The system of dividing France into provinces sometimes has its weak points, and they arc evident in the case of Dauphiny, a purely political formation Without geographical unity. One part of the province is the placid valley of the Rhône. The other contains the wildest and most primitive ranges in the Alpine chain, replete with immense panoramas of spine-tingling beauty. It is an exciting province in which to travel. The mountainous stretches of Dauphiny are as dramatic as anything rig in Europe. The road is hacked through breath-taking gorges, past cascades and waterfalls Northern Dauphiny is largely Alpine, glistening with the majesty of snow-clad mountains and creeping glaciers. In the south the land flattens out somewhat, and you feel the garlic-scented proximity of Provence in every village. It can be sparse and sun-baked here. Raging winter torrents become parched river; beds in the intense summer heal, and the silence can become oppressive.
Mountain life in these rugged hills is picturesque in summer. The silence of the pastoral heights is animated by troops of cattle and sheep and the blooms of wild flowers. Sheep herds travel hundreds of miles, and the cheesemakers are busy. But in winter it is a different story. In the isolated chalet and hillside hamlets the inhabitants are dug in for the season under an impenetrable blanket of snow. There the Dauphiny housewife makes her gratin, and the farmer tends his cattle and sheep in the lower reaches of his chalet. Luckily for the farmer's morale, good simple country cooking is a deepset tradition in every farmhouse. The architecture gets a bit more primitive as you penetrate into the mountains, and so docs (the cooking. But how good those hearty dishes taste on a cold night!
This land of mountain streams and lakes is especially kind to the lover of crayfish and fresh-water fish, particularly trout. The more gifted local gourmets can tell by the taste of the fish the altitude at which it was caught. As in the case of mountain game, the higher the altitude, the finer the taste. The most delectable mountain trout lives on wellwashed water insects and those which fall from overhead branches. The fortunate fish which has a predilection for small fresh-water shrimp, and can find them, acquires that tempting 'salmon-pink color when prepared for the table. But the “industrial” trout from (the hydroelectric Streams is a vastly inferior character—so says the expert. The cooking in the southern fringe of Dauphiny has a distinct Provençal cast, but one senses the refinement of Grenoble and Lyon in most of its dishes. Garlic's conquest is not complete. Cream enters into a multitude of dishes, but with more restraint than in Normandy. The olive tree makes its appearance here, leading to a cooking which is half oil, half butter, full of finesse and subtlety.
It is hardly necessary to point out that Dauphiny is blessed with beautiful wines, for it can claim some of the most famous vintages of the Rhône Valley as its own. Hermitage Rouge and Côte Rôtie are two classics among French red wines, and Hermitage Blanc and Mercurol occupy comparable high rank among the whites. The rocky slopes of the Isère and Drôme yield interesting local wines of vigor and short life, and in the vicinity of Die you will find the highly individual vins de clairette, fresh, fruity nectars, some of which possess a natural sparkle Some of the world's best liqueurs, Chartreuse among them, come from Grenoble and Voiron.
But space isn't going to allow me a long discussion of the wines, the flora, the fauna, or the natural beauties of Dauphiny this month. There arc too many marvelous restaurants scattered through its three dépariements of Isère, Drôme, and Hautes-Alpes. This springs from the fact that it lies squarely across the path of the two major roads from Paris to the Riviera. The more leisurely motorists, and apparently the better-heeled ones, roll down the Rhône Valley. Here, naturally enough, the more opulent shrines of gastronomy arc strung along. The alternate route is the one that Napoleon took, and it informally bears his name. You'll find fewer palaces along the Route Napoléon, but the scenery is more inspiring and there are better-than adequate stopovers. It is no overstatement to say that Dauphiny's strategic setting across these two highways has brought it some of the finest restaurants in the world. Let's begin by working down the Route Napoléon, thus saving the juiciest plums for the last:
Sassenage (Isère)
Grenoble, the capital of Dauphiny, with all its impressive past as a center of culture and gastronomy, seems to be eclipsed in the latter field at the moment. There are plenty of adequate dining places among the hotels and brasseries of Grenoble, but the local epicures still travel outside the city limits to regale themselves. They go, as they have for decades, to the quiet riverside village of Sassenage, some three miles away. Here along the main highway is the HÔTEL PARENDEL, an inviting establishment with a charming garden concealed behind its yellow ocher walls. Generations of university students, many Americans among them, have saved their spare francs for a regal feast at this epicurean stronghold. The host, Monsieur Rostang, is a genial gentleman who takes pains to present unusual dishes, One of them is feuilletè de ris de venu au porto, an amazing way of sublimating the pancreas gland of a mere calf. Another is poulet au cbampagne, and they certainly do go together The prices are fair. Dining in the garden is a charming experience, and if it rains, a pleasant, airy dining salon awaits you.
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