A Famous Restaurant Of The Cote d'Azur

I fulfilled a long term dream on my trip to the south of France ...

 I dined at La Columbe d'Or.

Unlike the rich and famous before me, we had to make a reservation 

several days ahead of our anticipated lunch in order to get a 

table on the famous terrace.  As I entered the gates,

 I felt the ghosts of artists and literary greats of times past.

Nestled on a hilltop in St. Paul de Vence, the views from the terrace are breathtaking. 

 And the gorgeous flowers and plants give the feeling of the Garden of Eden.

La Columbe d'Or was opened in the 1920's as an open air terrace and then 

expanded into an inn of just three rooms.  The owners loved art and soon the walls 

were covered with paintings, often in exchange for a stay or a few meals.

In the 1940's, when the Cote d'Azur became a "free zone," many avant-garde thinkers

and artists moved to this area and the Columbe d'Or became a place to gather. 

 Looking at this terrace, could you blame them?

 

At the end of the War, an international clientele arrived with the likes of

Yves Montand, Miro, Braque, Chagall, Calder Picasso and then in 1951, 

La Columbe d'Or became the place where Yves Montand 

and Simone Signoret were married.

It seemed that every table had it's own waiter.  The service was incredible. 

 And the food ...delicious.  

This is the basket of fresh vegetables that is presented to you as you 

peruse the menu trying to make a selection.

After a long lingering lunch, we went to the bar for an after lunch drink 

so that we could continue this wonderful afternoon.  

Look at the lushness outside the window in the bar.

See the art over the bar?  And the wonderful French men discussing 

the politics of the day?  And all the waiters that fuss over you 

to make your meal memorable at this spectacular jewel?

The restaurant inside La Columbe d'Or was not open and that is where 

many of the priceless art is hanging. Now I have a new item to add to my wish list.  

Go visit La Columbe d'Or in the winter so that I can have 

another wonderful meal inside the restaurant.

That's me, totally smitten with an afternoon at La Columbe d'Or.  

Let me warn you .... 

it's an expensive place to eat but once in a while, you just

have to treat yourself to a memorable experience.  The food, 

the service, and the ambiance of this place was so worth it.  

And who knows?  

I was probably having lunch with Yves and Simone and 

probably Calder and Chagall at another table.