Le Mont-Salève

Most of the time when I'm meeting someone for lunch and dinner, I figure, let's play it safe and go to one of the places that will reliably serve up something delicious. But then, every now and then I think, let's be a little adventurous and try something new, something different. And that's exactly what I was thinking on a recent Friday night, when we decided to go to Mont-Salève. I had heard a little about it, and by all accounts, the food there was definitely worth the trip.

Located at the foot of the Salève in the Veyrier area, the restaurant isn't exactly in my neck of the woods, but when you're in the mood for something different, why not go with a change of scenery too? I was told the restaurant specialized in entrecôte and had great sides of risotto and french fries which all sounded great on a freezing December evening.

We got there and ordered our entrecôtes - medium rare for me, and rare for my friend. The meat was more or less what you'd expect, the sauce was a little bland to my liking, but the sides of risotto, fries and the absolutely delicious cardoon gratin definitely made the trip worthwhile. I was somewhat less impressed with the carrot puree but with three other delectable sides, I was still delighted with the experienced.

Then came the dessert, a meringue topped with sweetened chestnut cream and a dollop of fresh whipped cream and I was on cloud nine! Easily one of the best meringues I had ever had, it certainly seemed fresh and it was probably made on the premises.

Overall, I would definitely go back, though more for the side dishes and the dessert than for the main attraction.

Pictured below: a garden salad starter, followed by a special sauce for the meat, a medium rare entrecôte with sides of risotto, french fries, cardoon gratin and carrot puree and finally a meringue topped with sweetened chestnut cream.