In French, they are called “restaurants d’altitidue,”but in English, we fumble in describing the kind of establishments serving haute cuisine on the slopes. And likely for a good reason: they are few and far between, at least here in North America, land of lukewarm chili. Venture to Europe, however, and good food dominates the ski vacation equation.
While warm raclette and white wine will most certainly do, to pass on the opportunity for at least one blow-out lunch while visiting the Alps would be a sin. In Zermatt, the uncontested venue for such an occasion is Chez Vrony. At the top of the Sunnega Express and beneath the monumental Matterhorn, this Michelin-starred Swiss chalet run by a husband and wife pair offers plates of antipasti and charcuterie, to be followed by exquisite pasta dishes made with organic Alpine produce and homemade cheeses. For skiers headed up St. Moritz’s Corvatsch, forgo the traditional stop at Hahnensee Restaurant and give Kuhstall, near the base of the Furtschellas lift, a try. A cowshed in the summer turns into a stylish restaurant in the winter and if you can manage to book a table, a quiet terrace and pain-erasing cucina della nonna are your reward. In Megève, the mountainside eating institution known as L’Alpette (recently taken over by the experts behind Les Fermes de Marie), is by no means a quaint refugio, but with such delectable offerings as slow-cooked poulet grandmère and knuckle of lamb, it may as well be. The only downside of such a rich meal? The return trip home. Thankfully, gravity is on your side.
