A Taste of Champagne Part 2

Tasting the Stars.*

The Hostellerie du Chateau at Fere-en-Tardenois is an impressive looking stone edifice complete with towers. It is situated in a wooded park, surrounded by manicured lawns. Across the moat is the ruins of the Castle de Fere.

There is a large patio with lawn chairs and tables, where in the warm months one may sip coffee and view the ruins. There is also an attractive turquoise swimming pool.

As we enter the Chateau we are greeted by our host and led to our rooms. The Chateau has been restored to its earlier elegance. We walk down a long corridor where the walls are covered with padded brocaded silk. Peter and I have lucked out in that we have been given the tower suite. It is huge, with a wonderful sitting room, bathroom and large bedroom with a window seat and a 180° view of the countryside. We are told that each of the hotel's twenty five rooms are individually decorated.

After a leisurely bath, we meet our friends Jay and Caroline in the small dining room for a drink. The Chateau's paneled dining rooms are high-ceilinged, with large fireplaces, tall mirrors and glistening chandeliers. On each table there are fresh flowers As we sip our before-dinner drink, the maitre de gives us the menu and takes our order.

He tells us about the "Special" this evening, mentioning something about the tricolors of France and the fact that a dozen hens will be in mourning each time this dish is served. Since this repartee was entirely in French and Jay is the only one who is bilingual, he translates for us. Intrigued, he orders the interesting-sounding dish. None of us knows what exactly the meal consists of, but surmise it must be chicken, as weeping hens were mentioned.

When it is time to eat, we are led into the formal dining room. The table is set and in each place there is a tiny plate with what we are told is a "frivolity." This is an extra dish for the guest to eat while waiting for dinner. Our frivolity is a tiny mound of fois Gras, set on a tiny piece of toast. This is followed by the fish course, a lemon sorbet in a champagne marc, to cleanse our palate. The main course, in my case, is a wonderful veal dish, followed by salad, dessert and cheese. Each course is served with suitable wines and champagne. The dessert was chosen from a dessert trolley like I have never seen before. It was one of the best meals I've ever eaten.

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