Gastronomy in the resorts: Stars on the slopes

The 2011 edition of the Michelin Guide once again honours the gastronomic excellence of the French ski resorts and the savoir-faire of the chefs.  This year, over 40 restaurants were noted in the famous red guide.  Here we shine a light on the best addresses for French gastronomy at the height of the summits.

Explosion of the taste buds, awakening of the senses, pleasure of the palate…the ways in which food connoisseurs describe their gustative emotions leaves no room for ambiguity. La grande cuisine is a story of love, flavour, passion.  The annual publication of the Michelin Guide, awaited eagerly by food lovers and anxiously by chefs, honours more establishments than ever in the French ski resorts.  These famous stars pay homage to the knowledge, inventiveness and creativity of the chefs, for whom your pleasure is the ultimate judge.

In the French mountains, the gastronomic diversity continues to flourish.  In the 2011 edition, two new addresses were awarded their first stars: that of Anthony Tempesta, the talented young chef of La Becca, based in the village of Laisnant, in Val-d'Isère; and the hotel Le Strato, in Courchevel.  The latter, brainchild of Jean-André Charial, already starred for his establishment in Baux-de-Provence, is proof of the gastronomic vitality of Trois Vallées.  With no fewer than ten starred restaurants, it is a hotspot for French gastronomy.  But the quest for excellence is not limited to the most prestigious resorts – quite the opposite!  The same quality can be found in the Alsacien restaurants of chef Olivier Nasti (of Le Chambard, in Kaysersberg) and at Du Golf in Villard-de-Lans.  And if we broaden our parametres, the choice is limitless.  The gourmet will also find many possibilities situated en route to the resorts.  Annecy (Haute-Savoie), Uriage (Isère), and Le Bourget-du-Lac (Savoie), which counts four starred establishments, are not to be overlooked.

One address, among the many, stands out as a testament to the culinary excellence of the mountains : L'Oxalys, in Val-Thorens, run by Jean Sulpice and his wife, Magali.

Known as the youngest chef found at the highest altitude (2300 metres!), already holding two stars at only 31 years of age, he continuously reinvents mountain cuisine with creativity and refinement.  Crozet risotto with saffron, apples in a meringue shell sweetened with mountain honey and flavoured with anise extract…his recipes are accessible to all, even more so thanks to the cooking courses proposed in his kitchen!  Father of the young Paul, he has also taken responsibility for the kitchens in the resort crèches, attentive to the quality of the meals served to the children.  As if to remind us that fine cuisine is not only about stars and awards, but also a matter of passion and shared values.

List of starred restaurants in the mountains:

Two stars :
Northern Alps :
In resort :
- Val-Thorens (73)  L'Oxalys   **
- Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (74)  Hameau Albert 1er **
- Courchevel 1850 (73)  Les Airelles   **
- Courchevel 1850 (73)  Le Chabichou **
- Courchevel 1850 (73)  Cheval Blanc   **
- Megève / Leutaz (74)  Flocons de Sel **
- Saint-Martin-de-Belleville (73)  La Bouitte **

Near the resorts :
- Le-Bourget-du-Lac (73)  Le Bateau Ivre **
- Uriage-les-Bains (38)  Grand Hôtel  *

One star :
Northern Alps :
In resort :
- Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (74)  Le Bistrot *
- Cordon (74)  Les Roches Fleuries *
- Courchevel 1850 (73)  Le Bateau Ivre *
- Courchevel 1850 (73)  Le Kilimandjaro *
- Courchevel 1850 (73)  Le Strato (New 2011) *
- Courchevel / Le Praz (73)  Azimut *
- Courchevel / La Tania (73)  Le Farçon *
- Val-d'Isère (73)  La Becca (New 2011) *
- Val-d'Isère (73)  Les Barmes de l'Ours *
- Les Deux-Alpes (38)  Chalet Mounier *
- Villard-de-Lans / Corrençon-en-Vercors (38)  Du Golf

Near the resorts :
- Annecy (74)  Le Belvédère *
- Annecy (74)  La Ciboulette *
- Annecy / Veyrier-du-Lac (74)  La Nouvelle Maison de Marc Veyrat (New 2011) *
- Le Bourget-du-Lac (73)  Auberge Lamartine *
- Le Bourget-du-Lac (73)  La Grange à Sel (New 2011) *
- Le Bourget-du-Lac / Les Catons (73)  Atmosphères *
- Douvaine (74)  Ô Flaveurs *
- Jongieux (73)  Auberge Les Morainières *
- Talloires (74)  L'Auberge du Père Bise  *
- Douvaine (74)  Ô Flaveurs *
- Jongieux (73)  Auberge Les Morainières *
- Talloires (74)  L'Auberge du Père Bise  *
- Saint-Julien-en-Genevois / Bossey (74)  La Ferme de l'Hospital *
- Thonon-les-Bains (74)  Le Prieuré *

Vosges : 
- Gérardmer / Bas-Rupts (88)  Les Bas-Rupts *
- Kaysersberg (68)  Chambar **

Jura :
- Villers-le-Lac (25)  Le France *

Plus many more!
For more information: http://www.viamichelin.fr/web/Restaurants