Couleurs de Shimatani

A one-Michelin-star lunch spot tucked into a pedestrian street in La Ciotat, where the kitchen fuses Japanese precision with Mediterranean seafood and vegetables. The chef handles savory; his partner handles pastry and the dining room, which accounts for the unusual calm of the whole operation. Dishes arrive with the immaculate plating you'd associate with Japan and the produce you'd associate with Provence, which is a better combination than it sounds on paper.

One honor, in evidence: