Dinner at L'Auberge basque, saint-pée (pays basque)

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:49:24 -0700

L'Auberge Basque

We drove from Hondarribia to Saint-Pée-sur Nivelle in late July for dinner at L'Auberge Basque with one of the region's top chefs, Cédric Béchade (trained by Alain Ducasse at Paris's Plaza Athénée) and as expected, he didn't disappoint.

We had first stopped by in June 2007, a few months after the official opening of this small, exquisitely decorated boutique hotel and restaurant, a beautifully renovated former roadhouse located on the back road to Saint -Jean-de-Luz, and had the opportunity to meet with Cédric for a few minutes, but did not have time to stay for dinner that evening, so this summer we returned. It was our first chance to experience Cédric’s Michelin star cuisine.

We began our repast with a kir and a Bob’s beer (an artisan brew from Hasparren) taken on their lovely outdoor terrace with spectacular views of the lush green countryside. At sunset we moved into the dining room, a contemporary space with open kitchen and well spaced tables, where we sampled the €43 “menu decouverte”, consisting of amuse bouche, entree, plat, and dessert accompanied by a bottle of Irouleguy Brana Rose ’07.

Iberian Traveler - On The Road - Pays Basque

Dinner at L'Auberge basque, saint-pée (pays basque)