Nice: Le Safari

A three-star chef introduced me to the pizza at Le Safari, on the lively Cours Saleya in Nice. Well, Franck Cerutti wasn’t a three-star chef yet; he was the proprietor of a wonderful little place called Don Camillo, around the corner from the Cours, and I’d made arrangements to interview him for a story. He suggested Le Safari, and as we settled in on the terrace, amidst what seemed like the whole stylish, raffish population of the neighborhood, and I started to order the Niçoise-style stuffed vegetables, he shook his head and said, “Get the pizza.” Not surprisingly, he knew what he was talking about. I chose one with anchovies and Niçoise olives, and from the little wood-burning oven just inside the door came what I would consider a perfect pie, a paradigm: The crust was thin, with irregular blisters and blackened spots, and as flavorful as good country bread; the tomato sauce was spiked with Provençal herbs; the cheese was sour-salty Cantal; the anchovies and olives were top quality. I was in pizza heaven. Cerutti has now long since been the chef de cuisine at Alain Ducasse’s three-star Le Louis XV in Monaco, but I’ll bet that he—like me—still stops by for pizza every time he’s in town.

Le Safari 1 Cours Saleya, Nice (33-493-80-18-44)