Reviewer: Foodnut.com Chateau Eza Rue de la Pise F-06360 Eze Village, France, CA +33 (0)4 93 41 12 24 +33 (0)4 93 41 16 64 (Fax) |
Chateau Eza is tucked away in the thousand-year-old medieval mountain top village of Eze Le Village, overlooking the Mediterranean. We saw Eze Le Village in a Rick Steves’ TV show and knew we had to visit. It is located in a Hotel that used to be the winter getaway for the Swedish royal family.
Today Eze le Village is a tourist town. Chateau Eza has earned one Michelin Star. They serve French and Mediterranean cuisine. Dine in the indoor glass-edged room with retractable roof or on one of the several outdoor terraces. Their 2 prix fix lunch menus change every week and provide the best value. We ordered one of each menu plus a Veal entree. They do not have a complimentary table water option.
Awesome View
Decor, Vibe – Beautiful modern room with unparalleled views of the sea. No sense in eating inside! This restaurant has one of the best views we have ever seen. Upstairs bar has stellar views too. Eze Le Village is a tourist trap albeit a beautiful and charming one, so it was almost all tourists dining here.
Menu Pictures (Click to zoom into any picture)
The Pain – The freshly baked breads here were simply excellent.
Picks:
Billes de melon et pasteque – Melon balls, watermelon, jerky, and mascarpone cheese was an excellent refreshing combo. A re-emphasis of the local Provencal fruit and vegetable cuisine.
Creme prise de foie gras – Foie Gras custard was new to us. It looks like a greasy feast but was pretty light. It came with a tiny but delicious brioche.
Del Pequillos et coquillettes – Two peppers stuffed with pasta on an arugula emulsion. We could not tell what they were until we cut em open. A second more earthier appetizer to temper the rich foie.
Loup de mer cuit cote peau – Sea bass cooked with its skin, and a strawberry tomato cocktail. Nice crispy crust on the fish. The combination of the fish and the cocktail made for a perfectly balanced dish.
Veau (25€) – Veal fillet Special with beans, pasta with a heavy meat sauce. The veal was cooked to a nice and tender medium rare and had a lot of rich meat flavor. The grilled eggplant was a nice touch.
Cremeux de chocolat et carmel – Chocolate cake with caramel. Surprisingly lite chocolate flavor. Sauce was like a Chinese milk tea.
Desir des iles – Fruit of the islands with coconut milk, lemon custard, and passion fruit. This dessert had some sweet, sour, and savory action. A nice rich combination of flavors while looking over the Mediterranean.
OK:
Tranche de gigot d’agneau des Alpes – Lamb shank from the Swiss Alpes with quinoa pasta. The pasta was like a small barley. The meat was tender but a little over done. This was the one clinker of the meal.
Pans:
None
Chateau Eza had very good and friendly service throughout the meal. This restaurant combines drop dead gorgeous views with very good food, a combination very rare. If you are in the area, be SURE to stop here. Prices at lunch are very reasonable. Dinner (about double the price) captures the sunset and would be even more romantic. We still reminisce about our experience here. Auberge du Soliel in the Napa Valley has an awesome view but just cannot match our experience at Chateau Eza.
There are low cost buses that stop here and originate from Nice, Monaco, and cruise ship ports. Check Rick Steves’ book for details. Chateau Eza takes reservations by email.
Restaurant Map:
4 Comments
Amy
May 24, 2012 at 8:03 amI know you gave this restaurant a good review but I feel compelled to tell people what happened to us. We are staying in Monte Carlo but heard good things about the restaurant so we had American Express book us a table for 6 two months out from our trip. Unfortunately, American Express and the hotel miscommunicated and a reservation was book for the right day, just one month earlier. We found this out when there was a $490 no-show charge posted to our credit card. We and American Express called to clear up the mistake and the General Manager said, “Sorry.” We tried again stating that our group would probably spend twice that amount just on wine alone. Once again, the answer was, rudely, “Sorry.” American Express has indicated that they will never recommend Chateau Eza and will make sure their customers know about this experience. In addition, I will make sure that our company travel agent, friends, hotel in Monte Carlo know about Chateau Eza and how the management there is unforgiving, inflexible, and penny-wise, pound foolish.
Foodnut.com
May 24, 2012 at 9:10 amThat is too bad. You should have just emailed the restaurant directly.
Frankly I still dream about our experience there and would go back in a heartbeat.
Amy
May 24, 2012 at 9:37 amAmazingly, American Express just called and the restaurant has reconsidered and has decieded make it right. So, better late than never and we are looking forward to a wonderful meal in June! Feel free to take down my complaint if you’d like. I hate to give bad reviews when people do the right thing. Thank you Foodnut!
Elwood Bonham
September 30, 2013 at 1:26 pmDull menu…, with trained staff and historic place. But the balconyis very exposed to the people eating downstairs. May be it should better to cover the railings to make more private for the restaurant guests.