning came from the lady of the house asking us to settle the bill for our stay at 21:00 the night before our departure because she wanted to sleep in the next day as it was a national holiday... really?

6. The restaurant is an absolute disaster and should be avoided at all costs and the cook should be ashamed of calling their work cooking! When a restaurant charges you 240EUR per person for a 4 course dinner you expect perfection, you expect food that will arrive at its zenith and you most certainly don't want to hear the dishwasher in the dining area, you don't even hear those at a McD. We had the truffle tasting menu and of the 4 courses, the first course (foie gras with truffle) which involved the least amount of cooking was by far the best, nothing exceptional but good. The worst dish was the main which was a rotisserie roasted chicken with a potato truffle mash and tempura vegetables. If you are going to serve chicken breast with the skin on the skin must be crispy and not soft and fatty. Furthermore the potato truffle mash was a tasteless watery and unseasoned mess that no cook with any decent education would serve.

Will I buy Maison Duler products and have them shipped to my house? Yes absolutely, will I ever visit their estate...

My wife and I stayed 2 nights at the place. It was the last place of our trip in France. Total cost for 2 nights with 2 breakfasts and 1 dinner was 1400 (!) EUR. I've split up the review to look at the different elements individually.||||The Hotel:||The location/design of the place is very nice. It gives you ability to see what the life is in a remote maison with some production sites. But the stay itself felt more like a bed and breakfast, and it left us with a feeling that we were intruding on someone's home more than we were actual guests. I have to say that we really enjoy the pool in the morning and during the day, which was mostly populated by the staff and the owners in the evening. On the second day we drove out and explored the area. ||||The hams/local produce Maison offer:||The hams and terrines are excellent, they are though also highly expensive but I will still highlight them as they are delicious. I didn't try everything they have, but I am sure it's excellent as well.||||The breakfast:||It was EUR 57 pr. person pr. day, which totalled EUR 228 for the trip. It was nice and contained some local products but I stayed with the feeling that I paid too much for it.||||The restaurant:||On the first evening we had the dinner: 3 servings with a side excellent aged ham (which was for additional price). That ran up to EUR 433 for the both of us including half a bottle of wine and champagne. As I was told the whole food was cooked from the local ingredients and it was good, but again I feel this was overpriced for what we actually got. As a comparison we ate a few days before at a 1 star Michelin restaurant (La Table in Assignan). The total price there was around EUR 310, which included food and wine.||||The price policy of this hotel gives me impression that the owners just need money from you. It felt like a rip off. Also we had a mixed feeling that the IDEA of having the hotel is more important for the owners then the actual guests. The Maison Duler itself, the ham and the area was put on the pedestal for shared admiration with the owners. Do they want to be a family place, a restaurant, a seller of hams or a hotel? - it is not clear. It just didn't feel very...

My wife and I stayed 2 nights at the place. It was the last place of our trip in France. Total cost for 2 nights with 2 breakfasts and 1 dinner was 1400 (!) EUR. I've split up the review to look at the different elements individually.||||The Hotel:||The location/design of the place is very nice. It gives you ability to see what the life is in a remote maison with some production sites. But the stay itself felt more like a bed and breakfast, and it left us with a feeling that we were intruding on someone's home more than we were actual guests. I have to say that we really enjoy the pool in the morning and during the day, which was mostly populated by the staff and the owners in the evening. On the second day we drove out and explored the area. ||||The hams/local produce Maison offer:||The hams and terrines are excellent, they are though also highly expensive but I will still highlight them as they are delicious. I didn't try everything they have, but I am sure it's excellent as well.||||The breakfast:||It was EUR 57 pr. person pr. day, which totalled EUR 228 for the trip. It was nice and contained some local products but I stayed with the feeling that I paid too much for it.||||The restaurant:||On the first evening we had the dinner: 3 servings with a side excellent aged ham (which was for additional price). That ran up to EUR 433 for the both of us including half a bottle of wine and champagne. As I was told the whole food was cooked from the local ingredients and it was good, but again I feel this was overpriced for what we actually got. As a comparison we ate a few days before at a 1 star Michelin restaurant (La Table in Assignan). The total price there was around EUR 310, which included food and wine.||||The price policy of this hotel gives me impression that the owners just need money from you. It felt like a rip off. Also we had a mixed feeling that the IDEA of having the hotel is more important for the owners then the actual guests. The Maison Duler itself, the ham and the area was put on the pedestal for shared admiration with the owners. Do they want to be a family place, a restaurant, a seller of hams or a hotel? - it is not clear. It just didn't feel very...