La Table de Yoann Conte — Restaurant in Annecy

In my tour of the important Michelin stars, I had to visit Yoann Conte (follow me for the reviews on all the Michelin Stars in Paris and 3 Stars in France, and many more)

Achieving with a smile: A lesson in management. The classical question for 2/3 stars: What’s extraordinary here? I say extraordinary for a reason, because it’s really out of ordinary. Usually I focus on 3 things but today just one that says it all. A great manager. When I arrived I was a bit disappointed because exceptionally, Yoann Conte wasn’t there that night. He is known to be very present in the room. I was eager to see him in action. Well, actually, it was better this way, because even not there, he was there. A good manager knows the know how and helps his team learn and execute. That’s nice. A great manager, the goal is that the team can guess what he would answer or how he would behave in certain situation. That means that it’s not just a know how that has been transmitted, it’s the philosophy. It means that there’s a logic, a philosophy that drives you (vs illogical when it’s just a pulsion that governs you, and sometimes eats you alive). What did I witness when I was there? I witnessed a team that embraced, even embodied, what I think is the(one of) philosophy of the chef : Achieving smiling. Not just with a smile, but having pleasure. It started with the sommelier (congratulations for the prizes) that has such specific wine in his list, that he is picking like rare herbs on top of a mountains. Very unique, on the point, perfect match with the client. I ve seen hundreds of wine lists, actually all the 3 stars, he picked some very few that you would hardly find in another 2/3 stars. Achiever. The service. Same thing there. I’m not going to repeat myself, I just let you read the reviews of others to witness the level of accomplishment. You see the little flames in every single eyes, a burning passion and joy for what they do. The setting, especially with the updates fournitures, is, for a lack of better word, perfect. The cuisine? A masterclass. Noble product but for your learning experience (caviar), regional, emotional (personal history), etc… Everything is there to tell you not just one story but many layers creating an experience, a footprint in the guest mind. All this without the chef being there. Only the true masters, the real managers, the chef with a vision and more of all, with a spirit can achieve that. So I’m writing and posting this the 18th March at 4:30pm on purpose. Today is France Michelin Star’s reveal. I want to post it before it. Because regardless of the results, the team made us feel that we were in a 3 stars. I know that I’ll remember that evening forever. So regardless, I have to congratulate, the chef but especially the team for performing so well that you guys embodied the spirit so well, that I saw you achieving with a smile. And that smile, I’ll have it forever when I think of the evening. I just wish that one day I’ll be able to congratulate the chef is person.

A top tiers 2 stars (for now….). A masterclass in management, and...

We went there as a group of three. The welcome was very nice, it is a great location and is very well decorated. The food itself is very good and absolutely qualifies as 2 star Michelin. Now to the unfortunate downside. I have never ever experienced such a stressful ambience in a Michelin star restaurant. Although the service was very kind, the fact that the emptied dishes are basically ripped away from under your nose as soon as you have barely put your fork down, while other people at the same table are still eating that same dish is in my eyes just incredibly rude and disturbing. It takes away from a lot from the time and peace you need and want to enjoy this kind of food. The service is buzzing around and you barely get a second of peace and calm, cause the next dish will come fast. I have by now had the luck to go to quite a few Michelin star restaurants and have never experienced this kind of unconscious rudeness. It was very disappointing and I would never go there again. You can find so much better for this price...not necessarily in terms of food, which was really good, but in terms of the service being just stressful (although kind)...no time to enjoy....the sommeliers were ok...nothing great, also not...

Dans un endroit magnifique, nous sommes accueillis par une équipe, jeune, dynamique, sympathique et très à l'écoute. Je suis un peu ch... sur ce que je n'aime pas et ils ont toujours eu une solution qui m'a amplement satisfaite. Un apéritif avec des amuse-bouches nombreux et recherchés, pris sur la terrasse, face au lac. Déjà, nous sommes conquis. Le repas se déroule dans une salle à la décoration recherchée (pas guindée), sans aucune fausse note, de bon goût et originale. Nous avons vue sur le lac et sur les cuisine où se déroule un ballet parfaitement huilé. Tout au long du repas, nous sommes guidés dans l'expérience gustative qui nous est proposée. Mon mari ayant pris l'accord vins mets (et oui, chez M. Conte, c'est dans cet ordre) a été bluffé par la recherche des propositions. Des vins qu'il apprécie pourtant peu, sont sublimés par les mets. Quand à moi, je me suis régalée du début à la fin. Dans ma propre assiette (voire dans les saucières, je suis très gourmande) des plats étonnants pour certains, tant dans les associations de saveurs, que dans les présentations (un poisson cuit sur un galet entouré de coquillage c'est surprenant). Une cuisine savoureuse, des sauces d'une finesse et, chose rarissime, en quantité certaine. Le personnel est adorable, très professionnel et avec de l'humour, ce qui ne gâche rien. Une cave à fromage qui laisse pantois, des sorbets étonnants et une ribambelle de desserts très savoureux. Cerise sur le gâteau, nous avons pu échanger quelques mots avec le Chef Conte qui est très sympathique et abordable malgré un imprévu qui l'obligeait à partir. J'aurais aimé pouvoir plus échanger avec lui, il m'a séduite (mon mari aussi). Nous avons une certaine habitude des restaurants étoilés, et là, cette expérience, pour moi, frise la perfection. Le Chef Conte est de l'étoffe des grands et n'a pas fini de nous étonner. A quand...