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Night skiing has brought out a whole
new group of outdoor adventurers who are clambering up the slope in
their heavy ski boots to catch the gondola with us. Our turn comes
and we are given a skinny, gray blanket to bundle up in as the gondolas,
although closed, are not heated. We cuddle up together and the
gondola drops off the platform and begins the climb to our first stop.
The
lights on the slopes lend the first leg of our trip to a festive, almost
electrifying mood. The quiet motor on the gondola plugs away and
sends us steadily up the white mountain until we reach the top, unload
and run over to the "Outpost", a second gondola. The air is decidedly thinner,
and the cold below seems warm in comparison. Our blanket
seems almost useless now, but we're warm with anticipation, hopeful that
a big fire, delicious food and a unique experience await. As the
second gondola slides forward, we are plunged into darkness, leaving the
lighted slopes behind and hovering above the cragged juts and valleys of
the snowy mountains below. Off in the distance, at a much
higher spot, we see a light, which is comforting. Our gondola
sways gently and determinedly glides upward on the cable. From
start to finish - base to North Peak - the ride is about 45
minutes. We have ascended to an elevation of 11,444 feet;
the air is just a sliver now and the cold pierces our faces as we rush
across the snow past Alpenglow Stube - the highest fine dining
experience in North America - and into Der Fondue
Chessel.
| A blazing fire roars at the end of the massive
dining room decked out with dangling flags from a slotted pine
ceiling. Long, Austrian, family-style tables line the room
on either side. Everyone sits together and eats the same Swiss/Bavarian
cuisine. First our waiter takes drink orders from a menu of
delightful selections. Dub chooses a Captain Hook, hot apple
cider with a little rum; a Chilean cabernet catches my fancy and we
settle in to thaw out and melt into the surroundings.
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A trio in lederhosen wanders around the room filling
the air with Austrian echoes from The Sound of Music and other 'alpine'
tunes. Periodically, guests wave them over to make requests, and
the three happily launch into a new series. |
Soon our waiter arrives and begins to prepare a
delicious Caesar salad, then sets up a fondue pot with bubbling cheeses
into which we dip big hunks of crusty bread and vegetables. Entree
choices are made from a list of lamb, beef, quail, bratwurst, shrimp,
scallops and pork. We each get two, and before they arrive, he
lights up the grill and leaves us to wallow in the glow of good food and
entertainment.
The meat arrives with little red potatoes and a variety of tasty sauces
for dipping - poppy raspberry, honey mustard, dill horseradish and
sun-dried tomato. We sprinkle spices on the meat, then wait for the
sizzle to perfection.
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Grill with raclettes
Using the little raclettes,
which are small, metal grills, we melt cheese and butter to
enhance the meet or potatoes, as we choose. |
Every bite is superb. We laugh, and trade food and talk about
how vulnerable we felt in the gondola. A waitress comes by to see
how we're doing, so we ask her how she likes her gondola ride to and
from work everyday. She shudders involuntarily, then giggles that it's usually
fun because they all go down together, but she remembers one night when
she was running late and had to take it by herself. It was very
spooky, she admits. The grand finale is dipping strawberries and cake
into chocolate fondue made with Guittard chocolate, Frangelica and Grand
Marnier! Sinful! Stuffed and warm both inside and out, we
bundle up and leave to catch the gondola for the ride down. As we float
across the mountain tops, above some of the most dangerous land in the
world, we marvel at this opportunity to dine in the sky.
The moon makes the crevices in the mountains wink, and the wind, gently
rocking our gondola as it slides down the mountain, lulls us into an
eerie thoughtfulness. Soon the lights of the town start
blinking, we reach the transfer platform and descend quickly back to
reality. Dining at Der Fondue Chessel, was indeed, a breathtaking
high! |
