Istà

The Nice of the Alps: that’s the nickname for the town of Embrun, perched high up on the rocky mountainside at 870 meters above sea level – and it certainly boasts a surprising amount of sunshine! Tucked away on one of its pedestrian streets is Istà, a white, stone-walled bistro whose name means “summer” in the local dialect – fitting, since the dishes seem to radiate the sun’s warmth. Xavier and Sandrine Lecharny, the former owners of La Maison Cimes in the Orres ski resort (he’s in the kitchen while she works front of house) serve market cooking with far-reaching influences, from Italy to Morocco and even Brazil. The day we went for lunch, we indulged in zaalouk to start, a mix of eggplant, tomatoes, cumin, garlic bread and lemony mint, followed by tortiglioni pasta served with fennel sausage and pangrattato breadcrumbs mixed with peperoncino and grana padano, before ending the meal with a moist slice of apricot and almond cake. // Simone de Bavoir

FEELING THIRSTY? Something for every taste: southern wines (Gourmandise, a syrah-grenache blend from Le Clos des Mourres, €6 a glass, Canon, a vermentino from the Domaine des Alpilles Dal Canto, €32 a bottle), organic lager from the Brasserie Artisanale de Serre-Ponçon (€5 for 330 ml), Alain Milliat raspberry and mint infusions (€5.50 for 330 ml) or Lachanenche pastis (€5).
PRICE: : Set lunch menus €19-24, dinner menu €28.