Les Jardins de Kerstéphanie

Virginia creeper climbs over old stone on a wooded farmstead near Sarzeau, which sets the scene before you've even eaten. This is a restaurant where the chef, formerly at Les Climats in Paris, builds a largely seafood-driven menu around line-caught fish and local organic producers. The shaded terrace earns its keep on a warm Breton afternoon, and the food has the composed restraint of someone who knows exactly where everything on the plate came from.

One honor, in evidence: