Contracorrent

Eight on a weeknight, and El Fort Pienc was quiet enough that I heard the kitchen before I saw it. I took the seat nearest the pass and watched. The name means swimming against the current, and the cooking backs the claim: a bistró with a point of view, plates built from decisions rather than habits, natural wine poured with the same independence. Up close, the technique is good without being finished. An emulsion split just perceptibly, a texture wanted one more minute; details, but at this ambition they count. What keeps me interested is the honesty of the reach, and the fact that prices hold steady while the kitchen works itself out. The crowds haven't arrived yet, so you can hear yourself think. I'll check back next year to see how far against the current they've swum.