The Minimalist - A Restaurant in Nice That’s Rich, Luxurious and Vegetarian - NYTimes.com

The Minimalist - A Restaurant in Nice That’s Rich, Luxurious and Vegetarian - NYTimes.com:



"FROM the outside, there is nothing very unusual about La Zucca Magica, a restaurant by the harbor here. At most, you might notice the words on the awning: “restaurant au légumes, oeufs et fromages” (vegetables, eggs and cheeses).

But once you enter, its unusual character begins to become evident. The restaurant is decorated almost exclusively with gourds and artwork made from them: sculptures, bowls and other containers, masks, puppets and toys. Gourds are featured in paintings, photographs, tapestries and posters, and on mirrors. They hang from the ceiling like salamis at Zabar’s.

This is not a gourd restaurant, but the décor and the name (“zucca” may refer generically to any squash or gourd, though in Italy the word is also used specifically for a small, pumpkin-like squash) are tied to the cuisine. The cooking at La Zucca Magica is vegetarian.

In itself this is not so extraordinary, but there is the matter of its location. (The French can be quite hostile to vegetarianism.)"