As three superb but very different meals have recently proved, there’s just no better place in Europe to eat fish than France. Though the hotel La Pointe Sainte Barbe, in Conquet, just west of Brest, in Brittany, looks like a ‘70s-vintage precast-concrete public high school, the sea views from the dining room are stunning, and the restaurant serves outstandingly good, locally caught fish and shellfish. Also in Brittany, the Youpala Bistrot, in Saint Brieuc, is pulling in Parisians for some of the most inventive fish cooking in France. Chef Jean-Marie Baudic’s signature is the use of fresh vegetables to heighten the flavors of the catch of the day; a great example is his tandoor-roasted langoustines with tiny zucchini flowers stuffed with langoustines in a basil-scented langoustine broth. And in Ciboure, in the Basque Country, you won’t a better or fresher fish than what’s offered on the chalkboard menu at Arrantzaleak, where chef Ramuntxo Courde buys only from fishermen he knows personally and cooks up the catch over a wood-burning grill. His grilled shrimp, grilled sardines, and Basque-style louvine (sea bass), grilled and sprinkled with garlic chips, chopped parsley, and white-wine vinegar, are terrific.
Going Fishing in France
07.19.07
- Keywords
- restaurant notes,
- alexander lobrano,
- france,
- seafood,
- paris
Pinterest
