Les Trois Vallees

[eatenmess]

im doing a ski season (again) in Meribel and last year i had one of the best meals of my life at La Bouitte in St Martin De Belleville. I really want to go back but ive seen that Chabichou over in Courchevel has gained its 2nd star. Here comes the obvious question. which one do i choose? or is there anywhere else that stands out. Im not holding out too much hope on many people on here having eaten there but im sure theres a couple of you somewhere!!

let me know please, whilst the snow is rubbish i want to sitting in a restaurant having lunch.

thanks alot

[dougal]

I haven't been to the 3v for ages. (Almost geological ages.)

But I do still have jumbled recollections of spending a very long (rainy), boozy and wildly expensive afternoon (well it was a VERY long and excellent lunch gourmand), at, I think, the Bistrot du Praz at 1300. IIRC it wasn't far from the bottom of a bubble, should the snowline be higher. Maybe worth enquiring.

Much more my to my budgetary taste was an excellent creperie at 1500, run by a Breton family who moved from their seaside creperie to the mountains for the winter. Probably long gone!

[Jon Tseng]

I agree on La Bouitte. I had an excellent lunch there a couple of winters back. I like the small plates option - obviously allows you to have more.

You should definitely try L'Oxalys over in Val Thorens, which I see was awarded a well deserved second star today. I've posted about it here. Jean Sulpice is a fantastically talented young chef who has the rare gift of making complex combinations simply work.

Chabichou is good (and streets ahead of its next door neighbour the ** bateau ivre which is far too heavy-handed). Not sure what you mean about "just" getting two stars I think its had them for years (note that Jean-Francois Piege lately of the Crillon started his career here!). It's pricy though - my advice is go for the set lunch which offers a couple of dishes from the carte and is excellent value.

I noticed today's michelin announcement had a couple more ** in Courcheval (Airelles, Cheval Blanc) which I haven't been to. Would be interesting to see what they are like. I suspect this michelin influx (I can't think of anywhere else in the alps with remotely the same abundence of starred dining) is a result of Courcheval being very popular with new Russian money. The good thing - supply of luxury goes up. The bad thing - so do prices.

Best of luck. Tell me how it goes.

J

[eatenmess]

i dont see what the russians see in courcheval, its a gastly place, high rise and tacky. but hey if it gets a few more chefs wanting in on the incoming money then i dont give a monkeys. nice to know theres even more stars now. im going to have to hope my clients like my food and tip me well enough to do them all by the end of the season.

I had lunch of Le Farcon yesterday. they do a 36 euro, 65 euro and 95 euro menu. i had the 65 euro one mainly for the hay sorbet. it was good but it wasnt great. the butternut squash soup with lemon espuma was amazing, really good contrast of flavours to set the meal up. the bread was nice and in plentyful supply though it was too cold. the butternut squash soup with lemon espuma was amazing, really good contrast of flavours to set the meal up. they repeated beaufort 3 times, though they did get away with it apart from the cheese course where it was just a stick of it and that was it, i would prefere some other cheeses and theres so many to choose from in the area.

suckling pig with a cube of beetroot and apple (set with some agar agar) and a cube of polenta and beaufort with a jus and a leaf of baby gem ontop. the meat itself was good and so was the beetroot and apple but i wasnt too fond of the polenta and beaufort i felt it lacked a bit of seasoning as did the mussel sauce with the cod and chorizo dish. i have some pictures but i cant seem to upload them to the photo section so i may make a album somewhere on the net and put them up there.

the highlight was probably the desert of roasted grapefruit, hay sorbet and a manadrin and white chocolate sauce.

have i heard correctly that annecy now has a 3 star? i go through there to Geneva airport at the end of the season, may have to make a quick stop for lunch if this is true.

might have to make Chabichou my next move then, should have done a season in courchevel by the sounds of it!

[Jon Tseng]

Oh I popped into Le Farcon a couple of years. If I remember it was pretty ghastly - very heavy handed and certainly a borderline *. I remember of dish of langoustines with mint which really left me thing "wtf???"

Agreed on Courchevel - although for its sins it does have a full size indoor hockey rink.

Nope no *** in Annecy - maybe you're being confused with Marc Veyrat who's place there closed down last year.

If you want a *** from where you are you're reasonably stuffed. What you should do is shift your outbound flight from Geneva to Lyon. Get a cheap room in the hotel campanile by gare perrache and hit Lyon/Roanne/Vonnas. FYI there are also a couple of *** in Switzerland North of lake Geneva but they are both pretty awful.

Best of luck with the season - and make sure you get to L'Oxalys!!!

ta

J