Alpe d'Huez Apres Ski Report: 20th January 2011
More fun times in après land, with the warm weather this week, attention has been turned to the fun you can be having in Alpe d'Huez without being on the snow.
There has been loads of live music in resort this week, which began with two huge acts on Thursday night. Bluefunkt packed Smithy's Tavern out with their mix of covers old and new. Whilst down the hill in Underground, Muntfinger returned to the Alps for a hefty dose of spandex clad rock playing Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down and Led Zeppelin.
On Friday I realised that it had been almost a week since my last bowl of molten cheese and so took the girlfriend and her sister to my favourite restaurant in resort – Lounge 21. Chilli fondue was the order of the evening for the three of us whilst Jack tucked into marinated chicken with Roquefort sauce.
As Sunday was my day off, and also the girlfriends last day in resort we decided to go big and try to make it round all the bars in resort so she could say goodbye, and I could drink a lot and watch the football. It started off with daytime trips to O'Sharkys and Sphere for the big matches, and both were busy. There was a good collection of people sat on the Sphere terrace taking advantage of the sunshine and also the happy hour. Later in the evening we headed up to Rendez-Vous at the top of town as I'd been hearing good things about the food but not had chance to try it out for myself. The guys have done a really good job of brightening the place up and turning it into a very nice restaurant and bar. To start we had the pate and the goats cheese salad, both of which were incredible. We opted for a carafe of the house wine, which can often be a bit of a gamble, but we both found it (a little too) very drinkable. For mains, Helen had the beetroot risotto, which she describes as a delicious work of art and I had the tiger prawn Thai green curry. I really can't speak highly enough of the food, restaurant and staff it was all excellent, I just wish I had remembered my camera! The evening finished with a trip round all of our favourite bars in resort with live music in Underground from Gareth and then trips to Pacific, Zoo and Smithy's.
Tuesday was a big day in resort for the seasonnaires as the Grotte du Yeti held their annual Chartreuse BBQ. Last year's was very cold and windy, but this year we had glorious sunshine to enjoy their terrace, which backs on to the Eclose piste. The food was great and the chartreuse was plentiful. I unfortunately had to leave early to head up to Smithy's to prepare for the Seasonnaires iPod battle as nine pairs from all the tour operators in resort took control of the DJ decks for the evening to battle it out for the big prize which the guys from the Beau Soleil finally walked off with. Underground also let the seasonnaires loose on the DJ booth as Swedish beauty Karolina from Langley played the soundtrack to their evening.
This week looks set to be another good one with Smithy's hosting the Funi tea party tonight where there will be loads of giveaways and music from Dr Bruce. Sunday is open mic night in Pacific where your intrepid après reporter will be plucking a few strings and singing a few songs. And local rock heroes Still Nameless are reforming for a special one off gig in Smithy's Tavern. And on Tuesday is a back to school party in the tavern before everyone will no doubt will be making their way into the igloo.
We also have two new bars in resort that I will be doing my best to find my way into this week. Alternatif, which replaces Bar 31 just off the high street on Dog Alley and also the Ice Bar, which has just been built up at the 1st DMC station. Like they say “It's a tough job, but someone has to do it”
Remember, we're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time!
Pete
For a full list of this week's events, check out our What's On Calendar. You can also find full Bar and Restaurant listings in the Dining and Going Out section of the site.
