La Barque Bleue at Nice Port

Barque Bleue exteriorI 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.

house red wine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, we had to complete our meal with the typical Italian dessert of tiramisu – MIAM!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Family-run Italian Restaurant in Nice

One thing I love about cities, is that you can find something surprising around every corner and on every side street. I had planned on having lunch with a friend at a Vietnamese restaurant in Nice, but it was closed for some reason.  So, due to this twist of events, we ended up walking down rue Dalpozzo and came across “La Milanesina,” a family run, Italian Restaurant (2, rue Dalpozzo).  The lovely, interior decoration and friendly ambiance immediately pulled me in.

la milanesinaIt soon became quite obvious that this place was family run, as the chef is the mother of the waiter, speaking Italian together.  I ordered one of the “plat du jour”: a ham & cheese omelette, but asked to have it without the ham.  What shocked me next was the waiter asked if I wanted something in its place – huh?  In all my years in France, when I have ordered something without an ingredient in a French restaurant, no one has offered a substitution.  I asked what he had in mind, to which he then asked the chef, and responded “courgettes” (zucchini) – delicious.  The service was polite, friendly, and accommodating — yes, you read correctly —  accommodating to the client!

I personally thanked the chef and asked how long they had been open (2 years); she understood, but did not speak a lot of French.  Their appreciation for our patronage was indeed heartfelt and conveyed – in the end, I was happy the other restaurant had been closed.

Restaurant in Nice Pedestrian Zone

I met some friends for lunch, who suggested going to an Italian restaurant located in La Zone Pietonne (pedestrian zone) in Nice, since the ‘specials of the day’ menu (plat du jour) is simple and good cooking for a good price. That combination worked for me, so off we went. Had some Rosé wine as well, bien sûr!

The restaurant is centrally located and all in all, it was an OK meal.  But,  I left craving french fries!

Asperagus Risotto

Chicken Thigh and Salad