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That's a Royale with cheese. 

Looks chilly there.

Heading home from MRS.  Another weird airport.  

Our friend in Marseille had highly recommended this three star Michelin place called "A-M".  My wife wanted to go, I tried several times to beg off, she was insistant, so "we" went, with my step daughter.  The menu, for lunch STARTS at 195 euros per person.  We get seated in this tiny place and the food starts coming out, bitesides portions served on rocks, plants, weird dishes, anything but a simple plate.  I try a few items, they are salty as heck.    My wife has my fish eggs.  I'm trying not to be a damper on this hyper expensive lunch but don't want to be there.  Another course comes out, same kind of deal, flower petals on "stuff", tiny bites with weird presentation, I don't know what half of it is, I try a few and give up.  Another course comes out, this time larger portions, but I'm done, I get up and excuse myself and go outside, by now I'm not feeling very well, the fresh air is good.  The head chef dude, who I'm told is "famous", is looking my way with a frown, I eat nothing on this round.  

A fourth course comes out, my wife says I don't want anything, so they take it back, eyebrows raised.  He and I have a brief staring match, who am I this cretin not to love his food?  Finnaly, it ends.  If this is three star stuff, I'm not a fan, it's pretentious weird crap, not great food.  My wife pays the bill.  I still don't say anything, my wife and stap daughter agree many things were too salty, I tried not to ruin the experience for them.

Alexandre Mazzia - 3* Guide Michelin- 5 Toques Gault&Millau (alexandre-mazzia.com)
Alexandre Mazzia - 3* Guide Michelin- 5 Toques Gault&Millau (alexandre-mazzia.com)

In better news, we did have some good food, especially in Axe, just regular normal French food done well, but no bullaibaise.  My step daughter is a bit, um, flighty, and seemed to ignore my comments that I want that dish somewhere at least once.  So, she dragged us to various and sundry, Tunisian once, which was "OK" I guess.  A LOT of places were just closed for the season even though it was fairly crowded out in Marseille.

We dined twice at the hotel restaurant in Aix which was quite good.  I'm the only one in history to find bad food in France, and mediocre BBQ in Austin.

My favorite things I've done in France over time....

Not Paris, it's "OK" outside summer, and it's what most folks want to see and check off, OK, but for me, it's too much like Disney now.  My advice is go in March, maybe April.

Normandy, generally awesome, and Omaha Beach is worth the trip for sure.  Bayeux is a great place to stay.

Brittany, pretty good, my wife loves it there.  Good seafood.

Burgundy, awesome, getting commercial now, but some great food and wine.

Lyon, probably my favorite large city in France, great good.

Saumur, very nice smaller city with few tourist and great armor museum.

Chamonix, foot of the Alps, pretty amazing, a bit touristy.

Aix, see above.

Sancerre, really nice small town on top of a hill overlooking vineyards.  I like their wines a lot.  Good food, few tourists.

I'll add Barcelona, it's rep is well deserved I think.  

Getting around can be expensive of course, the trains work well, rental cars are "OK" but their "Interstates" are all tolls that bite.  Driving in France is "mostly" normal outside cities, the real back roads can be interesting.  The "Route Nationales" are usually fine.  You have to watch for speed traps, radar cameras, everywhere, and they love speed bumps and humps in towns.  Parking of course can be ... nonexistant... in cities.