Restaurants

Restaurant Le Socowa, Ciboure France

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 […]

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Slide 1

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

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Chez Mattin, still great!

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,

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Slide 1

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,

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St. John’s, Marylebone London, England

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

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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

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Perbacco, San Francisco California, USA

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. 

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Slide 1

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. 

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Auberge de la Fontaine, Laas France

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

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Slide 1

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

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Haraneko Borda, Itxassou, France

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

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Slide 1

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

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La Legende, Sauveterre de Béarn, France

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

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Slide 1

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

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Les Passionnés, Toulouse France

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,

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Slide 1

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,

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Asador Extebarri

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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Slide 1

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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Bar de la Relève, Marseille France

Bar de la Relève is located just 5 or 6 blocks from the Vieux Port but the steep hill climb that connects the two keeps the neighborhood a bit sheltered from the crush of tourists (by the way, stop at the medieval Abbaye de St.-Victor for a quick look as you pass…the crypt is a

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Bar de la Relève is located just 5 or 6 blocks from the Vieux Port but the steep hill climb that connects the two keeps the neighborhood a bit sheltered from the crush of tourists (by the way, stop at the medieval Abbaye de St.-Victor for a quick look as you pass…the crypt is a

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