"My wife and I have been travelling in southern France for two weeks and have eaten in bouchons, brasseries, and nicer restaurants. My wife is not a huge fan of organ meat or pork/ham which is very limiting for menu choices in this part of the country. I enjoy sampling everything. Quite often when we have been out for dinner it has been very difficult to find something on the menu that my wife would enjoy. I have found lots of tasty and interesting food but I had yet to find service that I thought was acceptable. La Charpenterie in Talloires was an awesome combination of both! We had been hiking for two hours and were famished. When we got back to town, the menu in front of La Charpenterie caught my wife's eye. She was ecstatic already. All the menu choices had English translations and included a variety of beef and fish dishes.The proof was definitely in the pudding. Or in our case, in the burger and the local pink trout. The presentation of both of these simple dishes was outstanding. A match for any of the "fine dining" establishments we had eaten at previously. The homemade burger was served with a slathering of local cheese, tomatoes, peppers and onion. The trout was equally mouth watering. While the decor was simple pine, accented with historic photographs of the region, the tables were beautifully decorated and the views of Lac Annecy and the surrounding mountains were to die for.Finally, our service was easily the best we had experienced in France. Both of the serving staff were friendly, attentive and efficient throughout the meal. They were very tolerant of our grade school French and helped us with our translations to ensure understanding. All with a friendly smile! The entire dining experience was superb!"
