Le Petit Nice - Marseille

[roosterchef21]

I was looking through my michelin guide and noticed le petit nice in marseille as a three star. Has anyone been? What did you think and who/how does it compare to other three stars? It hasn't really had much publicity in Australia and has kind of flown under the radar with us! Sneaky sneaky

[sethd]

I was looking through my michelin guide and noticed le petit nice in marseille as a three star. Has anyone been? What did you think and who/how does it compare to other three stars? It hasn't really had much publicity in Australia and has kind of flown under the radar with us! Sneaky sneaky

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I was on a cruise that spent a day in Marseille in September and had a wonderful lunch, as a solo, at Le Petit Nice. First, the restaurant is extremely responsive to email. I first emailed them in April and had a confirmation of a lunch reservation by the next day. Pretty impressive. The restaurant is in a nice hotel right on the mediterranean. The pictures on the hotel-restaurant site don't do it justice. I was blessed with a beautiful day and my table right by the window.

I arrived early for my reservation and was offered a glass of champagne and canapes outside. I was then shown my table. I ordered the tasting menu. The food was simply prepared fish prepared in the mediterranean style; lots of olive oil. The meat course, veal, was perfectly prepared. My only complaint was I didn't think the cheese course was as good as it could have been. I forget what the desserts were, but i do remember enjoying them. The service was exceptional! i was even complimented on my choice of wine, a bottle of a premier cru Meurseult. I was also offered a complimentary glass of desert wine.

Having eaten at 14 three star restaurants in France and Monaco in the last three years, I was impressed with the service, food, and location of Le Petit Nice. It was not the best or the most memorable of my meals, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Hope that helps.

[John Talbott]

I was looking through my michelin guide and noticed le petit nice in marseille as a three star. Has anyone been? What did you think and who/how does it compare to other three stars? It hasn't really had much publicity in Australia and has kind of flown under the radar with us! Sneaky sneaky

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Most of the comment in the press appeared when the 08 Michelin came out in March. Here from the Digest are two such:

March 1st

Saturday’s Figaro contained a full page orchestrated by Francois Simon. The biggest space was allocated to an article, summarized here that started on its first page about “who merits three Michelin stars.” Then oddly enough, in his “Croque Notes,” he discussed one of these places which eventually will be promoted - Le Petit Nice in Marseille, maybe in the next Michelin, to appear in ten days. It’s not entirely complementary; he comments on the appearance of too many amuse bouches, a piling on of plates that three stars feel are necessary, thus taking an hour to reach the entrée. Simon thought that while the rougets were fresh, they were too fussily prepared and there was no flash of lightning. He says that the chef, Passedat, does better with simple dishes rather than try fancy stuff that dulls the effect. He doesn’t give prices except for the main course’s bass costing 77 €. Also, of note, in the accompanying article he implies that Le Petit Nice was chosen so that the Michelin could have a place between Eugenie Les Bains and Monte Carlo, now that the Pourcel’s have flopped.

March 5th

Wednesday-Thursday, Jean Claude Ribaut in Le Monde talked of the inequalities of the just-released Michelin, mentioning the first (expected) elevation to three stars of a resto in Marseille (Le Petit Nice), the demotion of Guy Martin’s Grand Véfour, the restoration of Marc Meneau’s stars at L'Espérance and the unjust omission of la Grande Cascade + Laurent, two delicate and remarkable places in Paris. His second article talks of the Petit Nice and chef Gérald Passédat (47 years old), grandson of the founder of the same name, trained with/at Troisgros, Michel Guérard, le Bristol, + Ferran Adria, and his concept(s) of cooking.

[KennethT]

Anyone have any experience with Le Petit Nice (Gerald Passedat) recently? Thanks...