Lucerne and Mt Pilatus, Switzerland

Mt Pilatus, elevation 7,000 feet

It is remarkable to view the earth from above and this mountain was no exception. It is challenging to impart the experience of grandeur in words with views that make even the largest trees appear as small dots. There were sweeping green landscapes for as far as the eye could see, but with lakes nestled between mountains for a contrast in vibrant colors. 

Mt Pilatus is certainly a popular destination for seeing some of the amazing views of the Swiss landscape. I rode the steepest cogwheel train in the world to the base of the hiking area and then spent time going to each viewpoint lookout. The elevation was such that at times it was damp and chilly as I walked through foggy clouds, but with other areas hot in the sun! The panoramic viewpoints were all impressive! 

Riding down in the gondola allowed for more beautiful vantage points to admire the landscape. I especially enjoyed seeing the grazing cows that dotted the hillsides as I heard the irregular clanging of their bells floating up to my ears as a soundtrack to the gondola ride.

 

After alighting from the gondola ride, I took time to get quite near to some of the cows before leaving for another city! These cows were responsible for all of the incredible cheese that I was enjoying on the trip! 

This day was worth the effort to get to the top of the mountain and back. Despite being slightly confusing prior to arriving (even after I had read a bit of information on navigating up to the top of the mountain), both the cogwheel train and the gondola were part of the experience rather than being merely forms of transportation. 

I made my way back to Lucern and briefly enjoyed walking around and seeing the Kapellbrucke wooden footbridge, which is pictured below. 

The interior of the bridge is adorned with detailed paintings on triangular spaces between ceiling cross beams. Images depicted are both from the history of the Swiss confederation as well as patron saints of the city. These paintings are considered remarkable because they are in open air to the public as well as being created within the confines of triangular spaces. 

This above view is looking out into lucern from the vantage point of being on the bridge. After a quick walk around this area, which is right next to a train stop, I jumped back on the train and made my way to Basel. 

Zurich, Switzerland

My expectation of Zurich was that it would feel industrial. I was more than pleased to find that I was wrong. The part of the city I stayed in was delightful. There were winding and hilly cobblestone walkways lined with shops and restaurants that lead to the riverfront. Yes, there were more modern business district areas, but I spent my time in the aforementioned area. 

My first meal was a traditional restaurant were I tasted veal liver with Rosti potatoes. This tasted exactly as one would anticipate, slightly pungent mineral flavor to the liver, but tender, which was complimented by the crispy and richly fried potatoes. Simple and hearty. 

I did not tire of walking past the river running through Zurich. Each time of day and each angle afforded a slightly different gorgeous view. 

I ate at a less traditional restaurant in the city as well. I had a roasted corn salad with smoked ricotta and mole, to be eaten like a taco from cabbage leaf. I also enjoyed a glass of Swiss made orange wine that was reminiscent of an Aperol spritz with intense bitter notes. 

I walked much of the city on one of the days that I was in Zurich, getting to some planned stops including local coffee roasters and foodie stores, but most of the day was my personally curated "Chocolate tour". I had delineated a number of chocolate makers that I wanted to visit while in the city. Honestly, the prior cities I had been to were disappointing to me regarding their chocolate options. They all had prominent storefronts for large producers, which I knew to have lesser quality products overall. In this way, Zurich did not disappoint.  

During my chocolate explorations, I found a number of bean-to-bar producers with the highest quality chocolate bars, denoted by three simple ingredients: organic single origin chocolate, sugar, and cocoa butter.

Some of the shops I went to included: Oro, Max Chocolatier, and Moon, a newly awarded vegan dessert shop. I selected a chocolate bar with miso pumpkin filling. 

Another day, I had the happy incident of discovering locally made liquors from rare wild foraged fruits, which the store owners said is unusual to everyone, even locals. The products are small production, as the maker forages and makes the liquors based on what she finds, so it is ever changing. Also at that store, I found the most delicious hazelnut liquor, Studor Nussknacker. It literally tasted like toasted hazelnuts, but was not sweet. Decadent and delicate and rich and intense, but without being cloying as it was not sweet. Highly memorable! In conversations at that store, I also learned about a foodie restaurant that I had not discovered on my own.

The restaurant was Opelchammer. It is a historic restaurant, but was also recently awarded best food in Zurich, 2021. While there, I had their veal, a phenomenal interpretation of the traditional food I had had prior. This version had a sweet, slightly smoky flavor. It was accompanied by a trout sauce, as well as apples, radish, and pickled onions. 

Next, I immensely enjoyed an onion tart with broccoli and port wine cooked shallots. The shallots were peppery and the tart was a light egg texture with a very thin pastry. The sauce was rustic, as it was slightly textured rather than smooth with a mild sweet flavor. I decided that there must be nuts in the sauce and learned that it was pumpkin seeds! 

Before leaving the city, I also stumbled upon a chocolate shop that curated only bean to bar chocolate from around the world. I carefully selected a number of chocolate bars of european origin that I have not found easily in the United States, in addition to some that were Swiss made. 

What a find and definitely one of my favorite stops of the entire trip! While there, I learned about a pepper with which I was not familiar, called a Timut pepper from Nepal. I was able to purchase some at a nearby shop. This is why I love my explorations! I learned something entirely unexpected from chatting with a stranger in a foreign country. 

 

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

My last night in Lausanne was somewhat restless. I was trying to decide what town to visit the next day. I was exhausted from my first few days in Switzerland and I had tentatively planned a day that would involve a bit of walking and hiking, which would be complicated by the walking boot that I was wearing as a foot injury was healing. 

I finally decided on the very small town of Lauterbrunnen. I read that it was quaint and had a waterfall view, which sounded like a nice quiet day to experience the tranquility of the mountains. 

As I was on the train to Lauterbrunnen, I passed the train stop that I would have taken had I stuck with my prior to plan, which in the end did not look as complicated as I had imagined, but did involve more train transfers and more walking. 

Picturesque is the best way for me to describe the town of Lauterbrunnen. It was surrounded by sweeping mountain landscapes with flowers in bloom and waterways. A train ran through the hillside dotted with quaint houses. It was peaceful and open with fresh air engulfing everything. 

As I wandered around the town just enjoying the views, I happened to see a sign indicating a waterfall viewpoint. I decided to explore and realized that it was the Staubbachfall, a location that I remembered reading about when I was first planning my trip.

As I drew near, I remained skeptical that I would be able to climb up the stairs to the top of the falls, but decided that I would try and turn around if needed. However, it turned out to be accessible enough for how I was feeling that day. 

The actual waterfall was not particularly large, but the height from under the falls afforded an unforgettable view. 

I was only in the town for a few hours, as I wanted to catch a train early in the day to avoid arriving into Zurich after dark. 

The only disappointment as that I did not find any food worth taking the time to discover. There were several food carts offering treats for tourists, such as donut holes, as well as several little restaurants with simple hearty items listed on the menus. As I was excited to get to Zurich, I decided to hop back on the train and be off! 

 

Lausanne, Switzerland

Visiting Henri Cruchon winery was one of my favorite memories from the entire trip. I left my luggage at the train station and hiked through quiet streets lined with vineyards until I arrived at the top of a small hill. I found that the road took a curve that was surrounded by several buildings. One of these was the tasting room that I had read about. Henri Cruchon in a biodynamic winery with all of their wines made on their estates, a risky endeavor as the winemaker must rely on the fruit of each small portion of land, rather than mixing grapes from various areas to compensate for any lack of fruit or poor fruit quality in a given year. However, the woman hosting me explained the extreme rigor that they use for all of their practices, making the product an excellent quality, albeit taking many chances along the way as nature can be so unpredictable. 

When I arrived at the door pictured above, there was a phone with instructions to lift the receiver and call if no one was present. I did this and a woman's voice on the other end assured me she would be there momentarily. The tasting is open for people walking in all day, but I happened to be the only one at the time, so my tasting was private. 

I was impressed repeatedly, not only by the rigorous practices for optimal quality of the fruit and land, but also by the taste delivered from each bottle. Initially, I was offered several different varietals to taste, but as we talked, the woman providing my tasting experience seemed to become as excited as I was seeing my interest and investment in the experience. Ultimately, I tasted every single wine that they had available, with the exception of those which they had sold out of, but were holding the bottles awaiting pick up. It was fantastic to taste single varietals from various single vineyards, comparing the nuanced differences that could only be attributed to the terroir since they were generally in the same area with the same farming practices. As I departed, I learned that they do import a select few wines to New York and Los Angeles. How exciting to find that a store near me carries their product. The hostess was also kind enough to ensure that I jumped on a bus back to the train station instead of hiking back down the quiet roads. 

My next train stop was in Lausanne. I again dropped my luggage at the station, which was impressively large. I initially did not realize the magnitude of the station when I checked my bag into a locker. However, upon my return, I realized that there were different floors to the station that all looked identical, as well as different sides to the station. Honestly, I was lost wondering through the station trying to find my locker later in the day. It took me some time but eventually I ended up on the correct floor on the correct side of the station and found my locker in order to rescue my luggage! 

However, before I overcame that challenge, I wandered around the little streets, many cobbled and lined with little boutique sized shops, but these were nestled in amongst larger stores and bigger roads. I had made reservations at a particularly notable restaurant, Ann Sophie, of which there is a sister restaurant in Paris. This was my splurge dining for the trip. The food was delicate and beautifully plated. 

sunfire crips nasturtium powder with olive oil crackers, turbo fish and lovage mayo

tartlet of Etivaz cheese with saffron dill jelly

St Germain grapefruit with bell pepper 

gin and mezcal soup with melon, thai basil, and verbena ice cream

Pockets of pasta filled with creamy mushroom and an umami mushroom broth

(the signature dish of the restaurant) 

Grilled Turbo with tomato, green cardamom, and onion

Cheese course: goat with ash, goat with chasselas wine of Valais, cow from the Spanish alps, blue cheese with goat milk, and a cow's milk

The walnuts and hazelnuts were absolutely the best representation of each that I could imagine. It amazes me how a simple food can be so delightful when perfectly prepared and presented. 

dark and milk chocolate with chocolate mousse of rose hips and blackberry

The mouse had texture added by the seeds of the blackberry for a slight crunch. The single blackberry on the plate was absolutely the sweetest one that I can recall ever tasting. Further, there was a touch of black garlic on the top layer of mousse, which I did not feel added to the dessert, but I assumed was intended to offer an earthy component. 

White chocolate meringue with caramelized nuts inside as well as a layer of creme

Bonbons of crunchy puffed rice and strawberry 

as well as chocolate filled with a ginger liquid. These were exquisite. I wish that I could describe how fantastic they were to taste. They were packed with such flavor that the tiny bite was more than enough to have the full experience of their complex taste, but without being overpowering. 

After eating the decadent meal, I wandered around Lausanne. It was in Lausanne that I initiated the cheese gathering that I accumulated for the duration of the trip. I went to several cheese shops along the hilly streets.

I also found cheese trucks parked at various markets in the city. I was overall disappointed by the restaurants that I found in Lausanne, but it was market day when I was there, so that kept me busy. The large commercialized storefronts were hidden behind market venders displaying all sorts of fresh foods and hand made goods. 

Some of my favorite cheese from the entire trip I found in a mobile cheese truck that had cheese made exclusively from the Ticino (Italian-Swiss) region. I purchased more than I intended, but without regret. The flavors and textures of the cheese thrilled me. It was an unexpected find, but exactly what I had hoped and imagined I would discover while in Switzerland. A single tiny piece of cheese melting on my tongue revealed umami, sweet, salt, and vegetal flavors! I did not recognize the names of any of the cheeses, making it more exciting to try!  

Finally, I went to another wine tasting just northeast of the city at a place called Lavaux Vinorama in Rivaz. I had chosen this stop because I thought that they had a huge selection of local wines to taste, which they did. However, this was done by purchasing the bottle while they also offered a small selection of wines by the glass. I did try several, albeit disappointed that their entire inventory was largely unavailable to me as a single visitor. Nonetheless, it was nice to enjoy comparing more differences between similar grapes from the same region. After all of this exploring, I was exhausted and preparing to head out to the next city! 

Geneva, Switzerland

FINALLY! My first international adventure since the COVID-19 pandemic had begun was a trip to Switzerland! 

My first stop was in Geneva, the city that I flew into. After landing at the airport, I quickly made my way to wander around the city and have a good meal! 

LES AMURES

Les Amures, a historic hotel and restaurant, had a lovely ambiance and is known for authentic well made food! Fondue was my choice, as this restaurant is known for serving traditional fondue, a priority for me to experience in the country. I, however, selected the unusual cheese combination of Moitie-moitie, Vacherin, and Gruyere, but with the addition of blue cheese from Neuchatel because it sounded unusual and the waiter told me that I would be unlikely to find that served somewhere else. 

Before the fondue arrived to the table, I had smoked white fish from Lake Geneva with beetroot carpaccio and zested lime as an appetizer. It was a nice light dish, but I found the shallots mixed with the fish to be too overpowering. I really enjoyed that lime was the citrus used as it added more surprise to my palate than lemon would have. 

The fondue was terribly rich, which I expected, but it truly required the acidity of a glass of wine. I took the advice of the waiter and tried a dry floral white wine, Fendant from the Valais region, which was a traditional pairing for fondue. It helped me to realize how deliberate food traditions can be, This type of meal is typically served with wine and it made all the difference to the experience as the rich fattiness of the creamy cheese was enjoyable only with the wine after the first few bites. Otherwise, it would have been much too rich to continue to eat it and fully enjoy it. 

I also tried Petite Arvine, a slightly sweet wine with a citrus flavor, but also with salty mineral notes. I enjoyed it very much and it made me excited to try other regional wines. 

CAFE DU SOLEIL

Another fun stop that I had in Geneva was at Cafe du Soleil, a cafe known for being a simple family owned restaurant with traditional foods. 

I tried the very common air dried beef, an item that seemed to be on every menu. It was the afternoon and I paired it with a glass of Gamey rose wine. The wine was dry but fruity and really a simple flavor profile. The beef was quite mild and very thinly sliced and I appreciated that it benefited from acidic contrast offered by the traditional pairing of cornichons and pickled onions.

For dessert, I had creme de gruyere, which was served in the traditional wooden tub called a "dietzo". The meringues made with with double creme of Gruyere were really perfect. Crunchy and sweet, but someone slightly caramelized on the inside. I found the creme surprised me with how dense it was. I had expected it to be a light and sweet cream, but it was in fact very thick and it had tart milk flavor that was best enjoyed sparingly. 

Jet d'eau geyser in Lake Geneva

Geneva was my first introduction to Switzerland and, by the end of my trip, I had decided it was not my most memorable experience, but I enjoyed exploring the city and getting to jump into having new and traditional food experiences! I could not wait to see what other adventures would come to pass!

 

Charleston, South Carolina

I found the city of Charleston to be beautiful to explore, meandering up and down streets with historically preserved homes and lovely foliage. The center of the city had a mix of specialty stores and tchotchke stops for tourists. Much of the food was focused on either seafood or fried foods. I found a few gems that I wanted to taste for myself. 

RODENY SCOTT BBQ

Rodney Scott BBQ has been well established as the go to place to experience whole hog barbecue. Being that I am allergic to pork, my experience is not what the typical patron is seeking, but I did want to taste the smoked turkey and brisket. I have to say, the flavors to me were similar to Texas barbecue, which I hope it not an upsetting sentiment for anyone who is an expert in such things. I spoke at length with a local regarding this opinion. He did not disagree with me, explaining that my opinion was entirely plausible as neither of those preparations were considered to be Charleston style, which is focused on the whole hog. 

SORGHUM AND SALT

This restaurant is dedicated to sourcing local products for their menu, which is something I always hope to find. Much of the offerings enticed me and ultimately I ended up with a beet salad titled "chorizo spiced beets". Chorizo flavor was well represented in the spicing of the dish with fennel, pistachios, and jalapeño coulis on the plate. The dish maintained the texture of a cooked beet but with the flavor or a sausage! 

Another item I was intrigued to try was parsnip with black truffle, sunchoke puree, local mushrooms, horseradish, and pistachio gremolata.

I wanted to love this dish. It was described to me as a play on bone marrow with the middle of the parsnip scooped out and filled with the black truffle cream. I did enjoy the pop of flavor from the shaved horseradish, but otherwise I found the texture of the dish to be too uniform, best described as mushy. It would have been great to have a crunchy element. Also, I found the gremolata to be overpoweringly characterized by garlic, which covered any other vegetable flavors on the plate. 

CIRCA 1886

This restaurant is housed in a gorgeous historic building, formerly the Wentworth Mansion. There is an adjacent hotel in the mansion and the restaurant is housed in what was the carriage house. The draw of this restaurant for me was primarily that it serves regional cuisine, but certainly elevated. The menu is somewhat separated by genre including: Influences from Europe, South Carolina Today, Tastes of Native Tribes, and Flavors Brought From Africa. I tasted the following:

 In the beginning, I was served an amuse bouche of Asparagus soup with herb oil and a parmesan ice cream with croutons. The soup was vegetal, but without being simple. The dash of oil brought it to life and had enough complexity on the spoon that I ate the accompanying, slightly chewy, parmesan cream separately, rather than desiring to mix the flavor with the soup. 

Shrimp and rice grits with burden creek diary goat cheese, cabbage leaves. This dish was not the creamy comforting flavors that I imagined.Rather, it had a freshness from the raw vegetables on top, as well as lacking in salt and creaminess for my taste, but rather with the yellow broth being thin and simple. In conversation with a local patron, I learned that this is a typical preparation of the dish in the area, most definitely different from what I had tasted before when in New Orleans. 

Chicken fried duck breast with turnips and tops, orange and grapefruit salad, and buttered biscuit gravy. This was a nicely balanced dish with the citrus giving a nice contrast to the earthy greens and the duck was quite tender. 

Venison with roasted onion, parsnip potato puree, acorn squash, juniper chestnut sauce was another fantastic dish. In my memory, it was the most succulent version I have had without even a hint of tough gamey character. The rich gravy was set in balance with the creamy vegetable puree with beautiful balance in the portions across the texture in the plate. 

Fois gras with cassave pudding, pomegranate strawberry jam, hazelnuts, and lime basil oil.

This was beyond decadent. It was on the menu as an appetizer, but truly served as a dessert. The fois gras had some tendons within it, when in the past I have had fois gras that was entirely smooth like butter. However, I found the flavor and texture combinations to be brilliant. It was like eating the most decadent grown up version of peanut butter and jelly. Creamy. Sweet. Nutty. I ate it in tiny little bits from a spoon, partly due to the degree of richness, but also in part because I did not want for the food to end. 

Carolina gold rice roll and sorghum oatmeal bread 

The house made bread was fantastic. The flavor had such depth and complexity due to the types of grain that were within them, in particular the different tastes within the sorghum oatmeal bread were unforgettable. 

HIGHFALUTIN COFFEE ROASTERS

I very much wanted to try a local coffee roaster and found Highfalutin Coffee Roasters to be my hopeful destination. I was not disappointed and I highly recommend that any coffee geek make a stop there. The shop was tended by owners who were passionate about their craft and with unique offerings. One flavor profile that I found irresistibly unique was a Peruvian coffee that really presented the flavor, and even texture, of plantains. I also highly appreciated an Ethiopian coffee with flavors of cantaloupe and wildflowers. The shop had indoor and outdoor seating and was a very comfortable spot to sit and sip!