Salade Nií§oise

[DonRocks]

A friend of mine just asked me where to find a good Nicoise Salad, and I'm registering a blank. The last one I had in a restaurant may have been at Marvin (which still offers it), several years ago - does anyone know who has them now? Either canned or fresh tuna is fine (although the fancy-dancy fresh kind is preferred) - I'm just trying to present her with multiple options.

[TheMatt]

I think Bistrot du Coin still serves one, but it doesn't look too fancy. Le Diplomate seems to have one on their Brunch and Mid-day menus. As it's $17.50 and says it has "confit tuna" I'm guessing that's the fancy-dancy kind.

[LauraB]

I've had a very good version of Salade Nicoise at Le Diplomate a couple of times in the past year.  And for lunch today, I had a lovely Nicoise, which featured seared tuna, at the newly-opened Chez Billy Sud in Georgetown.

[Tujague]

Bistro Bis has it on the lunch and brunch menus for $18.50--seared fancy-dancy tuna and all--but I haven't had it so can't vouch for the quality.  Montmartre used to have an excellent version but not anymore, apparently.

[Tweaked]

Bistro Cacao lists it on their lunch menu with grilled tuna.

[marketfan]

Mockingbird Hill does a wonderful tuna salad sandwich -- they preserve the tuna themselves --very Nicoise ish.

[frogprince]

Johnny's Half Shell on the hill, Bistro Bis also on the hill; then again I been gone for 6 months so maybe I should stick to the NOLA travel board

[porcupine]

Praline in Bethesda.

[Poivrot Farci]

For the Luddite purists, traditional salade nií§oise does not include haricots verts or cooked potatoes, or any cooked vegetables for that matter. Nice is not in a particularly fertile area and gets little rain.   It is an austere pauper dish comprised of a few raw vegetables: tomatoes (lightly salted), scallions, Cailletier variety olives with the pits (Nií§oise), basil,  then salt-cured anchovy filets in olive oil, a hard boiled egg, the lot dressed with olive oil on a plate rubbed with garlic.  When in season it gets sliced raw purple artichokes, bell peppers and tiny fava beans. Up until the 19^th century tuna was rarely used; too expensive and saved only for the good times.  Escoffier had the audacious idea to gussy it up with green beans and potatoes.  He was born in Villeneuve-Loubet, on the other side of the Loup river and got his knuckles rapped for not being a legitimate Nií§ois.

[DonRocks]

For the Luddite purists, traditional salade nií§oise does not include haricots verts or cooked potatoes, or any cooked vegetables for that matter. Nice is not in a particularly fertile area and gets little rain.   It is an austere pauper dish comprised of a few raw vegetables: tomatoes (lightly salted), scallions, Cailletier variety olives with the pits (Nií§oise), basil,  then salt-cured anchovy filets in olive oil, a hard boiled egg, the lot dressed with olive oil on a plate rubbed with garlic.  When in season it gets sliced raw purple artichokes, bell peppers and tiny fava beans. Up until the 19^th century tuna was rarely used; too expensive and saved only for the good times.  Escoffier had the audacious idea to gussy it up with green beans and potatoes.  He was born in Villeneuve-Loubet, on the other side of the Loup river and got his knuckles rapped for not being a legitimate Nií§ois.

Funny, my friend (who asked about the salad) just got back from Nice (she stayed with Magdalena), and mentioned that the Nií§oise salad she had there did not have haricots verts or cooked potatoes.

(I suspect the Var was the tougher of the two bodies of water to cross.)

People driving between Nice and Villeneuve-Loubet are often surprised to see this:

on the opposite side of the road from this:

Okay, I officially want to go back to France.

[Ferhat Yalcin]

For the Luddite purists, traditional salade nií§oise does not include haricots verts or cooked potatoes, or any cooked vegetables for that matter. Nice is not in a particularly fertile area and gets little rain.   It is an austere pauper dish comprised of a few raw vegetables: tomatoes (lightly salted), scallions, Cailletier variety olives with the pits (Nií§oise), basil,  then salt-cured anchovy filets in olive oil, a hard boiled egg, the lot dressed with olive oil on a plate rubbed with garlic.  When in season it gets sliced raw purple artichokes, bell peppers and tiny fava beans. Up until the 19^th century tuna was rarely used; too expensive and saved only for the good times.  Escoffier had the audacious idea to gussy it up with green beans and potatoes.  He was born in Villeneuve-Loubet, on the other side of the Loup river and got his knuckles rapped for not being a legitimate Nií§ois.

now you should make some so I can come and order a plate!

[Kibbee Nayee]

Bistro Bis has it on the lunch and brunch menus for $18.50--seared fancy-dancy tuna and all--but I haven't had it so can't vouch for the quality.  Montmartre used to have an excellent version but not anymore, apparently.

I can vouch for the quality.

Johnny's Half Shell on the hill, Bistro Bis also on the hill; then again I been gone for 6 months so maybe I should stick to the NOLA travel board

If there is a better Salade Nicoise in the metropolitan area than the one I had today at Bistro Bis for lunch, it has thus far eluded me.

[Joe H]

Bistrot du Coin has a very disappointing Nicoise.  PassionFish in Reston has an exemplery one.  One of the worst I ever had was on the harbor in Monaco.  E20 or so and it was awful.  So bad that it made the memorable setting even more memorable.

We were in Nice seven or eight years ago and I had three different Nicoises, searching for the best and believing I had done the research to find it.

We found Great bouillibasse, great bourride and mediocre Nicoise.

Having said all this, one of the most spectacularly beautiful places on earth.  The drive from San Remo down the coast to Marseilles is incredible.  The Negresco is a hotel of great character....and a pussycat who holds court wherever she likes.