La Table du Cap, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat 2

Last October we had an excellent meal at La Table du Cap under its new chef, Laurent Poulet. It closed shortly afterwards for renovations and we had not had a chance to go back until May 29, 2008, when Linda and I went with Kees and Els. 

Cap Estel

 

1312 Avenue Raymond Poincaré; 
Èze-Bord-de-mer; 04 93 76 29 29 
www.capestel.com
www.latableducapestel.com(April 5, 2008).  Sometimes write-ups can change the nature of a restaurant or tax the service or otherwise take away from its charm.  Such was our dilemma after enjoying a virtually private lunch on the terrace at Cap Estel.  Should we or should we not write it up?  Since our circulation is such that our write-up will probably not send hordes of people, we overcame our hesitation.

The Royal Riviera, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat 2

On April 1, 2008, Paul and Renate invited Véronique, Jean-Yves, Linda and me to lunch on the terrace of the Panorama restaurant at the Royal Riviera Hotel. Spring has been slow arriving and this was our first lunch of the season outside.

Avenue 31, Monaco

This location, at 31 Avenue Princesse Grace, in a modern glass enclosure, with outside tables and fronting on the boulevard and seafront on the east side of Monaco, would seem to be superb. But the last three restaurants in it have failed. Now some experienced Monaco restauranteurs have just opened Avenue 31, a chic casual restaurant there featuring fish and seafood. 

La Table du Cap, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

On October 11, 2007 Linda and I dined at La Table du Cap, which had opened three months before in the site of the former Le Provençal, a disappointing restaurant.

Le Café de Paris, Monte Carlo 3

There are occasions when there really isn’t any good alternative to the Café de Paris. October 5, 2007, Linda and I went to an 8:30 recital at the Salle Garnier with David, Frédérique and Tanya. So we met at the Café de Paris for dinner beforehand. But, unlike previous experiences, all the food was quite good.

Colette Café, Eze Village

On October 2, 2007 Linda and I went up to the bird migration observation post at the Fort de la Revère, high above Eze and La Turbie.

Mirazur, Menton 3

Driving back from Cervo on September 27, 2007, Linda and I decided to skip an Italian lunch and go back to Mirazur, where we had eaten so well three weeks before.

Le Mayssa, Villefranche

Villefranche-sur-Mer, PLACE WILSON, 04.93.01.75.08
 www.lemayssa.fr
(September 13, 2007) On the second floor of the port building in the large parking lot is a restaurant with one of the coast’s better terraces. Le Maysse is the new tenant, and it offers some of the freshest fish around.

Mirazur, Menton 2

Mirazur opened a few years ago in a new modern airy building next to the old French customs post at the Pont Saint Louis.

Mirazur 1

Mirazur
30, av. Aristide-Briand
06500 MENTON
04 92 41 86 86
www.mirazur.fr
Closed all day Tuesday and Wednesday lunch

 

Le Café de Paris 1 & 2

My readers may be startled to find me writing about one of the least trendy and fashionable places imaginable: Le Café de Paris in Monte Carlo. But anyone who is in the Principality may have reason to think of going there. And, even if not, will walk right by it and may be interested in our experience there. So why did we go?

La Réserve de Beaulieu

On September 28, 2006, four of us had dinner at La Réserve de Beaulieu.  After passing through the charming courtyard and the elegant, formal, baroque dining room, we sat down at a table on the edge of the terrace in a quiet, lovely setting on the sea watching the evening light fade on Cap Ferrat. 

Maya Bay – Monaco

On September 27, 2006, four of us dined at Maya Bay at the east end of Monaco.  One enters through an expensive art gallery in the Roccabella, a big, luxury apartment building.

Royal Riviera Hotel – Cap Ferrat

The Royal Riviera Hotel, built in 1904 as the Bedford, has a useful role in our area.  In a convenient site where Beaulieu, Cap Ferrat and Villefranche join, it is a very good hotel without the very high costs and pretensions of La Réserve, Le Metropôle or the Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat. 

Le Provençal – St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

On September 12, 2006, Linda and I had dinner at Le Provençal, a small restaurant with a lovely setting on the edge of the village of St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. We had eaten here many times before, but not for several years, and it has always remained somewhat of an enigma.

L’Hostellerie Jérôme in La Turbie

The evening of September 30, 2005 we went to L’Hostellerie Jérôme in La Turbie in the hills above Monaco.  The 55€ menu was an unbelievable bargain.  The first course was a choice of a “cassoulette” of truffles, foie gras, cèpes and noodles or a lobster concoction.  

Café de la Fontaine – La Turbie

It has been fashionable in France for the last ten years for chefs with two or three Michelin stars to open a bistro on the side so as to be able offer lower prices while those in their starred restaurants soared.  But these were not really geared for the general public; they were more for the same clientèle who were looking for a somewhat less extravagant meal that day.  This is not at all the case with the Café de la Fontaine which Bruno Cirino has opened in the center of La Turbie near his two-starred Hostellerie Jérôme.  

Grill de l’Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo

On January 30, 2005, we went to lunch at the Grill de l’Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo with another couple. There is a lunch menu at 65€ which includes three choices each for the starter and the main course, dessert, wine and coffee. The desserts include many flavours of their famous soufflés, which they have been serving for over a hundred years. One can try one of the unusual ones, but the Soufflé Grand Marnier is always the best. There is also an à la carte menu which includes meat and fish grilled alongside the fire one can see from the dining room. The fire is made possible by the Grill’s location on the top floor. The view is excellent and the roof slides back to let in fresh air as needed. We generally find the dishes more cuisinés better than the grilled specialties. The Grill used to require ties for gentlemen, but, while most are quite well dressed, some definitely are not nowadays.

Restaurant Joel Robuchon – Monte Carlo

On Sunday, January 15, 2006, we went for lunch with another couple to the Restaurant Joel Robuchon in the Hotel Métropole Monte Carlo after a terrific Mozart concert at the Salle Garnier.