It is a town located on the borders of several Appellations d’origine contrôlée: Grenoble walnuts, Vercors-Sassenage bleu, Saint-Marcellin, IGP Isère vineyards, French IGP Emmental… A town where the Best Workers of France work, such as the cheese maker. Bernard Mure-Ravaud. A city where a star shines Michelin , Fantin-Latour by Stéphane Froidevaux. But a city which clearly does not have the image of a gastronomic city. “However, Grenoble is a pioneer in this area, as it is for industry. We can clearly speak of a gastronomic laboratory,” says Anthony Serex, critic at Little wily one. Because even before the products end up on the plate, they are first pampered by an entire ecosystem. We can cite the Millepousses urban farm or the Champiloop mushroom farm. “This contributes to creating a true Grenoble gastronomic identity,” thinks Morgane Macé, director of the city-guide Lesmondaines. With a very strong DNA around slow food and plants. »
There are indeed very rare, if not non-existent, establishments in the city center of Grenoble that do not offer at least one vegetarian dish on their menu. “The gastronomy reflects the city. Very eco-friendly,” explains Morgane. A cuisine that reflects the times and which does not hesitate to adopt the codes of gastronomy. ” At Locafe for example, a vegan restaurant, we have real paintings on the plate,” explains Morgane Macé, also citing Jeanette who got a Bib gourmand in the guide Michelin. “It was all this work with the producers that encouraged us to create our restaurant,” explains Thaïs Giannetti, one of the chefs of this establishment located on rue Genissieu.
“A generation that has anticipated customer desires. Here perhaps more than elsewhere”
With Manon Bocquentin, they met at the Corne d’or in Corenc where Thaïs was head chef. Like their experience, it is one of Grenoble’s other assets to have a whole generation of young talents from great restaurants, sometimes star-studded. “A generation that has anticipated customer desires. Here perhaps more than elsewhere,” explains Anthony Serex. “Clearly, they want quality and like to know where the products we cook come from. This is why the name of the producers is marked on the map,” explains Chloé who joined the duo of chefs at Jeanette. With attention paid to plants. “Vegetables have gone from side dish to main course,” notes Thaïs.
This encourages the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries of Isère to launch a training program for its members. “We don’t all have the culture of plants. However, it is increasingly popular with customers,” notes Danièle Chavant. The president of Umih and owner of the Chavant hotel-restaurant in Bresson notes a real change in habits: “The other day, I was called to find out if we offered game à la carte, I was very surprised, she laughs. This doesn’t happen anymore! »
“A craze for simple but very good dishes”
But summarizing Grenoble gastronomy as vegan cuisine would be totally simplistic. Because modern cuisine also involves a hyper-traditional menu. At least on paper. “We make old-fashioned cuisine that is totally accepted,” says Andrea Schnedecker, boss of the Parisian bistro. “There is a real craze for simple but very good dishes. It always amuses me when I see 25 year olds ordering eggs and mayonnaise. It speaks to them, it’s comforting. » This is also the niche taken by the two-star chef Christophe Aribert when he moved to the Presqu’île with his Bouillon A. For example, you can find ham shells on the menu. A very basic dish but which is cooked on site, with local products. And it’s delicious.
Which also shows that chefs continue to invest in Grenoble, contrary to popular belief and the clichés often conveyed. While some people talk about dirt, insecurity and parking, the fact remains that over the past five or six years, a multitude of new restaurants have been created in Grenoble, generating a gastronomic buzz.
From tables to tables, a world tour
No need to go far to travel in taste. In Grenoble, you just have to go from table to table. “I haven’t seen this anywhere else,” explains Anthony Serex, critic at Petit Futé. There are of course the classic and historic Italians in Grenoble, who never cease to amaze us. Like Montebello. They are today joined by Asian cuisine which magnifies the classics to bring them towards more innovation. We can notably cite the Tuk Tuk. We then change continent with Colimba. Juan, its founder, is originally from Ecuador. Even fast food is going homemade, like Alaberliner and its meat kebabs or falafels for vegetarians.
We can add this trip with stops in Lebanon, Greece… And sometimes at the crossroads like with the “vebab”, a vegan version of the traditional kebab that Gustavo offers. Who knows, maybe it will become as fashionable as tacos in the streets of Grenoble.
These restaurants that have chosen to be outside the center of Grenoble
Some left the central city for its outskirts. Others decide to settle directly outside, by choice. Without a doubt, gastronomy shines around Grenoble and beautiful restaurants are flourishing. There are the historic ones, like Le Pèr’Gras in La Bastille, La Corne d’or in Corenc and the latest arrivals like Canopy, the hilltop bistro in Échirolles or La Table du 20, which moved its premises from Eybens to go to… Eybens, a little further up in the town. Without forgetting Le Rousseau, which after 8 years in Grenoble, continues its culinary adventure near Pont-de-Claix, in a larger restaurant.
He also left Grenoble a few years ago and does not regret it. Florian Poyet, chef of La Maison Badine, is enjoying his “new life” in La Tronche. When he started, he took over Le mas Bottero, Cours Berriat in Grenoble, which became La Badine. “It worked well the first two years. And the third, I saw the deterioration, which resulted in €50,000 less turnover. “It was clearly due to poor communication from the City about Grenoble, which said that it no longer wanted people to come by car. Customers could no longer park, got tickets, found parking expensive… It put them off.” Florian Poyet then changed his concept “from a gastronomic spirit to a bistro spirit, because we no longer attracted the same clientele at all” and opened his second business in La Tronche. He ended up selling his Grenoble business and focused on La Maison Badine and its gourmet cuisine.
“After 5 years here, yes I can take stock and say why I am happy here. The vast majority of our customers come from Grésivaudan. Here, they come easily, find parking, can enjoy a quiet terrace, a larger restaurant… Too often in Grenoble, people called me to ask: “What are your prices?” When I spend 17 hours a day in a kitchen, it’s not to be asked that. This is so that someone will say to me: “So, what good food did you find?” Here, they don’t talk to me about price but about quality. We have built our reputation and people know they will find good products.” What the chef also particularly appreciates is this proximity and these links that he has been able to forge with his customers. “I created this cocoon which fits my personality and which brings together a clientele of regulars. In Grenoble, we don’t create this thing with people from the neighborhood who come to eat, who pop their heads to ask how things are… Here, people call me by my first name. It’s high-end catering but it’s a place to live, with conviviality and quality, in all simplicity.”
2023-12-18 06:30:23
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