Here is a ladies lunch from last week. If you follow the breakfast thread, you may have noticed that I was on a cruise in the Mediterranean. The occasion was a celebration of my cousin's survival and recovery from leukemia and a bone marrow transplant 2 years ago. I spent quite a few weeks with her in the hospital in Houston and we often talked about this trip but she was so sick, it was hard to imagine. It was wonderful to see her well enough to make those conversations a reality! All the ladies at this lunch (and on the cruise) were friends of my cousin who, like me, had helped her out when she was sick.
While docked in Monte Carlo, Monaco, we drove the short distance to Nice and spent some time touring the markets. Lots to look at....hope it's not too off-topic for this thread to share a few market photos.
Candied fruits
Dried tomatoes and eggplant (I don't think I've ever seen dried eggplant before)
Mushrooms
Lovely looking figs
Cheeses
Sausages:
Olives
All that certainly whetted our appetites so next, we drove to Èze and walked up the hill to Èze Village, a charming medieval village perched on a hilltop above the Mediterranean for our lovely lunch at Les Ramparts restaurant at the Chèvre d'Or hotel.
Entrance. The hotel also has a restaurant of the same name with 2 Michelin stars.
We ate a the more casual Les Ramparts with outdoor seating, overlooking the Mediterranean. This is the view as we were escorted to our table. A bit hazy, but still beautiful. There are clearer photos on the hotel website.
Looking down over that wall, you can get a glimpse of the hotel pool with the Mediterranean below
I chopped off the top of the menu, you can see the whole thing here.
My dish of pasta with tomato, olives and parmesan was lovely but the winner was the fresh herb ravioli with shellfish and a Menton lemon foam. I'm sorry I missed getting a photo of that. Here's my dish..
Desserts were in a glass case and we were asked to visit and make our selections. I think we got one of everything to share. Here are a few of the choices
Ladies lunching. Such a lovely setting for a wonderful celebration.