This is Buffy, peeking out of the bathroom window in our room at the Grand Hotel in Uriage les Bains. We stayed there for a night last weekend. It started with a mobile call when I was at home and Buffy was out seeing a friend, "did you get my text?" she said. "what text?" "just look at the text...bye."
So I looked at the text, 'there is a clue in your favorite place to read, if you can remember a special date you will find a clue'
Naturally intrigued I went to my favorite reading place and tucked in a magazine was envelope #1!
The clue said, go to your favorite boulangerie and buy two quiches, then ask the lady for your next clue, so using the money left in the envelope I went and bought a salmon quiche and a gruyer quiche and asked the lady if par hazard she had a small blue envelope for me, yes!! she did.
The next clue mentioned pachyderms... big pachyderms, and there is only one big elephant in Grenoble, so off I went with my quiches and some change to the botanical gardens to search the elephant. and sure enough when I got there taped to the side of the elephants big ass was another blue envelope, 'I hope you chose some good quiches, and that they are still hot, you will need the change you have to take the number 6010 bus from stop Bir Hakiem near the refectory, the reason I came to Grenoble in the first place, you will know where to get off, look under the bus stop bench for your next clue'.
So I got on the bus and tried to guess where I should get off, we soon started going up into the mountains and when I got to Uriage Les Bains I thought this must be the place, I used to get the bus up here all the time to go see Buffy when she lived 'upstairs' before we got married.
And sure enough under the bus stop bench was the final blue envelope, "there is only one great hotel in Uriage see you there in a bit!". finally having an idea of what she had done I asked at the reception if there was a Buffy Gorrilla staying there?? 'Oui monsieur, je vous passe' nice! Buffy had booked a room for the night, we had a reservation at the fantastic restaurant at the hotel, Les Terrasse which was a wedding gift from Buffy’s colleges. It was recently raised from two Michelin stars to three!
Uriage les Bains is called that because of the thermal spa there, which we also will benefit form when we take advantage of the spa day that My colleges gave us for our wedding!
So we relaxed in the hotel pool, got swept up in a free aquarobic lesson, which gave us a good appetite for the meal later.
The menu is below, but a few words about the atmosphere and service, the other two pillars of judgment that Michelin looks at.
Its an elegant and refined place, but not over fancy or pretentious, just nice, classy!
The service was like a silent wave, you look up from whatever is enchanting you on your plate and the whole table has changed, the maitre de hoté was very concerned that we have a wonderful evening, he moved us to another table from our first one, suggesting that it might be quieter since there was a table of 10 persons arriving later. And would we like to sit face a face, or a coté to each other, well with a face as lovely as Buffy’s side by side would be a waste.
The food was as you can imagine form below wonderful, interesting, well executed and light. A wonderful evening made even better by a wonderful companion.
The Menu de Degustation - Les Terraces 13/10/07
dried sausage on curled bread discs.
Shots of frozen celery reduction floating on apple juice, granny smith.
A spoon of jellied radish, with pain demi-sel on the end. Beetroot roll with grated sweet chocolate. Rhubarb consommé and fresh peanut butter floating on top.
Oyster fried in beignet batter with a shot of beef/oyster bouillon.
Fresh yoghurt with tomatoes capped with mint and basil crisp.
Truffled pain purdue, in squash foam and apple cream liquid very light.
Roast Cod with green tomatoes gazpacho. Wasabi pea and hoi sin sauce.
Duckling slice with frois gras and potato cake.
Frais de bois with toasted barley.
yoghurt jelly with frais and frais de bois and mint ice cream. Shot of cappuccino with cream, pear cake with pear jelly with a chocolate sheet.
passion Fruit jelly with peanut butter, light and not chewy.
With coffee, kiwi skewers with chocolate pop rocks!
Noughhart with Indian spices, chocolate cube with salty caramel.
Two glasses of wine of unknown origin. A glass of ultra brut champagne and a glass of rose champagne.
Bingo.
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