January 7th, 2011 | 
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The Cannes Film Festival has yet to release the selection of films for 2011 but they have announced the president of the jury: Robert De Niro. The 67-year old veteran has already been president of the Cannes Film Festival Jury in the 1980s and has pronounced himself “very honoured and happy to head the jury for this year’s Cannes Film Festival.” And, as co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, this is a man who knows from film festivals.
Not to quibble, but much as I appreciate De Niro in the public eye, I appreciate him a lot more on screen and I don’t mean in a movie with “Fockers” in the title. Why can’t we have another Scorcese-De Niro collaboration? Come on, guys.
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Anyone passing through the main train station in Nice is immediately struck by the inadequacy of the structure. Built in 1867, the facade is attractive but the interior is nowhere near large enough to handle the influx of travellers to Nice. Everything about the Nice Gare seems ancient from the gloomy decor to the quays with stairway access only.
Nice mayor, Christian Estrosi, has just announced an 80 million euro project to modernize the building and it’s about time! Work is scheduled to begin in 2012 and last for 4 years. The project will include the refurbishment of the quays, a footbride, parking and improved access including a direct access from the tramway. There will be more shopping in the extended structure with space set aside for boutiques and shops. There’s no word yet on improved escalator access to the quays but here’s hoping.
See more about the Nice train station.
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.
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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.