Restaurant Name: La Grange, near Place Garibaldi
...there's not too many fighting for this award I'm sorry to say.
Anyway, close to our studio and in an unattractive road we only tried this restaurant because it was handy - open on a Sunday, lunchtime and evening (note: opening times have changed 2006, no Sunday) and en route to the Gare Routiere to catch the airport bus home. Since that visit we have returned several times. Please bear in mind that this restaurant looks nothing special at all from the outside. The inside is much better - it's small, only seven or eight tables and the decor is a happy compromise between stylish and rustic, rustic winning perhaps. The manager makes this place a bit different too. Looking most un-French and more like a bank manager than a restaurateur, he is fastidious and precise. Watching him carefully wipe the glass bottles containing the oils and vinegars before replacing them back on the shelves, you realise that his modus operandum extends to all parts of the restaurant. The cutlery, glassware, surfaces, are very clean, the crockery un-cracked. There is a high standard of hygiene here. The chef has a tiny kitchen visible behind the bar and the meals are simple and freshly prepared.
Although there is no terrace here, the window and door are open and fans whirr so it feels fresh and airy even on a hot summer evening helped by the lack of traffic on the quiet road outside. We have eaten here a few times and it is always busy but we have only ever seen French people here. It is only a few steps from Place Garibaldi and I think it is worth the extra minutes walk from the usual well-trod route.
Favorite Dish: I have my usual Nicoise salad and it is large, fresh, good balance of ingredients, really excellent value too for 6,90 euros. Did I mention how cheap it was here? Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar are provided at the table so that you can dress salads to your own taste and pepper can be freshly ground from a proper pepper mill. La Grange has the addendum `Pizzeria` on the wall outside which does no justice the wide range of food available here -pizzas are only a small part. Choices range from salads, pasta, fish and steak. You can also order simple things not on the menu and you will be accommodated wherever possible. For example the chef will obligingly knock up an omelette if required - helpful for families with young children. In addition to the printed menu, a blackboard with daily specials is also presented - last night my husband had liver doused in parsley with chips from the daily specials, it was excellent and the daughter had steak au poivre. A bottle of house red was 12 euros and was offered either slightly chilled or at room temperature. No puddings are listed in the menu; all homemade, they vary every day. Last night the choice was tiramisu, crème brulee, chocolate mousse, fresh pineapple or ice-cream. For three main meals, 3 puddings and a bottle of house red, the bill came to 53 euros.
Leave a Comment
Theme: French
Comparison: less expensive than average
Phone: 04 93 89 81 83
Address: 7 rue Bonaparte, 06300 Nice
Directions: Rue Bonaparte links Place du Pin and Place Garibaldi, handy for Port, Bus Station, back of Old Nice and Acropolis. 1 minute walk from Place Garibaldi.
Other Contact: closed Sun mid-day and Tuesdays
on Jul 23, 2005
