Villefranche-sur-mer Winter 2018 - 3

Dear Friends,

Today was a perfect day here in Villefranche - sunny skies and 60 degrees.  After spending the morning doing laundry which we of course hung outside to dry and studying our vocabulary, we decided we would walk to Beaulieu for lunch.  It is a little more than 1.5 miles east from our apartment mainly along the sea.  On the way there you walk past the gates to the Villa Nellcote.  Very seldom are the gates open so I was quick to take a peak as they were closing when we walked by.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Villa Nellcote, it is the villa where the Rolling Stones recorded their album, "Exile on Main St." in 1972.  They were eventually kicked out of town because of the drugs and negative influence on the youth of the area. 

We had lunch a the Gran Caffe in Beaulieu.  It is one of our favorites even though it is Italian.  We knew we were in France when a woman came in after us and took the next table.  She put her jacket down and then her dog on one chair and she took the other.  She was nice enough to ask if we minded, and we, of course, said no.  I did feel like the dog was my dinner companion.

In any case, the presence of the dog led to a conversation in French with the woman which was later joined by the French couple sitting on the other side.  By the way my lasagne bolognaise was great and was followed by the best chocolat chaud on the Côte d'Azur.  I have written about my search for the best before.  While I continue to search, I have yet to find any better.

While it was a beautiful day for us in Villefranche, the same cannot be said for several boat owners.  The wind began to pick up in the morning and by the time we were walking to Beaulieu for lunch the surf had too.

The picture does not do the surf justice.  On the walk to Beaulieu we noticed a dingy that had dragged anchor and was about to crash on the rocks as well as larger sailboat that had dragged but looked like the anchor may have reset.  Unfortunately, the wind and surf continued to increase during lunch and on our return, the sailboat had dragged onto the beach.

If they can get it off the beach before the seas increase again, it will be salvageable.  Unfortunately, the forecast calls for big winds again tomorrow.  These winds are basically out of the south, think Africa.  There was also a new boat that had dragged and was in the process of being smashed on the rocks.

This picture looks like the seas are calm but it is just between breakers that come in and bounce the boat off the rocks.  It was riveting to watch and each time we would turn to go we would hear another loud bang as it hit again.  If it can stay together a little longer and the winds subside, it could be rescued tonight but who knows.  The owner was nowhere in sight, just the police making sure that nobody did anything stupid like get between the boat and the rocks.

The sun is now setting and the wind has died a little with it, but the surf continues to crash.

And so ends another wonderful day in paradise.

Thanks for reading and please comment, 

The Unabashed Liberal

Chocolat Chaud

Dear Friends,

As you may remember, Jane and I have been on a quest to find the best chocolat chaud.  As I said in my last post on this critical subject here, we thought that the best chocolat chaud was at the Gran Caffe in Beaulieu.  A couple of people told us that we needed to try the chocolat chaud at Angelina (here).  Well yesterday, we finally visited Angelina on the rue de Rivoli in Paris.  This establishment is much fancier and more pretentious than any of the Villefranche/Beaulieu contenders.  There was a rather long line to get in and I could not wait so I went into the to go line and got a chocolat chaud to go.  It was just under 5 euros.  At first glance it did not appear to be as thick and creamy as the chocolat chaud at Gran Caffe, but with the first sip, I knew that it was a real contender for the championship.  The presentation of the real thing at the table is incredibly beautiful and far more sophisticated than any in Villefranche/Beaulieu.

It may have been better than the Gran Caffe even though it was a warm day and not conducive to chocolat chaud.  The sweet/bitter combo of the chocolat was perfect, and it was perfectly creamy, but it was not quite as thick.  If I consider the price to value ratio, Angelina really doesn't stand a chance.

The 8.2 euros charged by Angelina needs to be compared to 2 to 2.5 euros in Villefranche/Beaulieu.  So I declare the Gran Caffe in Beaulieu as the champion.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal

Villefranche-sur-mer 2017-2 (chocolat chaud)

Dear Friends,

It is important to always be striving for something.  This year in Villefranche-sur-mer, we are searching for the perfect chocolat chaud.  We are undertaking a very difficult task, but somebody must be willing to sacrifice to find this elusive drink.  The literal translation of chocolat chaud is simply hot chocolate or as we might say hot cocoa.  But in fairness to true chocolat chaud, it cannot be translated that way.  My wife came up with the best translation - liquid mousse.  All you need to do is think of chocolate mousse but in a liquid form.  It must not be too sweet nor too bitter, and it must have a consistency just to the liquid side of mousse.  It is sometimes served with frothed milk and sometimes not.

Until this year I was quite convinced that the best chocolat chaud was at small lunch place at la Darse in Villefranche.  A darse is a marina within a harbor especially one where work can be done on the boats.  The "restaurant" where we get chocolat chaud at la Darse is called La Baleine Joyeuse (the merry whale).  This picture is from the summer.  In the winter there are only a few people.

I apologize that I do not have a good photo of the chocolat chaud from La Baleine Joyeuse, but here is a photo of Jane, me and JP, a french friend enjoying our chocolat chaud there.

If you look closely, you can see that the chocolat chaud in this case is served with frothed milk.  The key is not whether it is served with frothed milk or not, the key is whether it is just the right amount bitter and the right consistency.  The picture below is a chocolat chaud that was good but failed to make it into contention for the best.  This one is from a snack bar in the park outside the Matisse Museum in Nice.  You will note this one does not have frothed milk.  While it failed the taste and consistency test, it does have the beautiful color and sheen necessary for a great chocolat chaud.

We have tried the chocolat chaud at Chez Betty on the main street in Villefranche, but while the wonderful character of the bar and its owner, Betty, is fantastic, the chocolat chaud is not in the top tier.  The photo below is at Chez Betty after a hard fought game of pétanque enjoying a chocolat chaud even if not the best.

We also tried the chocolat chaud at the end of a very decadent lunch at the Palm restaurant which is right on the water near the beach.  It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and we spent about three hours having lunch and watching the world go.  What a decadent and wonderful way to waste time and enjoy life.  Anyway we ended the lunch with chocolat chaud.

It was very good, but it was too bitter (I even added some sugar), and it lacked the thick consistency of liquid mousse.  But on that day in that place life was so good I did not care that it wasn't the best.  However, Jane discovered a great use for this chocolat chaud.  She added a small amount to her noisette (a small espresso with a dab of warm frothed milk on top).  For those of you who like to combine tastes that are wonderful by themselves, you should try this blend.  To me it is simply a waste of good chocolat chaud but this chocolat chaud was not perfect so I went along with Jane's idea.  Jane named her invention "senior blend".  The same name used by some friends for a hot cocoa and coffee mixture they drink on their sailboat.

Jane and I have now confirmed with multiple visits that the best chocolat chaud in the Villefranche-sur-mer area is actually in Beaulieu-sur-mer at the Gran Caffè.  We walk to Beaulieu from time to time for shopping or eating.  The Gran Caffè is about 1.5 miles from our apartment, but I am afraid a 3 mile walk is not sufficient to walk off the calories from one of their chocolat chauds.  

As you can see it comes without frothed milk.  It has the perfect color and sheen, and the taste and texture are incomparable.  The level of bitterness is perfect, just a slight bitter aftertaste accompanying the wonderful dark chocolate flavor.  The texture is the perfect liquid mousse.  It falls off your spoon very slowly in a smooth ooze. 

Two people have told us that we need to go to Angelina in Paris (here) because it has the best chocolat chaud, but I must point out that neither of them has ever had the chocolat chaud at the Gran Caffè in Beaulieu.  The next time we go to Paris, we will certainly try the chocolat chaud at Angelina because we are on the never ending search for the perfect chocolat chaud.

Thanks for reading and please comment,

The Unabashed Liberal

Villefranche-sur-mer v.11

Dear Friends,

This post is just about a couple of odds and ends.  The first is the weather.  It is January, and this year has been cooler than either of the last two years.  In fact I am not sure that it has been above 60 degrees more than a couple of times.  Nevertheless, the temperature has been great for walking and often eating outside.  I have always been amazed at the beautiful flowers which are not at their peak in January.  This one is just by the sea.

Not bad for January.

The cooler weather has brought our attention to "chocolat chaud".  While I might be inclined to translate this phrase as hot cocoa, I would be doing a great disservice to this wonderful drink.  It is not hot cocoa, it is truly warm/hot chocolat.  It is very rich and smooth and very chocolaty.  I think that you have to taste it to believe it.  We first had it at a small restaurant right in La Darse.  La Darse is what I might call the marina but it is the name given to this area of the bay that was where boat building and repair took place.  For many years now it has just been for repairs.  However, our landlady and her husband have commissioned the building of a beautiful motor boat.  We have seen the pictures in the design stage and next year we will see the boat in the water.

Our friend JP with whom we walk once or twice a week and speak french with introduced us to chocolat chaud.  Here we are the other day enjoying it.

We had it twice today in our visit to Nice.  Once was for dessert after our lunch which was a picnic near the Musée Matisse.  In this picture you can see a salade italienne and a panini mixte as well as a demi-caraffe of rosé.

In order for you to really appreciate the smooth, very chocolaty drink that chocolat chaud really is, here is a close up from a little place in Nice.

As long we are on the subject of food, I want to show you what real profiteroles look like.  

We have to walk up and down hills all day in a fruitless attempt to not gain weight.

Thanks for reading and please comment,

The Unabashed Liberal