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Whenever a trip is being planned, there are usually many “wishes” to be fulfilled. One thing for sure is the desire to taste the most fantastic food in the most luxurious settings. Of course, there is fabulous street food, but we’re all about making reservations, dressing up, and enjoying a dining experience for a true foodie!
We’ll journey to many great restaurants in these travels, but let’s start with a couple of my favorites, in my ultimately most favorite place – the French Riviera. And, we’ll start at the top of a mountain. COLUMBE D’OR in St. Paul de Vence is arguably one of the most famous restaurants in the world. It has appeared in numerous movies, and attracts Royalty, Presidents, Movie stars, and the global uber-rich out for an amazing experience.
Columbe d’Or (Golden Dove), is tucked behind high walls and tumbling bougainvillea vine as you enter this magnificent 14th Century “hill village.” The town becomes visible perched on its rock as you drive through the flat farmland. A church is at the top, and bells ring out hourly. Winding roads leading to the village bring traffic to a one-lane highway slowdown. And that’s good as tourists pour into this place. Columbe d’Or is at the base of the village’s hill, and to its right are the famed boules pitches where Yves Montand and his famous Hollywood friends would while away the hours. Entering the small wooden doors, to the hotel or the restaurant takes you back into another world. Another era, another sense of being.
Not only is Columbe d’Or a famous hotel/restaurant but its greatest claim to fame is the artwork on the walls. In the very dark days leading up to World War II, and those even darker days of the war, some of Europe’s most famous artists made their homes and studios in the hills of the Alpes Maritimes (the French Riviera). Like everyone else, these starving artists needed food and drink, but had little money so offered their work. The restaurant/hotel is a mini-art gallery of the finest artists of the 20th century – many Picassos, wonderful Miros, Calders, on and on and on. You are welcome to put your nose up close to a Picasso and marvel in the genius of his work. The garden outside is the major restaurant – and you MUST get reservations early as this is a must attend dining place for locals and visitors alike. It’s very famous “hors d’oeuvres” platter starts a meal with the freshest local vegetables you’ve ever tasted… soft-hard boiled eggs… succulent olives… a tapenade to explode on the palate. All whet the appetite for the day’s specialties. Yes, just about everything on the menu came from a farm, fishing boat, butcher or baker in the earliest hours of the morning. You can taste the freshness. A great wine selection, some delicious local Provencal Rose as house wine, and usually some great celebrity watching all ensure a truly luxurious experience for our travelers.
I would say too, that as long as you’re going there, give yourself enough time to either climb the very hilly village road to the Church. Local artisans have taken over most of the homes and use them as studios or art galleries and welcome all visitors. Wall the ramparts and gaze down on the valley below. It is lush, green, fertile land, and slowly losing out to urban creep quickly becoming urban sprawl. Then, back at the base, cross the road and once again climb to FOUNDATION MAEGHT, one of the greatest art gallery/museums of the 20th Century. Yes, it features local artists such as Picasso et al, but I also visited when Lucian Freud’s work had taken over the whole gallery. I looked, I saw, I shuddered, and then went to marvel at the magnificent view outside. As I said, something for every taste.
Enjoy, and we’ll go on some other foodie outings along this coastline, where the view and the scenery are all part of the ultimate dining experience.
March 19, 2023
