If France is a Christmas tree, then the Landes region is a magical present at its feet: infinite stretches of sand in a little-known paradise where the ocean winds caress the pines of Europe's first cultivated forest.

For these epicures descended from Visigoths, Moors, Celts, Romans and Bretons, there's no need to look elsewhere for the things providence has so obligingly provided in their region. They have always known that to live in a land of such abundant gastronomical riches is a rare gift that must be carefully protected. They have succeeded in imbuing their culinary traditions with a spontaneous and poetical feel, while defending the values of French regional cooking. Beef from Chalosse, farm-raised poultry from the Landes, kiwi from the Adour, white asparagus from the sands, the apéritif known as "Floc de Gascogne"…

On the menu of my epicurean table you'll find
Breast of Landes Chicken Wrapped in Bacon, gently cooked over the glowing coals of the hearth.

A One-on-One Battle of Purebred Cattle
One, flavorful raw beef tartar on crisp galette; the other seared with coarse salt, thinly sliced and served with browned butter