Switzerland

[nashman1975]

Heading to Zurich/Berne, Switzerland in 2 weeks. I've checked Egullet and there wasn't much written, and what was written, left me with the impression that the culinary scene was lacking.

Any suggestions from anyone?

Thanks
Nashman

[Joe H]

I represented a Swiss company from Monthey (near Montreaux one of the most beautiful cities on earth) for a number of years in the '80's. Although I would fly into Zurich or Geneva and drive there I am not familiar with the restaurants in Zurich or Bern. Still, based on my experiences elsewhere in Switzerland, I would suggest there is superb food there, perhaps equal to anything in France, Italy or Germany. Although, a drive of an hour or more might be in order... This is the link to Michelin for Bern

http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr...&c13=&x=10&y=10

For Michelin starred restaurants within, say, 45 minutes of Bern this is the link:

http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr...&c13=&x=32&y=10

In particular, Wein und Sein absolutely intrigues me. If I was in Bern and wanted one special meal it is THE restaurant that I would go to. This is their website: http://www.weinundsein.ch/flash/index.html Note that on the Michelin site the building they are in is a "vaulted ceiling," etc. Typically my experience implies that it is a very old (several hundred years+) with a great deal of character. More than likely a great deal of personality, I think well worth checking out.

You may also want to check their listings for Zurich and the area in between.

This is an interesting link: http://www.foodguide.ch/

This may be a more interesting link: http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/navpage.cf...t=Huts&id=46231

Switzerland has as exciting of a culinary scene (at least in Geneva and Lausanne) as anywhere on earth. Note that the best restaurant on earth, for years was considered to be Fredy Girardet's near Lausanne.

Last, arguably the best commercial chocolate in the world is sold in the Zurich airport, Spruegli. It would be criminal to leave that country without bringing some (or a lot!) home.

And, if you have some time and a rental car, it is a very easy drive from Bern to Montreaux which is the "Swiss Riviera" on Lake Geneva. Simply, a breathtakingly beautiful city, I think, equal to any on earth. And, believe it or not, there is a pizza parlor there equal to Brandi in Naples!

Edited May 14, 2006 by Joe H

[DC in DC]

Any updates? We're leaving in 12 hours for Switzerland: the Alps (Wengen) and Zurich.

Thanks. Will report back.

[lizzie]

Cannot believe no posts on Geneva - any recommendations for not outrageously priced restaurants as I will be traveling on the federal per diem. I am trying to be a good steward of tax payer $$$$.

[Joe H]

Cannot believe no posts on Geneva - any recommendations for not outrageously priced restaurants as I will be traveling on the federal per diem. I am trying to be a good steward of tax payer $$$$.

With the US dollar @ $1.06 to buy one Swiss Franc this is now one of the most expensive countries on earth. For perspective in the early 1980's I started in my industry representing a company out of Montreaux-the US dollar was $2.80 to the Swiss Franc. Not an exaggeration. A real number.

What is the per diem by the way? A hotel dinner will not be cheap...

[DaRiv18]

When I had a summer internship in Zurich in 2002, I recall my classmates who were picky eaters shelled out $40 for a large Pizza Hut cheese pizza. Nutella and baguettes became a staple on our student budget. I do recall wonderful sausages and rolls sold at the train stations that were affordable. I hope things have changed for your sake.

[Joe H]

When I had a summer internship in Zurich in 2002, I recall my classmates who were picky eaters shelled out $40 for a large Pizza Hut cheese pizza. Nutella and baguettes became a staple on our student budget. I do recall wonderful sausages and rolls sold at the train stations that were affordable. I hope things have changed for your sake.

http://www.forecast-chart.com/currency-swiss-franc.html is a chart showing the exchange rate of the US dollar to the Swiss Franc dating back to 2002. Your pizza might cost $70 today.

[lizzie]

With the US dollar @ $1.06 to buy one Swiss Franc this is now one of the most expensive countries on earth. For perspective in the early 1980's I started in my industry representing a company out of Montreaux-the US dollar was $2.80 to the Swiss Franc. Not an exaggeration. A real number.

What is the per diem by the way? A hotel dinner will not be cheap...

per diem for meals et al is $158, but my hotel is under the $340 allowed so i have a bit of wiggle room. Breakfast is included at the hotel which brings down the per diem a bit.

[hillvalley]

When I had a summer internship in Zurich in 2002, I recall my classmates who were picky eaters shelled out $40 for a large Pizza Hut cheese pizza. Nutella and baguettes became a staple on our student budget. I do recall wonderful sausages and rolls sold at the train stations that were affordable. I hope things have changed for your sake.

http://www.forecast-chart.com/currency-swiss-franc.html is a chart showing the exchange rate of the US dollar to the Swiss Franc dating back to 2002. Your pizza might cost $70 today.

I'm pleased to report that in Ticino I have yet to see a Pizza Hut (nor a Starbucks for that matter!) and one can get an excellent pizza for between 13chf  and 30 chf (Swiss franc) depending on the toppings.  For 20chf I can get what I am told is a better than average delivery pizza and a cold beer delivered to my doorstep, which is impressive when you realized that Chevy Chase, MD makes my village look big.

[hillvalley]

Should you find yourself in need of a stiff drink or two in Grindelwald after a day of rappelling, I highly recommend Avocado Bar.  Owned and run by an Aussie expat, it's a damn good dive bar in a one street village.

[Josh]

I was recently in Geneva for a conference.  The first dinner was a pre-planned group one at Au Pied de Cochon ( they served a set menu.  The entree was the quintessential local dish of pan-fried perch presumably from the lake.  Not bad, fresh fish and cooked well, but nothing to write home about.  I have no idea what the restaurant is like if you go for the regular menu.  The city as a whole was pretty empty, but the restaurant seemed relatively busy.

For dinner the second night, we hit a classic Swiss restaurant in the old city, Les Amures (http://www.hotel-les-armures.ch/en/restaurant-geneva).  I guess fondue isn't my thing, since I found it barely tolerable.  It is served simply with bread and a dish of cornichons and pickled onions.  We had a veal dish in a heavy cream sauce with mushrooms that was good enough (though heavy for the season).  We sat outside, so I can't comment too much on the atmosphere, though the restaurant had a very worn-in and comfortable feel to it.

The last day, we had lunch at Cafe de Paris (http://www.cafe-de-paris.ch/)...we had to hit the source for the famous sauce.  No frills joint, no ordering.  You get a roll, salad, and steak frites served with the eponymous butter sauce. I took 5 years off my life dipping all those fries in the buttery goodness.  The meat is forgettable, but that's not why you're there anyway.  I imagine the steak itself may be better at Le Relais de l'entrecote  (http://www.relaisentrecote.fr/).

We made an easy trip on the streetcar to the Carouge neighborhood.  I highly recommend doing this.  Picturesque place with shop-lined streets.  Before dinner we had a couple glasses of rose at Qu'importe (http://www.quimporte.ch/), along with every local in Carouge.  Great place.  Dinner at Le Flacon (leflacon.ch) was the best of the trip.  Le Flacon has a Michelin star, but unlike many of the other joints in Geneva, was quite laid back.  My chanterelle ravioli appetizer was perfectly light...the pasta was more of a wonton wrapper in heft, and was served over a green pea puree.  My wife's foie gras a la plancha was a miss.  The foie itself was delicious and perfectly seared, but was served with 2 overly sweet accompaniments (a raspberry puree and a hazelnut mousse).  Luckily those were easy enough to avoid.  I had perfectly cooked sweetbreads for the main course, served with roasted mushrooms.  The wine list is well-curated with a handful of reasonably priced bottles throughout.  The menu seems to change often, if not daily, so these dishes won't be available, but I imagine the quality would remain.

We stayed at an odd little Swiss-themed hotel between the train station and the lake called Hotel Edelweiss (http://www.hoteledelweissgeneva.com/).  Perfectly comfortable, though not luxurious by any stretch.  The restaurant looks like the Epcot Center version of Switzerland...we didn't eat there for anything other than breakfast.

It's easy to spend a TON of money on food and drink in Geneva (try a $35 glass of whiskey at the Leopard Lounge), so tread carefully.  We chose not to hit up any of the 2-star places...they seemed a bit stuffier than we were feeling at the time.  If I find myself back there, we'll have to give Bayview in the Hotel President Wilson a try (http://www.hotelpresidentwilson.com/fr/restaurant-bayview).

[Joe H]

With the US dollar @ $1.06 to buy one Swiss Franc this is now one of the most expensive countries on earth. For perspective in the early 1980's I started in my industry representing a company out of Montreaux-the US dollar was $2.80 to the Swiss Franc. Not an exaggeration. A real number.

What is the per diem by the way? A hotel dinner will not be cheap...

The US dollar is now .89 to the Swiss Franc.  Literally one third of what it was when I started in my industry.  I must add that Switzerland is not doing a lot of manufacturing today for sale in the U. S.

[alexandria1]

Had a few meals in Zurich last week:

Sternen Grill--popular sausage place on the Bellevueplatz. There is a downstairs where you order at the counter, and an upstairs sit-down restaurant which serves the same sausages for a few francs extra and also has a broader menu. Downstairs is probably the way to go, but it was mobbed at lunchtime and I wanted to sit down, so I ate upstairs, which was also crowded, but I was able to get seated immediately. The St. Galler bratwurst is the "famous" item here, and it was good, but the crusty "Bürli" bread and the spicy mustard were the actual standouts. Their own-branded beer was a standard light lager. While this didn't seem like a "lingering" kind of place, the diners on either side of me (it is a mix of tables and communal counter-style seating upstairs) each spent my entire meal nursing pinot noirs and staring into the distance.

Zeughauskeller--Right off the Bahnhofstrasse, this is the Swiss version of the touristy Bavarian beer hall. Around 5:00 it was pretty empty, but lots of the tables had signs indicating later reservations. The sausages looked appealing, but as this was already a sausage-heavy trip I opted for the kalbsgeschnetzeltes, which the menu helpfully noted was "A must when in Zurich", and perhaps not coincidentally one of the most expensive things on the menu at CHF 36.50. This is one of those touristy places with friendly waiters who assure you that you've made an outstanding choice. I have no frame of reference for this dish but it didn't do a whole lot for me--not that much veal, and the sauce was reminiscent of the one that comes with the swedish meatballs at the office cafeteria. Guess I'll stick to touristy beer halls that serve schweinshaxe from now on. I'd forgotten to research tipping etiquette in Switzerland, and didn't realize that there is a service charge baked into the menu price there. When it came time to pay, I didn't see a service charge on the bill, and started to enter a slightly less than 10% tip on the credit card machine--the waiter said it was too much, and cut it in half. Don't expect that to happen again in this lifetime!

The self-service restaurant on the top floor of the Manor department store--Slice of cheese quiche made for a decent value quick lunch.

Got a small box of Luxemburgerli from Sprungli, no exotic flavors here, I think the salted caramel was my favorite. 

[alexandria1]

On 2/2/2017 at 9:39 PM, alexandria1 said:

The self-service restaurant on the top floor of the Manor department store--Slice of cheese quiche made for a decent value quick lunch.

Was in Geneva for a few days recently and if there was a VORP stat for sustenance per Swiss Franc relative to other local options, the Manor restaurant would be a Hall of Famer. Large slice of quiche, chocolate tart, and bottle of soda came to just under 15 CHF. Best air conditioning in town too. No wonder it was mobbed at lunchtime. 

There was also a food truck festival in the Jardin Anglais by the lake. In Geneva your "Philly cheeseteak sub (USA)" comes on brioche and is topped with mustard and pickles. All for the low price of 13 CHF. The bifana truck was a winner, as was the place doing freshly breaded and fried chicken tenders. Skip the empanadas.