paulinette
Traditional French hotel
I Gentianettes is a traditional restaurant and hotel in the Savoie region, in the French Alps. I didn't visit the hotel, but I saw it upon entering the restaurant, the rate to stay there for a week isn't much more than renting an apartment. When you hear that is also has a pool, sauna and cleaning every day, it's pretty good! The restaurant is decorated in the tradition "savoyarde" like the interior of a villa, with tables, chairs and wooden walls, and kitchen utensils hanging on the wall. You can try regional dishes, mainly cheese and dried meat (with the mountain snow there wasn't much food in the winter months, and so meat had to be stored for several months).
The cow's milk cheese is also cured, only goats and sheep cheese is eaten fresh. In Abondance, they make Abondance cheese, it's a delight. The dishes we ate were Berthoud, a small dish of melted cheese in which potatoes and cured ham, sausages and other meat are thrown in. It comes served on a wooden board. We also tried Tartiflette, a dish of potatoes with cream, bacon and Reblochon cheese melted on top. In French dishes are said to "stick to the body", but they are the best after a great day of cold. The owners were lovely and offered shots of brandy until you can not drive!
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