AT YOUR SERVICE: A sommelier delivers Champagne at Chez Ruffet in Jurançon. (Anne Lanta / For the Times)
INVENTIVE: Philippe Lagraulas restaurant, Une Cuisine en Ville, is in Dax. (Anne Lanta / For the Times)
AMUSE: Mint-scented melon balls, and green olives with goat cheese, at Chez Ruffet. (Anne Lanta / For the Times)
Little spoons of cauliflower mousse topped with Aquitaine caviar are served at Cordeillan-Bages, a restaurant run by regional star chef Thierry Marx, in Pauillac. (Anne Lanta / For the Times)
BREATH OF FRESH AIR: The central beach, glowing at dusk, sits in the center of Biarritz on the Bay of Biscay in southwestern France. (Anne Lanta / For the Times)
CASUAL FRENCH LIVING: A man watches a card game in Astaffort. (Anne Lanta / For the Times)
FUN: Appetizers at Fabrice Biasiolos Une Auberge en Gascogne in Astaffort. (Anne Lanta / For the Times)
Star chef Thierry Marx. (Anne Lanta / For the Times)
