Palégrié

Guillaume Monjuré, Best cuisinier Guide 2013

Now there’s two good reasons to go to Méaudre in the Vercors Massif: cross-country skiing, and… the Palégrié! After having done the rounds with their iconic restaurant in Lyon and then in Corrençon, chef Guillaume Monjuré and sommelier Chrystel Barnier finally launched it again, a few miles away in the family barn that they renovated. Inside a rustic-chic den with a view of the forest, the chef wakes up at 5:30am to get the wood-fired oven going – here, there’s no gas or induction, just dishes slow cooked on the embers. From the “Chemin lauzé” menu (€81) which we gobbled up in the height of summer, we’ll never forget the amazing hors d’oeuvres: crunchy comfrey tempura with a vinegar emulsion, a kombu seaweed cream and flax seeds; a spiral of crunchy green beans and runner beans titillated by sour cream and fermented blackcurrants, plus pretty cornflower petals; and a post-Gargouillou mesclun of about 20 different salad leaves, herbs, seeds and local vegetables. But also, not forgetting the pointed cabbage with its perfectly balanced smoky flavor, plus summer truffles, bubbling olive oil, tomato, chili and oregano; a trio of zucchini, served raw, steamed and grilled; and braised peach paired with rose geranium sorbet, sauce amandine and fresh blackcurrants, a feast for the senses, as well as the stunning apricot tart. We will see you again in the Vercors sometime soon! // Eric Taylor

FEELING THIRSTY? Chrystel pampers one of the finest naturist menus in the Alps: La Valse, a Burgundy sauvignon from Raphaëlle Guyot (€8 a glass), Les Crosses, an Auvergne chardonnay and real aromatic bomb from Vincent Marie (€50 a bottle), Appel du Large, a Vendôme red blend by Les Gauchers (€36), and a gamay Carolon 2017 by Jean-Louis Dutraive (€48)…

PRICE: Menus €38 (lunch except Sunday), €61, 81 and €145.