Alpe d'Huez Apres Ski Report: 18th March 2010
Spring is here! Unless you've been reading my Snow Reports you'd be forgiven for thinking that we're still caught in a blanket of glacial temperatures here in Alpe d'Huez but the weather is finally starting to thaw. To celebrate, The Underground had its first barbeque of the season on Tuesday. All previous attempts had been snowed-off and it was lovely to relax in the sun on the terrace of Hotel Chamois, just above the bar.
On Thursday night British comedian Bob Slayer and Australian Jimbo had us all in stitches at their Comedy Night and caused more than a few mouthfuls of beer to be spat out by Crystal staff who weren't quite ready for their punchlines. The event was held at Smithy's Tavern and I'd love to retell some of the jokes here, but even if I could remember them my delivery would do them no justice... and most are far too rude to be published!
Audience participation was key to the act and those brave people in the front row spent a fair amount of time on stage. Smithy's Head Chef Morse was called-up to take part in a Blind Date-style spoof with x-rated answers. But he got a quick snog out of it and didn't seem too bothered by the attention! In all honesty, while totally hilarious, Bob and Jimbo's act is not for the easily-insulted and their swearing would put you off inviting your parents to come along. One table actually left part way through the evening, and the Crystal Rep responsible for selling their tickets is still crossing his fingers that it won't turn into a complaint.
On Sunday night I went back to O-Bar for a second taster of their tapas menu with Lounge 21's Madeleine. The kitchen closes at 9pm and thankfully Vito worked his magic as our order reached him just in time. We had a vegetarian selection of breads, dips, Greek salad, mini-peppers stuffed with feta cheese, patatas bravas and the spicy chorizo for Madeleine. Also eating in the bar that night were Andy from Smithy's and Niff from the Zoo Bar. They'd ploughed through the infamous burger gourmand and chips so weren't able to help us with the mountain of food that covered our table.
Just as we finished we were joined by more Smithy's staff on their nights off, Emily, Sophie and Darren. Talk turned to the arrival of BUSC in two weeks time. This year, Smithy's is hosting the evening events that will entertain all two thousand students when they descend on resort. In addition to a specially created Après Bar at the base of the Snow Park, three large night-time events will bring the Stanton Warriors, Urban Nights, Ordinary Allstars and drum 'n' bass legend Nero to resort. It all kicks-off on Sunday 28th March and the vibe in town is set to be amazing.
Yesterday was St Patrick's Day and this year the bars outdid themselves paying homage – not really to the patron saint of Ireland – but to the black-gold that pours out of the Guinness tap! First stop, O'Sharkey's, the only Irish bar in town. They'd hosted a warm-up night on Monday but nothing compares to the atmosphere in a real Irish bar on St Patrick's night. On stage were local band Working Class Hero playing authentic Irish instruments.
Not to be outdone, The Etalon, Underground, Smithy's Tavern and The Pacific also put on Irish-themed nights and it seemed like everyone in this multi-national resort was out in the bars, dressed in green and orange, supping on Irish beers and Baby Guinness shots. I think it's going to be very quiet in town tonight as hangovers are nursed and sore heads opt for early nights. Until next week...
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.
