If you wander around the Vieux Port, you will find many worthy restaurants, for example, the BRASSERIE DE STRASBOURG at 11 place de la Bourse. another noteworthy shrine of Mediterranean fish. A comfortable, big-city type of place, its menu is cosmopolitan and its prices very fair. They are proud of their grilled rouges here, and justly so. This plump, (inn, pinkish fish is soaked in a marinade of olive oil and lemon juice, grilled slowly, and served on a bed of cooked fennel. A most gratifying dish it is, made the better by the companionship of a cool pinkish bottle of Tavel.
If your stay in Marseille is prolonged, two other restaurants in this neighborhood, among others, merit your attention. One is the RESTAURANT CAMPA, 9 rue Euthymènes, a prosperous, ultramodern place with bar, grillroom, rôtisserie, and all. The cooking is far above the average, and the clientele fascinating to watch and to speculate upon. The other worthwhile alternative is the RESTAURANT GARDANNE, a sympathetic spot decorated in Provençal style. Fish is their pride, too. I think you will find their suprême de sole normande a dish of true distinction.
Cassis
Leaving Marseille, our path leads eastward over the rocky hills to the lovely, unspoiled fishing village of Cassis. This smiling locality has particular significance for the gourmet, for probably the finest red, white, and rosé wines of the Azure Coast come from the valley slopes rising up behind the town. These wines ate just as fresh and appealing and individual as they can be. They have all the virtues of a youthful local wine and seem to taste doubly delicious in their own setting. Except for the name, this wine has nothing in common with the cassis syrup, made from black currants in Dijon, which flavors untold millions of glasses of vermouth cassis in French cafés.
If you are seeking a quiet vacation retreat or just a good luncheon or dinner, there is a harborside hotel in Cassis which has much to offer. It is the HOTEL DES ROCHES BLANCHES, which occupies a pine-covered hillside at the edge of the village. This spot was also considered a strategic stronghold a few years back, and if you look closely you will find a few concrete German pillboxes still in evidence. The hotel has a most attractive terrace and dining salon overlooking the harbor. The cooking, which makes the most of the catch brought in daily by the local fishermen, is delicious and well served. Monsieur Frégier's cellar contains a superb choice of local wines. You should find this a gratifying gastronomic stopover.
Toulon
The heroic part which Toulon played in the recent war will not soon be forgotten. The scars of bombardment are still evident, but they are being effaced slowly. The gaiety and spirit of the people have not been dampened. Toulon isn't the best overnight stop, but you will find an inviting restaurant there called LA POTINIÈRE at 43 bis rue Jean-Jaurès. This is a long-established local favorite, with several famed specialties. You may try their coq au vin, their langouste àl'américaine, or their Toulon version of bouillabaisse (which is supposed to contain potatoes), with confidence and felicity.
Carqueiranne
About eight miles east of Toulon, just before the sunny little seaport of Carqueiranne, is a hillside restaurant called CHEZ JUSTIN, boasting a breath-taking view of the sea. Established in 1935 by Monsieur Justin Duclaud, this restaurant specializes in Mediterranean regional dishes. Justin grills his fish over a hot bed of vine cuttings from the neighboring vineyards, with the resultant aromatic effect that only sarments de vigne can give. He also is noted for his dishes of game in season.
Cavalaire-sur-Mer
Perhaps your cherished dream is a coquettish little restaurant right at the edge of a sandy beach on a sheltered cove surrounded by pine woods. There is such a place along this shore, and it couldn't be nicer. It is in the town of Cavalaire, and is called LE LIDO, Monsieur Gandini, the cordial proprietor, serves his guests many of the famed Provençal dishes, bouillabaisse, bourride, and brandade among them. His regional wines are good, and there are a few rooms to be had. Rut his surpassing feat is the choice of such an idyllic spot for Le Lido.
St. Raphael
I wish that 1 could recommend something besides the view in the picturesque seaport of St. Tropez, a town beloved by artists, writers, and yachtsmen alike. For the present, it is safer to pay the town a passing visit and to reserve your gastronomic plans for LA VOILE D'OR in neighboring St. Raphael. This part of your drive will recall poignant days in August, 1944. The wreckage along the invasion beach west of St. Raphael is a stark and graphic reminder of the intense struggle which took place at (he time of that landing by the Americans. The near-by town of St. Raphael has suffered but little, and all is peaceful as you settle down in the charming Voile d'Or, a chic, thoroughly modern restaurant by the sea, with traditional ideas about fine cooking. The proprietor, Monsieur Saquet, was a pupil of the great Escoffier, so the high quality of his fare is not surprising. Here is an excellent place to try that eminent regional masterpiece. bourride provençale. It is the particular pride of your host.
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