L'Ermitage

Clarens Cuisines: European, French

About

Set in Montreux's lakefront suburb of Clarens, this restaurant occupies the dignified premises of a maison bourgeoise built in the late 19th century and surrounded with a spacious park. The celebrated chef, Etienne Krebs, owns the place along with his charming wife, Isabelle, who handles the dining room, which has welcomed everyone from the president of Switzerland to Quincy Jones. You'll dine in one of three rattan-filled rooms painted "the colors of water and sun" or on a terrace overlooking the lake. Menu items change with the seasons but always reflect fresh ingredients. Palate-pleasing examples include a casserole of foie gras with celery; filet of fera (a fish from the nearby lake) with capers and artichoke hearts; a salad of baby crawfish in an emulsion of tomatoes and olive oil; rosettes of roast lamb with aromatic alpine herbs; and a supreme thigh of wild duckling in a sheathing of mashed potatoes with a sauté of exotic mushrooms. The site also maintains four rooms priced at 280F to 390F ($230-$320/£120-£166) and three suites priced at 460F to 510F ($377-$418/£196-£217), with breakfast included. Each has rattan furniture and is individually decorated with taste and flair.