Ever so often, a restaurant can truly be called Crème de la Crème, and for our travel through Paris…read moreand Nice this past week, Bistrot Gourmand is truly the best restaurant we've had in France.
Tucked in a relatively quiet street (for Nice anyways), Bistrot Gourmand can easily be missed unless you happen to notice 1,100+ highly rated reviews that this gem of a restaurant has garnered. But if you do make it here, you will be treated to not only a culinary euphoria, but also a delightful, memorable service courtesy of the staff led by the Maestro himself, the manager Alex.
To start, we noticed that the ambience and the music curated by Alex are different from all the other restaurants we've been to in Paris, Nice, and Monaco.
There was an intimate feel that is countered by his fun eclectic musical taste that somehow works together with Alex's charm and bravado to entertain us and other tables (the other two parties were also on first name basis with Alex, as they were returning patrons of the restaurant).
After having our orders taken, we were then surprised by our lovely waitress with an off-the-menu presentation of an amuse bouche to whet our appetite for what's to come. It was refreshing and playful.
If there was a slight blemish with our meal, it was the Gaspacho de Courgettes (courgette gazpacho with soft-boiled eggs, basil hollandaise, and crispy onion). For my taste, it was a little too polite in flavor and needed the side of housemade brown bread with its slight saltiness to assist it. It was still good, but I would like just a bit more.
The good news is that from here on everything it was smooth sailing across our Côte d'Azur of an experience. The wine of choice was Château Malbec Bordeaux, a fantastic red wine with a delicious initial taste and smooth satisfying finish. It was versatile and complimented everyone's dishes.
And speaking of dishes, I had the exquisite Linguines à La Crème et Truffe d'été (Linguine with cream and truffle and).
Don't let the short description fool you because this dish was heavenly, the kind of dish that makes you close your eyes just you can further savor the delicious flavor and balance of the pasta, the buttery truffle, and surprisingly light Crème sauce that was not heavy on the oil. I simply couldn't get enough with every bite and this is without a doubt my favorite dish from my time in France!
If you enjoy beef tartare, you'll definitely enjoy the Tartare de Boeuf, as "prepared with a knife, potatoes with Provencal herbs." Our lovely waitress took tableside center stage as she mixed various ingredients from raw egg and minced raw beef to herbs and Worchister sauce with ease and precision to create a delicious, savory dish full of bold flavors that you can distinctly taste each individual flavor.
Finally, the main event arrived upon us as Maestro Alex rolled out his cart to create our dessert, the Crépes Suzette, façon Bistrot Gourmand. This was worth the ticket going in, as the spectacle elevated our dining experience to another level.
Pulsed by a mix of a lively music that started with the Rocky theme, Alex really put on a show with panache and enthralling commitment. It was truly a fun spectacle that is best experienced in person. The best part was that the Crépe Suzette was truly magical in its taste. There was sweetness and slight nuttines that paired well together.
Since Tour de France 2024 is only a few days away from its Stage 21 finish at Nice, I can confidently say that Bistrot Gourmand is THE summit finish, the culinary highlight of our travels in France. It was the best way we could've ended this last week in France, and it is now the standard that we will judge our foodie experience going forward as we embark into Italy for the next 2 weeks. Florence and Rome have a lot to live of up to now!
In the mean time, for any future visits back to Nice, we will definitely dedicate at least one or two dining experience back at Bristot Gourmand.
Chapeau Alex and the staff, and hats off to the chef!
