Literally across the street from the Bay of Biscay, Le Socowa is the French version of a beach front fish shack. With that in mind, you would expect that organization would not be a strong point, which it is not: they almost never answer the phone if you call for a reservation and as far …
Restaurant Le Socowa, Ciboure France Read More »
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The last time I had the good fortune to dine at Chez Mattin in Ciboure was pre-covid. This family-run Basque restaurants has been consistently one of my favorites for years, see my recommendation from 2013! But a lot changed during covid, and many wonderful restaurants have either not opened or never re-found their pre-covid form, …
Chez Mattin, still great! Read More »
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The third restaurant (plus numerous bakeries) in the lineage of landmark London restaurant St. John, which has set the standard for locally sourced, wonderfully simple and traditional English food since the 1990’s. The original location in Farringdon still has one Michelin star, a feat for a restaurant where the decor is minimal and the simplicity …
St. John’s, Marylebone London, England Read More »
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There is a genre of restaurant that offers a sort of communion with city life composed of the roar of a room full of happy guests, a menu of comforting dishes consistently well prepared and service that is at once breezy, unfussy, efficient and professional. Balthazar in NYC comes to mind. Or Prunier in Paris. …
Perbacco, San Francisco California, USA Read More »
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It always warms my heart to come across a restaurant like the Auberge de la Fontaine. Knowing that is is still possible to dine so well for so little money reminds me of how and why I fell in love with traditional French cooking in the first place. It only adds to the experience that …
Auberge de la Fontaine, Laas France Read More »
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In the Pays Basque, adding Borda to the name of an eating establishment signifies a rustic country inn. In Euskera, borda means barn and the original Bordas were kitchens set up in underused barns, often with the cooking done over wood-fired braziers and guests served at long rows of tables, outdoors when weather permitted. Although …
Haraneko Borda, Itxassou, France Read More »
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Combine a wine shop, a cafe, a natural wine bar, a hangout for locals that’s open from 10am to midnight and a restaurant where everything is made from scratch using ingredients gathered within 100 miles and what do you get? La Legende in Sauveterre de Bearn. On the face of it, Sauveterre de Béarn (population …
La Legende, Sauveterre de Béarn, France Read More »
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Les Passionés bills itself as a cave a manger, which functionally, means a wine shop where you can also get something to each beyond the charcuterie and cheese you find in a bar a vin. The description written on the restaurant’s facade, “Cafe du marché Vins d’artisans” gives a better idea of the restaurants ambitions, …
Les Passionnés, Toulouse France Read More »
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We recently had the chance to have lunch at Asador Etxebarri, a restaurant that has gotten a lot of attention from the culinary press for its grill-centric take on traditional Basque food. I had read how great the food is but had not realized that the restaurant is so isolated or that it was in …
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Passing through Toulouse has become a habit, as it is the closest major airport to our house in Orthez. For this reason, magnificent main dining room at Bibent on the Place des Capitouls has become our go-to first meal in France. After 16 hours in transit (more or less), its reliably plush banquettes, attentive service …
Old and new favorite addresses in Toulouse Read More »
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