La Mère Poulard is a restaurant and hotel on Mont Saint-Michel. The restaurant dates back to 1879, and is known for the wall of autographs from over a century of famous diners, including

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

and Yves Saint Laurent.

History

The restaurant was founded by Anne "Annette" Boutiaut (1851–1931), who married Victor Poulard on 14 January 1873 and founded the Hostellerie de la Tête d'Or, finding that customers came and went quickly with the tide, giving them the idea of cooking giant omelettes in a wooden hearth to make them stay. Therefore, the restaurant became most famous for its speciality,

Omelette de la mère Poulard The Omelette de la mère Poulard (Omelette of Mother Poulard) is an omelette developed by Anne Boutiaut Poulard, also known as Mother Poulard, in the 19th century in Mont-Saint-Michel, France. It is served at La Mère Poulard, her restaurant there ...

, a giant

omelette In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives ...

several inches thick, made in hand-hammered copper bowls, and cooked over an open fire. The omelettes resemble a

soufflé A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish originating in France in the early eighteenth century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of t ...

more than a traditional omelette. In summer 2009 the cheapest omelette on the menu at the restaurant is €18 per 100 gram (the minimal portion is 250 gram, thus €45 for the dish). However, in June 2012 the price had already risen to €25 per 100 gram and the minimal portion was 300 gram, resulting in a €75 "basic" omelette, served with half a grilled lobster and truffled potatoes.

References

External links

La Mère Poulard restaurant Web site

(in French), 1931 book by E. Couillard, priest of Mont St-Michel {{DEFAULTSORT:Mere Poulard, le Restaurants in France Buildings and structures in Manche Omelettes Norman cuisine