I'd been warned the service culture in Switzerland was cold and often impersonal. I found this to be untrue and felt warmed by engaging, trained staff.
However, the meals I experienced were all over the place. The tally after five-starred meals: two were excellent, one average and two awful.
COVID certificates were not required, but masks were required indoors. This is my least favourite approach. You're not checking anyone at the door and you have to wear a mask from the door to your table or from your table to the bathroom, but obviously not at the table. Pure theatre. I prefer Copenhagen or Vienna where you show a certificate, but mask wearing is not enforced.
I gave an earful to two chefs. One which was deserved (bad food, bad execution of the concept and well-meaning, but poorly trained staff with no clear manager) and one where I was a complete asshole (great dish, but horrendous plating and since I was sitting near the pass, when this got corrected I sarcastically applauded). Not my finest moment.
Let's focus on the two excellent meals.
Mesa holds 1* and is across the river and up the hill in what appears to be a mostly residential neighbourhood. They offer two tasting menus, one vegetarian, and allow you to swap courses between the two. You can also select the length of your tasting menu.
These folks are on point. Service was approachable, friendly and every member of staff knew the composition of each plate.
I opted for the vegetarian menu, save one change. I had to try the pork knuckle and it's the best dish I ate in Zurich. Period.
The pork skin deliciously crispy with supple, flavourful meat underneath. Dried pear provided such an interesting, sweet counterpoint and I'm not usually a fan of cauliflower, but this dish imparted a depth of flavour as it danced with superior sauce work.
Every bite in this meal (OK, there's one element on one dish I would change) was delicious. Not a clunker in site.
If you've got CHF 1,000 or more to spend the night, then feel free to do so way, way up the hill at Dolder Grand with its magnificent view of Zurich.
The 2* restaurant is a luxurious, airy room filled with those who want to see and be seen. Heiko Nieder does what he calls an "amuse bouche lunch." We had a very interesting conversation on how this concept came to be and also how it differs from dinner.
Five courses are served, each with three small composed plates. These are not canapés. These are beautiful, technique-driven samples of chef's cooking.
And it all makes sense. The first course consists of first impressions, followed by soups, fish, meat and then dessert.
Below is the meat course consisting of: pork rib meat, venison, waygu
There were a couple small things I would tweak with service, but otherwise, this was just a delightful way to unwind and soak in the atmosphere and food.
Of course, a trip to Zurich can't be complete without gorging on chocolate! With the help of extensive research and local suggestions, I sought out the best and most famous chocolatiers on offer. My research goes beyond finding the best-of-the-best. I need to know the specialty of each producer. One place might be macarons, while another is truffles or pralines.
Are you planning a trip and these are the types of things you'd like to know? Why waste your time and money ending up somewhere that's only "meh?"
Did you know The Single Table offers all types of travel consulting so you can get the most out of your journeys? Did you know that 100% of the proceeds are donated to charities that specialize in feeding children and adults around the world? That's right, you can get a kick-butt trip AND feel good about yourself helping people at the same time!
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Anyway, here's a sampling of a mid-day snack. I had already inhaled about 20 pieces before this pic was taken. Oink.
For my final meal in Zurich, I wanted traditional Geschnetzeltes Kalbfleisch Zürcherart, so I asked the concierge who has the best in the city and he sent me to Zum Kropf. This dish is veal in a cream and wine sauce with mushrooms over some sort of potato, and in this case, a perfectly crisp rosti. The portion is so huge they bring out a chafing dish on the side so you can continue to spoon the sumptuous veal. An excellent Swiss red to accompany the meal was only CHF 7.
I was seated in the middle of the restaurant facing the entrance. At a table, barely just inside the door, was an elderly woman dining alone and eating the same dish as me. To be fair, probably half the people in the restaurant order this dish as it's their specialty. She had tufted white hair, wire-rim glasses and her belongings were neatly hung on coat hooks directly above the table. Something about her just told me that she'd been seated at this table and had this dish countless times. That she was somehow a part of the living, breathing history of this restaurant. More impressive was that she moved on to vanilla ice cream served in an old school glass tulip, and after finishing the solids, lifted the glass to her pursed lips and drank the soupy remains.
When the manager came over to ask about my food, I had to know:
"I'm sorry, this question is going to sound strange, but does that guest eat here often?"
"She's here every day. Sometimes for lunch and dinner."
"I'd like to pay for her dinner. Could you please put her bill on my bill. But don't tell her I paid for it. Just tell her that tonight's dinner has been taken care of."
"Really? OK. She's such a nice lady. I'm sure that will make her really happy!"
I tried not to gawk when the server broke the news to her and mostly looked down, but I could see an expression of confusion and happiness before she shuffled out in to the night.
When I got her bill, I saw that vodka was her drink of choice with dinner. Good for her!
I got up to leave and the manager hurried over to walk me out and open the door for me. As I passed the threshold, filled with Swiss delicacies, I turned around and she said,
"You're a really nice person. More people should be like you."
I demurely said thank you, sheepishly grinned and took the long way back to the hotel breathing in the crisp breeze coming off Lake Zurich.
I held the brief illusion in my head that perhaps I was, in fact, a nice person and felt content in my random act of kindness.
On this high, I glided in to the hotel lobby where the concierge stopped me and asked,
"How was your dinner?"
"Great! But I'm so full."
"I can see you have a little belly," he said pointing at my protruding stomach.
I got in the elevator, deflated, and muttered under my breath "for fuck's sake."
At least there's always another city, another day, another opportunity to do something nice.... and be called fat by your hotel concierge.