French Riviera Travel News

Ah, summer nights. The soft breezes drifting across Monaco’s port. The massive yachts lined up along the quay. Sweet-smelling, sun-bronzed and fashionable young couples stroll under a setting sun.

The scene is romantic and elegant, just like Monaco’s new lounge/nightclub/restaurant/bar, the Black Legend. The name says it all, as the ambient music is devoted to the giants of Black American music: Motown, Funk, Soul, R & B, Pop and Disco.

Our evening began on the spacious outdoor terrace with stunning views over the port and  tables far enough apart to enjoy an intimate tete a tete. The DJ spun soul standards while we examined an enticing menu of salads, pastas, fish and meat dishes. The cuisine melded American, Asian and Mediterranean themes. Between us we managed to devour a delicious small pizza with sliced truffles and arugula, Caesar salad, Asian shrimp salad, “Black Cod” (flakey cod in sweet sauce) and an entrecote. Nothing overly complicated but the dishes were perfectly executed and portions were copious.

Around 10.30 the live band started and we headed inside to the sumptously decorated interior which includes a restaurant. I hate minimalist decor and was instantly at easy in the cushy sofas, soft lighting and gleaming wood floors. The band, Soul Tigers, did covers of  R & B, Soul and Motown hits of the 70s and 80s which got people dancing. I loved that you could dance if you wished or chat away in a corner, taking in the music and luxuriating in beautiful surroundings.

Black Legend is everything that Monaco is supposed to be–glamorous, chic, luxurious and fun–plus it’s actually quite affordable. A hearty salad starts at €18 and cocktails run from €12 to €25. There’s no cover.

Black Legend is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5am (midnight on Tuesday) serving meals non-stop. (Hooray!) Wednesday through Sunday, a top-flight DJ spins dance tunes from midnight on for an increasingly frenzied crowd. See more.

See more about nightlife in Monaco.

David Faure’s Aphrodite is my go-to spot when I want a truly extraordinary lunch at a price that won’t give me indigestion. I hadn’t been to this restaurant in Nice since it received its first Michelin star last year so I was curious whether the quality was the same as I remembered a couple of years agol. If anything, the restaurant had improved its lunch offering.

For an inexpensive fixed-price lunch (€25), some chefs decide not to exert themselves by elaborate preparations. Not here. We began with a cool amuse-bouche of a delicate mousse punctuated with crispy paper-thin potato slice and a fresh cracker but what followed was a total triumph. Chef Faure has mastered “molecular” cuisine and the entree was a full display of his technique. Fresh peas were surrounded a chunk of quail topped  with a fois gras flavoured ice cream (who would have thought?) and then dressed up with a carrot foam that looked like a flower on the plate. Insane. The main course was a perfectly broiled cod topped with a light bath of savory sauce and complemented by fried radishes. Dessert was an exquisite concoction of violet sherbet, rasberries, mascarpone plus meringue cookies over a rasberry gel sprinkled with vanilla. Mignardises of meringue and rasberry gel completed the meal.

What was great was not only the subtle balance of flavors and the summery coolness but the portions were designed to be just filling enough for lunch without weighing you down. We left neither hungry nor stuffed. It was just right. Everything was just right from the cascading water that formed a backdrop to the enclosed terrace to the carefully chosen paintings inside the formal but cheerful dining room. Aphrodite is clearly one of the best restaurants in Nice. If you can find a better-value lunch in town, let me know!

Sometimes a place is so friendly and nice, you hate to disappoint them with a bad review. Boni at 15 rue Tonduti de l’Escarène has attracted a number of fans ever since the original opened on rue Barla. The Franco-Italian style fits perfectly in our region where there is a constant flow of Italians in and French out. Maybe that was the trouble. The chef seemed to use the names of Italian favorites–antipasti! farfalle!–without remaining faithful to the spirit of Italian cuisine. As the menu was uninspired, the dishes needed that extra something that you find everywhere in Italy. There, an antipasti is composed of  freshly grilled vegetables, fruity olive oil, salty fish, Parma ham. Here, there were a few miniscule slices of raw salmon, an average tomato topped with tuna, some mesclun and a little hunk of Italian cheese. The grilled sea bream worked well but the farfalle with salmon was dry and tasteless. The risotto with asparagus was gloppy–an unforgivable lapse. The apple crumble dessert was OK but nothing special.

The concept caters to the trendy ’sorta tapas’ idea. You can choose 2 or 3 ‘bols’ plus a dessert. In practice, that meant 2 starters, a main course and a dessert for €23. The price was reasonable but the quality was average.

Perhaps thinking of the last storm on May 4 that left that littoral in tatters, authorities are taking no chances this time. As of yesterday afternoon Nice beaches were closed all up and down the Promenade des Anglais. A stroll by the sea this afternoon left no doubt why. The sound of the  wind was deafening as it ripped across the sea.  Waves reared  back and crashed against the rocks sending up geysers of foam. Although the wind speed is officially clocked at 54km/hour with gusts up to 95km/hour, it felt much windier and seems to be getting stronger. The plagistes that took such a hit last month have already stowed their tables, chairs and parasols but so far the water hasn’t reached the walls of the Prom’. Let’s hope they’re spared this time. If not, it’s the customers who will pay. Menu and bar prices have jumped up this season on Nice beach restaurants, probably to reimburse the owners for their storm-related expenses.

Do you want to keep track of conditions along the Prom’? See this link for a live webcam of the Promenade des Anglais.

Not to be left out of the Riviera music scene this summer (which includes the Nice Jazz Festival and Jazz a Juan), is stately Beaulieu-sur-Mer. The annual Nuits Guitars will take place from July 8 to 10 and will feature Popa Chubby, Alain Souchon and Babylon Circus. What I like about this festival is how casual it is and the comfortable outdoor seating. It’s also a good excuse to revisit relaxing Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Tickets are available through the tourist office.