Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle: Ttotta

Already a well-known destination for good eating in the Basque Country because of chef Cédric Béchade’s excellent hotel-restaurant L’Auberge Basque, pretty little Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, just inland from Ciboure, has become even more enticing since the opening of Ttotta, a simple modern restaurant run by Laurent Boulanger and wife Annie Ibarra. After many years spent working on the Riviera, in England and in Switzerland, the couple returned to their native southwest—she’s Basque, he’s from Arcachon—and take pride in offering reasonably priced, locally sourced contemporary Basque dishes, including sautéed chipirons (baby squid), daurade sauvage (wild sea bream) with citrus fruits, and slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with polenta. There’s a great list of local wines too, and the dessert not to miss is the salted-butter caramel macaron.

Espace Ibarrondoan, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, 05.59.47.03.55. Fixed-price lunch menu €13, menus du marché €19, €26; à la carte €35.

Prices are approximate, per person without wine.

Originally published in the June 2012 issue of France Today

Alexander Lobrano’s book Hungry for Paris is published by Random House.www.hungryforparis.com. Find Hungry for Paris and more in the France Today Bookstore.