One night in Zurich before flight home - need restaurant rec.
Dec 28th, 2006, 12:58 PM
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One night in Zurich before flight home - need restaurant rec.
I know that Zurich is a pretty pricey city, but after spending 10 days in Italy, my husband and I have one night in Zurich before a flight out. I have never experienced raclette(?) or true fondue or anything I would consider authentic Swiss food. Can anyone recommend a "reasonably" priced restaurant in the old city center? Maybe a small, family run place, nothing fancy. Thank you!
Dec 28th, 2006, 01:02 PM
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Hotel Adler, in the oldtown area, has a restaurant specializing in fondue:
http://www.hotel-adler.ch/content-n50-sE.html
http://www.hotel-adler.ch/content-n50-sE.html
Dec 28th, 2006, 01:53 PM
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They are proud of their traditional Swiss food, and the restaurant gets nice reviews on Tripadvisor, so I'm sure it must be good. BTW, we spend 2 weeks a year in Switzerland, and I love the food there (all but the fondue)---the chicken in particular is wonderful.
Dec 28th, 2006, 01:57 PM
#8
Can't recommend a restaurant but typical Swiss food is not only fondue and raclette (both very good!) but also Zürich Geschnetzlets mit Rösti (veal/pork in creamy mushroom sauce with hash browns). Very delicious.
Dec 28th, 2006, 02:12 PM
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sandi_travelnut---you can view the Adler menu online---click on "restaurant", then "gastronomy".
They have the Züricher Geschnelzeltes, but it's expensive (38 CHF). I'd go for the mushroom rösti. . .
They have the Züricher Geschnelzeltes, but it's expensive (38 CHF). I'd go for the mushroom rösti. . .
Dec 28th, 2006, 02:37 PM
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Dec 28th, 2006, 04:37 PM
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sandi, try www.zeughauskeller.ch, we never miss it when in zurich, and we will be in town jan 20-25. lot's of locals and tourists, we like lunch way better than dinner. everything from steak tar tar to schnitzel and rosti, great sausages etc. also, though i cannot remember the name, there is a great bratwurst stand next door to kroenhalle that always has lines, for good reason. cheap and great.
Dec 28th, 2006, 07:30 PM
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Some things you need to know, especially for the night before a long flight:
The Swiss don't serve fondue like the fondue restaurants in the US do, where you get all three types in one meal - the cheese, the meat (bourguignonne) and the chocolate. That's crazy as far as the Swiss are concerned.
Note that the cheese fondue at night sits heavily on your stomach, even if you don't over-indulge. The Swiss have a saying about that: Cheese in the morning is gold, during the day it's silver, at night it's lead.
That's why they don't drink beer with fondue (a deadly sin as your stomach will remind you), but they drink white wine in small sips (and not as refrigerated as in the US), and in between they take sips of Kirsch (a very strong kind of colorless spirits, a Schnaps, made from cherries). It helps with the digestion - it is not drunk to get drunk, but for the well-being. Really!
As an alternative, order the Fondue Bourguignonne where you get small bits of steak and a caquelot with hot oil and you cook your meat by dunking it on the end of metal skewers. You get all manner of goodies to go along with that, cornichons (little vinaigrette gherkins), and other savory bits and pieces. Very yummy, and goes well with a good red wine that they will be happy to recommend.
They rarely offer chocolate fondue, I think that is an American invention.
About Röschti: You don't find it in too many restaurants because it is not a high-cuisine item, it is a very basic peasant-and-working-man's kind of food, once upon a time eaten every morning for breakfast on traditional farms etc. Nothing wrong with it, and when cooked with real butter and a bit of lard, it tastes awfully good!
Röschti is always a side dish, goes well with most anything, meat, eggs, sausages, etc.
The Zeughauskeller is one of several traditionally oriented restaurants with this kind of traditional home-cooking menu. Zeughaus is the word for the building where soldiers get their equipment and uniform, something very near and dear to every Swiss since army service is mandatory, so the Swiss associate a Zeughaus with those kinds of traditional things like hearty soldiers' or peasant fare etc. Keller means cellar or basement.
So, yes, this food is very authentic, go for it and enjoy!
The Swiss don't serve fondue like the fondue restaurants in the US do, where you get all three types in one meal - the cheese, the meat (bourguignonne) and the chocolate. That's crazy as far as the Swiss are concerned.
Note that the cheese fondue at night sits heavily on your stomach, even if you don't over-indulge. The Swiss have a saying about that: Cheese in the morning is gold, during the day it's silver, at night it's lead.
That's why they don't drink beer with fondue (a deadly sin as your stomach will remind you), but they drink white wine in small sips (and not as refrigerated as in the US), and in between they take sips of Kirsch (a very strong kind of colorless spirits, a Schnaps, made from cherries). It helps with the digestion - it is not drunk to get drunk, but for the well-being. Really!
As an alternative, order the Fondue Bourguignonne where you get small bits of steak and a caquelot with hot oil and you cook your meat by dunking it on the end of metal skewers. You get all manner of goodies to go along with that, cornichons (little vinaigrette gherkins), and other savory bits and pieces. Very yummy, and goes well with a good red wine that they will be happy to recommend.
They rarely offer chocolate fondue, I think that is an American invention.
About Röschti: You don't find it in too many restaurants because it is not a high-cuisine item, it is a very basic peasant-and-working-man's kind of food, once upon a time eaten every morning for breakfast on traditional farms etc. Nothing wrong with it, and when cooked with real butter and a bit of lard, it tastes awfully good!
Röschti is always a side dish, goes well with most anything, meat, eggs, sausages, etc.
The Zeughauskeller is one of several traditionally oriented restaurants with this kind of traditional home-cooking menu. Zeughaus is the word for the building where soldiers get their equipment and uniform, something very near and dear to every Swiss since army service is mandatory, so the Swiss associate a Zeughaus with those kinds of traditional things like hearty soldiers' or peasant fare etc. Keller means cellar or basement.
So, yes, this food is very authentic, go for it and enjoy!
Dec 29th, 2006, 01:23 AM
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Restaurant Hiltl. It's vegetarian but not seeds and rabbit food. Really good with some vegetarian twists on traditional Swiss food.
www.hiltl.ch
www.hiltl.ch
