La Palme d'Or

La Palme d'Or is the two-Michelin-star dining room of the Hôtel Martinez at 73 Boulevard de la Croisette, in Cannes on the French Riviera, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It is the city's flagship gastronomic address, a restaurant long associated with the film-festival crowd and with modern French cooking built on Mediterranean produce. The kitchen works in the contemporary French idiom, with the Côte d'Azur's fish, vegetables, olive oil and citrus as the organising ideas, and the menu changes with the seasons rather than resting on a fixed repertoire. Dining is by tasting menu, with prices starting from roughly EUR 200 (about $230) per person before drinks, so the restaurant sits firmly in the special-occasion bracket. The dining room is formal in the way of a grand palace hotel: hushed service, generously spaced tables, and a clientele that dresses smartly, with jackets and elegant resort wear the norm. Noise levels are low and conversation carries easily, which suits business dinners and celebrations alike. A hotel-run restaurant of this standing normally carries a deep wine list covering Provence, the Rhône and the major French regions, and the sommelier team can usually pair wines with each course of the tasting menu; visitors with dietary requirements should state them when booking. Service is typically dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday, with the restaurant closed on Sunday and Monday and for part of the winter, so the current calendar should be confirmed with the hotel. Reservations are required. Tables book out well ahead around the Cannes Film Festival in May, the MIPIM and MIPCOM trade weeks and the summer peak, so a booking several weeks in advance is prudent for those periods, while quieter months may allow shorter notice. Reservations are made through the Hôtel Martinez website or by phone on +33 4 92 98 73 00. The Croisette location puts the restaurant a short walk from the Palais des Festivals and the beach.