SAVOIE FARE
LE BOURGET-DU-LAC
We were visiting a winery in the French Alps and they
suggested we stay and dine in the town of Bourget-du-Lac, a wonderful and rather
undiscovered place.
It's north of the city of Chambery. The lake is a major attraction for
those interested in swimming, water-skiing, etc. There are five
"ports" around the lake. The water temperature gets into
the high 70s during the summer months.
There is some sort of bicycle trail if you're into biking. This doesn't
exactly circle the lake, however. There are about 8 different paths for
those interested in a hike.
Our friends, the Qunards (who make splendid wine in Chignin, about 30 minutes'
ride away), suggested dining at their favorite "good value"
restaurant. The place has four hotel rooms, so we were able to
"fall" upstairs after dinner and have a good snooze.
Restaurant Atmosphres
618 route des Tournelles
73370 Le Bourget-du-Lac
Tl. 04 79 25 01 29
Fax 04 79 25 26 19
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesday at lunch. Closed the last half of
October and the last half of February.
We perused the menu and my 13 year old nephew and I ordered a nice meal and a
couple of bottles of wine.
It was a warm evening and virtually everyone was dining "al fresco"
out on the terrace. The tables are chairs are not especially comfortable,
being plastic "backyard," "lawn furniture."
We started with an amuse bouche.
A delectable, foamy summer "soup."
My starter was an interesting Foie Gras plate.
The chef seems to be a fan of geometrical shapes and presents each dish in an
interesting fashion.
The Foie Gras was excellent, having been molded in a terrine of sorts and
layered with tomato on one side and encased in prosciutto. The white
specks are sea salt.
My nephew Brian opted for a sashimi course.
Brian's main plate.
Preceding my main course was a lovely little seafood plate featuring red mullet
with a couple of deep fried veggies and a rice "block" topped with
tapenade.
A splendid bottle of Charles Trosset's 2004 Mondeuse was amazingly good.
It reminded me very much of a Syrah from the Northern Rhne!
More interesting geometry!
The long yellow wedge is polenta, while the meat is roasted rabbit with some
tiny chanterelles. Very fine!
Brian is a big cheese fan and they wheeled over a trolley full of local
specialties.
Brian selected several of them.
The place was busy on this warm summer evening and they turned
away potential guests who insisted on dining out on the terrace.
We were obliged to order desserts at the start of the meal and
I opted for this trio of sorbets.
These were not especially great "dessert" choices, one sorbet being
basil, another of tarragon and the third some other curious, but interesting
herb.
I explained to Brian these might be good to feed a hen, since you could
"season" the chicken from the inside out!!!
Brian had some sort of "ice cream on a stick."
And it was, literally, on a stick or twig of some sort!
Poor kid was shocked by the flavors at dessert.
Still, we enjoyed our dining experience here.
The hotel room was quite comfortable, with a little balcony from which you could
see the lake.
We had a lovely breakfast the following morning, too, featuring hot chocolate,
coffee, jams, yogurt and a kugelhopf.
The price was moderate and sensible.
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FRENCH ALPS' WINES
