Don't even consider going to Dijon without visiting Les Halles, the covered market in the heart of downtown. In fact, because the market is so large, lively, and filled with excellent products, you should plan your Dijon trip around it. And when you go, make sure to check out Fred Mougel's bread stand, D'un Pain a l'Autre (From One Bread to the Other). And get there early (Mougel sets up by about 8 am and only on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays)—the first time I went, it was noon and the bread baskets were bare.

Mougel, 38, who is outgoing, funny (in both French and English), and happiest when he's talking bread and you're tasting it, is a musician who took up baking seven years ago. I don't know what kind of music he plays (I meant to ask, but I had a mouth full of fruit-and-nut bread), but I wonder if it's as original as what he bakes. His specialties include cornbread with popcorn in it, already unusual because corn in anything is not typically French; boule (a round bread) with chestnuts; baguette with wheatberries; and a hearty breakfast bread that he calls "pain tonic" because it's got what you need to start the day—oranges and muesli.

Local Dijonnais food pros, like my friend Alex Miles, know any good visit to Les Halles starts with Mougel's stand. That way, you not only get the best selection, you have something delicious to nibble as you walk around.

 Dorie Greenspan, special corresponden