I could no longer resist the delightful aromas wafting up into my hotel room that overlooked this restaurant’s front door. Once inside, I was immediately charmed with the décor of red-velour banquettes, yellow walls, globe lights, rows of small tables, and an old-fashioned bistro zinc bar with mirrors. Bustling, handsome waiters in white aprons efficiently attended to a nice mixed crowd of diners.
The owners are proud of their new business cards.
For an appetizer, we naturally ordered the escargot, as Thoumieux has been "a constant member of the snail elite" for over 50 years. Needless to say, they were scrumptious with just the right amount of buttery garlic-ness. For the main course ordered the famouscassoulet, which was amazing, fresh tasting, and with distinct beans and broth instead of cooked down into a muddy mass. My husband had the confit de canard, one of their famous duck specialties. He said it was the best duck he had ever tasted and he has dined on duck dinners all over the world, so that is pretty high praise in my book. We accompanied our meal with a bottle a wonderful bottle of Carte Noire Cahors. As it was lunchtime, we didn't have dessert, but we did grab a handful each of the famous complimentary coco-walnuts as a temporary sweet tooth fix.
Don't come to Thoumieux with lofty expectations, but be prepared for a solid, gently priced meal. But come with an appetite!
ASIDE FOR NON-SMOKERS: We were asked if we wanted non-smoking seating, which had been rare in the past. In general, there was much less smoking in this restaurant than other, even higher starred ones we ate at on this trip.