PX This.

Welcome to: Where I Spent My Week Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"

[Continued from "My Week Off: Monte Carlo"]

So, what do you do in the industry?
I used to do lots of things. Now I do other things.

And you have how many weeks off a year, generally?
About four or five.

What made you choose Portofino for this vacation?
As I explained before, I didn’t exactly choose it; I was just lucky. A couple of years ago, I was invited to sail the Turkish Riviera to Greece aboard the Black Sea, a 110′ sailing yacht owned by an incredibly lovely family I was fortunate enough to have been able to do some very miniscule favors for, once or twice. Evidently, I was such “a good guest,” they invited me back this year to cruise the Cote d’Azur with them all the way to the Ligurian Coast. Obviously, I would have been a total idiot to refuse. It was one of the most amazing trips of my lifetime (and despite the danger of sounding crass, I must say I’ve been blessed to have experienced some pretty fantastic journeys all right).
My journey with them started in St Tropez, continued on to Cap d’Antibes, Cap Ferrat, Monte Carlo, and then Portofino and Camogli…

And where did you stay?
Aboard the Black Sea. It has four separate guest chambers (all with full bathrooms), as well as a Master Chamber and sleeping quarters for a crew of five.

How was the ambience/service/amenities etc?
Magnificent, impeccable, luxurious. The Black Sea was entirely custom-built according to the stringent specifications of its owner. It looks and feels "like an Ian Schrager hotel," which is precisely the way I’ve heard at least several visitors aboard describing it. From what I’ve witnessed and gathered, the Black Sea is famous along the coasts of Turkey, Greece, and apparently, Croatia. It would be far from a stretch of the imagination to assert that surely it has now made its mark on the French Riviera, Ligurian, and Amalfi Coasts as well. It turns heads (and camera lenses) absolutely everywhere it goes.

Any major glitches and/or disappointments?
Sigh. From here Black Sea travels onward to Corsica and Sardinia. Sadly, without me. Sob!

Any great standout experiences?
Uh, dude, I’m in Portofino! How much greater can it get?
But, okay— I must say the shopping is pretty terrific. Portofino has all the usual inveiglements (Dior, Vuitton, and Missoni… oh my!) but for some reason, everything is only about 2/3 the price of everywhere else in the world. And yah, that’s with taking the euro/dollar exchange rate into account, too. I’m not sure why exactly, but I surmise it may have something to do with a distinct dearth of wealthy shoppers frequenting Portofino (it’s not exactly 5th Ave or Place Vendôme, you see).

The other wonderful fortuitous thing was there just happened to be a live public concert taking place right on the port this evening. Pagliacci, no less! Yes, imagine sitting outdoors having dinner on the banks of Portofino being serenaded by the beautiful strains of the opera on this lovely balmy evening as the stars twinkle in the sky and the coastal breeze caresses your face. Waiter, un altro strega, per favore.

Speaking of dinner, it was at The Chuflay at Splendido Mare (but only because La Terrazza was already fully booked). And I must say it was fantastic. Undoubtedly the best meal all week, and on par with some of the most outstanding in my lifetime. The pasta service was especially impressive— Italian fine dining with a flair of French exhibition. Even the wine, Vie de Romans (Chardonnay from Friuli), turned out to be a great discovery for me at a very reasonable asking price. All in all, a truly flawless evening.

[For all the yachters out there however--- be forewarned. The Marina di Portofino, as amiable and welcoming to the vessels as they are, leave much to be desired in terms of basic services (particularly for the docking costs). Like water and electricity for example. I'm just saying.]

The following day was a short cruise to Camogli La Spiaggia, which had some of the most gorgeous swimming waters I’ve ever encountered.

How much did you blow all week?
Pssh. At this point, who cares?

**See also (earlier):
• My Week Off: St. Tropez
• My Week Off: Cap d’Antibes / Cap Ferrat
• My Week Off: Monte Carlo
• My Week Off: Paris

Welcome to: Where I Spent My Week Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"

[Continued from "My Week Off: Cap d'Antibes/Cap Ferrat"]

So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m a businessman [and entrepreneur] with substantial financial interests in the F&B Industry.

And you have how many weeks off a year, generally?
I try as best I can to get away, even if briefly, every eight to ten weeks. It doesn’t always work out that way.

What made you choose Monte Carlo for this vacation?
Actually, I was invited. I’ve been to Monaco before, so it probably wouldn’t have been my choice for this particular getaway. It ended up working out advantageously though, because I was able to meet with a potential business associate I’d previously met in NYC, who happens to have his primary residence in Monte Carlo.

And where did you stay?
Aboard the Black Sea. It has four separate guest chambers (all with full bathrooms), as well as a Master Chamber and sleeping quarters for a crew of five.

How was the ambience/service/amenities etc?
Everything was as perfect as it could possibly be. ["The Black Sea was entirely custom-built according to the stringent specifications of its owner. It looks and feels 'like an Ian Schrager hotel,' which is precisely the way I've heard at least several visitors aboard describing it. From what I've witnessed and gathered, the Black Sea is famous along the coasts of Turkey, Greece, and apparently, Croatia. It would be far from a stretch of the imagination to assert that surely it has now made its mark on the French Riviera as well. It turns heads (and camera lenses) absolutely everywhere it goes..."]

Any major glitches and/or disappointments?
I probably should have made my business meeting shorter or planned it differently? But, that’s a whole other story…

Any great standout experiences?
Sadly, not really.
The overall experience of traveling aboard Black Sea is incredibly gratifying. Unfortunately, however, I can’t say this particular visit to Monte Carlo was equally remarkable. Aside from my meeting being ill-timed and ill-conceived, the dining experience for our one evening in Monte Carlo was a bit disappointing as well.

I’m not exactly sure where the recommendation originated, but it was initially suggested we dine at La Trattoria— a new Italian restaurant by Alain Ducasse, located at Le Sporting Monte-Carlo. As you might imagine, the concept of this alone, as an experienced NYC-based restaurateur, is somewhat amusing at best. Too bad we couldn’t get a reservation.

So, the next option on the list was Fuji, a "pop-up" version of its regular venue that takes up residence at Le Sporting Monte-Carlo during the summer months. Apparently, the staff is flown in from Japan right before the season starts, which would explain why they seem to be much more proficient at foreign English than Monaco’s native French. It likely also sheds light on its conspicuous disorganization. And even perhaps its particularly exorbitant prices, which woefully, are not reflected in either the quality of the food, service, or ambience.

[Rather ironically, you must literally traverse the entire length of La Trattoria's interior in order to reach the entrance to Fuji.]

Afterward, a short stop at Hotel de Paris for a digestif did not fare any better. We ended up there, because the numerous people of varying tastes within our party could not agree on our next locale. It was "too early" for Jimmy’z, and hot spot Sass Café was deemed "too political" for its conduciveness to encountering disagreeable acquaintances and/or other social banes. Ultimately, Hotel de Paris was chosen for its proximity to the casino.
And what a mistake that was. I can’t speak for everyone, but sipping espresso in Times Square, for example, is not my idea of fun. (Clearly, the Russians don’t agree with me.)

How much did you blow all week?
This was in fact only one night within the week. Luckily, I didn’t spend that much in total, but regrettably, this night’s experience still could not vindicate the cost.

**See also (earlier):
• My Week Off: St. Tropez
• My Week Off: Cap d’Antibes / Cap Ferrat

Welcome to: Where I Spent My Week Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"

[ Continued from "My Week Off : St. Tropez..." ]

So, what do you do in the industry?
I used to do lots of things. Now I do other things.

And you have how many weeks off a year, generally?
Okay, as a certain somebody pointed out to me yesterday, I guess it’s really more like four or five.

What made you choose Cap d’Antibes and Cap Ferrat for this vacation?
As I explained before, I didn’t exactly choose it; I was just lucky. A couple of years ago, I was invited to sail the Turkish Riviera to Greece aboard the Black Sea, a 110′ sailing yacht owned by an incredibly lovely family I was fortunate enough to have been able to do some very miniscule favors for, once or twice. Evidently, I was such “a good guest,” they invited me back this year to cruise the Cote d’Azur with them all the way to the Ligurian Coast. Obviously, I would have been a total idiot to refuse. It was one of the most amazing trips of my lifetime (and despite the danger of sounding crass, I must say I’ve been blessed to have experienced some pretty fantastic journeys all right).
My journey with them started in St Tropez; Cap d’Antibes and Cap Ferrat were simply two more stops along the voyage…

And where did you stay?
Still aboard the Black Sea. It has four separate guest chambers (all with full bathrooms), as well as a Master Chamber and sleeping quarters for a crew of five.

How was the ambience/service/amenities etc?
Magnificent, impeccable, luxurious. The Black Sea was entirely custom-built according to the stringent specifications of its owner. It looks and feels "like an Ian Schrager hotel," which is precisely the way I’ve heard at least several visitors aboard describing it. From what I’ve witnessed and gathered, the Black Sea is famous along the coasts of Turkey, Greece, and apparently, Croatia. It would be far from a stretch of the imagination to assert that surely it has now made its mark on the French Riviera as well. It turns heads (and camera lenses) absolutely everywhere it goes.

And its crew is unbelievably gracious, diligent, and hospitable. (Not bad to look at, either. Haaa.)

Any major glitches and/or disappointments?
Aside from the trip being far too short? No.
Oh, there’s the food thing— there’s way too much of it. Breakfast, a meal I never eat, is the most problematic. Where I’d much prefer simply three consecutive cups of coffee, there is instead a daily sumptuous buffet of European delectables. And in the company of generous Turkish hosts, to decline is practically an insult. Thank goodness for the available selection of fresh fruits and juices, or I likely would have gained ten pounds.

Any great standout experiences?
I’m getting to be so much better a swimmer! No, really.
See, evidently, boating/yachting is so ingrained in Turkish (and Greek) cultures that everybody swims like dolphins in the sea practically from the day they’re born, I am not even kidding. The first time I traveled aboard the Black Sea, I was a vastly pitiful swimmer in comparison— it was really embarrassing. I mean, even though my form is fine, I have very little stamina in the water. Therefore, this time the mere idea of swimming smack out there in the middle of the Mediterranean again at plunging depths of god-knows-what was still a downright harrowing experience to me. I am not at all exaggerating when I say my hosts (and their friends) dive right into water at nearly every port and swim for miles on end with nary a care in the world. So, you either have to keep up at some semblance of competence, or forever be labeled the histrionic, unworldly city-dweller who would drown in a puddle of saliva.

Well, the truly amazing thing about the Mediterranean is it resembles our Atlantic and Pacific Oceans not a wee bit. It’s fantastically placid and, in some places, as warm as your bath. You’d have to be an histrionic, unworldy city-dweller who would drown in a puddle of saliva to not appreciate and take advantage of its splendor.
Believe it or not, two summers ago I swam from the shores of the island of Symi to the Black Sea, at a distance approximately equal to 3/4 the way across the Hudson River to New Jersey (even though I was pretty much kinda scared to death). Later, in retrospect, I realized it was an utterly stupid thing for me to attempt at my skill level and vowed never to do it again.
So okay, I didn’t accomplish that same feat during this expedition, but I do dare say I came pretty close!

Anyway, my point is: Wow, Cap Ferrat was a really great place to swim— overall of all the places I’ve bobbed in the Mediterranean by now, I’d probably rank it tied for second or third.
(Also: I think Brigitte Bardot lives here and Bill Gates has a home here too or something.)

As for Cap d’Antibes— apparently, from what I surmise, it’s a huge hit with travelers who love the South of France, but "detest St Tropez" (that’s a direct quote). Sooo, it’s kinda like people who hate the Meatpacking District but love the West Village. I guess.

Unfortunately, it was a short visit so I only tried one restaurant. It was called L’Oursin and came highly recommended to us by a friend of my hosts. It a had a great outdoor dining area in the plaza (next to the carousel) as well as a large indoor restaurant. Primarily seafood— grilled fish and shellfish, with meat and pasta dishes available too. Personally, my moules avec frites were delicious and fresh, but the serving size was gigantic— which was kinda weird to me, because I thought the French weren’t into that sort of thing. Also, the escalope avec pasta bolognese was pretty good too, but again, enough to feed at least two people. Don’t even get me started on the salade de fruits de mer. (The one thing I can’t quite comprehend though, is why lobster is so expensive everywhere you go with the Mediterranean right outside the doorstep.)

How much did you blow all week?
Wait, we’re still not quite done yet!
But to answer the question: believe me, still not anywhere remotely as much as its worth.

Welcome to: Where I Spent My Week Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"

So, what do you do in the industry?
I used to do lots of things. Now I do other things.

And you have how many weeks off a year, generally?
Maybe around two or three.

What made you choose St. Tropez for this vacation?
I didn’t exactly choose it; I was just lucky. A couple of years ago, I was invited to sail the Turkish Riviera to Greece aboard the Black Sea, a 110′ sailing yacht owned by an incredibly lovely family I was fortunate enough to have been able to do some very miniscule favors for, once or twice. Evidently, I was such “a good guest,” they invited me back this year to cruise the Cote d’Azur with them all the way to the Ligurian Coast. Obviously, I would have been a total idiot to refuse. It was one of the most amazing trips of my lifetime (and despite the danger of sounding crass, I must say I’ve been blessed to have experienced some pretty fantastic journeys all right).

And where did you stay?
Aboard the Black Sea. It has four separate guest chambers (all with full bathrooms), as well as a Master Chamber and sleeping quarters for a crew of five.

How was the ambience/service/amenities etc?
Magnificent, impeccable, luxurious. The Black Sea was entirely custom-built according to the stringent specifications of its owner. It looks and feels "like an Ian Schrager hotel," which is precisely the way I’ve heard at least several visitors aboard describing it. From what I’ve witnessed and gathered, the Black Sea is famous along the coasts of Turkey, Greece, and apparently, Croatia. It would be far from a stretch of the imagination to assert that surely it has now made its mark on the French Riviera as well. It turns heads (and camera lenses) absolutely everywhere it goes.

Any major glitches and/or disappointments?
Besides the trip being entirely too short? No.
Oh, there’s the food thing— there’s way too much of it. Breakfast, a meal I never eat, is the most problematic. Where I’d much prefer simply three consecutive cups of coffee, there is instead a daily sumptuous buffet of European delectables. And in the company of generous Turkish hosts, to decline is practically an insult. Thank goodness for the available selection of fresh fruits and juices, or I likely would have gained ten pounds.

Any great standout experiences?
Oh, where do I even begin. Aside from the accommodation of traveling the entire time in the most supreme and blissful way imaginable? Well— there were the restaurants.

Of course St Tropez has its renowned and illustrious "hotspots"— Nioulargo, Club 55, and Nikki Beach. They’re all pretty much exactly as you’d expect. I’m sure almost anything I would describe would merely sound redundant. So, I’ll just skip over the incontrovertible and recount the pointless trivialities.

Nioulargo is hot, and I don’t just mean its popularity. It’s literally hot— and very crowded. The neat thing is they spray a fine mist of cold water throughout the atmosphere intermittently.
From what I can infer, Nioulargo is the jumpoff either one step above Club Cinquante Cinq or one step below, depending on how played-out you think Cinquante Cinq is. In any case, it’s tres chic, my dear. A visit to St Tropez without a stop a Nioulargo essentially makes you a cretin.

Cinquante Cinq is, of course, St Tropez’s most famous destination. You must go, dahling. (By boat, I mean. Because the street traffic, even in a requisite Bentley or Lamborghini, is unbearable.)
Oh, look— there’s Hugh Grant (no, really). Ah look, there’s Mischa Barton. And see that swanky (albeit chartered) motor yacht over yonder in the Mediterranean? That’s where Andrea Bocelli is staying. If you’re charmed enough to be moored closeby, you can hear him practicing his scales in the morning (no, seriously).

And what would a visit to St Tropez be without a drink at Nikki Beach? You may as well drop by; it will negate and/or counterbalance your humiliation at ever having patronized the one here in New York.

Aside from all that, one day we had lunch at La Plage de Salins. It’s a short cruise away from St Tropez’s prominent Plage Pampelonne. Its primary attraction, naturally, is its location directly on the beach "where your feet touch the sea." It’s a bit more tranquil than the aforementioned "hotspots," so scoring a great table is less daunting of a feat.
The food is decent; it may not be culinarily extraordinary, but that’s not why you’re here anyway. They have some familiar staples— caesar salad, cheeseburger, moules frites… but also some wonderful grilled fresh fish. Don’t forget to order a bottle of rosé! To drink anything else in this region would make you decidedly un-Tropézienne, even perhaps nothing short of "un animal."

Another splendid day was late lunch at Le Club de Cavaliere, also a short way from Pampelonne at Le Lavandou. What a gorgeous place.
First and foremost, the service is remarkably stellar. Immediately upon dropping anchor at Le Lavandou, you will find a nice multilingual young man approaching in an immaculate white dinghy to invite you for lunch at Le Cavaliere— and of course, more than willing to personally escort you ashore avec plaisir.
But here’s a little secret: the full lunch menu (offered only until 2:00 PM, unless you have reserved otherwise) is actually rather rich and conceivably too lavish for some tastes, especially in 85+ degree weather on a balmy sunny day. Contrastingly, the midday "snack" menu is effortless and accessible and is really quite ample despite the waiters’ profound apologies. Lots of international favorites here— club sandwich, croque monsieur, tuna niçoise, omelette du jour, etc etc… more than enough to make you a very happy camper. And please don’t forget the tarte-tropézienne (their’s is made with a dash of Cointreau). The quality and execution of everything is superbe.

The other fun thing was shopping at the bi-weekly St Tropez Bazaar. If you can stand the crushing crowds, that is. Everything you can possibly imagine is available at the bazaar. But the most enthralling things to me were the poultry/paella stand and the pizza truck. The pizza truck has a full wood-burning oven inside! Yes, in the truck.

How much did you blow all week?
All week? This is just the first few days— we still got a little ways to go!
But to answer the question: believe me, not anywhere remotely as much as its worth.