Per Bacco

This Swiss restaurant, is a true palate pleasing venue filled with authentic Italian recipes and tastes. After a week of cheese laden food, we were looking for lighter fare until we noticed Per Bacco just a few doors down from the Interlaken West train station. If we couldn't have a light meal, at least we were eager for a familiar meal. Per Bacco's kitchen is manned by a Swiss, and a Portuguese chef who have learned to make Italian recipes to perfection.

Their Bolognese meat sauce was as good as we have had in Bologna, and the gnocchi were light, luscious and completely satisfying. The sauce was so rich, the cheese was superfluous, so I went without it; not necessarily as a sacrifice, but most likely because cheese was no longer on my favorite foods list. One can eat only so much!

Spaghetti Bolognese was another excellent pasta, but the menu also included pizze, and a nice selection of starters. Since this restaurant also bills itself as a "grapperia" the wine and grappa lists were substantial. As far as atmosphere is goes, it seemed more like a bar than a restaurant, but the quality of the food was a much higher standard than you will find at most other bars.


Vineria Grapperia Per Bacco
Rugenparkstrasse 2
3800 Interlaken Switzerland

Le Pirate

This photo barely creates the illusion of a sailing ship, but Le Pirate is trying to give one that impression of its decor. Cute idea and who doesn't love a pirate? We were happy to find this restaurant as the rather heavy Swiss cuisine was weighing us down, so to speak.

Their location along the marina on the shores of Lake Geneva in Lausanne, made this a fine place for a restaurant specializing in seafood. We set our course for the mussels as soon as we saw them on the menu in the restaurant window. They were plentiful and delicious and would have been enough all on their own with the fries that accompanied them, but the fish soup looked inviting as well, so down the hatch it went!

Cafe Romand in Lausanne

While in Lausanne, we wanted to try traditional Swiss cuisine. Cafe Romand was the second recommendation and the best of the two traditional restaurants that we tried. What possessed us to think we could walk into a popular restaurant on a Saturday evening without reservations is still mystifying, but that's what we did. We started out early, but one wrong turn later, it took over an hour to walk there from our hotel. The place was packed and there was a line out the door, but we stood in it nonetheless and waited our turn. As each couple made their way to the front of the line, we kept hearing the same sentence repeated over and over. "You must have a reservation to be seated; we are fully booked."

Hearing this in English helped the frustration level increase to the point where I tugged on my companion's sleeve and suggested that we leave before we had to be embarrassed with heads hung, as we slunk out of the place. "Just wait", was his reply. That sounded rather self assured for a typically impatient fellow. I suspect he had hoped that by the time it was our turn, a table would be free and we would walk to it, triumphant in our quest. Before we crossed that bridge, I insisted we hatch Plan B. After investing all this time, I wanted to get to the end of the rainbow. I whispered my plot and hoped for the best.

As we approached the head of the line and we heard the waitress ask if we had a reservation, I could see my companion's eyes dart across the room before he answered a resounding "yes"! It was Plan B in action. He gave our name, but the waitress couldn't find it, to which he responded, "But the hotel made our reservation this afternoon for 8 p.m.." The waitress moved quicker than her age would indicate possible, to find us a table. She came back with bad news, an apology, and requested the name of our hotel. Unflappable, my companion gave her the name of 5 star hotel. She scoured the list again, dashed across the filled dining room and unseated a party of 3 from their table.

My genetic predisposition towards guilt kicked in, and almost caused heart palpitations, at the thought that people were being removed from a table because of my desperation to eat dinner there and the dishonest, dastardly Plan B. As luck would have it, they only had to give up one of two tables that they had been using, and were almost finished with dessert anyway. Still clearly rattled from the entire experience, I failed to write down any names of the dishes I present to you now in the form of photographs.

It is safe to assume that the first photo is of a potato side dish called Rosti. The second is a sausage and sauerkraut classic that seemed to satisfy my companion's desire for Swiss food. We stopped the quest after this meal.

My desire to pursue Swiss cuisine was also on the decline after this meal. My heart's desire was a traditional cheese and potato dish in the first photo that was so rich, it couldn't be finished in one sitting. The beautiful and delicious apple tart was what felt like a very light finish to a very heavy dinner.

Café Romand

pl. Saint-François 2

Lausanne, 1003, Switzerland

Phone:+41 (21) 3126375

Fax:+41 (21) 3211025

Le Vaudois

As much as I'd like to recommend this restaurant, I cannot as the menu did not appeal to me even though it had a wide range of offerings. The service was slow, but perhaps that was because we were sitting on the patio on a rainy day. Why would we sit there in that type of weather? Was it because the restaurant was full and we showed up without a reservation? No, we decided to sit outside because the dining room had a very unpleasant odor that must have been a strong cheese aroma. With so much melted cheese in the cuisine, this was the strongest possibility. When we inquired at our hotel about restaurants with classic Swiss cuisine, this was the first of two restaurants mentioned. Very disappointing.

We had planned on dining out later that evening, so salad seemed like a fine light lunch. I selected the baked cheese salad and it was very satisfying. As I go through my travel journal, I'll post the type of cheese. It was fried with a nice crumb coating and it melted beautifully. The greenery under the cheese was palatable, but not flavorful.

My companion once again ordered a Cesar salad. Can't you tell by the photo? I think all of Europe is calling mixed salads a Cesar these days and you never know what you're going to get. Someone should do a photo essay on the Cesar Salads of Europe...maybe it should be me.

www.levaudois.ch

Place de la Riponne

Lausanne Switzerland 1005
phone: 021 331 2222

fax: 021 331 2223

Trattoria Da Ercole

Bologna has been on our itinerary for a number of years, not only because it is a wonderful city, but because we have friends living there. On our very first trip, we stumbled across Da Ercole and on our most recent trip we found it once again late in the afternoon. We became the last patrons seated for lunch after promising not to order a piatti secondo (they can take more time to prepare). It may seem that we were being rushed, very uncommon in Italian restaurants, but in fact we were being accommodated, since several employees had already left the premises.

The Bolognese are so enviable in their culinary heritage, but like the Toscani, they do not make great bread. Very dry rolls of assorted sizes and shapes are routinely offered, but you may prefer to limit yourself to the grissini (bread sticks). The menu is broad (and readable if you click to enlarge), and the food has a fresh, homemade quality, although it is by no means rustic.

This restaurant excels in the pasta offerings and I look forward to a day when each one has been tasted. During our first meal we ordered the Tagliatelle with Bolognese Sauce and enjoyed the freshly made pasta with the rich meat sauce. It was a nice experience to be eating that classic in the city where it originated. This time we ordered pappardelle with fresh porcini. Another Emilian classic, with the heady fragrance of porcini infused within the butter sauce. A light dusting of parmigiano added just the right touch. The ricotta ravioli in porcini and truffle sauce was so delicious it didn't need the cheese to enhance the flavors, they stood alone. We slowed down to savor each morsel, even knowing that we had limited time.

Our waitress was so gracious, she offered to stay longer so we could order dessert. So, order it we did. It was hot that afternoon so we decided to order fruit. The cantalope in port sounded refreshing, unfortunately the two flavors did not work well for me. Still it was nice to linger there looking out at the park across from the small outdoor pavillion where we were dining. Next time we are going to sit in the restaurant itself.

Update:
As of May 2011 Da Ercole was no longer in business. I had hoped it was just temporary, but the outside glassed in dining area had been completely removed and there was no longer a sign on the building.

Via delle Tovaglie

3140124 Bologna Italy

+39 051 228 848

12-3pm, 7:30p-11:30p Tu-Su

Blakes Restaurant in Galway

No photos were taken of K.C. Blake's in Galway, but no matter, it was not an attractive building and we ended up eating outside on a narrow little stretch of the main, pedestrian only street leading into Galway City from the bridge. Earlier in the day I hadn't even realized it was a restaurant. The interior was modern and attractive, but completely booked, so we dined alfresco. Bad idea; we were all but forgotten by the wait staff and I recall going in twice. Once I went in to find out what was going on with our order, and again to ask for our bill, half an hour after we had finished dessert. I can't blame the wait staff, it was cold out there. I'm not a Guiness fan, too bitter tasting to me, but my dining partner enjoyed a pint once in awhile. The bread was photographed because it was there. It was supposed to be unique I suspect, but it wasn't as good as traditional Irish brown bread.

Who could resist smoked salmon in Ireland? I hope the answer is no one. We split this luscious course and were happy to have ordered it. I think the Irish are very adept at working with salmon and they know how to smoke it without drying it out.

You can't find a standard recipe for Cesar salad in Ireland. There must be as many recipes as there are chefs, but at least this one used Parmigiano cheese and cracked black pepper, although the dressing was more Ranch than anything else. I have to surmise that they really like the name and are reasonably assured that a salad christened with that name will be ordered by tourists. This chicken Cesar was the best of the trip for my dining companion; close, but still no cigar.

The salmon I ordered as a main course was cooked lightly, to perfection really. It was moist, tender and delicious, it flaked off the bone, and that is where I must protest, I had to debone it myself. No tourist wants to die from choking on a fish bone while on vacation. I guess as a nation of fishermen, the Irish would see this criticism as trite and maybe they'd be right. But I stand by it.

Blake's made up for their lack of service, the freezing alfresco table on the street, and the bony salmon with their Pavlova. It was the first I have ever seen on a menu and I've been wanting to try one for years. It was decadent, crunchy and fluffy, sweet and satisfying. What a great dessert. It's obvious that Blake's is one of the few upscale restaurants in Galway. I hope they get their service improved, so they can continue to serve the community. I would consider going back if I were able to dine inside.

10 Quay Street

Galway, Co. Galway, Ireland

091 561 826

Carluccio's in Dublin

Since I am of fan of Antonio Carluccio, the London chef and T.V. personality, I couldn't resist trying his restaurant in Dublin. I own several of his cookbooks and think he has classic recipes down pat, so I was expecting authentic Italian food, especially since there is a large Italian community in Dublin and Italian imports are easier to come by. I was underwhelmed and very quickly realized it was a franchise restaurant, or at least I hope so.

The menu was cute, and the dining room was bright and cheery. If you click on the menu to enlarge, you may be able to see what was on offer. To be clear, my selection could have been better and may have contributed to my disappointment.

My partner in crime ordered the suppli, one with a meat filling and one with a cheese filling. Both were quite good now that I think about them again. My panzanella was good but not great. A vine ripened tomato would have made all the difference, But they may be few and far between in Ireland.

The mushroom soup was a bit flat, but the menu listed wild mushrooms, so perhaps they are less flavorful on the Emerald Isle. The focaccia was over baked and dry. The spinach gnocchi seemed inside out to me. I expected a gnocchi made of spinach, silly me.

http://www.carluccios.com/caffes/default.asp?func=where&caffe_id=37&region=49

52 Dawson Street

Dublin 2

Tel. +353 (0) 1 6333 957

Fax. +353 (0) 1 6708 612

Open: Mon-Fri 7-10, Sat 8-10.30,Sun 9-10

O'Neill's Irish Pub in Dublin

No matter what angle you use to look at this place, it reads Irish Pub all the way. Inside or outside, stained or merely cut glass windows, dark wooden interior, loud talking, crowds; this is Irish pub central and what better place to find a predictable pub lunch than O'Neill's with its rabbit warren of rooms and attentive staff. The lines looked long but I was cold and needed to sit for awhile so I tried it.

As in most pubs, the lunch is made in massive quantities and set out on steam tables. They do a decent job of keeping the food warm, but do not add to the ambiance, nor do they bode well for extraordinary nor inventive cuisine. This is bare bones hot food at best, but it is plentiful and affordable. No gastro pub pretense, this is the real deal, pub grub.

As you stand in line, you pass the blackboard with the daily specials listed, and then within a few minutes, if things go well, you have placed your order and are walking by the bar where you may choose to add "a pint" to your selection. You are also trying to find an empty table, a difficult feat at lunchtime.

My selection of roast pork was accompanied by a potato gratin, I use the term loosely because I detected no cheese, nor anything else to liven up the bland potato, not even salt. The peas and corn were overcooked as expected, and the gravy was from a tin no doubt. On a cold and wet day, this could pass as a decent lunch if you added two or more of those "pints" to it. After this pedestrian lunch and my return home, I noticed that the pub is also a restaurant and the linked menu indicates that I walked into the wrong door if I was looking for good food. It's worth trying again.

http://www.oneillsbar.com/

Suffolk Street
Dublin 2
(01) 679-3656
Fax: (01) 679-0689

Monday - Thursday 10.30am to 11.30pm
Friday & Saturday10.30am to 12.30am
Sunday 12.30pm to 11.00pm

The Malt House in Galway

A small establishment but big on style, the Malt House in Galway was a breath of fresh air. The interior was modern, light and refreshing, but already filled to capacity by the time I stumbled upon the restaurant. Located in a small courtyard just off the main road leading into downtown from the small bridge, it was not easy to find. The less than traditional menu is what made me decide to give it a try.

As you can see from the menu, there are some traditional offerings, but they are sprinkled with some international options that use spices more liberally than traditional Irish dishes would. The inclusion of an Asian style dish was rare indeed.

Since I was outside and wanted an uncomplicated lunch, the napkins were already blowing off of the table, I selected the lamb burger. Failing to notice that it was served open faced, I couldn't simply pick it up and eat it, but I didn't take much time at any rate. The arugula did not a satisfying salad make. If I had been given a second piece of bread, I would have included it inside the burger.

The mint and tomato chutney was almost the best part of the meal, but the juicy lamb and rosemary bread were also good. The chips cooled off rapidly outside, so I didn't enjoy them as much as I may have, had I been seated indoors. I would try this restaurant again if I ever headed back to Ireland.

Olde Malt Mall, 15 High Street, Eyrecourt
Galway City Ireland

Telephone:
091 567866
Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat 12.00 - 22.30

Diwali Indian/Nepalese Restaurant

It might have been tempting to try the Nepalese dishes, but this was the very first Indian menu I had ever seen that offered Balti cooking. India has so many differing cooking styles that whenever I get the opportunity to try one I jump at the chance. There was no disappointment in doing so this time. the restaurant itself was modern, spotless and quiet, as we arrived very early.

Instead of the usual 3 condiments, there were 2, but both were excellent. I particularly liked the tamarind sauce, probably because it is not as hot as the other (sorry, I have no recollection of what it was called). The only odd thing was the texture of the naan. It was crispier and had an uncharacteristic shine to the surface. Usually naan is a favorite, but not this time.


The Balti Lamb was succulent, rich, and mildly hot. It was a pleasure to try and a perfect introduction to the food of that state in India, or so I hope. As soon as I find another restaurant that serves Balti style food, I know I'll be delighted to try more of it. We also ordered the Lamb Vindaloo which was very hot, at least hotter than what we have been served at home. Some like it hot and luckily my dining companion is one of those people.

As many people know, the way to tame heat is with something fat or creamy, so ice cream was the perfect dessert, or it could have been if it were not served in it's plastic container. We may have been fooled with the pistachio ice cream, since its paper cone had been removed, but the "sundae" was unmistakably a frozen concoction that should have been bought directly from a grocer's ice cream novelty freezer instead of being served by a fairly good restaurant.

http://www.menupages.ie/Restaurants/Diwali_Indian_Restaurant/Menu.aspx

Unit 1, Castle House
South Great Georges St.
Dublin 2
Tel:+ 353 (1) 4750091