The Alpedhueznet.Com Alpe d'Huez Après Ski Report

The Avenue des Jeux

It's been a strange week of extreme weather here in Alpe d'Huez and the combination of snow, sleet and a dash of rain haven't been conducive to an extensive party scene. On Friday night, The Boyfriend and I ventured out into the snow for drinks at the Dahu Grill.

This French bar/restaurant is run by locals and has a lively atmosphere. It is located above the roundabout at the top of Avenue des Jeux, close to the Sphere Bar and Alpages Hotel. The menu is traditionally French and the best option for vegetarians is the goats' cheese salad with honey or the cheese-based raclette and fondues. We didn't actually eat here but the food did look amazing and – in traditional French style – there were tables arriving to eat at 11.30pm. The décor is modern, with simple table settings leaving space for all the apparatus that accompanies fondues, raclettes and pierre chaudes.

Other restaurants that come highly recommended in this part of town are Creperie Breton for sweet and savoury pancakes, the best takeaway pizza in town at Peppone and the new chi-chi Alpages restaurant on the corner. I've not had the chance to eat there yet but here good things about the menu and the service. I've always been put-off by the seemingly cold atmosphere and the fact it's usually pretty quiet, but will try to pop in to try it for myself.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny but by 11am the winds were whipping across the mountain and the clouds started to descend, bringing snow to resort. It was the excuse I'd been waiting for to abandon the day's skiing and have a long lunch at O-Bar. I met up with the girls and we devoured burgers, chips and hummous ciabattas. The chips here are easily the best in resort, crisp and tasty. I also discovered the kitchen's special spicy ketchup, which makes a change from the usual Heinz. We spent the afternoon nursing our food comas next to the fire downstairs and munching on Vicky's irresistible cookies. You'll definitely find me down here on the next bad weather day!

On the live music scene, Muntfinger were playing at The Underground and Working Class Hero's Steve at O'Sharkey's on Tuesday, with The Two Angry Dwarves at Pacific and Bluefunkt at Smithy's Tavern on Thursday night. Gareth filled his usual aprés-ski slot on his acoustic guitar at The Underground and Still Nameless were belting out the hits at the Sphere Bar.

Wednesday night at Smithy's Tavern was Frenchbeef Night. It's the first time any of the British bars have been brave enough to poke fun at their French fans but promises of prizes and free shots inspired both French and British to dress up as their favourite national heros from across the channel. There were plenty of attempts at the theme and thankfully I didn't spot anyone relying on the old string-of-onions-around-the-neck. The British girls opted for Bridget Bardot and nautical stripes, while the French girls opted for rock-chick chic à la Kate Moss. Funnily enough, none of our lads chose to dress as Jean-Paul Gaultier, and instead joined the party with homemade French football strips bearing the names of Henry, Zidane et al.

Next week I'm particularly looking forward to the Comedy Night at Smithy's Tavern on Thursday 11th, starring Angelos Epithemiou of BBC's Shooting Stars. Tickets are available in advance at the bar for 15€ per person. It was great last year and the tickets are going fast so don't leave it too late! I've also just been handed a flier promoting a performance by the Chippendales at the Igloo on Tuesday. It's going to be a funny week, hope you can join us!


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.