A taste of casual France

AT YOUR SERVICE: A sommelier delivers Champagne at Chez Ruffet in Jurançon.  (Anne Lanta / For the Times)

INVENTIVE: Philippe Lagraula’s 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 Biasiolo’s Une Auberge en Gascogne in Astaffort.  (Anne Lanta / For the Times)

Star chef Thierry Marx.  (Anne Lanta / For the Times)