Chez Pipo - Nice

Trying Out Socca
I didn't know anything about Socca until I arrived in Nice.  It's a regional flatbread made from chickpeas and olive oil.  It's for sale all over the place but I got a recommendation to go to Pipo, which is supposed to have a good version.  We took a long, leisurely evening walk from our hotel on the Promenade des Anglais and arrived at the already packed Pipo at around 7pm.  We lucked into an outdoor table and scanned the menu.  It's pretty straightforward: you either get a single serving or a double serving.  They also serve tapenade, but we mistakenly passed on that.  We should have gotten some since it took quite a while to get our Socca.

Fenocchio - Nice

Warm Enough for Gelato
Having a gelato from Fenocchio is a must in Nice - it's a local institution, churning out over a hundred different flavors.  We perused them all and steered clear of the stranger flavors and settled on a scoop of melon and passionfruit.  We enjoyed them a lot.  The melon was very subtle and did indeed taste exactly like its namesake, not a fake note struck.  The passionfruit was equally true and tangy to boot.

Le Local - Nice

When in Nice, Do What the Romans Do
The Italian border is only a blink away from Nice so there's plenty of Italian food to choose from.  Dodo saw this spot on a quiet alley tucked away from the tourists and started interviewing one of the waiters.  This is a signal for me to sit, which I did but I'd already scanned the daily specials and secretly chosen the pumpkin risotto with pork sausage.  When I didn't open the menu she became suspicious but I beat her to the punch "Dodo, you gonna get the risotto?"  "Nah" she responded with a wrinkled nose "it has pumpkin."  I knew I'd be later sharing half of it - and when it arrived she ooohed and ahhhed and plunged a fork in without asking permission.  After she chewed for a second she said  "Babe, are we gonna do a half and half share?"