France Archives - Page 7 of 15

La Petite Maison: Italian 'sweet life in Nice

Oh! La Petite Maison, … that succulent burrata, moist Mediterranean branzino, ‘lip-litious’ house pasta and like-from-your-Italian-granny-made tiramisu seducing your taste-buds together with the handsome waiters cruising around with abundant plates … The homey spirit penetrates everything. When the dolce is served on your birthday or anniversary, the always-present, hardworking owner – Nicole, generously spoils you with an entire tray of the sinfully indulgent mascarpone and coffee-based tiramisu, so taming your sugarwore instinct might be impossible.

As it happened to me recently. The tiramisu at Nicole’s niçoise little Italy is my personal cultish treat, and believe it or not, my slender body allows me to spoon out this delicacy after every dinner at La Petite Maison in Nice.

Despite the restaurant’s expansion to Paris, London, Dubai and even Beyruth, at least by its name, the original establishment remains scrupulously authentic and generous to its loyal customers. Adding more worrisome wrinkles to the face of the motherly protective Nicole, this summer another younger step-sister of La Petite Maison was born on the very same street. Unfortunately, she owns only a small percentage of the restaurant, so decisions can be made without her.

La Petite Maison in Nice has become over the years a dining institution for not just local politicians, celebrities and fun-seeking visitors, but its vibrant atmosphere with live music on weekends draws the buzzing ambiance and food-loving crowds from the entire Riviera into its amicable team’s affectionate embrace. Whether people-watching from the refreshing terrace shaded from the street only by a line-up of olive trees or cozying up inside, the spectacle in front of you rolls out a non-mundane carpet with Arabic princesses, film starlets, Riviera socialites and good-looking global jet-setters promenading themselves between the luscious tables.

After a fresh start of crisp warm baguette served in a paper pouch as if it just came from your local boulangerie, the best order is a plate of starters à La Petite Maison. Le petits Farcis, ultra-creamy burrata, onion and anchovy clad pissaladiere (kind of Southern French pizza) and fried courgette flowers when in season are all fun to taste in their full force particularly here, since cheating is not part of ‘the game of plates’ served at La Petite Maison. These typically Southern-French staples will set your appetite for a feast that is about to come.

With wine poured generously, luxuriating with prevailingly French and Italian selections, the jolly diners can dive their forks into fresh Mediterranean staples like fish, seafood, succulent tomato sauces, home-made basil pesto poured over a plate of pasta, but also some meaty chunks from the nearby pastures. The lobster served with homemade pasta is one of the popular signature dishes as is the seabass served with roasted seasonal vegetables such as artichoke and/or mushrooms.

Your smiling waiter may surprise you with a plate of risotto generously sprinkled with truffles, just as an apology for waiting too long for the second (or third) bottle of wine. This is what I call ‘customer comes first’ approach! The waiters dance briskly between the table trying to satisfy your ever whim, just ask them to dance on your table and they will be happy to jump up and get the party going. That everything goes smoothly without fights is ensured by the presence of the restaurant’s tough owner Nicole Rubi, who has became legendary for her warrior attitude. She is not afraid to show any villain her fist and get him/her out of there! La Petite Maison is to me like a local theatre of society with life music, characters and plot set around great food.

Address: 11 Carriera San-Francès-de-Paula

Contact: +(33) 4 93 92 59 59

Opening: Daily for lunch and dinner except Sunday.

Bertaud Belieu winery: the glamours winery you must visit in Saint-Tropez

At the imposing Greek-style built Bertaud Belieu winery, Leonardo DiCaprio hosted an intimate charity dinner for the St.Tropez glitterati to sponsor his environmental foundation. Joined by the hyper-activist for anything good, Bono, they were staged to impress − the wine is very good for a Provençal breed.

Its prestigious location near the shores of Saint-Tropez still puts trumps into the cards of the Bertaud Belieu winery, yet its wines could win the game based on their own brain power. Despite the winery’s frequent changes in the ownership, with the current proprietor being of a Kazakh origin, the winemaker remained the same as the guardian angel of consistency.

The name of the winery comes from the petit river Bélieu that flows casually through its vineyards. Bertaud was the founding family of the estate and when it was purchased by the nearby domaine of Bélieu, the names were joined together.
Although some of the bottle wrapping at Bertaud Belieu now shouts ‘glamour!’, the prices are not as over-ambitious as the wines from the currently hyped-up Château d’Esclans.
Covered in a fancy silver coat and a suede pouch with the winery’s logo set in gleaming crystals, the newest rosé added to the portfolio – Héracléa, fetches €18 at the winery. A bottle of our favourite Rosé Prestige comes at €12, which is not a bargain for a young wine that should be consumed in its first two years of life, but the joy from it equals for me a double of its cost.

As I savoured yet another bottle of the peachy Prestige Rosé from Bertaud Belieu with my lunch at my favourite Le Club 55 beach, I discovered my fondness of this elegant, delicate and gently exotically perfumed wine. It was made by grapes skin contact with the must during a cold maceration just after desteming (method typical for Côtes de Provence rosé wines). Its charming freshness easily distracts me from the people watching in St Tropez.

The rosés of Côtes de Provence in general are blends of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre and locally distinct Tibouren. Héracléa has a more masculine character owing to a higher percentage of Grenache in its blend. Yellow peach pulped up by apricots and acacia honey stickiness create a flashy yet elegant body.
The domaine produces mostly rosés as most of its neighbours, but about 20% of its production are whites, reds and even a sparkling white and rosé table wine. Their reds were not my preferred glass of wine, but the white oaky and exotic Chardonnay brought a farm-raised Bresse chicken with cream sauce a la Georges Blanc‘s grandmother recipe to my, by-flavours-obsessed, consciousness. It would pair wonderfully. The Chardonnay can be designated only as a ‘Vin du Pays‘, while the other white wine made from the locally-approved Rolle (Vermentino) carries the AOC Côtes de Provence label.
The winery produces also a spirit called Marc de Belieu, Grande Réserve Cesar. A powerful, grape-based companion to gentlemen’s cigar soirée.

The vines of Bertaud Belieu are grown on clay and limestone soil. Nighttime harvest preserves the cherished youthful freshness and protects from pre-mature fermentation of the grapes. Not a humble production of average 300 000 bottles per year secures the wines’ wide presence on the Riviera’s tables.
Art meets wine at Bertaud Belieu, with frequent exhibitions of contemporary artists’ works at the tasting room.

Mon-Friday 10am – 7pm; Daily during the summer.
Domaine Bertaud Belieu
635 Route Ramatuelle, Presqu’île de Saint Tropez, 83580 Gassin, France

+33 4 94 56 16 83

Château D'Esclans: making the most expensive rosé in the world

Château D’Esclans Garrus rosé is bolder than most rosé wines from Côtes de Provence, the hive for most known pink wines in the world, yet its sturdy old Grenache-based frame strives over time to mature enough towards a more nuanced equilibrium between its aromatic exotic fruit, woody richness, toasty smack and fresh nectarine acidity.

Despite its very high price (starts at €90 at the winery), the Garrus by Château D’Esclans sells well in glitzy holiday resorts such as St.Tropez, Cannes and Monte-Carlo, but it also adorns many US wine lists and you can spot it as far as in Singapore, New Zealand, and it even floated to the tax heaven of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean.

The rich have never had it easier to reach for a bottle of the priciest rosé ever made – the coveted Garrus. Although Garrus is not as rare as a bottle from a small Burgundy producer, further in contrast to its high price, its annual production is high enough to make it available at high-end establishments on each continent. The buzzing praise by top wine publications and critiques helped it to spread far beyond the showy shores of St Tropez.

Masterminded by an established French négociant Sacha Lichine, who bought the 267 ha property near La Motte in 2006, Château d’Esclans was set to become a world-class winery. Lichine’s bountiful previous experience in diverse facets of the wine trade as well as his innovative concept of a line of new world style expressive wines made in France by selected growers called “Sacha Lichine – Vins Sans Frontiers” [Wines without borders], all contributed to his global success. Yet, he is not the only person to be credited with creating this rosé phenomenon.

A Bordeaux native and consulting oenologist Patrick Léon, with experience from managing the Baron Phillipe de Rothschild properties in France, California and Chile as well as Château Lascombes in Margaux is the driving force behind the breakthrough winemaking at Château D’Esclans.

Their common wine savvy also pioneered in Provence using more laborious Bugundian techniques such as barrel fermentation and stirring of the dead yeasts (bâtonnage), both adding richness to wine. The result in Garrus is a concentrated wine with dried citrus, pear, exotic fruit and rich finish. This complex wine needs time to show its best qualities. Hence its name comes from a man called Garrus, who is reportedly known for his love of calibrating and needing time for it.

The most popular though remains the more affordable (about a third of the price of Garrus) Whispering Angel, the label of which was inspired by a 19th century chapel nearby. Its clean-cut frame, for it was made in stainless steel tanks, is more suitable for summer drinking. The blend of locally grown Grenache, Rolle, Cinsault, Syrah and Tibouren shows zingy red berries but also jammy structure on the palate its high quality is underlined by a long dry, almost herbal, finish. By using grapes not only from the Château D’Esclans, but also from associated local growers, Whispering Angel showcases that it is possible to make great wine, while not having a total control of the vines.

The basic (and the cheapest) line named simply Château D’Esclans rosé is a blend of Grenache and Rolle (Vermentino) that freshen up your palate with herbal and slightly spicy and stone fruits aromas. Tasting the just released 2013 vintage was challenging though, since the wines were not yet perfectly rounded up in the mouth. My favourite during this year’s tasting was Les Clans rosé perhaps because I tasted the older 2012 vintage that was perfectly ready for drinking. Made from old-vine Grenache and highlighted by bâtonnage (stirring the lees of the wine), the candied ginger, creamy texture with ripe pineapple sweetness was appealing. I would rather have this wine with food. Tasting previously the 2011 vintage, that was even better as it was more evolved.

Although rosé is the winery’s most lauded pride, Sacha Linchine also makes other wines at his Château D’Esclans. Although Grenache is the king of the 44 ha planted with vines and some of these veterans are over 90 years old, these are mostly used in the Esclans’ iconic Garrus blended with the white varietal Rolle (Vermentino). Rolle is solely used in making the Déesse Astrée, a white beauty with honeyed depth and refreshing minty charm.
While Déesse Red is a Vin de Pays blend of Syrah and Merlot aged in French oak barrels. Black berries, currants and chewy tannins that need time to become more friendly with the delicately handled fruit make it a resolute food wine.

With his impressive global reach, Sacha Lichine achieved what most Provençal wineries could only dream about – he created an iconic French wine outside the established cellars of Bordeaux, Rhône and Burgundy appellations. Good marketing strategy surely helps, but Garrus in particular truly is a wine without borders as he aimed it to create.
Château d’Esclans, 4005 Route de Callas, 83920 La Motte, France
+33 494 604 040

Domaine du Clos Notre-Dame: when church and wine unite together

When cruising leisurely in an open car along the provincial road between Fayence and Seillance in Provence, wind messing with your hair and medieval villages glueing your eyes on their catchy live portraits, you may pass the discrete signpost to the Domaine du Clos Notre-Dame. A shame to miss it though! This is not any of the typical commercial wineries that mushroom like truffles in this part of the Var department. Run as a small business, the produce of which is largely consumed within the family makes it worth peaking in.

Domaine du Clos Notre-Dame produces wine, olive oil and flowers. I cannot imagine a more seductive, tasty and beautiful work than theirs – tending to the colourful rose petals, dipping bread into a fresh olive oil, and savouring juicy plump grapes before the harvest …, some call it hedonism, but I think of enjoying the fruits of nature in heaven.

The winemaker Alain Rebuffel together with his wife live in this raspberry door appendix to the centuries old church, where they also make wine. Although the Domaine, run since 1997 by Mr. Rebuffel, is not as well-known in the area as Val d’Iris and other bigger wineries, it has a more discrete character and unique location. Their tiny production would during the medieval times supply just enough for the local church. I could imagine a wine-savvy priest with a bold head and round belly savouring the juices of his work during a religious sermon and enjoying a Bacchus-worthy feast afterwards.

The Domaine du Clos Notre-Dame has no website, there is not much information to be found about their wines, and the winery is glueing to the Roman church as if it were one building, so not many wine drinkers get to its humble yet accommodating cellar. Trying at least their top-level fruity F2T rosé as an enjoyable and easy wine for the summer lunch would carve a wide smile on your face. It is a fruit bomb with a red raspberry jam jazzing up your mouth and crisp acidity sizzling on your tongue in the finish. Classified as Vin de Pays du Var IGP, it reflects the local terroir and does not rigidly stick to the AOC rules. It is a liberal expression of the local artisan.
The five reds they make are quite a challenge – tannic, rustic and by all means very, very expressive – but would satisfy any local family table with a generous meal. As a well-travelled and to various world wines daily exposed connoisseur, I would lean towards their pink and more subtle white wines.

The Domaine du Clos Notre-Dame produces also olive oil, sells cheese and jams from local producers and shows visitors the restraint interior of the 11th century chapel. The views from its vineyards reward you on a clear day with a splendid view of the old stone build-up of the medieval Fayence.
Clos Notre-Dame, 83440 Fayence.
Follow the road from Fayence to Seillance and turn off the road left when you see the sign for the church.
+33 4 94 84 12 41; baerbuffel@aol.fr
Daily except Sundays and holidays 9am-12noon; 6pm-7:30pm.

Val d'Iris: wines as the mirror of the female winemaker

Anne Dor, the owner and winemaker at Val d’Iris is a woman of a strong character. As with her wines, her intense personality penetrates deep under your skin, filling your veins with an intoxicating energy.

Yet, do not be afraid of this former veterinary, who took over an iris plantation in the valley, added more vines, and transformed their grapes’ juice into a bottled joy. Just be on time for your appointment and engage in a sensory appreciation of her cuvées, blancs, rosés and rouges. [blends, whites, roses and reds]

Locally grown irises were once used in perfumes manufactured in the nearby Grasse, the perfume capital of the world. The ‘Valley of irises’ (Val d’Iris) may had lost its fragrant appeal, but it remains charming, tranquil and abundant with the joie de vivre of its inhabitants. Favourably located near to a medieval village of Seillans, that perched high above a plain stretches widely towards Fayence is the gliders paradise. Often considered to be the best sailplane flying in Europe, the enthusiasts of this adventurous aerial sport whizz above your head like seagulls around the Mediterranean. Anne Dor’s husband is one of them. As he almost daily takes off up to the skies, his wife has plenty of solitude to contemplate over the vines planted around their Provençal stone house.

Inside the winery’s exotically-themed tasting room rough natural fabrics are spread on the cold bare stone seats and leaning photographs of indigenous people contrast with the stone house’s typical Provençal setting. Yet, this speaks volumes about the proprietor’s unconventional character. What brought me to Val d’Iris, was their Cuvée Eva. This supple, meaty and round red blend of by a barrique softened Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah is named after one of Anne’s children. I like to order at L’Escourtin, one of my favourite restaurants in the area. Anne Dor has three children and she admitted that after naming one wine after one of them, the rest must followed. Thus, avoiding any rifts between the siblings, the Cuvée Léonore and Grand Foudre were born. Both are not made every year since the winemaker seeks favourable weather conditions for the specific grape varietals used to make these wines. Tasting of recent vintages broadened my preference for all of her red wines, except the basic Granache, which was just too acidic and almost barked aggressively at me. The Grand Foudre enchanted with its freshness and the juicy fruit of Merlot, while the Cuvée Léonore spiced up my mouth with paprika, cayenne and black pepper in the finish after a dense fruit richness that formed the backbone of this wine.

The whites based on Rolle (Vermentino) also impressed my sensory buds. In particular the Blanc Saint Vincent 2012, that was kept for 18 moths in a barrique, showed the potential richness of this Italian grape varietal popular in the Var region of France. As I sniffed the wine I felt like I was standing in a meadow of wild flowers where bees were labouring sticky honey the scent of which whiffed through the air. Quince, ripe pear and honeyed flavours were balanced by the bitter backbone characteristic for Anne Dor’s wines. The rosé from the newest vintage (2013) could be proud of its Provençal heritage. Delicately aromatic with floral undertones and again – an awakening bitter shot in its spine kept me straight up as if I chewed on a tart grapefruit. Cinsault and Syrah in this blend made by the typical bleeding method (short maceration of the grapes skins) in Provence were lively yet intriguing. Val d’Iris Cellar visit is only by appointment, so call up ahead and enjoy!
Mon-Fri: 11am-6pm & Sat: 11am-5pm.
+33 4 94 76 97 66; info@valdiris.com
341 Chemin de Combe, 83 440 Seillans.

Domaine La Tourraque: safeguarding precious vinous land in serene Ramatuelle

The savage beauty of Domaine La Tourraque producing organic wines in the Var department of Southern France would enchant any serious human being sensitive to the artisan hand of mother nature. Overlooking the turquoise rocky coast of the Mediterranean, a wild beach accessible only by foot, and by environmentalists protected uninhabited Cap Taillat, there is not material price that would equal its precious position for a family that has owned this land for two centuries.

Since 1805 this extensive property has been in hands of one family, that produced various crops, olive oil as well as wine. The latter two remained their breadbasket until today.
The Craveris family, the owners of Domaine La Tourraque, know what gem they posses, since many wealthy individuals would love to grasp their precious land, but so far they remain resolutely faithful to their family’s peasant heritage. They continue to produce wines classified as AOC Côtes de Provence from their 40 hectares of vineyards.

WINEMAKING

Harvesting has two phases, one manual early in the morning and during the night when the air cools down, the machines collect the grapes quickly to preserve the aromas. The rosés are macerated for about five hours to extract the aromas and not too much colour and bitter herbaceous taste from the skins. No malolactic fermentation is induced so the desired freshness of this summer wine is preserved.

Wines of Domaine La Tourraque have been certified as organic since the 2013 vintage. As for most of its neighbors, rosé makes 80% of their total production, mainly because of its high demand in this touristy destination. Three ranges of wines are produced: Cuvée Classic, Cuvée Harmonie and Cuvée Joseph Brun. All three in white, rosé and red, differing from each other by grape varietals in their blend.

The white Cuvée Classic won multiple awards in competitions in Paris. It is a blend of Rolle (Vermentino) and Semillon with intense pear and peach aromas and citrus fruit freshness. The rosé from the same line shows the finesse and elegance of the 2013 vintage in this area. While refreshing grapefruit adds some zest, it is balanced by the fruity fragrance of red berries.

The pink wines tend to be the work of a winemaker since his skill of blending the right proportions of up to five varietals defines the wine. Cinsault and Grenache dominate in this rosé, while a pinch of spicy Syrah and chewy rustic Mourvèdre add depth and strength.
The reds can be a bit aggressive when drunk too young, but their strong core of Syrah and old vine Carignan lending the wine cassis and spicy peppery kick will last at least for 5 years.

Cuvée Harmonie is the highest and most expensive range made by Domaine La Tourraque. Its partial ageing in oak barrels for eight adds on the price, but also rounds the flavours and increases the wines ageing potential. I tried the 2011 rosé, a blend of equal amounts of Grenache and Cinsault (60%) and Tibouren with Rolle, that was heavier than the other two pink wines and surely would accompany well a provencal summer meal. Vanilla and exotic tones topping up red fruit core dominate. The white blend of Rolle and Semillon is also more sophisticated and nuanced than the other wines from the domaine. The red again needs some age to soften its mouth-squeezing tannins.

Supporting oenoturism, the winery offers three programs for the visitors who manage to book them prior to their visit. From the basic “Discovery”, through a more extensive four-wheel tour through the vineyards during the “Balade” to all day spent at the winery with various activities (even yoga) for groups bigger than 10 persons.
You can find their wines at restaurants, gourmet and wine shops (including organic produce purveyors) around Southern France.

Address: Chemin de la Bastide Blanche, 83350 Ramatuelle

Phone: +(33) 04 94 79 25 95

Oliviera: where the olive god rules over natural home cuisine

Oliviera in Nice has been in the hands of one family in love with high quality olive oil for more than 15 years. It is poured generously over the market-fresh ingredients, that received just a subtle eastern touch of Oliviera’s palestinian owners. The jovial Nadim Beyrouti treats the healthy oil like a god. Natural, yet always by olive tinted aromas are celebrated at the tables set in the maze of winding rues in Vieux Nice. Served cold and annualy freshly pressed, the liquid Mediterranean gold from diverse regions shines from its throne nested on the vegetarian starters, the more generous main plates and even on the seasonal dessert!

The owner’s know-how can turn the meal there into an olive oil tasting lesson. You will be encouraged to dip your bread into different olive oils from diverse French regions. Each made from distinct olive varieties and different level of maturity. Being enlightened by his insight, it is then easy to select the right oil for your taste and the meal you intend to have it with. High quality olive oil is used raw, so rarely used in cooking, otherwise its aromas and healthful properties would be diminished. Like a superb wine, a great quality olive oil does not need to be flavoured and in its own pure state highlights any meal with which it is served.
A zeal of an artisan enchanted by pure olive oil awaits you in the humble setting of Oliviera. The Mediterranean bounty embodied in its sun-kissed ingredients is plated on country style dishes with just one rule in place: a generous pour of the godly oil over each course. Not limited to using one olive oil but many from various producers, while the plates are created to highlight the dominant flavours of each oil.

I love restaurants, where the owner serves you with a smile, stops by, and happily chats about his cherished ingredients. Here you get all that, while Beyrouti’s wife behind steaming pots and green piles of leafy vegetables prepares casually the meals. It feels as if you were visiting a friend or a family in their own house.
Unlike the nearby Table Alziari and La Merenda, both also very good but very traditional and heavier, at Oliviera the family creates a more contemporary Mediterranean food inspired by the fresh niçoise produce from the nearby Cours Saleya market, and the owner’s Middle-Eastern heritage.
During the summer, when the zucchini blossoms are in a full bloom, one of the signature dishes pops on the menu. The Courgette en Fleur is a raw zucchini flower stuffed with chopped vegetables and an AOC Nice olive oil. This local oil with aromas of sweet almonds, artichokes and hazelnuts pairs also well with pasta and fish dishes cooked there.

Feuillete Cretois, a thin filo pastry filled with fresh goat’s cheese and herbs accompanied by a fresh bouquet of lettuce and seasonal vegetables was served with Aglandau olive oil. I was told that Bouteillan oil also pairs well with goat’s cheese, so it can be substituted.
Aubergine Oliviera, another signature dish, is served with a splash of the above mentioned Boutellian olive oil and marinated red peppers in, of course, olive oil. The banana, green grass and birch leafs aromas of the Bouteillan freshen up and add a bit of exciting exoticism to the aubergine caviar (the inside part of the plant that was cooked).
Various plates with pasta, such as the local rabbit (Lapin sur Pâtes) that is paired with the Nice AOC olive oil, are always included for these wanting a bigger meal. A dessert for a sweet dot dipped in the celebrated oil, envelops the degustation perhaps with a surprise for some, but is not to be feared, and with a pinch of adventure fully savoured.

A small selection of French, but also Lebanese wines by the glass, carafe and bottle, complements the natural wandering through the bountiful orchards that were harvested under the roof of one eatery.
All the oils are sold on the premises or online at oliviera.com. Since its foundation, Oliviera has been a strong supporter of the local producers and of a slow food service so be patient. Do not expect the owner running around as if he were training for a sprint competition, and savor the flavours. There is only one service for lunch and one for dinner. Do not forget to bring cash, since credit cards are not accepted.
8 Bis Rue du Collet, Vieux Nice, France
+33 493 13 06 45
Tue-Sat: 1oam – 11pm (shop)
Lunch service: 12:30-2:30pm; Dinner 7:30-9:30pm.

La Table Alziari: French olive family invites to their home table

Olives everywhere you look, in everything you bite and even in the air as their fresh vegetal fragrance bringing a whiff of the Mediterranean penetrates your lungs at La Table Alziari. Chewy or liquid, no wonder that the olives and the oil from them are omnipresent here, since the Alziari family is known for producing superb quality olive oil that can be purchased at their store near the Saleya market.

The tiny local Cailletier olives are juicy and often served with an aperitif at many bistros and bars, but probably nowhere else they feel more at home as they do at this casual home-cooking eatery.
Andre Alziari opened it in a narrow winding street of the old town (Vieux Nice), where his wife Anna-Marie makes everything as if she were at home cooking for her husband and children. The recipes were taken from the pantry of their parents and the dishes were, indeed, proven through the passage of time.

If your French is more like an olive on a tree after harvest, then do not worry since Andre speaks English fluently and is happy to use it. As I learned during the three years of living in the area, the French in the South are different from the legendary Parisian anglophobes.

Whether or not you bite into the daily baked bread, dip it in olive oil or pat it with olive-based tapenade, the small Pizza made simply with tomatoes and cheese is worth the dietary sin. After all, white flour penetrated deeply into traditional French and Italian cooking, so make it your holiday treat and guiltlessly enjoy each bite. The pizza is different than you would get on a fast burning street oven or an Italian pizzeria. It has also been served at homes of the locals for generations. Nice was part of the Savoy duchesy before the country’s unification as Italy. One of the founders of Italy, Giuseppe Garibaldi was also born in Nice.
To start with or as a great tapa with locally made Bellet wine, the in-house Marinated peppers, tomatoes or aubergines available depending on the season are highly recommended. Succulent, fresh and not overly oily and dry as they can be when canned and sold in stores.
Grilled goat cheese nested atop a green salad is also from a local source, although the Alziari family does not make its own cheese, they buy it the freshest possible nearby.

As a main course, try the generous ‘Morue à la niçoise’, which is a cod fish in tomatoes, olives and potatoes stew. The menu board hanging on the walls inside and outside changes seasonally, but the marinated aubergines and succulent red peppers soaked in olive oil are always on hand. The ‘Tarte des Blettes’ (Swiss chard tart) is the most local dessert you can get unless you pop over to the nearby Fennochio ice cream parlor, that is famous for its over 100 flavors of gelato.

Although it is very casual, even Alain Ducasse, the chef behind multiple Michelin-adorned restaurants and of the Prince of Monaco, browses there now and then to get a feel of the genuine old Nice. Avoid only the by the tourists-besieged summer months. Sitting on the small terrace perched in a narrow stone road leading uphill you will feel like a neighbour who stopped by for something home-cooked to eat. As the restaurant’s name suggests you will indeed sit at the table of the Alziari family.

La Table Alziari

4 Rue François Zanin

+(33) 4 93 803 403

Opening: Lunch & dinner Tue-Sat

Alziari Olive Oil

14 rue Saint-François de Paule

+(33) 4 93 62 94 03

Opening: Mon-Sat: 8:30am-12:30; 2:15 – 7pm

La Merenda: from Michelin kitchen to Niçoise family bistro

From Alain Ducasse’s praise through high-dining naysayers alas local casual food lovers, La Merenda became a coveted Niçoise dining institution uniting foodies with seemingly disparate eating-out preferences. What attracts them to this family eatery punched into a small thoroughfare in Vieux Nice (Old Town of Nice), is the excellence of home cooking served unpretentiously. Add a wide smile of the chef and his wife, and they won you over.

Unlike the owners and chefs of the other popular bistros in town such as the adorable Bistrot d’Antoine, La Merenda’s chef Dominique le Stanc worked at numerous Michelin-stared restaurants prior choosing a more simple life involving casual home cooking. He arrives on weekdays on his bicycle with a box of fresh ingredients for the day’s menu. Quite a change from cooking at one of the once Riviera’s most luxurious hotels (Le Negresco) to a place serving water in glasses adorned with mermaid stickers and whose kitchen hardly accommodates two people and a stove. For many diners though this is a preferable atmosphere to the stuffy gilded walls of Le Chantecler at the Negresco.

The dining area is also very small, the half-dozen tables are clad with Bordeaux-red covers and the walls display a blend of local modern art and family reminiscent photographs.
La Merenda takes only reservations in person since the restaurant does not have a phone, so one must keep it in mind when planning to eat there. In the instant world of email’s and mobile phones, it is a seaside holidays evoking lifestyle. Bringing cash will also save you from running to a nearby cash machine since cards are not accepted.
The chef’s “returning to the essence of cooking” with market-driven, fresh ingredients prepared with a sensibility of an experienced chef attracts back many regular guests.

Try the chef & wife’s adaptations of traditional niçoise specialities such as ‘les sardines farcis’ (stuffed sardines), ‘les petits farcis’ (minced meat stuffed vegetables) or ‘les beignets de fleurs de courgette’ (fried courgette flowers) all served only in their season, which peaks during the summer.
Desserts change according to the mood of the chef, but if there is the Tourte de Blettes, a sugar dusted cake filled with chopped green swiss chard, standing on the kitchen counter, then go for it, since you won’t probably taste in anywhere else outside the Côte d’Azur.
There are some wines, mostly local, including for La Merenda’s food suitable house wine, but do not expect a lengthy wine list. After all, it is a perfect opportunity to try the well-priced Bellet AOC growing nearby in the hills just behind Nice.
La Merenda not just became the most coveted dining spot of the food loving locals and travellers alike, but it has also sparked the local home-cooking frenzy with many familial bistros opening up in a recent decade around Nice’s centre.
4 Rue Raoul Bosio, Nice, France

No number, reservations in person or just show up.

Mon – Fri for lunch and dinner

Bistrot d’Antoine: the most lauded of all bistros in Nice

Owner-run camaraderie thrives at Bistrot d’Antoine. The cosy and casual bistro with an exposed street terrace in Vieux Nice, the Old Town, has remained the most popular casual dining spot in Nice for over a decade. Its vibrant, soulful buzz is accented by the typical bistrot tight tables arrangement accross the two floors of the always full eatery.

Antoine’s dishes are modern delicious twists on local Niçoise delicacies, all presented in wide-ranging Mediterranean alliances. Spanish chorizo meets French mustard and roquette, Italian garlic marries Niçoise salad, all perhaps yet undiscovered culinary notes. The Squids and Chorizo starter with a tangerine dressing nuances a sweet citrusy lightness in the fatty sausage making it possible for the delicate nature of the squid to come out on the palate.

The market-driven blackboard menu offers a daily selection of the classic French and Provençal staples in a crafty melange of the kitchen staff at Bistrot d’Antoine. Top quality produce obtained mainly from the nearby market Cours Saleya, farmers and local fishermen, is used to prepare mouth-watering Mediterranean dishes. All presented on simple white bone plates that highlight the meal like a painting centered in a pure canvas.

Daily, there are special dishes offered on the top of the regular menu, so it is worth inquiring about them. We tried a White fish tartare in beetroot sauce topped with roquette and a crisp toast, that was superb mainly because of the freshness of the chopped raw fish.
Bistrot d’Antoine’s take on the Niçoise salad ups the game for this local staple. Despite being more known abroad, Niçoise salad is not the most typical local dish, yet it was the most easy adaptable for export. Lightly searing the tuna meat, adding crisp radishes and other seasonal vegetables such as green peas, a clove of grilled garlic, this adaptation is a gourmet plate rather than a regular salad. At his pther restaurant, the Comptoir du Marché the Niçoise salad is further luxuriated with lobster.

One of the house specialities is for some repellent, for others adorable – the Boudin Noir [a black sausage] Risotto. Based on a black pudding, made from pig’s blood, skin, seasonings like herbs and spices, and firmed (as a binder) either gently with onion or more substantially with bread crumbles in France, oatmeal in Britain and elsewhere in Europe with different cereals such as barley in the Czech Republic [jelito] or rice in Spain [morcilla]. The creamy risotto softens the intensity of the black sausage, served in two small slices on the top, exquisite, but one needs a sip of a generous red wine helps digesting the fatty rice plate through its acidity.

You can be more adventurous with the traditional Veal kidneys or just stick to a juicy Rib steak grilled and served with its rich reduction and roasted fingerling ratte potatoes with grilled moist vegetables. If you see the rattes on the menu in France, order them for their distinct nutty taste and smooth texture that holds well together after cooking.

As the owner Armand Crespo walks from a table to table greeting and helping serve the guests, everyone feels welcomed like a part of a big hungry family. The wine list does not break the bank and while represents the diversity of the French terroir it includes many local picks, such as ‘Vins de Bellet‘, the only Niçoise AOC stretching up to the hills behind the city. Le Clos by Clos St-Vincent or wines from Domaine de La Source stand out as great, yet good value picks. The wine is served at the start of your meal together with free locally distinctive tiny olives, a tin of homemade tuna spread and irresistible crisp and fresh white bread, like a teaser whetting your appetite for a memorable meal that is to come soon to you from the kitchen.

Reservation in advance is highly recommended since Bistrot d’Antoine is always full. If there is no table available, their newer establishment a couple of blocks away its sister restaurant – the Comptoir du Marché, that has also great food and is more spacious. There, bite into a small yet an ultra thick crust pizza piled high with juicy tomatoes, ham, arugula and mozzarella.
Armand Crespo, indeed makes his mark on the local Niçoise dining scene with these two superb bistros. Treating you to another complimentary sweet snack – a box of butter cookies – at the end of your meal with coffee or tea, he secures your return, and I am sure I will be back soon.