Grazing Grandly Swiss in La Chaux-de-Fonds

Dateline: 29 October 2003 After spending the previous week with two large groups of fellow PuristS' in Dresden and Geneva, we four PuristS' moderators drove up from Geneva after the visit to the Patek Philippe Museum. The turbocharged SAAB Aero, with Suitbert at the wheel, whisked us briskly through a few flurries of autumnal snow, up the valley to an elevation of 1100m. It was dark when we got to the Grand Hotel les Endroits in La Chaux-de-Fonds. We were tired and more importantly, we were ravenous! We checked-in and had quick "cat's lick" ablutions so we could head for the restaurant. We cut through the kitchen to the adjoining dining rooms instead of using the separate restaurant entrance. One more reason to keep your kitchen spick and span; you never know when some PuristS will take a photo.   APPETISER   Amuse bouche Salmon and cereal grains in aspic The delicately smoked but well seasoned salmon was perfectly modulated by the cracked wheat and barley grains. This light appetiser certainly kept us amused whilst ThomasM had the 'raptures' over the wine list.   WINES   Corton-Charlemagne 1999, Bonneau de Martray This French grand cru white was Thomas's compromise choice for the different starters at our table. I thought it was an aromatic but dry wine, nicely balanced to cope with the acidity of salad dressing, the earthiness of mushrooms and the richness of foie gras. Of course, I am glad for the 'actual' wine we got with the foie gras.   Clair de Lune 2000, Neuchâtel This Swiss sweet wine was courtesy of our waiter to go with our foie gras starters. The unctuous golden nectar with a slight acid finish went very well indeed with the glorious duck livers, more of which will be revealed later. TM: this local Sauternes style botrytised sweet wine was a perfect complement to the heavenly foie gras - the lush, sweet (but not cloyingly so!) taste of the wine contrasted the bracing salt sprinkles and charred outer textures of the duck liver, as well as the soft firm richness within.     Domaine de La Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux 1982 This was my first taste from this famous French domaine. I must admit it was both overwhelmingly complex and simple at the same time for a neophyte. It did not help that the wine changed in character through the evening. At first, I got 'vegetable' and 'barnyard hay' aromas. The colour was more russet than red and the liquid felt thin on the tongue but full at the back of the mouth. There were no notes of harshness and the soft smooth wine eventually suggested exotic fruit cordials with the beef main course. Alas, this was the last bottle in the house so we could not indulge further in this ambrosia. TM: typical of Grandes Échézeaux, and of DRC in general, there were the intriguing contradictions of simplicity and complexity in the flavours and bouquet; light body without being thin or watery.  Not the greatest DRC Grandes Échézeaux I've ever had, but given the company and food accompaniment, certainly one of the most memorable. Wine, Woman, Watches and Song A classic PuristS' photo-opportunity of the wine and their horological companions for the evening.   STARTERS   HTF: Cassolette de bolets - sautéed mushrooms. The very epitome of Autumnal flavours in a bowl.   SuitbertW: Salade verte - fresh green salad.   TM and MTF: Escalope de foie gras de canard tiède au chutney exotique. We slid the glorious morsels down our gullets and pronounced it "heavenly". The salt-encrusted crispy seared surface gave way to a 'just warmed' creamy softness inside. The sweet wine accompaniment was a marriage made in heaven. Since we are speaking of things celestial, there is a confession to be made.........   Thomas and I ordered another portion to share and we apologised to our fellow diners who had to wait for the main courses :-) ; truly, the best foie gras I have had to date. It even surpassed the delectable dishes from Alsace, France, which I had in the Fall of '97.....sigh.   MAIN COURSES   HTF and SuitbertW: Mignon de porc aux bolets à la crème, Ravioli aux potirons et légumes de saison. Wonderfully tender pork and creamed mushrooms, which were set off by the 'al dente' pasta and accompanying wines. This went nicely with both white and red wines, which probably speaks well of the chosen wines. TM: They must have been good, because I didn't get to taste either of them!  :-) TM and MTF: Châteaubriand flambé au Rémy Martin, Pommes frites et garniture de legumes. Meltingly tender rare steak in a rich wine reduction sauce and topped with brandy flambé seemed grossly decadent for but an instant, until I sipped a little 'Grandes Échézeaux' to wash it down. It was then that I understood the meaning of Life, The Universe and Everything...... and it was not '42' :-) .   Buffet de desserts All the usual sweets were "on the trolley" and some of us had a selection of competent concoctions viz. crème caramel and chocolate torte. The dessert wine supplied went nicely with the buffet.   Note that Swiss elves are found not only in watch making workshops ;-) .   And finally - Famille J-P Vogt's, Mac-Vin 1999. Again courtesy of our waiter, this 'interesting' unfiltered sweet wine rounded off a marvellous meal. One has to approach these local elixirs with the same élan and brio that they were made with!   Conclusion: An unexpected gem of a dining room which, in the spirit of its high elevation, lifted our spirits, caressed our taste buds and imprinted indelibly on our memories as one of the best meals ever. Bravo to our splendid hosts - the Famille Vogt! Good Food, Good Wine and Good Company - indeed the trilogy of Good Dining.   Photo and text copyright Melvyn Teillol-Foo, 2003. Additional wine tasting notes by Thomas Mao. ThePuristS.com Wine and Food Discussion Forum  |  ThePuristS.com Home Page We welcome comments, suggestions, and corrections. Copyright 2002-2003 - MTF and ThePuristS.com - all rights reserved