This Cap d'Antibes landmark is not only a monument to casual chic, but perhaps
the best place on the Riviera to eat an authentically local catch of the day.
The sorry truth is that the Med isn't yielding up the fish the way it once did;
this is why the Sordello brothers who run the Bacon work with a whole network of local fishermen,
many of whom sell exclusively to them, and are able to offer such rare treats as shrimp netted off the nearby Iles de L�rins
� you'll have to ask for these, since they're not on the menu and are not always available.
Overlooking the Baie des Anges, this almost all-white dining room has a tented bronze-and-white stripped ceiling,
which is rolled back in good weather and is decorated with art glass from nearby Biot,
with particularly beautiful pieces by the artist Novaro, who's a friend of the Sordellos.
Though the international crowd is intriguingly glamorous, the menu is a study in simplicity;
the catch of the day, everything from turbot to chapon, monkfish and John Dory, is served seven different ways,
including grilled with fennel, en papillote, or with olive oil, lemon, and chervil.
If you've never been here before, however, you should try the bouillabaise,
which is the most luxurious version of this Med classic served anywhere on the coast;
the soup itself is creamy, and the fish has been expertly deboned.
You won't want a starter if you opt for this feast, but the lemon sorbet is a delicious palate cleanser.
Jacques Chibois, who made Cannes a serious gastronomic rival to Nice during
the '80s with his restaurant at the Gray D'Albion Hotel, has become one of
the most assured, reliable, and inventive chefs in the South of France
since he moved to a charming auberge just outside of Grasse eight years ago.
He also offers what's surely one of the best buys on the whole coast, with a 53 euro lunch menu that changes regularly,
but might run to three courses � like a saut� of lobster and shrimp on a bed of risotto cooked with
c�pes and Champagne, roast duckling garnished with tiny olives and crushed pistachios in a sauce of r�glisse juice,
and homemade cherry sorbet in a sauce of strawberry and tomato juice garnished with pitted cherries, strawberries, watermelon, and raspberries.
The � la carte menu is one of the most sophisticated in the area as well,
since you can order Proven�al-inspired dishes like braised rabbit or opt for nervy modern
inventions like turbot with baby artichokes and cinnamon mousse.
With the additional draws of a fashionable international crowd (this place is only 30 minutes from Cannes) and courtly service,
it's a delight to while away a meal al fresco while savoring the almost
Tuscan view of feathery cypress trees and terra-cotta-tiled farmhouses surrounded by vineyards,
with the Mediterranean way off in the distance.
Wine pick: Domaine de Souvio Bandol 1990.
The glamorous overhaul of the dining room at the Martinez has produced an airy art-deco-inspired decor that corresponds to the landmarked facade of the hotel itself. A welcome change from the sort of Florida room appearance it previously had, the new look includes tropical wood furniture, framed portraits of stars associated with Cannes, and a small but lovely balcony for al fresco dining. It is far and away the best restaurant in town, and the preferred setting for important business meals. Happily, though, the expense-account crowd doesn't diminish the charm of a meal here, since service is smiling and relaxed, a concession perhaps to the seaside setting and the langorous crowds on the beach seen across the crowns of the palms that line La Croisette, the town's main drag. In the kitchen, two chefs, Christian Willer and Christian Sinicropi, work in perfect tandem to create sexy, sunny dishes like carmelized calf's head with marinated tuna, a remarkable meeting of land and sea; chilled pumpkin risotto; spit-roasted veal cutlet with baby vegetables; and cappelletti stuffed with peppers on a bed of Swiss chard and mushrooms. Desserts are first-rate, too, including a sublime chocolate biscuit with coffee-cocoa sorbet.
Photo: Courtesy of La Palme d'Or
The gastronomic star of Cannes these days is Alain Llorca, 
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Noel Mantel's Proven�al market cooking is easily the best southern French food to be found
Perched on the edge of a narrow beach, this famous bouillabaise restaurant's evolution mirrors that of the Riviera.
Since 1920, it has evolved from a simple beach shack into a rather grand air-conditioned pavilion serving a
pricey version of the soup that made its name.
The once humble fisherman's boil � bouillir is the French word for "to boil,"
and the name derives from the fact that local pecheurs once made soup from the least
popular fish in their catch of the day � goes for 65 euros a head, is served for a minimum of two people,
and is delicious and so ample that you'd be mad to order a first course.
The dining room is glitzy, all-white, and brightly lit, with service that works like a well-oiled machine,
although what really keeps this place on course is the charming and professional wife of the owner;
she babies her customers and assures that the soup remains warm at every table in the room,
often swooping down to remove the white porcelain tureen for a warm-up.
The short wine list stars three best-known southern French wines: Ch�teau de Pibarnon,
Ch�teau du Bellet, and Clos Saint Bernard.