Barbizon has a mythical reputation, in part because it was a village where many French painters hung out in the early 20th Century including Millet, but also because it is a beautiful village and a place where students in Fontainebleau regularly escaped for good meals.
Alas, going back last night we failed to have such a gastronomic experience, although I think it is more because we picked the wrong restaurant than anything else. I remembered the Angelus from my days as a student here and it does have one of the more impressive terraces, under two huge trees providing their shade in the middle of the village (and what a pretty village!).
Ours was to be a dinner "à deux". The menu, setting, and general impression was of a place that might conjure up a real delight, an authentic meal of French cuisine in the old style that one finds so rarely, lightened slightly by the summer terrace, and perhaps by a chef with a touch for nouvelle cuisine.
It was to be nothing of the sort. The terrine was tasteless, the salad was just passable, and the main courses were the sort of thing you would expect to get on a ship crossing the English Channel. Even the glass of house wine they served tasted like it might have come form a carton although they presented an open bottle in case we had any doubts (presumably filled from the carton, an old trick I used to do myself many years ago but we won't go into that here).
Anyway to be avoided at all costs except possibly for a coffee or a tea on the terrace. There are too many other nice spots around (unless they also serve the same type of food).
Almost everything could be improved here which means time for a change in owners as there is certainly plenty of demand. Service was smiling but quite insipid. They say it is also a hotel. We did not check but would again avoid unless an emergency.
