Let’s Do Lunch in Monaco!

We’re on a day-trip, driving along the coast in the South of France. We started from our home base in Nice, made a stop at Eze, and now we’re headed towards Monaco. We’ll get there around noon.  Hey – let’s do lunch in Monaco!

Eze was a fun stop. It’s like a present-day fairy-tale village perched high on a rocky hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We walked all around Eze’s cobblestone pathways, then stopped at the Fragonard shop at the bottom of the hill. Of course we had to try a sample or two. Then we hit the road again, heading towards Monaco.

Monaco is just a few miles up the coast from Eze. Area-wise, Monaco is the smallest country in the world. Not a lot of land, but lots of rich people. It has the highest per-capita income of any country, and also the most people per square foot. The super-rich are packed in there together like diamond-studded sardines.

Monaco-Ville

The main town in Monaco is called Monaco-Ville. It sits on top of a huge rock. (That’s Monaco-Ville in the photo at the top of this post). Monaco spreads out on the surrounding land, but back in the day, the whole town was on top of the rock – a popular place to be for defensive purposes.

Just south of the rock, there’s a neat little harbor and surrounding community. This appears to be where the po’ folk in Monaco live. Of course, “po’ folk” in Monaco doesn’t mean the same thing as “po’ folk” in the rest of the world. In Monaco, you’re “po’ folk” if your boat is less than 50 feet long.

Just north of the rock is the district of Monaco everyone knows about — Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo is where the big harbor is, just down the road from the famous Monte Carlo Casino. There aren’t many po’ folk living on this side of the rock.

We parked the car in Monaco-Ville and started roaming around. Monaco-Ville is a neat little town that’s mostly walk-streets – no cars allowed. The Prince’s Palace of Monaco is here, where Prince Rainier brought his bride, Grace Kelly, to live in the 1950’s. Their son, Albert II, is the current prince.  He and his family live in the palace now.

The Handsome Waiter

It was lunchtime, so we selected one of many outdoor cafes in Monaco-Ville and settled in. The waiter at this restaurant was a good-looking guy who was quite debonair. If acting had been his thing, he’d have made a perfect James Bond. He welcomed us warmly. They speak french in Monaco. I’ll provide a rough translation…

Handsome Waiter – “Monsieur, Mademoiselle, bienvenue a vous.”  (“Sir, young lady, welcome.”)

Moi — “Merci.”

My Better Half — (Blushing demurely…), “Tee hee!”

Handsome Waiter – Sniff sniff… “C’est l’aroma du Fragonard que je détect? Vous avez du très bon goût.”  (“Is that the scent of Fragonard that I detect? You have very good taste.”)

Moi – “Ah oui! On donnait des samples gratuites à la boutique a Eze.” (“Ah, yes. They give out free samples at the boutique in Eze.”)

Handsome Waiter – (To himself), “Ah oui — comme je pensais.”  (“Ah yes — I figured as much.”)

At least I think that’s what he said. He sort of mumbled it. Guess I shouldn’t have spilled the beans about the free samples.

We sat there for a while, people-watching and sipping on wine. I ordered the special fish of the day, which the Handsome Waiter assured me would not disappoint even a man of my excellent taste – or something like that.

Zee Beeooteeful Feesh

After a while the Handsome Waiter came out carrying a roasting pan from the kitchen. My fish, still intact and roasted to perfection, rested in what appeared to be wine, lemon, butter, and herbs. It was a beautiful thing. It could have been on the cover of “Bon Appetit.”

The Handsome Waiter held the pan so I could get a good look at the fish, and said,

“C’est comme vous voulait?” (“Get a load of this fish — isn’t she a beauty?”)

Moi – “Oh, man! Zeese feesh — she is beeeoootiful!” (“Oh, man! That’s one fine-looking fish!”).

Sometimes when I get excited, my french changes on its own to english with a french accent.

After this exchange, the Handsome Waiter took the fish to a little table where he removed the head and bones. He returned with the fish on a plate with veggies.

I don’t remember what kind of fish it was, but I remember that it was incredibly good. And that presentation was over the top. If you’re ever in Monaco-Ville and are hungry for fish, I highly recommend that you walk around and look for a place with a Handsome Waiter!

To be continued…

Credit for the great photo of Monaco-Ville at the op of the post: Wikimedia Commons/Tiia Monto