There's nothing like arriving in a new place asking around and / or finding people giving advice on "what's the best restaurant in town?". So I was caught into having the opportunity to dine in such location on the buzz as soon as I arrived...in Corvara / Alta Badia Valley.
This review will hopefully save time and headaches to many of you wondering if is the alleged "best restaurant in town" really worth a try first place? To be honest & in my humble opinion it's a total "NO". Thumb down, 100%.
So far, if I truly enjoyed to try it, all my pleasure ended up with the satisfaction about testing a new restaurant, but even learning more about the marketing tricks in the hospitality.
Bear in mind I am well-rounded with F&B industry therefore ain't easy to trick me as it is not easy to trick customers in general. Stop being pretentious with "fake customers experience" on starred / awarded locations.
There's extensive public knowledge on how to win and hold a Michelin Star...it's just a matter of budget. The more you invest, the easier / faster you get.
And it sucks. This location tricks you, but also the "starred restaurants" marketing roaring around the Alta Badia Valley must say. When there is too much buzz around you should be asking where starts the customer journey and where it goes...TOFU & BOFU (top and bottom of the funnel).
Let's start with the "Stua" presentation. Cozy ambient indeed, lots of staff moving around, furniture somewhat chic somehow shabby, drive the customer back in the past which is not a real thing. It's an all well done "show / show off", if / when your eyes lay over with attention to dets you'll figure out the level of average(ish).
Pretty much all is "standardized" somehow not chic but cheap (ie. lighting design). Some furniture worn out and / or too old to be in a starred restaurant. The following dinner experience was boring accordingly. N-O-T-H-I-N-G tasted such good as you expect or may think after all this introductory brand presentation.
Followed by a such poor menu with very few gourmet, particularly for those who're not interested in any "menu degustazione" which includes many options not necessarily all of your interest. To help explain, in my case just was wondering "what if I wanted to taste fish and few more?". Couldn't help but notice just one and was lake fish...
Reading through the full menu I am even more confident there would be better match if this restaurant would be established around Garda Lake or in the Asti countryside, may also work well in the Lucchesia too. No way the menu has a good match with the heart / heritage of Dolomites cousine!
In addition it is worth saying a word on service. Clients should not ask to drink their wine at their table. As a customer I am able & I want to pour it myself. This practice to pour wine and run away with the bottle is really annoying and snobbish.
My vision is just mine, of course. Yet reading through negative reviews I am acquainted it's not me being an oddball. This place is a giant "fake" as many awarded restaurant are btw (the more you try the more you get).
Not my job managing a restaurant or dealing with hospitality, indeed. I guess how much hard work is necessary to arrange such presentation & manage a restaurant, even though I am sure my experience could be more comfortable and my feedback easygoing if I wouldn’t have to pay a bill.
Yeah, it's really not up to us (I mean, clients) and it not our urgency to fill the seats and face up costs, but I figure out why this place is star awarded and not to mention about the related large bills.
Please, next drop to other locations in the area. Alta Badia is famous for offering wide range of beautiful, stunning, local "Stua-style" restaurants. Preferably not starred or rated by Michelin red guide, locations where the thriving business made on the shoulders of consumers doesn’t really worth the experience.
Please note that my stay at "La Stua de Michil" dates back earlier than June 2020 as Tripadvisor doesn't allow to review further than a year back. It was just a pandemic in the meantime...but negative experience never washes out.More