Casa Buono

Following a six-year stint as head chef of the celebrated Mirazur in Menton, chef Antonio Buono opened this lovely, diminutive restaurant in the heart of Val Roja, a valley along the border of Italy and France. Away from the glitzy Cote d’Azur, Buono combines a relaxed, homey feel (this is what “casa” means) with highly precise and very beautiful dishes, made with unsung, hyper-local ingredients, such as stuffed courgette flower Genoa-style and Roja Valley ricotta, served with a seafood stew and pesto, or fresh “Tenda” cheese, strawberries, rhubarb, verbena and lemon balm.