Molins in the Mountains: Fondue Date Night

Toby and I had our first Alpine fondue of the season on Thursday night - at a magical little chalet halfway up the mountain in Les Houches.
It was a pretty cool date-night, alpine-style, if I say so myself. We left the kids with a sitter, and drove up a very wind-y little road up the mountain to the base of a chair lift. Then we left the car, strapped on our head torches, grabbed our poles and headed across the piste and then up a little snowy path through the trees for about half-an-hour before finding the cozy little chalet, Les Vielles Luges, half-hidden in a little dell.
It was lit up with twinkling fairy lights, and we were met with a chilled glass of rose to enjoy outside under the stars, before going inside to a little table beside the wood-burning stove for a cheese fondue. The chalet was decorated with lots of old photos and ski memorabilia (it has family history dating back to 1479) and was just what an alpine chalet should look and feel like. And they've obviously got the hang of the cheese fondue in that time because it was FABULOUS. You could choose plain fondue or 'with cepes', and we went with the latter. They just add a few mushrooms, to 'perfume' the fondue - you're not supposed to scoop them up. It was accompanied by the usual platter of cured meats and pickles, and we started with a salad, and ended with a 'tarte aux myrtilles', a blueberry tart.
The couple running it host these nights a couple times a week, and had clearly put us at the 'romantic' table, because it was very cozy and private and separate from the big party that was whooping it up in the main room. (What a great place to have a birthday party!). I think we must have been a little disappointing as 'lovebirds' since we did lavish a lot of attention... on the fondue.
After a cheese fondue, which really does kind of sit in your stomach like a heavy cheese bowling ball (albeit a very tasty one), it was very nice to have a walk down the mountain in the moonlight to get back to the car.