His wife, Anne-Marie, is the daughter of celebrated chef Pierre Troisgros, but Yves Gravelier is not interested in riding on his father-in-law’s coattails. And he’s talented enough not to have to. Restaurant Gravelier has become one of the most popular eateries in Bordeaux, particularly for fish. The prix-fixe menus—a real bargain at 22.87 and 30.49 euros—feature such innovative dishes as parmentier de crabe et Saint-Jacques, topinambour et beurre de cacahuètes (Jerusalem artichoke with peanut butter); filet de bar aux coquillages et crème au citron (filet of bass with shellfish and lemon cream sauce), roasted cod with a lemony "sauce nerveuse." Ten years old now, the restaurant underwent a complete makeover last September. Good food and word of mouth took care of the rest. "When we renovated, we were finally able to create something that really represented us, and we attracted a new clientele," says Anne-Marie. "The place looked so dated before—our poor restaurant was hidden away behind its décor!" The gamble seems to have paid off: Gravelier is packed these days, and with good reason.

Restaurant Gravelier, 114 cours de Verdun, 33000 Bordeaux. Tel. 33/5-56-48-17-15.

When I was a child in the countryside, my grandmother would sit down on a bench outside the window and kill a chicken for Sunday dinner. She’d collect the blood in a dish containing some garlic, parsley and finely chopped pork belly. This mixture would coagulate into a little pancake about half an inch thick. My grandmother would heat up a bit of duck fat and gently slide the sanguette into the pan. After cooking it for about five minutes on each side, she’d season it with plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper and transfer it to a plate. Then she’d deglaze the pan with a bit of wine vinegar and pour the sauce over the sanguette.

Sanguette persillade may not be haute cuisine, but for me it conjures up all sorts of wonderful memories of a bygone way of life in the country.