Bidart: Villa Ilbarritz

Chef Didier Oudill, one of the most accomplished contemporary chefs working in France today, has recently opened Villa Ibarritz, a new restaurant with a sleek contemporary decor in the Basque town of Bidart. Oudill, who trained with Michel Guérard at Eugénie-les- Bains, worked at the Hôtel de Paris in Biarritz before moving to Paris to run the bistrot Le Dauphin. Now back in the southwest, he is serving up an appetizing modern riff on traditional Basque cooking that includes such delicious starters as an artichoke nage—”in the swim” in an aromatic court bouillon with langoustines, basil and baby vegetables; and raw cèpe mushrooms in a teriyaki vinaigrette with grilled shrimp.

Main courses are just as appealing, including monkfish in a light vinaigrette with herbs including purslane; roasted sea bass with baby girolle mushrooms, a light curry cream sauce and stuffed clams; and tuna tournedos with ginger and a jus d’étrilles (small crabs). A sumptuous dessert trolley concludes a meal here, and service is kid gloves but warm and friendly, making this the new don’t-miss table in the Basque country.

Avenue de Biarritz, Bidart, 05.59.23.82.07. €50 per person, without wine.

Originally published in the December 2010 issue of France Today

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