La Pyramide

La Pyramide Review

Back when your grandmother's grandmother was making the grand tour, La Pyramide was le must. Fernand Point had perfected haute cuisine for a generation and became the first superstar chef, teaching a regiment of students—Bocuse, Chapel, and the brothers Troisgros among them—who went on to streamline and glamorize French dining the world over. Many decades later, La Pyramide has dropped its museum status and now offers contemporary classics by acclaimed chef Patrick Henriroux, accompanied by a peerless selection of wines featuring local stars from the nearby Côte Rôtie and Condrieu vineyards. Both classical and avant-garde dishes triumph here, from crème soufflée de crabe au croquant d'artichaut (creamy crab soufflé with crunchy artichoke) to the veau de lait aux légumes de la vallée (suckling veal with vegetables from the Drôme Valley). For those who wish to sleep off the feast, there are graceful guest rooms at hand, but the mysterious Relais & Chateaux fatigue syndrome may have had a cooling effect on this previously exciting establishment.