He lived a thousand lives as an adman, a culinary consultant and a chef at Ratapoil, Le Saut du Loup and Wanderlust in Paris, before settling down on the Basque Coast. In the former laundry room of a remodeled hotel that combines vintage furniture with a wine bar and a restaurant centered around a big communal table, Jérôme Aubert, who trained under Marc Meneau and Jean-Paul Jeunet, stitches together terroir-ist small plates made to be washed down with ecologically-minded libations. Just take the night we went for dinner: an impeccable Basque-style spring roll (serrano and piquillo peppers, colorful chard, breuil cheese); excellent cuttlefish from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, coated in flour and pan-fried in clarified butter, paired with a salad of pointy cabbage, carrots, red meat radishes, sea beans and serrano peppers; rice pudding made with brown sugar and salted caramel, or a cream of Basque blue cheese whipped with Cognac and served with toast, herbs and toasted walnuts to round out the meal. // G.R.
FEELING THIRSTY? Clean wines only! La Châtelaine, a white Burgundy from Vézelay produced by the Domaine de La Cadette (€6 a glass), Panoramix, a Roussillon pet’ nat’ from Fréderic Rivaton (€34 for a bottle), Le Fruit Rosé, a Gaillac rosé from Laurent Cazottes (€29), La Joute, an Anjou blanc from the Mosses (€44), an Alsatian Pinot noir from Christian Binner (€41) or a Basque cider from Aingura (€29)… All of which can be taken to go (minus the €10 in-house corkage fee).
PRICE: Pintxos €5, appetizers €10, small plates €15, desserts €6, set menu €50 for six to 10 covers upon reservation only.
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