La Colline du Colombier
Even legendary French chefs with Michelin three-starred restaurants nurture pastoral dreams. “Don’t expect Relais & Châteaux—simplicity is the beauty of La Colline,” says Michel Troisgros of his new venture, a bucolic auberge that he and his wife, Marie-Pierre, have created in the Burgundy countryside, 12 miles from their Maison Troisgros restaurant in Roanne. Beet-hued Eames chairs pose against weathered stone walls at the inn’s dining room, which was once a barn. Stylish renditions of local plats include a whisper-light friture of Loire fish, layered veal headcheese terrine, and juicy butter-fried Charolais steaks. Each of the two-bedroom suites in a restored farmhouse is perfect for families. Couples, meanwhile, can hide out at one of the three futuristic cadoles, one-room chalets on stilts, landscaped into the hills by architect Patrick Bouchain. The designers’ use of sheep’s wool, cork, felt, and braided hemp throughout the property is the dernier cri in eco-chic.
T+L Tip Raid the Huilerie Artisanale J. Leblanc & Fils shop in the nearby village for delicious oils (pistachio, walnut, hazelnut), flavored mustards, and vinegars.
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