French riviera dining
 

What was your most memorable meal (or 2) on the French Riviera?

BTW, thanks for those who replied in the main Europe board.

In April 2001, I ate at Melisande in the Maeterlink (sp) Hotel in Nice. The view was incredible. (The hotel hangs off a cliff over the ocean.) The food was amazing and surprisingly not as expensivce as I thought it would be.

Definately our most memorable meal from our France/Spain trip was in the perched village of Eze at the Chateau de la Chevre d'Or. The name of the restaurant in the Chateau is La Chevre d'Or. This village is located between Nice and Monaco. We enjoyed a corner table over looking the Med. far below...spectacular, panaramic views. The food, wine, and service was excellent...very romantic and pricey. Glad to give more info.

Sally, was it dinner or lunch? and how expensive was it? I know its one of the best.

Two places to recommend: <BR> <BR> Le Columbe D'Or in St. Paul de Vence. Outstanding Provencal food in a beautiful garden setting. Try for a table at the open garden wall and you'll be surprised with an amazing view of the valley below St. Paul. The food was terrific! Make sure you wander in to the main house after you eat to see the original Picassos, Matisses, etc., all done by the artists as a way of paying for their food in the 1920s and 30s. <BR> La Chaumiere, Rue d'Observatoire. Six miles east (?) of Nice on the Grande Corniche. Fresh fish, chicken, or beef grilled in the main dining room fireplace. Oversized baskets of just-picked vegetables and savory tapas and sauces. Giant profiteroles with homemade chocolate sauce, and great house wines. As well as a scene! My only complaint is that they tend to seat the Americans in the front dining room and the French in the tiny patio dining room to the back of the restaurant. But the food was superb, and we've seen a celebrity or two there as well, which was fun. Really one of our favorite all-time restaurants.

We had dinner at the chateau in Eze. There were four of us, two of whom drank two or three very expensive bottles of wine and one drank very expensive champagne. We also had appetizers and dessert. Including before dinner drinks and tip our bill was about $650. This was a very special evening...spent at least three hours dining. The service was impeccable and the view worth every penny.

Barry, two years ago we spent 17 days in the French Riviera. Our most memorable meal was at the 2-star Michelin Terrasse Restaurant (by the pool) at the Hotel Juana in Juan-les-Pins near Antibes. We could only afford the 4-course prix-fixe lunch of 290 FFR, which at that time was $48 per person (including service, tax, etc.). We had 6 people waiting on us, from the captain on down, who couldn't have been friendlier and non-intrusive. The 4 courses ended up being 8 courses with all the extra "little things" they kept bringing. The food was fabulous, the ambiance casually elegant, and we've tried to repeat that experience at top restaurants in L.A. and San Francisco without success. Oh, well!

Ronny, 17 days? wow! I'll let you break the rule and list other memorable meals if you can remember. I heard about Terrasse, but did'nt realize lunch there was so affordable. BTW, in San Fran we did have a nice dining experience in some place owned and managed by women and overlooking one of the bridges (not Golden gate, the other one).

topping!

Barry, thanks for asking, I do have 2 & both were in Nice, which served as my Riviera "home base". <BR> <BR>First was not long after I arrived from Florence, in the old section of the town, at "L'Escalinada". The terrace table was marvelous, conducive to a very relaxing atmosphere. The gnocchi melted in my mouth like butter, & I have not come close to experiencing anything like it since. <BR> <BR>The second was in Cafe de Turin in the central part of Nice, where I attempted death by shellfish, because they just simply never stopped bringing them and they were heavenly. I learned after dining there that tables there are always at a premium & I just happened to "luck out" & get one the night I showed up. Given the quality of the entire experience, I'm not sure I've ever been that lucky since. <BR>Bon Appetit! <BR>BC

I second two other writers to this post to say that I enjoyed the Chateau de Chevre D'or in Eze. It is a wonderful view of the bay and the Med. A bit pricey but worth it. I say it was well worth it because we clibed the hill (Nietzche's trail) on foot and it took us about 40 minutes. So in many ways we earned our meals.

If I remember we had 2 fantastic meals. We went to the Ile de Porquerolles for lunch (you need to take a ferry) We were staying in St. Tropez. There is a one star michelin on top of the hill (it is part of an inn) overlooking the water - it was outrageous - Le Mas du Langoustier. In St. Tropez _ le Olivier was our best meal.

I second the Colombe D&Oacute;r

La Chevre d'Or in Eze

Book chick--the Caf&eacute; de Turin is one of our favorite places in Nice. What gorgeous mussels!

The best meal we ever had on the C&ocirc;te d'Azur was the same as the best meal we every had anywhere: Chantecler in Nice in the days when Jacques Maximin was the chef. My menu doesn't, alas, show the price, as it was a &quot;lady's menu.&quot; But whatever the cost of the tasting menu, the food was absolutely exquisite.

We lunched on
1. Le Croque-canard au foie frais.
2. Courgettes &agrave; la fleur et aux truffes.
3. Rosace de langouste rose.
4. Caillette d'agneau aux tuiles d'ail.
5. Rizotto safran&eacute; et son beurre de Kirsch; banon glac&eacute; au sucre d'anis; petit pain au chocolat.

And then a whole string of little tarts and house-made chocolates.

We had never tasted anything remotely like this level of cuisine--it absolutely sang in the month. Maximin had a sure hand that brought out the natural taste of the food in intense flavors.

And this happened by accident! We drove by the H&ocirc;tel Negresco and saw a parking space on a side street. Deciding it was Fate, we went in in our travel clothes (decent, but not elegant) and were shown to a fine table--one next to, in fact, and Italian count and his petite-amie. The service was elaborate but not snooty, and we had a wonderful time.

Several years ago, when Maximin resurfaced in Vence, we went to lunch with high expectations. Unfortunately, they were not met.

The Colombre D'Or but also the bouillabaise at Chez Fon Fon in Marseille

Am topping this for updated info, as we will be leaving for Nice in 3 and 1/2 weeks, and will be in need of dining suggestions. Merci beaucoup!

For a casual but excellent meal in Vieux Nice, head to L'Ecurie, at 4 rue du March&eacute;. The garlicky green salad is wonderful, as is the pasta au pistou and the various pizzas. If far&ccedil;is--a Ni&ccedil;oise specialty of small veggies stuffed with a ground meat and rice mixture, topped with a tomato coulis--are on the menu, don't miss them. The food is basically a mixture of Ni&ccedil;oise (French/Italian) and standard French, but it's all good.

Another good spot for pasta is Spaghettissimo, right on the Cours Sal&eacute;ya.

For seafood, our friends who live locally steered us to Caf&eacute; de Turin, near the modern art museum. You can get platters of shellfish, as well as delicious mussels in a white-wine sauce, along with local fish.

For a spectacular meal, head to the H&ocirc;tel Negresco's Le Chantecler restaurant.

Finally, La Merande gets consistently good reviews, although we've never managed to get there and so can't comment personally.

There's an article in the Travel section of today's NY Times. They mention several restaurants:

<b>Parcours Live</b> opened 2 yrs ago and Michelin starred with fabulous views (1,place Marcel Eusebi). 3 courses cost $44.

<b>Kei's Passion</b> 22, rue de France. A very small place with 3 courses for 2 $160

<b>Jouni</b> (10, rue Lascaris), the chef owner from Alain Ducasse rest. in Paris and Monaco. 3 courses $63.