Quick dinner on Monday night between Nice and Maussane les Alpilles

[lesica]

Hello, I have to drive from Nice to Maussane les Alpilles on Monday night and I would like to stop for a quick dinner along the way. I don't want to sit for a proper meal because I don't like to drive late at night, but I don't want to waste the meal either if I don't have to. 'Outside the box' suggestions are most welcome.

Thanks!

Nick

[lemarais]

There really are no "quick dinners" in France. Of course, you could do something like Courtepaille off the highway exits, but that's pretty pedestrian.

What I would do is drive for a while on the A8 and stop off in St Raphael or Frejus, pretty big towns with restaurants that stay open later than in the Provencal countryside around Mausanne. Have a nice French dinner, and then head on to Mausanne.

[lesica]

Thanks all. It worked out well at La Place, the drive took much less time than I thought. The meal was good - two dishes were even very good, a lemon risotto and a fig dessert.

[boredough]

Thanks for reporting back. Glad you got there ok & enjoyed the meal.

[Parigi]

Hey you wrote back ! Good to know. Monday night options are always so rare.

[lesica]

I should add that I can't really just pack a picnic, I am driving straight after arriving in Nice airport from the UK.

[boredough]

What time will you be getting in to Nice?

[lesica]

About 6pm, which is 5pm UK time, so ideally I'd get a bit of driving in before eating ...

[Parigi]

How about Les Arcades in Biot?
The food is no revelation but it's decent Niçoise casual, just right for ordering the kind of steak-frites type one-dish meal that you may want.
And it is on the way.
And the village is very charming, so near the coast yet spared by mass tourism. The Place des Arcades is one of the most beautiful corners on the sybaritic coast.
Must reserve

[lesica]

Thanks Parigi, that would work. If you've got any other suggestions further from Nice please let me know.

[Parigi]

You don't want to
1. have long dinner
2. venture too far from you route
3. eat indifferently.
Such options don't grow on trees, you know. :-)

[lesica]

That's OK, I never said it had to be vegetarian ;-)

[boredough]

I wanted an idea of your time schedule in order to figure out where you'd be, say, at 6:30-7:00 when most restaurants aren't yet open. But the places (that would be open then) that I had in mind are only about 40-45 mins from Maussanne, so they way I figure it, & depending on how long it takes for you to get your car, you could be in Maussanne by 9-ish and just relax at one of the many restaurants/cafés in the main square. The restaurant La Place (brought to you by the people at the Oustau de Baumanière) would be a good choice. I understand that, if you wanted to dine in Maussanne, you probably would have said so in the first place, but I thought I'd explain my reasoning...for whatever that's worth.

[Parigi]

I was just going to suggest the same. MIght as well get to Maussane, then dine, instead of dealing with this logistic can of worms. That is, barring airport delays.

In fact,any which way, it's a can of worms.
In the provinces, when it gets to be around 9:30pm or later, it is hard, if not impossible, to find places open .
Plus, most places are closed Monday. I just checked. Les Arcades is closed Monday too.

So you are looking for a resto in a large enough town that would have a semblance of choice for a Monday evening, that would be not too much of a detour for you, where you can eat well and simply and get out without lingering. It is so challenging it is sort of fascinating.

Another town that has a cluster of good eateries that would be more or less en route would be Mougins. My former fave resto there was discovered by Sharont Stone, and the prices have not been the same since. I don't have recent experience of a non-fussy place with good eats in Mougins. Perhaps others do. Or you can look up Guide Gantié on Mougins. Best of luck.

[lesica]

Thanks, if we can indeed make it to Maussanne for dinner, that would be ideal, but I'm worried it will be too late. What time do you think is the latest that a place like La Place would be willing to serve us?

[Parigi]

As I said in my last post, "In the provinces, when it gets to be around 9:30pm or later, it is hard, if not impossible, to find places open ."
(Very embarassing to quote oneself.)

You may want to inlclude St Rémy in your dinner radar. Maussanne may not be big enough to offer you much Monday night choice.
If your plane is late, you may try Aix, or even Antibes and Cannes. They are bigger towns on the way and have more of a chance to have something, anything, open.

Wait, strike all that. I just found in my Fooding guide a resto in Maussane open Monday until 10pm ! La Place may be your best bet. Time-wise it even gives you a little wriggle room but not by much. When reserving, do remind them you may arrive as late as 9:30pm. Often restos indicate they stay open until 10pm but the kitchen closes about 30 minutes earlier.

http://www.linternaute.com/restaurant/restaurant/20032/la-place.shtml

http://www.lefooding.com/restaurant/r...

[lesica]

They were willing to take the booking at 9:45, that should give me plenty of time to get there. Thanks for your help!

[Parigi]

Yeah. Don't forget to report back.

[boredough]

Good work! You will be able to unwind (with a glass or two?) instead of worrying about taking too much time dining en route. La Place is on the right end of the big village square, as you view it from the main road (D17).