Icogne

[Post by Laura]
For our final night in Crans-Montana, we had a reservation at the chef's table of the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant, LeMontBlanc.

We were welcomed and ushered through the restaurant and back into the kitchen where we were offered a glass of champagne and seated at high bar stools at the stainless steel counter where the kitchen staff did final plating of each dish. The chef, Yannick Crepaux, came over to greet us and immediately started the evening with three different amuse-bouche bites.

The explanation of the food is always one of my favorite parts, especially when they explain how you should eat it. Once the three bites and glasses of champagne were finished, we were moved from the counter back to the single cozy chef's table, where we had a great view of the entire kitchen and staff. The chef's table dinner is a tasting menu that is a surprise to us - we didn't know how many courses there would be or what they would bring. We had just told them that I didn't eat red meat. Dish after dish was brought to us and explained, either by the chef or one of his head wait staff. Everything was phenomenal - so creative and unique, from the flavor pairings to colors and textures. My favorite dish might have been an artichoke stuffed with truffle.

We noticed that throughout the evening, other people were brought into the kitchen to have a welcome drink and the first three amuse-bouche bites at the counter, but then continued their dinner in the main dining room as there is only one chef's table in the kitchen. It was impressive to watch the kitchen work their magic - it was surprisingly quiet and ran smoothly, each person having their own station and area of responsibility. However, as they evening progressed, you could feel the hustle and urgency increase.  As tickets came in, Yannick would shout out the orders to the very attentive staff as they responded, "Oui, chef!" Some of the more senior members of the kitchen were clearly mentoring newer members, pointing to plates that needed some sort of adjustment or correction, helping them to plate the food to meet what were clearly high aesthetic standards.

The end of the meal was two dessert courses, a melon and lavender sorbet, and then a dish that had highlighted the peach - it was prepared three different ways. Finally, they brought a sampling of chocolates that we just didn't have room for, so after snapping some pictures, they boxed them up, along with another loaf of the incredible pine needle bread and sent us on our way.

10/10 would do again.Read more