Restaurants in Monaco/Nice/St. Tropez/Provence

[menton1]

And what's the name of that funky little place on the old port? I really liked that too.

I think, Louisa, you might mean La Zucca Magica right on the old port-- a pure vegetarian without a menu, they just bring out 6 courses of whatever the chef prepared; usually pretty quirky, lots of hanging plants, and organic wines. The owner, Marco, is a transplant from Rome. And, keeping true to the name, there are all sorts of citrouilles decorating the walls.

menton, that is it! Thanks! No menu, no reservations - no phone for that matter. You can kind of reserve by stopping in the day of - good food, good vibes - good strong flavours.

I think you really mean La Mérenda; this one is on everyone's list, all the tour books, quite famous. But the only thing you had wrong is that it isn't on the port. It's right off the Cours Saleya. The chef left the Negresco's 2 star, Le Chantecler, and opened this very quirky place. Only about 10 tables, chairs without backs, closed Sat and Sunday and for 6 weeks in the summer, no phone, just bop in the day before or late; not as good as it used to be, but still fun, and he still makes a very good Beef Daube. (Provencal Stew).

[pirate]

Correction: The current chef purchased La Merenda. It existed for many years before his purchase.

[Louisa Chu]

menton - you had it right - it was La Zucca Magica that I was thinking of - it's right on the old port.

[Carlsbad]

We ate at Merenda in 1989, when it was run by a husband and wife. He did all the cooking and she served all the tables. They didn't have a phone then either. We stopped by to make a reservation in the morning, and the husband told us that we had to talk to the wife about reservations. After first asking if we wanted to eat at 6:30 pm, she allowed us to come at the later seating. There were mostly locals there when we dined, and husband and wife both sat down with everyone after dinner was served, graciously including us in the conversation. I remember a good pistou on some noodles, a decent beef daube, and the freshest mesclun onto which she poured great olive oil at the table. The wine choice was either red or rose, both local, which I remember being well-suited to the meal.

[Busboy]

It just occurred to me, as I relive my last trip to the south through this thread, that if I were back on the Cote d'Azure, I would spend one evening watching the petanque players in Villefranche sur Mer.

If you wander up the road fom the quais, in the direction of the old castle, there's a private petanque (the local version of boules or bocci) club on your right and a sheer drop, to the base of the castle, on your left. You can't get in the club, but there's plenty of space under the plane trees to spread out with a little wine or sausage or what have you, and watch the players play. It's impossibly delightful, with the castle on one side and three generations of boules pitchers on the other, and guaranteed to be a bit of Provence that has not been mucked up by tourists or development.

[John Whiting]

. . . guaranteed to be a bit of Provence that has not been mucked up by tourists or development.

Until now . . .

[truffe d'ete]

Nashman

I really hope you have a thorougly enjoyable and fulfilling gastronomic tour of the Cote d'Azur, and would therefore like to add my $0.02 to the numerous suggestions above.

Firstly, if you are likely to rent a car, it is certainly worth checking out some out-of-town places.

Peillon

I can definitely second Jonathan Day's proposal that you visit Auberge de la Madone. It is one of my favourite country restaurants, and sits in the village perché of Peillon with lovely views down the valley from the sun-trap dining terrace. The auberge has been in the Millo family for generations, and is very much a family-run affair; brother Christian runs the kitchen while sister Marie-José effortlessly creates a warm and friendly front-of-house. The cuisine is authentically regional, using locally-sourced (and even home-grown) produce to give flavours of both depth and subtlety. The menu changes daily, reflecting the availability of produce, but draw on a diverse portfolio of well-practised and flavoursome dishes to provide a perfect well-balanced meal. My wife and I had our 2003 Xmas lunch there, and the ensemble of food, ambience, service, etc was nothing short of sublime.

(BTW, regarding well-balanced meals, I would strongly suggest that you avoid La Zucca Magica! The food is stodgy and unsubtle, with monotone flavours. Unless you just want vast volumes of fodder, and have a HUGE appetite, then give this place a wide berth. On the once and only time I ate there, each of the diners consumed less and less of subsequent courses, and almost without exception declined the 5th and/or 6th course. I left the restaurant extremely bloated - to the point of feeling physically ill - and spent the afternoon flat out on my bed in pain!)

Lorgues

For a real "standout" meal, however, I would highly recommend that you make the pilgrimage to the medieval town of Lorgues (in the Var department) to eat at Chez Bruno, the undisputed "Roi des Truffes". At an unbelievably affordable €53 (for the truffes de saison - €100 for the same meal with truffes noires), the 5 course menu (plus amuses, etc) consists of three savoury dishes - each containing truffles in one form or another - and two dessert courses. I have eaten there 3 times in the last 6 months, on each occasion with different friends, and the food and ambience has been close to divine; of course, this may be due in part to the intoxicating and narcotic effect of the truffles . [FYI - To get a feel for Chez Bruno, check out the Friday entry in my friend Jay Cross's blog of his stay with us in Nice last October.] The cuisine is fairly rustique and is very wholesome, so you should aim to request a pause and make a trou normand - with a glass of the exquisitely characterful 25-year-old Vieux Calvados they serve here - before the dessert courses. Then afterwards, a quick trip to the little on-site boutique to stock up on Truffle goodies, before a bit of degustation de vin at the many local vineyards nearby!

Nice

Although Nice has been well-covered in earlier postings, I would like to do a bit of "cheerleading" for the relatively unknown Aphrodite. The cuisine of the greatly under-rated David Faure is exciting in both form and flavour, and is deeply-rooted and influenced by the produce, place and people of his native Nice and its environs, of which the menu "Autour du Comté de Nice" is inter alia a typical example. Again, this restaurant (and its predecessor, the Auberge des Arts) is one I have been frequenting for many years, and have always come away with superlatives on my lips.

Anyway, I guess you now have enough suggetions to fill two or three trips to the Cote d'Azur, so I will simply wish you "Bon Appetit!"

Cheers,

Philip Hart

[robert brown]

I'm sorry I'm late to the party. Before taking the gloves off with a few of my dear friends who have already posted and with whom I have dined, I can offer this pratical advice. Yes you will need a car for sure for every day you are there. To get a table at La Merenda, pass by in the morning or early afternoon of the evening you want to eat and write a note with the particulars and throw it over the transom, which should be open. Our dinner in February was very good; the one a month later so-so. Order the tomato tart if there is some left (go early just in case). As Menton1 implied, La Petite Maison has the best local cuisine. Reservations for dinner are essential a day or two before. Lunch is usually a walk-in, but you never know. We always order the roast chicken (on the "menu du jour" sheet, not the main one.) Problem is that it's a one-hour wait before it arrives. One chicken for two is a lot. We like the hors d'oeuvres Nicois which are varied and generous (stuffed vegetables aka "petits farcis"; fried squid, marinated artichokes,etc.)

Jellybean, I forgot to tell you we had an unsatisfactory dinner at the Port Palace in Monaco. The 80 euro lunch menu at Ducasse/Louis XV will be memorable if you order the pigeon (squab) aux abats. I'll defer to you on this restaurant since you have probably dined there more than any living soul except perhaps the Prince and his son and daughters.

The 50 (may be more this year) euro prix-fixe at Hostellerie Jerome in La Turbie is usually very good. This restaurant may be the best address around for consistency. It's a real honest place with solid conservative cooking.

We had a good lunch at the Marco Polo in the port in Beaulieu. The port in Villefranche and the old town adjoining is great for a visit. Don't miss the little chapel with the Cocteau frescos. But don't eat in any restaurant in the town.

Don;t eat in Eze-Village but have a drink in the bar at the Hotel Le Chevre d'Or and go out on the terrace/swimming pool for the magnificient view.

Jonathan, Loulou seems to have cut back. The Simmenthal beef was gone on our last visit last summer. I had a delicious lunch at the aforementioned Clos St. Pierre and I know you and Jellybean did not last week. It's a no-choice affair, and as I wrote to Jellybean, it illustrated a major shortcoming with these single "menu" restaurants: No safe harbors.

[marcus]

Does anyone know anything about Auberge de la Mole which is back up in the hills behind Saint Tropez. It was strongly recommended to me for its hearty style and excellent execution.

[menton1]

Robert, your mention of the Chateau de la Chèvre d'Or in Èze reminded me of a couple of highly favorable writeups it has received recently in a couple of French periodicals I subscribe to.

Would anyone who has been recently care to say how this compares to the Louis XV in that the setting of the Chèvre d'Or is unbelievably magnificent-- the views of Cap Ferrat from 400 feet up on the side of a cliff is enough to make you think you are really in heaven!!

[DonRocks]

A couple cheats for feeling like a king on a pauper's budget:

Breakfast on the terrace at Chèvre d'Or. Just drive up, park, and walk back there. You'll pay dearly, but nothing compared with having a real meal, and you get the benefit of the view without the lunch crowd.

Lunch at Café de Paris, just across Place Casino from Louis XV. The quality of this classic brasserie will surprise you given it's relatively modest prices, and the location is the ultimate in prime real estate. Sip your Bellet and pretend that one of the Ferraris parked outside is yours.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Freckles]

Hello.

I'm heading down to La Croix Valmer for a long weekend this Friday. It's near St. Tropez, and is a very pretty region. I'm looking for somewhere good to eat with my beau. Location (we have a car, and therefore can drive anywhere in the area) is less important than having a relaxed atmosphere and good, simple food. Any suggestions? I have found that St. Tropez tends to have a lot of overpriced places where people-watching is great but the food leaves much to be desired. Thanks.

(I guess this question could be tacked onto the post below about Nice/Provence/St. Tropez. Moderator: feel free to move it there, if you like)

Edited April 14, 2004 by Freckles (log)

[John Whiting]

You're fifteen miles from La Garde-Freinet, a very attractive village. Faucado is a reasonable and decent place to eat.

[menton1]

About 7 km from St Tropez is the movie-set perched village of Grimaud (Not to be mixed up with Port Grimaud!) with a lovely medieval center and a fair number of restaurants.

We had a nice meal at a bistro-type restaurant, Le St-Joseph, right in the center of town. Very comfortable, reasonable, mostly locals, and local cuisine "de terroir".

Note: La Garde Freinet is right in the middle of the Massif des Maures, and they had big problems with forest fires last year-- I think, though, it's still too early in the season to be worried about that...

[Gavin Convery]

Well, I am off to Provence for a few days at the end of the month,specifically Alain Ducasse's Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de Celle.

Does anyone have experiences of this hotel or the area. GM gives it 16/20 so I have some hope, but I'm looking for some lunch possibilities not too far away.

The Guide Gantie leads me to Auberge du Parc in Correns which is a 'Bruno' restaurant and Le Verger de Kouros in Cuers which sounds interesting.

Any other ideas??

[degusto]

Robert, I am sorry you had a bad meal at hotel du Port. But as you said about Clos St Pierre there are no safe harbours. I actually went to Clos St Pierre another time after Jonathan and I was there and although two courses were really delicious and totally in line with what one expects from a one star place, the main course was so disgusting that it made me regret I went there. A sea bream with a garlic sauce that had such garlic force that it took me two days to recover. When Jonathan and I were there the wine we intended to order was gone and on my second time another two wines on the list were gone. No good statistics. But it is a charming place. However, you may remember Robert, that I recommended you to go to the place as I had had recommendations from a very trustworthy source to go there myself last year but never had a good opportunity. Anyway, it turned out that it was in fact not Clos St Pierre that I got the warm and nice words about but another very small restaurant in the same village. I expect to try this any day soon.

A few words about Bruno in Lorgues. Clement Bruno has built a small Disneyland outside Lorgues in what used to be his home. It is usually one of the most lucrative restaurant operations in this part of France. People flock from everywhere to eat here. It can partly be explained by the fact that there are few alternatives in that area despite affluent habitants. Is this a place to go for a real food experience? It depends what one is looking for. If one wants rustique food made with lots of fat and food that have a bit of pre-la nouvelle cuisine era over it, then Bruno is a place to go. Otherwise, save your money for something else.

Chateau de la Chevre d’Or has a new chef. I have not been too temped to try it out since he took over last year after Delacourt left for Parcours. The reason is simply that they started to display photos of the dishes he does on their web site and it did not look like a high priority to go to. But I will try it some day. And yes Menton1 is right that it is one of the nicest dining rooms anywhere with one of the most extraordinary views one can think of. However, it is not that much fun to eat there a rainy evening in November with heavy thunder storms. I cannot see how it can be a match to Le LouisXV. It was never before when Delacourt was there. Le Louis XV is IMO one of the maybe five to seven restaurants anywhere that are capable of serving a meal on a level that from my point of view is close to perfection. It is quite simple as the network from which they source their raw material and the closeness to much of the raw material is matched by few, the master chef Cerruti in the kitchens is maybe the one who has understood the Mediterranean raw material better than anyone, they have a well staffed kitchen and a style in the cooking which is actually quite creative and always a joy to eat. I had one of those perfect meals a few months ago. The problem with Le Louis XV is that there is inconsistency, maybe due to high staff turnover at certain times. When on the highs, which it is most of the times, it is matched by few. But on a bad day, the food will still be better than when most others on this level have a bad day, but coupled with the phenomenon of slow service that happens at certain times for a certain reason, it can be a little disappointing. There are a number of ingenious dishes that just get better the more times you taste them.

[degusto]

Well, I am off to Provence for a few days at the end of the month,specifically Alain Ducasse's Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de Celle.

Does anyone have experiences of this hotel or the area. GM gives it 16/20 so I have some hope, but I'm looking for some lunch possibilities not too far away.

The Guide Gantie leads me to Auberge du Parc in Correns which is a 'Bruno' restaurant and Le Verger de Kouros in Cuers which sounds interesting.

Any other ideas??

La Celle is quite good. GM's rating is a bit generous but it is pretty consistently serving very good food that respects its Provencal ingredients. The staff is usually very professional. In its surroundings there are few options. Le Lingousto in Cuers can serve good food but just very rarely. The chef has enormous talent but can very tired of being a chef. Le Verger de Kouros serves simple food. I would probably lunch at la Celle as well.

[barbaluc]

Lunch/Dinner in the Vaucluse - There is a new restaurant (2 weeks) in L'Isle sur La Sorgue.The chef/owner is Daniel Hebet, formerly of La Mirande in Avignon. It is situated near the train station, and has a beautiful garden away from the hustle of the main strech of town. Open for lunch and dinner, it is prix fixe and menu fixe and changes daily. Also, nearby in our tiny village of Cabrieres d'Avignon, is Cafe des Poetes, one year old. Also open for lunch and dinner in a nice, small room or outdoor terrasse.Menu changes weekly.

Drinks on the terrasse at the Bastide de Gordes are beautiful late in the day, but otherwise stay away from this tourist town.

[Gavin Convery]

La Celle is quite good. GM's rating is a bit generous but it is pretty consistently serving very good food that respects its Provencal ingredients.

Thanks Jellybean.

Indeed I am looking for restaurants that are not necessarily haute cuisine but display some integrity to the region and the ingredients.

You say Le verger des Kouros servers simple food...is it GOOD simple food?

[cigalechanta]

Barbaluc, what's the name of that restaurant that is new in Isle? I ate a few times at the Quai de la Gare.

[cigalechanta]

One of the recipes is the popular potato dish from La Chassagnette, the organic restaurant in the Camargue.

[degusto]

La Celle is quite good. GM's rating is a bit generous but it is pretty consistently serving very good food that respects its Provencal ingredients.

Thanks Jellybean.

Indeed I am looking for restaurants that are not necessarily haute cuisine but display some integrity to the region and the ingredients.

You say Le verger des Kouros servers simple food...is it GOOD simple food?

I would not call the food at la Celle haute cuisine. It is very authentic Provencal cooking that can be had both at lunch and dinner.

Le verger des Kouros can be ok depending what you expect. I am not sure a lunch at la Celle necessarily would have to be that much more expensive. It would be a lot better.

[JudyB]

Lunch/Dinner in the Vaucluse - There is a new restaurant (2 weeks) in L'Isle sur La Sorgue.The chef/owner is Daniel Hebet, formerly of La Mirande in Avignon. It is situated near the train station, and has a beautiful garden away from the hustle of the main strech of town. Open for lunch and dinner, it is prix fixe and menu fixe and changes daily.

Has anyone actually been to this restaurant yet?

We're off to Provence in a month's time and Isle sur la Sorgue is definitely within reach so a name, and any comments about this restaurant, would be most helpful.

[barbaluc]

It is called 'le Jardin de Quai' and the phone number is 04.90.20.14.98

It is open for lunch and dinner (closed Tuesday & Wednesday). Lunch is 25 euros, dinner 35. In an otherwise gastronomic wasteland of a town, it is a great spot. Food is fresh and changes daily, service is friendly and good, the garden setting is pretty but relaxed. People drive from quite a distance to eat here, based on the chef's reputation.

Would like to hear others' experiences...

[cigalechanta]

Yes, we have eaten there twice. It was referred to me by Michael Biehm the decorator/Provencal author( Recipes from Provence, " "Colors of Provence."and Cooking with herbs, the flavor of Provence.") who was a beautiful shop there in L'Isle and is a friend of the owner.