Hôtel Barmes de L'Ours

The wine list is extensive, and the sommelier is excellent. You could stop in for a glass and go to L’Etincelle for dinner instead. I really wanted to like La Rotisserie, especially after seeing the beautiful interior and getting good service, but the meal fell far short. The starters showed promise, while the roast chicken, rib-eye steak, pot au feu, and linguine vongole special were disappointing. The steak was especially tough and dry, and the chicken was dry too, much as another reviewer had found. Even a steak from the Spar cooked at our accommodation would have been better. The vongole was bland and lacking. Sure, this isn't the Amalfi coast, but a restaurant in such a fine establishment should manage a decent version of it. They offered to replace the rib-eye, but I declined because I was worried the next dish would disappoint too. The steak still appeared on the bill, and removing the charge might have salvaged the dinner. Sadly, I can't recommend this restaurant, at least for this season.

After our meal, we heard a lively New Orleans jazz band playing in the hotel lobby bar. We sat down and had a hell of an evening. They were exceptional. We were staying at the Experimental hotel this time, but looking around, we thought we'd have to stay here next time. There was something fitting about ending a ski day with the comfort of good food and Minnie the Moocher. Dinner at Le Coin Savoyard, inside Hotel Les Barmes de l’Ours in Val d’Isère, is all about its narrow focus on classic Savoie food, meaning fondue, beef, or cheese. That can feel freeing rather than limiting, a cuisine shaped by the mountains and by food that warms people and brings them together. We went with beef. Jokes aside, it was scrumptious, served with Sonderup’s fries. Those golden potato sticks made eating feel like pleasure rather than a basic necessity, and the pot was bottomless. Tradition done right can feel like plenty.

You can walk right out of this superb hotel onto the slopes, and the service and food are outstanding. I'll definitely be back soon.

We'd enjoyed several previous stays at Hôtel les Barmes de l’Ours, so we returned to its La Rôtisserie expecting another good meal. This time was a major letdown. The pumpkin soup had little flavor, the leek starter was mediocre, and the fries were limp. The rotisserie chicken was so dry we left it uneaten. We told the manager, who said that's how rotisserie chicken is meant to be, and charged us the full bill anyway. Very disappointing. We won't return.