Viva Italia

Italian cuisine is rich, varied and tasty. Far from limiting itself to pasta, it offers an array of tastes and savours to enchant the most delicate palates. A culinary tour of our trans-Alpine friends… According to the history books, Marco Polo brought pasta and rice back from China and Christopher Columbus brought tomatoes from America. The die was cast and Italy would henceforth incorporate these essential ingredients into most of its recipes. Perhaps less complex than French cuisine, Italian dishes are based on accurate cooking times and deep respect for tradition. Here, la mamma is always close at hand, generous and reassuring. From Cannes to Monaco, you’ll now find many addresses proudly displaying menus with a trans-Alpine accent. Il Lago, the gastronomic restaurant at the Manoir de l’Etang, is entrusted to Luigi Fiore who never forgets the sacrosanct rule : a menu proposing antipasti, primi piatti, piatti principali and dolci della casa. In Cannes, the best Italian is Il Rigoletto : its chef, Franco Ansalone, adds a touch of fantasy to his dishes, proposing round, square and half-moon ravioli, depending on his mood. In Antibes, Oscar’s and Le Michelangelo indulge in typical stage-setting : stone masonry walls, sculptures and pastel shades for the first, old stones laden with history for the second, housed in the former wine-cellar of the Domaine Ott. Naturally enough, Nice plays its part as capital of the Côte d’Azur, hosting a plethora of addresses which often give a special place to regional specialities. First come family-run addresses with ad hoc cooking. Their popularity derives from a fundamental equation : sun-blessed recipes with local wines and generous portions. Examples include Boni with Piedmont cheese straight from the oven or cod in milk, Venetian-style ; Da Giuseppina, run by three brothers, one of whom produces the olive-oil that accompanies octopus and “roquette” salad ; La Trattoria de Giuseppe is a popular table in the noblest sense of the term, a sort of Italian-style canteen for fans of risotto. Then there are the institutions, patronized by the Niçois from one generation to the next. All those who love Italy and its cuisine are familiar with La Zucca Magica and its way-out decor based on marrows, pumpkins and bitter apples, La Baie d’Amalfi in brasserie style and L’Auberge de Théo with its rural decor. La Voglia is more recent, a contemporary version of the brasserie. Proposing dishes to be taken home or eaten on the spot, Le Local is a restaurant-cum-grocery ; here you’ll find the best of what Italy has to offer, cold meats, cheese, pasta, condiments… In Monaco, Italy has made itself at home in four establishments. The oldest, Pulcinella, resembles an authentic trattoria. Also around for many long years, Polpetta and the Guasco brothers propose San Daniele ham, ravioli, “penne all’arrabiata” and calf’s liver Venetian style. More intimate, La Piazza and La Romantica welcome those who appreciate good, tasty food. The first, in a decor worthy of a theatre, chalks up its daily specials on the slate, while La Romantica serves family style cooking, made in Piedmont.

Carnet

Ask anyone from Cannes if he knows a good Italian restaurant and he’ll tell you there’s only one : Il Rigoletto.

Il Lago, the Italian restaurant at the Manoir de l’Etang, is safely in the hands of an… Italian. His name : Luigi Fiore. His cuisine : Italian in all its splendour, from start to finish, from antipasti to dolce.

On your plate, vegetables take pride of place. For the decor, expect marrows, pumpkins etc… That’s La Zucca Magica.

Auberge de Théo, 52 avenue Cap-de-Croix, Nice (04 93 81 26 19). Menu déjeuner : 14,50 €. Dîner : 30,50 €. Carte : environ 30 €. Boni, 21 rue Barla, Nice (04 93 56 35 39). Autour de 25 €. Da Guiseppina, 25 rue Delille, Nice (04 93 85 21 66). Environ 30 €. Il Lago, Le manoir de l’Etang, Bois de Font-Merle, 66 allée du Manoir, Mougins (04 92 28 36 00). A partir de 30 €. Il Rigoletto, 60 boulevard d’Alsace, Cannes (04 93 43 32 19). Menus : 15 € et 49 €. La Baie d’Amalfie, 9 rue Gustave-Deloye, Nice (04 93 80 01 21). Menu d’Affaires : 20,50 €. Menu Rapido : 16,50 €. Menu Grand’Italia : 30,50 €. La Piazza, 9 rue du Portier, Monaco (00 377 93 50 47 00). Environ 60 €. La Trattoria de Giuseppe,10 rue Lascaris, Nice. Environ 25 €. La Romantica, 3 avenue Saint-Laurent, Monaco (00 377 93 25 65 66). A partir de 60 €. La Voglia, 2 rue Saint-François de Paule, Nice (04 93 80 99 16). Environ 60 €. La Zucca Magica, 4 bis quai Papacino, Nice (04 93 56 25 27). Environ 25 €. Le Local, 4 rue Rusca, Nice (04 93 14 08 29). Environ 25 €. Le Michelangelo, 3 rue des Cordiers, Vieil Antibes (04 93 34 04 47). Menus : 45, 62 et 110 €. Oscar’s, rue du Docteur Rostan, Antibes (04 93 34 90 14). A partir de 30 €. Polpetta, 2 rue Paradis, Monaco (00 377 93 50 67 84). A partir de 30 €. Pulcinella, 17 rue du Portier, Monaco (00 377 93 30 73 61). Environ 35 €.

By Cécile Olivéro.