When we eat outside the house, it is usually with a view: facing the ocean, or across from the boats bobbing in one of the ports. My favorite restaurant is Le Bains des Fleurs, a crêperie in the town of Châtelaillon-Plage, France. The restaurant, perched on the boardwalk, facing the Atlantic, matches the tones of a fickle sea—full of light, and bedecked in shades of whites, blues, and grays.

The owners, a husband and wife team who live above the store, are family friends, and for good reason—they serve consistently tasty crêpes, and are excellent hosts besides. Upon entering, there is always a flurry of kisses before we are shown to our table.

I order the same thing every time we go—there is no need to mess with perfection. “La Gourmande” is my version of a classic, full of thinly sliced ham, melted emmental cheese, piping hot ratatouille, and a runny egg. For dessert, “La Bonne Femme,” a simple intermix of sweet-tart raspberry jam, and a billowing pile of chilled chantilly. We wash our crêpes down with beer, or with hard cider spiked with a splash of crème de cassis.