22/03/2025
Most American ski resorts are owned by a single company (and many are owned by mega companies Alterra and Vail). This means that virtually all the on- mountain restaurants are owned by the same company, so they have no competition and can easily charge $15 for chicken nuggets and $20 for a pre-made hamburger.
In contrast, in France (and Europe in general), slope- side restaurants are independently owned, and there are lots of good ones vying for guests by providing excellent food at reasonable prices.
On Saveur the Journey's recent ski trip to the Portes du Soleil on the French/Swiss border, we were treated to dishes such as lamb chops, a duck shepherd's pie, faux filet with about a half pound of chanterelles, frog legs in parsley butter with potato pancakes, "Berthoud" (a local dish of Abondance cheese and Maderia that you dip potatoes into), an amazing seafood salad, and a mushroom puff pastry, to name just a few.
This dishes were all cooked to order and served very promptly, and these slopeside restaurants would compete very favorably with quality restaurants in any major US city.
So if you haven't skied in Europe, and want beautiful mountains, great food, and much cheaper lift tickets, give it some thought!
