having just returned and having in mind some ill-spent money - bistro benoit in paris comes to mind along with gargantua in chinon - perhaps some of you would be interested in the good ones. in no particular order:
petit bouchon in gien - two course menu for 18e. best bang for the buck i can imagine. really good food. the restaurant has two employees - monsieur does everything in the kitchen and lovely madame does everything in the front. reservations advised.
les annees trent in chinon - slightly more expensive; but really fabulous food. great glassware - a rarety i found - and a large portion of the house sparkling vouvray (terrific) to start for only 3.50e. each course was special and the very rustic atmosphere didn't hurt.
aux charpentiers in paris - ok, not cheap; but at least very good. we've been back to this place time and time again and it doesn't dissapoint.
one odd thing: of the ten restaurants we had planned for dinners, three of them were closed permanently! 30% is big! they included little neighborhood and one stars as well. names were: table du perigord in paris, jean laval in les rosiers, and plaisir gourmand in chinon. dining in france is certainly not what it was even 30 years ago either. its been that long since i've seen a soufle that wasn't a dessert and rarely even that.