After three weeks without Internet connection/service, it feels good to be back in ‘blog business’! During that time, I learned that being online all day is a (good or bad?) habit and took the down time to do other things (not a bad thing). Just goes to show that there are pros & cons to every situation. Now I need to get to work on new posts, so stay tuned – thanks for your readership.
Wow – Just look at what french students get to eat in school!
Watch video HERE:
I recently dined with some friends, who had chosen a restaurant at the port of Nice. I expected specialities centered around fish and seafood, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the restaurant is Italian-owned and offers Italian specialities as well.
We had a great corner table near the back of the restaurant, which provided a quiet atmosphere to chat and linger over the antipasti and their luscious red house wine before the main course.
Of course, we had to complete our meal with the typical Italian dessert of tiramisu – MIAM!
Lunching with the Riviera Gourmet Club took place at the gastronomic restaurant, La Rotonde, in La Napoule. Accompanying the delicious food by master chef M. Berthon, the service was
excellent, not to mention the panoramic sea view. A great day of comraderie and gastronomic delights in a beautiful setting – la vie est belle, n’est-ce pas?!
“It’s a shocking statistic that everyone should be talking about, 1 in every 3 kids in the United States is overweight or obese. What on earth could American children be eating to substantiate this scary statistic?
This was the question which fueled author Rebeca Plantier’s inquiry into the school lunch programs of the French in her article, What French Kids Eat For School Lunch (It Puts Americans To Shame!). She wanted to know why French kids weren’t fat, and discovered some interesting truths when she compared their school lunches…..”
Read more of this article (with photos) HERE
Re-blogged from
Did you know that you can enjoy wines from Menton, Mougins and Mandelieu?
As well as Saint-Jeannet, Saint-Paul de Vence, Tourettes-sur-Loup and even theLes Îles de Lérins off Cannes?
There really are vineyards in places least expected along our azure coast!
The aforementioned local vineyards are all classified as IGP, which stands for indication géographique protégée (or vin de pays).
So what’s the difference between an AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) and an IGP? It’s not so much a comparison of quality as you could easily think.
The AOC label is in place to protect historic wine areas of France. Each appellation is tightly regulated and the rules control such aspects as what grapes can be planted and where to achieve this. AOC wines must also show “tipicity”. In other words a Bellet wine should taste like a Bellet wine, not like a Côtes du Rhône.
Whereas wines which are categorised as IGP are not bound by such strict regulations and winemakers have much more freedom, especially when it comes to grape varieties. IGP wines can be some of the most interesting (and best value) wines to discover.
Here’s The Riviera Grapevine’s introduction to the eight vineyards of the Alpes-Maritimes!
Name: Domaine de Barbossi
Address: 3300 avenue de Fréjus, Mandelieu-La Napoule
Phone (hotel switchboard):+ 33 (0)4 93 49 42 41
Varieties grown: Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Rolle, Chardonnay & Muscat Petit Grain
Wines produced: White, Red & Rosé
A bit more info: The vineyard at Domaine de Barbossi comprises just one part of a mini-empire in the hills of Mandelieu-La Napoule. A luxury hotel and sporting complex, it’s a rather professional wine outfit which is responsible for between 16 to 18,000 bottles a year. If I was wondering why this was the one IGP wine I rarely see on the shelves around here, the answer lies on the website. It’s safe to say that a fair amount of the total production doesn’t even leave the hotel complex, happily guzzled by the hotel guests.
Visitors welcome: They are not yet set up for wine tourism as such, but if you’re in Nice you can find their wine at La Part des Anges.
Name: La Vigne de Pibonson
Address: 303 chemin du Miracle, Mougins
Phone: +33 (0)4 93 75 33 63
Varieties grown: Rolle & Grenache
Wines produced: White, Rose and a late-harvest sweet wine (vin doux)
A bit more info: A little over one hectare of precious land on the border of Cannes and Mougins has been salvaged from real estate developers by a Norwegian man and his wife who have a clear passion for wine. Together with the help of some of the regions finest oenologists, they make around 6000 bottles of their three wines. A grape miracle onchemin du Miracle!
Visitors welcome: As it stands, they are not (yet) set up for wine tourism either.
Name: Abbaye de Lérins
Address: Île St Honorat
Email: planariaadmin@abbayedelerins.com
Varieties grown: Syrah, Mourvèdre, Pinot Noir, Clairette, Chardonnay & Viognier.
Wines produced: Red & White, as well as assorted liqueurs.
A bit more info: This really is holy wine! Less than 15 minutes from Cannes and its glamorous Croisette are les Îles de Lérins. The two islands are Île St Marguerite and Île St Honorat. The former was reputedly home to the famous Man in the Iron Mask and the latter has housed a continual monastic community since the 5th century. Who make wine. All the wines are named for a different saint, and the vineyards, set by the ocean with the glittering coastline of Cannes as a backdrop, are undoubtedly some of the most spectacularly located vines in the world! A definite French Riviera wine highlight.
Visitors welcome: Yes, by appointment. A selection of (paying) tastings and tours are available, including summer wine cruises on select dates.
For more information: Excellence de Lérins website
Name: Domaine Saint Joseph
Address: 160 chemin des Vignes, Tourettes-sur-Loup
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 93 58 81 31/ +33 (0)6 09 28 26 59
Varieties grown: Marselan, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Folle Noire, Braquet, Cinsault, Clairette, Rolle & Sémillon.
Wines produced: Red, White, Rosé, Sparkling & a sweet, aperitif wine
A bit more info: With one hectare of vines in the village of Tourettes-sur-Loup, and a slightly larger holding beneath the ramparts of Saint-Paul de Vence, Domaine Saint Joseph boasts two of the prettiest locations for vines on the Riviera! Certified biodynamic, just over 10,000 bottles are produced a year by this family run operation. A visit to the tasting room in Tourettes is highly recommended.
Visitors welcome: Yes, by appointment.
Name: Le Petit Vigneau
Address: 1466 Route des Serres, Saint-Paul de Vence
Telephone: +33 (0)6 62 51 92 08
Varieties grown: Rolle, Sémillon, Chardonnay, Viognier, Clairette, Braquet, Mourvèdre, Folle Noire and Grassenc (phew!)
Wines produced: Red, White & Rosé
A bit more info: The last thing you’d expect in this quiet, residential street in Saint-Paul de Vence is to come across a vineyard, but that’s exactly the surprise at number 1466. Raphael Vigneau is a busy man, running a very successful Provence wine tours company (Azur Wine Tours) as well as this boutique vineyard with a view of the old village in the background. One of the rare (if not the only) winemakers to grow the little-known, indigenous grape Grassenc. Another must visit for any local wine lovers.
Visitors welcome: Yes, by appointment. Tour and tasting costs €5.
Name: Vignoble des Hautes Collines de la Côte d’Azur
Address: 800 chemin des Sausses, Saint-Jeannet
Telephone: +33 (0)4 93 24 96 01
Varieties grown: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Grenache, Braquet, Mourvèdre, Rolle, Ugni Blanc, Chardonnay & Muscat of Alexandria
Wines produced: White, Red, Rosé, Sparkling, & Vin Doux (sweet white and red)
A bit more info: Somewhat of an icon in these parts, the ‘vineyard of Saint-Jeannet’ (as it is more commonly known) is famous for their rather unique glassbonbonnieres (bottles) which age the wine, as well as the whimsical labels which reflect the vintage. Warm colours stand for a hot year, whilst colder colours can be interpreted as a cooler vintage. The last vineyard standing under the baou of Saint-Jeannet, a visit is strongly recommended to discover their interesting and varied styles of wine.
Visitors welcome: Yes, but an appointment is strongly recommended. Prices for a tasting start at €8 per person.
(Read posted article by 24/7 in France HERE)
Name: Domaine Augier
Address: 680, St Roman de Bellet, Nice
Telephone: +33 (0)4 92 15 11 99
Wines produced: Red, White & Rosé
A bit more info: The address may look familiar – Domaine Auguier, producing wine since 1991, was once part of the AOC Bellet and has been bottling under the IGP Alpes-Maritimes label for three years now. Winemaking is in the Augier blood and it’s Elise Augier, the third generation, now responsible for an annual production of up to 4,000 bottles.
Visitors welcome: The vineyard welcomes visitors every Tuesday and Thursday between 4.30pm and 7pm by appointment.
Name: Domaine de l’Annonciade
Address: Near the Monastère de l’Annonciade, 2135 Corniche André Tardieu, Menton
Varieties grown: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Syrah, Malunvern.
Wines produced: Red (vin de table, a different classification to IGP in fact)
A bit more info: Situated on the same hill in Menton as the monastery which bears the same name, it was the monks who historically grew grapes on this site. Cut to the 1990′s, and a volunteer group going by the name of Confrérie de l’Etiquette du Mentonnais decided to restore the winemaking tradition here.If you’re a fan of obscure vineyards and grapes, it doesn’t get better than Domaine de l’Annonciade and their mysterious Malunvern. In fact, it’s difficult to find a single reference to it, even in my trusted grape bible, Wine Grapes.
Visitors welcome: Not as such, but keep an eye on their blog (below) for details of upcoming wine tastings they will be present at.
Honorary mention must go to Domaine de Toasc in Nice, who along with their AOC Bellet wines also bottle an IGP wine or two.
I would like to cite two very useful websites in helping my ‘forensics’ when it came to finding out the above information:
Asncap – Association of Sommeliers of Nice Côte d’Azur and Elizabeth Gabay, a Master of Wine living in the hinterland of Nice and actively promoting the wines of the area.
Source/Credit: The Riviera Grapevine
**I will not be posting again until after Epiphany on January 4, 2015, so taking this opportunity to thank you for your readership and wish you & yours a very healthy & Happy New Year 2015!**
BONNES FETES !
Epiphany: The Christian holiday when a special cake eaten on or around January 6, called the ‘galette des Rois,’ is well know in France and celebrates the arrival of the three kings in the Bethlehem stable.
There are three different styles of the cake dependent on the area in France. In the north, puff pastry and almond filling; the south’s ‘gâteau des Rois’ is a circular brioche decorated with candied fruit, and 
western France has a sweetened shortcrust, rather than puff pastry. Both galette and gâteau are widely available – and even variants with chocolate, apple purée and nuts. All come with a cardboard crown and a “fève”, which traditionally used to be a bean before trinkets were introduced, often in the form of a baby Jesus, but today, it is just as likely to be a blue plastic “Schtroumpf” (Smurf). The cake is eaten with friends, family and colleagues, and the person who finds the fève is crowned king or queen for the day (a crown is sold with the cake).
Personal Note: A dried bean can be used in place of a figurine for the fève for a DIY version. In order to make sure the cake is served randomly, the French tradition is for the youngest member of the family to sit under the table (or simply close their eyes) and call out the name of the person to be served the next slice of the cut cake.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 stick butter
3 eggs
1/4 cup of sugar
2 sheets puff pastry
powdered sugar
Directions:
Grind almonds in food processor
For the Frangipane filling:
Beat sugar and butter
add two (2) of the eggs and almonds.
Next:
– Butter a flat baking sheet and unfold thawed puff pastries and using a pie pan as a template cut into two circles
– Spread the Frangipane filing in the center of one pastry layer and place a dried fava bean or ceramic figure
– Using the last egg, beat and paint the edges of the dough
– Place the second pastry circle on top and seal the edges
– Brush top with egg.
– Bake for 25-30 min at 375oF
Can serve 12 people.
(Original post Jan, 2014)
“Travellers love Nice for its reliable sunshine, handsome 19th Century architecture, lively street life, great museums and palm tree-lined beach. Unsurprisingly, the city has also become popular with young chefs looking to open their own restaurants. The new table everyone’s talking about is L’Ecole de Nice, opened last year by Michelin-starred, Japanese-born chef Keisuke Matsushima. What draws the crowds is the arty, stylish decor – the walls are hung with works by the likes of Arman, César and Pignon-Ernest – and the excellent, market-driven cooking of young Japanese chef Yoshinobu Seki, who trained with Matsushima.
The menu changes regularly, but runs to witty, delicious riffs on Niçois classics with an intriguing Japanese sensibility. I was impressed by Seki’s impeccable rendering of one of the city’s great gastronomic classics, les petits farcis (stuffed baby vegetables), along with his succulent flank steak with an onion sauce that was inspired by pissaladière, the open Niçois tart of sautéed onions, anchovies and black olives, served avec polenta fries; and a clever reworking of tourte aux blettes (Swiss chard pie) as a dessert, served with vanilla ice cream. The rosemary- flavoured runny chocolate cake is outstanding, too.”
L’Ecole de Nice. 16 Rue la Buffa, 06000 Nice. +33 4 93 81 39 30. Closed Sundays. Average à la carte €25.
Source: France Today – Alexander Lobrano
Personal Note: I have not yet tried this restaurant – sounds classically French!
Just 30 minutes from the center of Nice is one of the oldest wine regions in France, dating back to the arrival of the Phocean Greek traders from Marseille. Some vines are over 1000 years old and the wines of Bellet were awarded the coveted AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controllée) accreditation status in 1941.
Twice a year, the 10 AOC Bellet vineyards in the hills behind Nice open their doors and start popping corks – ‘Portes Ouvertes’ is a perfect opportunity to get tasting the local wines – free of charge!
Interactive domain map HERE (Organic wines are made at the Domaine de la Source.)
Portes ouvertes :
Samedi 24 et dimanche 25 mai 2014
Samedi 29 et dimanche 30 novembre 2014
Visitors welcome between 10am and 6pm on both days.
Enjoy a wine lover’s escape from the hustle and bustle of the city!
(Public bus transportation access or by car – Don’t forget to have a designated driver)
See my previous post for the Chateau de Cremat in Bellet HERE
Source/Credit: The Riviera Reporter
Although the business card for “Le Farfalla” says “soirée disco funk salsa,” it was just a nice lunch at the Port de Plaisance with friends from
Nice/Atlanta and their cute dog, Ditto. 
It was, in fact, a late-for-France lunch, so we basically had the restaurant to ourselves – a great chance to chit-chat and catch up with old and current news.
We ate leisurely, the meal accompanied by a cool, crisp Provencale rosé (bien sûr!), as we discussed politics and other French-American subjects and got to know each other better.
The port of St. Laurent-du-Var is home to a variety of restaurants, bars, and crêperies situated across from the port and links this area to Nice via the promenade, for a nice walk or bike ride.
Of course, along with snails, tete de veau, and foie gras, frog legs are right up there when one thinks of French food particularities – or should I say, specialities.
Backlit in green (bien sur!)
I have to admit that I had never tasted frog legs and so, was somewhat apprehensive, yet excited, when this restaurant was chosen for a friends dinner get together. I also figured that there would be other items on the menu.
From our table, we had a lovely view of the local church.
A Provençale Rosé wine called “Nuit Blanche” (white night)
OK, so I didn’t order the frog legs – just in case – but I did sample a taste (how could I not?). No- it didn’t taste like chicken! The taste was not strong and game-y as I expected, but was surprisingly a little sweet and quite tasty.
Pissaladiere & Salade Nicoise
Beef & gnocchi
Swiss chard pie dessert
& Voila!
Menu Frog entree/appetizer mon
The Menu Frog main course consisted of asian noodles topped with frog legs (like these) and other wok type veggies with frog menu dessert of crème brulée (no photos taken).
It was a leaping-good time and fun evening with new discoveries in food, friends, and comraderie!
24/7 in FRANCE 