Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gourmet Inns & Resorts
76
Hôtel-Restaurant Troisgros
All in the Family
Loire Valley, France
Once upon a time, this was a run-of-the-
mill small-town hotel, the sort of place that
depended on the nearby train station for
most of its business. But that was before
Jean-Baptiste Troisgros and his wife,
Marie, bought the place in 1930. Situated
on the N7 highway, Hôtel-Restaurant
Troisgros lay right on the path of French
“gastronomads” touring the provinces in
search of great meals, and they soon
found them at Troisgros's restaurant. With
Jean-Baptiste running the dining room and
Marie at the stove, the hotel's reputation
spread like wildfire.
In the 1950s, a postwar travel boom
brought an international clientele to the
area around Lyon, and sons Pierre and
Jean—who had taken over the kitchen
after Papa made sure they trained with all
the best chefs in France—won their first
Michelin star in 1954. By 1968 they had
three stars, and the restaurant has hung
on to them for 40 years and counting.
Under Pierre's son Michel, who is now
running the kitchen, the restaurant is reach-
ing new heights. Staying current with an
ever-more-competitive gastronomic uni-
verse, Michel has opened up the classical
French menu to influences from Asia
(Michel lived in Japan as a child when his
father was chef at Maxim's in Tokyo) and
California (under mentor Michel Guérard,
Michel traveled to America), while still hew-
ing to the Troisgros tradition of using fresh
regional ingredients and cooking with an
almost breathtaking simplicity. Don't expect
foams and fusion here, but honest, flavorful
dishes such as fried foie gras served with
marinated eggplant, chestnut soup fla-
vored with Granny Smith apple, rouget with
fennel and kumquats, salmon with sage
sauce, or beef served with Fleurie wine and
bone marrow. For dessert, ask to see one
of the best assortments of esoteric cheeses
in the region, or perhaps enjoy a praline
soufflé.
Decorated in neutral colors and lined
with contemporary artwork, the restau-
rant features superb cuisine and impecca-
bly tailored service—and of course,
astronomical prices. Though the attached
hotel has never garnered as much atten-
tion as the restaurant, it is definitely more
than just “a restaurant with rooms”;
Michel's wife, Marie-Pierre, has decorated
the 16 guest rooms in a stunning minimal-
ist contemporary style that matches the
restaurant's sleek neutral-toned decor.
Confections from the Hôtel-Restaurant Troisgros.
