Exceptional restaurants in the Nice area?
 

I'm going fron OSL to NCE (using Qualiflyer points on SR in C-class, their Intereuropean trips are a bargain) for a long weekend in the end of April.
Restaurant suggestions are welcome, especially any that have a favourable price/quality ratio.
We'll have a car for the whole stay, so it doesn't necessarily have to be located downtown.
We also thought we'd splash out and try Alain Ducasse's restaurant in Monaco. Will it be worth it? Is lunch the best bet?

Check out this artile in Business Traveler Online... http://www.btonline.com/cgi-bin/fron...estin~100062~~

Try the Negresco for lunch.

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Some of the best restaurants are in Mougin which is roughly 20 minutes from Nice. I think there is a 3-star there, but I can't recall the name.

One of my favs is the L'Admiral in La Colle Sur Loup.

If you want to see what the tourists love, try Column d'or(sp?) in St. Paul which is full of priceless paintings from starving artists such as Picasso, Matisse, etc. St. Paul is worth a visit and now is the time before the tourists hit.

The Michelin-starred restaurants in the Nice area are:
*** Louis XV(Ducasse), Hotel de Paris, Monte Carlo
** Reserve de Beaulieu, Beaulieu-sur-Mer
** La Chantecler, Hotel Negresco, Nice
** Jacques Maximin, Vence
** Jean-Francois Issautier, St-Martin-du-Var
* Chateau de la Chevre d'Or, Eze
* Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
* Cagnard, Haut-de-Cagnes, Cagnes-sur-Mer

You can find more details about these restaurants on the Michelin website: http://www3.michelin-travel.com/eng/gr2000/indexgr.html and you can apply for the American Express black card at www.americanexpress.com.

You'll need one! Enjoy.

I had a good, cheap lunch at a place called Pasta Basta. It was touristy enough that when I said "deux", the response was "OK, inside or out?" It has a patio that seats 20, with 20 inside. It was a really good french/italian combo meal. It's nothing gourmet, but it was fun and like $20-30 for two. If you know of some online map, I could probably figure out where it's located.

Have fun in Nice. I had a blast as I visited there after spending 2 weeks in a sports competition. It was cool R&R... I slept in till 2PM one day! While you're there, go to Monte Carlo/Monaco. It's only a $9 (20 minute) train ride, and for those of you who rarely pay for first class, it's only $1.50 upgrade.

-d-

Thank you everyone for useful input; with the amount of good suggestions provided I might have to prolong my stay.

And Mileonaire: The Black/Centurion Card is as always my favourite (non female) travel companion.