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From INTELLIGENT LIFE Magazine, Winter 2008
 

Lunch is the pivotal point of the skiing day, a fixture around which all other plans revolve. Where to eat is as important a question as where to ski for the day. It is a time when skiers of vastly varying experience can come together to exchange tales of knee-deep powder, perfect pistes, a breakthrough at ski school or a spectacular wipe-out.

Whether it’s Glühwein by the fireside or rosé on a sunny terrace, a simple fondue or something more sophisticated, doesn’t always matter. It is the sheer conviviality that makes ski lunches so special.

 

Atmospheric as they may be, Austrian mountain restaurants are not usually renowned for the quality of their food and wine. However, this large, wooden chalet-restaurant, built 20 years ago and belonging to the nearby Arlberg Hospiz (founded as a refuge in 1386), is an exception. Located between the fashionable resorts of Lech and St Anton, it is alluring both in sunshine, when the most coveted seats are on the upstairs balcony, and in a snowstorm, when you can warm up beside one of its roaring fires. The lunchtime menu is uncomplicated (roast chicken, baked potatoes with chilli) but the real attraction is the huge wine list, featuring many impeccable clarets and rare vintages. Go to the corner bar on the ground floor for service from Karl-Heinz, the finest and most eccentric barman in the Arlberg.    

 

Located in a tiny hamlet on the lower slopes of the Klein Matterhorn sector, comprising a group of wooden huts and its own chapel, this family business is undergoing a handover from Max Mennig and his wife to their son Markus and his girlfriend. It is truly astonishing to see such high-quality food appear so promptly from such a tiny kitchen. The lamb fillet with herbs and the sweetbreads in puff pastry are without equal. But the most sought-after items are the home-made patisseries. It is not a joke that skiers call ahead on their mobiles to reserve the millefeuille--you can see the “reserved” signs on top of the slices. Service is informal but gracious and there is a fine list of Swiss and Italian wines.

 

 

“Surely the Wengernalp must be precisely the loveliest place in this world,” wrote Leslie Stephen in 1871, and today the view remains utterly unchanged. No other restaurant has such a dramatic outlook as this view of the north face of the Eiger. (You can often see--and even hear--avalanches cascading down.) Book early for one of the sunny, wind-free tables against the wall. The veal sausage and the carrot cake are house specialities. Usefully for non-skiers, it is located by a station for the Jungfraubahn rack railway. There is also the option of taking the hair-raising toboggan run home.

 

 

With its distinctive red shutters, Fluhalp is actually a real mountain hut where climbers stay overnight in late spring and summer. It has a remarkably remote setting on the Rothorn sector and is not accessible by any lift: all the wines have to be brought up by tractor during the autumn and the fresh produce is delivered by a piste machine or in the backpacks of the staff. But the remoteness does not mean any compromises in quality. The huge south-facing terrace with Matterhorn views can seat 400 and when the Murphy Brothers are playing live, this is the biggest high-altitude party in the Alps.
 

 

On a culinary level, La Marmite, situated at the top of the Corviglia funicular, may have a claim to be the best mountain eating place in the world. However, it has its disadvantages, notably the ugly concrete building in which it lies. Prices here are as steep as any black run, so those on a budget need not apply. But people with fat wallets or Swiss bank accounts and a taste for luxury foods will enjoy the caviar or truffle menus. The melted brie with white truffles is just the thing after battling with moguls in sub-zero temperatures. There are plenty of vintage Champagnes and wines, but the Bellinis make a fine aperitif. The decor inside is much more pleasing, and the views of the Engadine valley are spectacular.
 

 

Located at the top of the chairlift of the same name, this restaurant is also known as “Giacomo’s”, after the bearded Italian mountain man Giacomo Calosi who runs it with his Argentine wife, Luciana. It’s at its best in spring, and though the terrace with its splendid views of Mont Blanc is pretty small, most diners just sit in deck chairs and tables placed on the snow-field in front of it. Giacomo has a great outdoor barbecue of Italian sausages and burgers, served to an appropriately loud background of party music. Both the antipasto and pasta selections are good and the Dolcetto d’Alba is probably the best wine for a sunny lunchtime. As you sink the bottles, so your chair sinks into the snow--that’s the way it goes here and no one has ever complained.

 
 

Owned by Luc Reversade, who calls himself a “concepteur”, the restaurant’s decor comes from an old dairy which he bought lock, stock and milk churn. Best dishes include the chicken and chips and the amazing selection of Savoyard cheeses. The attention to detail in the thematic presentation is extraordinary--staff wear blue boiler suits, bills are presented in Camembert boxes, and so on. As Val is poorly served for lunchtime restaurants, booking is essential. The terrace is surrounded by a snow bowl, so sunscreen is required. In spring there are lively après-ski sessions, where you may well find a saxophonist and a few dancers on the roof.
 

 

You could only have a restaurant like this in France and, for that matter, probably only in Courchevel. Pandering to the needs of pretentious Parisians, visiting Russians (paying in cash) and people-watching Brits, it is owned by Eric Tournier, who has an empire of bars, restaurants and hotels here. Bizarrely for somewhere so far from the sea, it has a nautical theme. It’s at its best on a really sunny day when the south-facing terrace is packed and DJs pump out the music from the top of an ice podium on the edge of the slopes. For bad days, the interior has five separate fireplaces. Specialities include roast chicken and tagliatelle with truffles. The wine list is extensive and claret-lovers with deep pockets will be particularly excited by what they find--from Chateau Petrus downwards.

 

Unlike Europeans, North Americans are not great ski lunchers--a ski-through McDonald’s would do the job. However, there are a few exceptional restaurants and this is one of them. It is technically a members-only club but a good concierge should be able to get you a table. Failing that, just turn up for a late lunch well-dressed and impeccably mannered and you’ll probably get in. Hidden in aspen woods, this is scarcely a cabin, but with its high roof and floor-to-ceiling windows, it still manages to be both cosy and contemporary. Start with a Bloody Mary by the fireside and then proceed to eat inventive modern American cooking including some very wacky wood-fired pizzas. (Footnote: you must leave your ski-boots at the door and change into the slippers provided.)
 

 

In a commanding location at over 3,000 metres in the challenging Highlands ski area, this is the finest European mountain restaurant in North America. It is small but unpretentious, and Austrian chef Andreas Fischbacher greets you at the doorway in full whites and a toque before leading you to a somewhat cramped table. The menu is seasonal but majors on hearty game dishes including elk ragout and pheasant sausages. The impressive wine list includes several vintage Champagnes and Austrian schnapps, and the sun deck has dramatic views of the Maroon Bells mountain range.
 

Picture credit: Restaurant Fluhalp, Restaurant Zum See (by alex.ch, via Flickr), Beano's Cabin