Sel de la Terre

A fine charcuterie may not be the only mark of just how French a restaurant is, but sampling its goods is without a doubt one of the most magnifique ways to kick off a meal. Chef Geoff Gardner's meats are outstanding—complex and intensely flavorful—as are his petit goûter of imported olives and luscious vegetable spreads and his baked goat cheese. The rest of Sel de la Terre sports a thick French accent, too, from the modern Provençal décor to the dense wine list to the fragrant bouillabaisse to the attached boulangerie—a must-stop for take-away treats from Michael Rhoads's bakery.