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Showing results for tags 'Nice'.
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Do we really not have a thread on Nice? magdelena, aka, Thérèse, aka, my mother-in-law and Tatie, aka, Francine, aka, Thérèse's sister, are born-and-bred Niçoises, and are always eager to help out any of my friends (i.e., our members) who are traveling to Nice. Although I'm going this autumn, I haven't been back in 6-7 years now (they've been coming to visit me), but I'm going to begin extensive French travel again soon, and I'll be keeping everyone <<au courant>>. A couple days ago, Thérèse wrote me and told me about the new La Promenade du Paillon - the following piece is well-worth reading if you're going to Nice: Nov 13, 2013 - "A Walk around Central Nice: the New Promenade du Paillon and the Colline du Château" by kevinhin on french-riviera-blog.com And make sure to watch this (government propaganda) video of the grand opening which is mentioned in the piece above. So as you can see, the Promenade du Paillon really isn't a place to "see" so much as a place to "be." A second "place to be," Place Masséna (the main square in Nice), has also been renovated: "Place Masséna" on expedia.com - Expedia has a couple short guides of Nice's tourist attractions (again, mainly "places to be" and not "places to see"): Vieux Nice (Old Town), Colline du Château (Castle Hill). And, of course, don't forget about Promenade des Anglais - the three main "hangouts" in Nice are 1) Promenade des Anglais, 2) Place Masséna, and 3) Promenade du Paillon. In terms of restaurants, the Michelin 2016 Guide now has four starred restaurants in Nice: three one-stars, none of which I've frequented, as they're all relatively newly starred: L'Aromate, Flaveur, and JAN (South African!). Then, there's the perennial two-star Chantecler at the legendary Hotel Negresco which every single person who has ever been to Nice has seen (it's the large, domed building right on the Promenade des Anglais, with the equally legendary gentleman hailing cabs, wearing a hat with a feather in it, and blowing a whistle - you can't miss it!). Chantecler burns through chefs, and there's even a new one now since the last time I checked (it used to be Alain Llorca; now it's Jean-Denis Rieubland), but you're here more for the atmosphere than the cooking, to be honest - it's almost a caricature of fanciness, but in a lovable way. There are also five "Bib Gourmand" restaurnants in 2016: Bistrot d'Antoine, Comptoir du Marché, La Merenda, Bar des Oiseaux, and Olive et Artichaut. If anyone needs help with Nice, I'll be more than happy to assist you - just ask right here.
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So it is no secret that I am in Flying Dog's Junto Society beer club, which means that I go there once a month and get to sample whatever they happen to have on tap at the moment, some of which never make it outside of the brewery tasting room. Last night they showcased their Naughty (Belgian Dark Ale) and Nice (Belgian Blonde Ale). Nice is a pretty solid "Belgian Strong Ale" clocking in 8.3% abv. It is a pretty good representation of the style with the yeast front and center as the star. It drinks very well, with the alcohol well hidden with a good amount of sweetness (but not too sweet). Naughty is the really the star of the duo though. It pours an almost mahogany color, and hits you in the face with a strong anise aroma and some smoke/roast from the dark malt used. The initial taste is very similar to the aroma. Once you get past the initial taste though this beer catches on fire with a really intense hot pepper heat that you can feel in the back of your throat. I have never had a beer like this before. I am not going to say it is good or bad, certainly an experience, and one I would try again, but you certainly can't power through a six-pack in one sitting (both because of the heat and the 9% abv). I have a six pack and I am going to put it in the cellar to get some age on it. I want to revisit it in about a year to see how it develops. Matt Brophy, brewmaster at Flying Dog said that Naughty is kicking off their new "heat series" as the strongest in the series. Look for 4 more heat beers from Flying Dog in 2016.
