Experience life in Villefranche sur Mer: November 2010

One of the entrees, flan of courgettes (zucchini) with black
truffles and a cheese of Raschera. Fabulous!

It's TRUFFLE season in this part of France and Italy - white and black!! And wow, are they delicious! Like fois gras, I had never tasted truffles in the States. And believe me, I used to enjoy eating out a lot as I love food (can you tell, nearly every blog is about food!) Casa Mia, one of my most favorite restaurants in old Nice offered a truffle dinner on Friday night. The 60 euro "menu", although a bit expensive for a normal night out, was very special and great value. It was, however, a lot of food even though each course was 'reasonable' in size. Each course was spectacular. We were four ladies and we had a ball. Savored amazingly delicious dishes - check them out.

The other entree, beef tartare with white truffle. Spectacular!

Casa Mia is owned by Isabelle and Alfonso. I'm sorry I don't have a picture of them - they were so busy that night. They are adorable. Originally from Piedmonte, Turin, they are quite familiar with the famous truffles from their region (the white truffle is quite famous and sought after). Their food is so fresh and seasonal and they are delightful. Alfonso cooks and Isabelle serves. When I introduced my French friends, who are from the area, to this restaurant they were quite impressed. They said "tu connais les bonnes addresses" - I know the good addresses. Quite a compliment from my French friends. Well certainly not all, but a few I do and this is one of them.

The menu:

Cream of Asparagus soup
with black truffle

First, the "amuse bouche". Isn't that a charming word - something to amuse your mouth with - tantilize your taste buds? The amuse bouche was a cream of asparagus soup with black truffles. We had it with a glass of Proseco. Did I tell you we drank alot of wine too, in addition to eating alot?

Next were the two entrees (apetizers):

Tartare de boeuf with petals of white truffle. This was quite amazing. I'm not a carpaccio or tartare of beef person normally, but this was really exquisite and just the right amount. My French family loves tartare and eats it alot but I'm always a little suspect. But this was truly spectacular. You could taste the wonderful flavor of the beef and the delicious taste of truffle. So fresh and light.
Flan de courgettes, fondue de fromage Raschera et lamelles de truffe noire. This flan of zuchinni was amazing. The cheese sauce and the truffles an extraordinary combination. By this time we are no longer with Proceso but we are now enjoying two bottles of Nero d'Avola. And of course, because everythign is so delicious, we each finish every course forgetting how many are yet to come. Although the flan was very light and souffle like, the cheese sauce was rich - delicious and of course the truffles were the overtone - also spectacular. Interesting how each course built you up for the next.
Tagliatelle (home made, of course) with
butter, white truffles and nothing else!
Grastronimic ecstasy!

Les Pates - I love this dish! Tagliatelle, homemade pasta, in butter with white truffles. That's it; nothing more; just that - and perfect! Absolutely perfect!
Le Plat. After the pasta we were quite full, as you could imagine. So we thought dessert was next! We never realised or remembered that, of course, this is Italian style, there was the meat dish next. This was over the top!

Sliced, tender succulent beef with a sauce of black
truffles with truffles shavings, potatoes dauphinoise-like
and a delicious apple and fresh chestnut saute! Unbelievable!!

When this arrived, we just weren't quite sure where to put it. Of course, we ate it, but honestly, I couldn't finish it so I did the very un-French thing and I asked for some foil so I could take it home. Dear Isabelle had figured people might not be able to finish it all so she had specially prepared little boxes that you could take home the delicious pieces you could not finish. It was even more spectacular the next day for lunch.

Dessert was the last course and quite fabulous also, also with truffles - black truffles. Chocolate truffles, 3 different kinds, with vanilla ice cream, also doctored up with truffles.

Dessert - chocolate truffles and vanilla ice cream with truffles

The "Cave" or part of it - the soiree center in the round
where we host soirees for our friends and guests

Last night Raphael, a dear French friend who has a lovely decoration shop here in Villefranche and supplies my apartments with lovely, custom curtains, stopped by and brought the seasonal food of the French -- Fois Gras!! Lauren, a new friend, who has created this blog site for us, was also there and introduced for the first time to fois gras. Although Lauren, a somewhat new vegetarian, agreed to try fois gras and liked it. Raphael assured her that the ducks and geese only eat grain - therefore vegetatian! We toasted the season with champagne and consumed this delicious treat, which like Lauren, I never ate until coming to France.

Fois gras and champagne...
in the cave with Raphael & Lauren

We then went to dinner at L'Aparte. This is one of my favorite restaurants in Villefranche. It is run by two French women, from Nice and Cannes, who worked for a few years in the Caribbean but come from a restaurant family in Nice. It is a creative, delicious, perfectly prepared menu. Check out the pictures of just a couple of our dishes. Very reasonably priced, including a delicious bottle of wine also very reasonably priced. L'Aparte is located at the entrance of the rue Obscure, a very old-world pedestrian street in Villefranche, once open to the sky, but closed over since the 13th century when the old medieval, fortified village, needed more housing and rather than expand the rampart walls, they covered over the street and hence the name, rue Obscure.