"The first restaurant we tried wouldn't seat us as it was already mid-afternoon and past normal scheduled seating. We went next door to Le Nautical Les Goudes and were warmly received. The restaurant is full of simple charm with water-front views, and the (home-made) tapenade was the best we had in our week in Marseille. Our host "upgraded" our bottle of wine (perhaps he was out of the one we ordered, but still a lovely touch) at no extra charge. The food we ordered was incredibly fresh (they strive to use only local seafood) and perfectly prepared, with bread crumb battered pan fried squid (as opposed to deep fried) some of the best i have had, small (not greasy) fried fish, well-prepared local tuna (served "black and blue"), buttery bread-crumbed mussels (modules) farci, etc. But enough about food--everything we had was great. Upon my departure, one of the men working there handed me a bar of "savon de marseille" with the remark that New Yorkers were like Marseillais, in the sense (i presume) that larger personalities and kidding around are permitted--not to mention that both cities are rich in multi-culturalism. After the bar of soap, came a gift of a jar of "soupe aux poissoins", with rouille and croutons to boot. Incredibly generous (but, hey, don't all of you expect the same!). In any event, it was (as restaurants go) a great experience, with unpretentious and first-rate food, warmth and hospitality from the staff."
