La Zucca Magica, Nice

We took the kids out to dinner at La Zucca Magica: http://www.lazuccamagica.com/

Cristin and I found this vegetarian restaurant [with eggs, cheese and legumes] in 2006 when we celebrated our 10th anniversary in Nice.  It is a set menu each evening and thought that it would be a good experience for the kids, even though they are picky eaters.

The host did not speak any english, but was very gracious.  He was a hit with the kids.  We reserved our table early in the week and there were 3-4 parties turned away while we were eating.

The first course was a stuffed tomato with spinach, nicios olives, garlic, olive oil, tomato, and a cheese [like feta, but not feta].  There was a small egg flan on the side that was also very cheesy.  Ella devoured the innards of the tomato, Quinncy ate the flan.  [I felt like I needed to "clean up" their plates a little, which was not a wise decision and haunted me later in the evening when I hit the fourth course].

The second course was a delicious minestrone.  It was not a tomato base, but was heavy on the beans and vegetables [and covered in fresh parmesan].  Here is Quinncy eating "the best soup he ever tasted":

The next course was a leaf of swiss chard wrapping up ricotta cheese with perfect el dente zucchini pieces [the seeds removed].  It was in a cream base.  Ella ate it all, Quinncy balked at the swiss chard.

The fourth course was tomato, ricotta, and artichoke pressed in a form and served in a tomato broth.  I was starting to feel a bit ill from over-eating and rich food.  Ella was also starting to slow down, but she advised that she had room for dessert.

Dessert was a fruit tart with homemade vanilla ice cream and a meringue cookie [the patisseries in Nice sell meringue cookies the size of your head].  It was delicious.

We went for a walk afterwards in order to aid digestion.  It was a great food experience.  The first of our trip.