zurich

Swiss restaurant news: blindekuh "blind eating" restaurant group owner honored

maki — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:03:00 +0100

A couple of years ago, I wrote about our visit to a most unusual Zürich restaurant, the blindekuh, where sighted people can experience what it’s like to dine in total darkness. Yesterday it was announced that the founder of the chain Stefan Zappa, was honored as the Swiss Social Entrepreneur of the Year.

According to the story, “The “Blind-Liecht” charitable foundation was set up in December 1998 by Zappa, a partially sighted psychologist, with help from three other blind people.”

It’s still the most unusual restaurant experience I’ve ever had. If you have a chance to visit Zürich, I’d highly recommend a visit there if you want a dinner you’ll never forget. There is a blindekuh restaurant (it seems it’s officially spelled in lowercase) in Basel also.

Zürich Culinary Snapshot up on thepassionatecook

maki — Fri, 04 May 2007 20:40:36 +0200

Johanna of the passionate cook has been running a series called Culinary Snapshots, of cities around the world. The Culinary Snapshot of Zürich that I wrote is now up there. (The pictures there were taken in late March by the way, when it was warm enough for t-shirts!) Re-reading it now I think I may need some armor against proprietors of Asian-Fusion restaurants in town. :)

[Edit: A few people have reported that they couldn’t find the article. I clicked the link just now and it was there, but just in case I’ve reproduced it here, without the nice photo. Do keep in mind that the original article was written in early 2007, so places may or may not still be open (though I think most of the places listed are as of early 2008.)]

What is Zürich like in a nutshell?

Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland, and its financial center. It has the largest airport in the country as well as the largest railroad hub. Many of the infamous secretive Swiss banks have their headquarters here. To put things in perspective, the population of Switzerland is around 6 million, and 1 million of those live in the greater Zürich area.

Like most Swiss cities, Zürich is arranged around a beautiful lake (the Zürisee or Lake Zurich) and river (the Limmat). The Alps can be seen in the distance on a clear day. The streets are well paved and impeccably clean. You can sense the discreet display of wealth everywhere.

Culturally and historically, Zürich has been influenced by two things: the rather severe form of Protestantism as espoused by people like Zwingli and Calvin, and those banks. The religious influence is seen still in things like the store operating hours - just about everything closes up early on Saturdays and all day Sunday, though otherwise the city is quite liberal (it gave full legal rights to gay couples way back in 2002 for instance). And, the presence of so many underground bank vaults mean that there are no subways, just overground trams. It’s a rather no-nonsense city, which may lack some of the historical charm of the nation’s capital, Bern, or Luzern (Lucerne), which is an hour away. It’s still a quite lively city, and probably the best for really upscale shopping if that’s your thing, especially along the Bahnhofstrasse.

The flip side of those staid bankers is the large and lively student population from the University of Zürich and the Federal Institute of Technology (the ETH), Albert Einstein’s alma mater (well he didn’t graduate, but still…). Perhaps not coincidentally, Zürich is supposed to have one of the best club scenes in Europe.

What’s Swiss cuisine like in a nutshell?

You may think that Swiss cuisine means cheese, chocolate and fondue. The reality is that there is no real unifying “Swiss” cuisine - almost every Swiss speciality is specifically regional. There are many regions, so Swiss cuisine is full of variety. The mountainous topography and varied climate has meant that farming is quite small-scale compared to other countries. A lot of that is dairy production, both cows and goats, which is why there are so many different cheeses. Some areas have fruit production (apples, pears), and in some other areas, pretty decent wine is made.

All this has lead to the evolution of a to a relatively hearty peasant-type cuisine, based on dairy, some meat, potatoes, and whatever is in season. Another factor that has influenced Swiss cuisine is Switzerland’s unique position on the map of Europe. A lot of ancient trade routes from south to north passed through the Alps, so the local food supply was enlivened by the addition of various imported foods because of the traditional trade routes through the alps, which got people in contact with all kind of “exotic” products, especially expensive spices like pepper and cinnamon.

What’s the current food trend in Zürich?

Zürich is relatively small but very international city. That means you can get almost anything. Looking at the new restaurant openings, the current trend is towards “Asian” in general, with “Spanish” not far behind.

What local food is not to be missed?

Whenever they come to Zürich, many of our North American friends stop for a “sausage fix”. The variety and quality of sausages here is terrific. In most places where the sausage culture is celebrated, they are served with “Rösti”, the quintessential Swiss potato pancake, or “Spaetzli”, small dumplings. Local freshwater fish like “Egli” is also popular, especially in restaurants located along the shores of the Zürisee (Lake Zurich) or a river.

Equally important, which local food might I want to steer clear of no matter how much locals insist?

I know that many people who come to Switzerland want their cheese fondue…but it’s really not a speciality of the Zürich area, and is only served in the very touristy places. Not to say that it’s bad, mind you, but there’s so much else to fatten you up.

Since regional cuisine has peasant roots you might find some of it very caloric, such as Zürigschnätzlets, which is veal, kidney and mushrooms in a wine-cream sauce. Speaking of offal, many people have problems with Kutteln (tripe).

Also, this is a personal bias of mine, but so far I have been very underwhelmed by all of the trendy Asian-Fusion type of places that are popping up like mushrooms after a rainstorm all over town. Often these places sport sleek modern Asianesque interiors and serve a mishmash of cuisines from ‘exotic Asia’ - so you have Pad Thai and udon noodles and sushi and egg rolls all on the same menu. The better Asian restaurants tend to be small and plain, but they are at least more authentic - and, usually serve just one kind of Asian cuisine.

What are the food oddities in Switzerland?

The oddest thing may be the language! If you’ve ever learned German in a regular German class, you can forget about trying to understand the local Schwiizerdütsch - it sounds totally different, very sing-song. Schwiizerdütsch words are sort of funny too. An example: “Mischtchratzerli” (literally translated as”manure graters” - small single-serving sized chickens, roasted or deep-fried). Even mundane foods sound different - “Patätli” are tiny new potatoes. And you thought that a potato was Kartoffel in German! There’s a lot of mixing in on French and a bit of Italian in the vernacular: for instance a chicken is never called Hähnchen as it is in Germany - it’s called Poulet, which is the French word for it. On the other hand, Switzerland has four official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansch), and many specialties simply have their name from another language region.

What delicacies should I bring home from my trip?

A lot depends on what your country allows you to import, and how long the transit time is.

A safe bet are chocolates, from the leading confectionary stores - in Zürich that would be Confiserie Sprüngli, Teuscher, and so on. If you’re on a tight budget, even a selection of inexpensive chocolate bars can be a big hit back home.
Cured meats such as Bündnerfleisch and Mostbröckli (don’t be scared when they tell you it is made from horse; it is, in really most cases, beef) are interesting.
And, of course the famous cheeses, such as Gruyère (go for the really old one, being in the cellar for 12, 18, or even more months), Tête de moine (and get the scraping tool, called Girolle with it, particularly if you come to Switzerland repeatedly), or any kind of mountain cheese. The markets sometimes have a stand selling cheeses from the Zürich Oberland - locally produced small-farm cheeses that you definitely won’t see outside of Switzerland.
Something you don’t see much outside of Switzerland are its wines. Look for wines from the Valais, which are usually a good bet.

Which cuisine features most strongly?

Zürich is very international, and you can find more or less anything. There may be more Italian places than other kinds of cuisine, but I don’t think any one cuisine dominates.

Favourite gourmet addresses?

BUDGET:

Sausage stands, particularly if they grill them on the spot. The Vordere Sternen at the Bellevue is said to have the best Bratwurst in town, but there are plenty of other good sausage stands. (If you get a veal bratwurst, skip the mustard, which will overwhelm its delicate flavor.) In the colder months you can also find hot roasted chestnut stands (Heisse Marroni) all over town, and crepe stands in the Altstadt (old city). Don’t miss the Glühwein around Christmas time. For a sit-down meal, the Mensa of the ETH (Federal Institute of Technology), which is budget (although a bit more expensive for guests than for students, but the quality is better than the reputation). If you are a student, keep your student ID ready to show; you might get the student price, but don’t insist. The Mensa also features a fabulous view of the city from the Polyterrasse. Another interesting and not that expensive experience would be the Lunch-Schiff, the lunch cruise on a Lake Zurich boat. And for the Apero, between work and dinner, have a beer at the Bauschänzli. Americans dying for a fast food fix might find the Swiss McDonald’s fun - they have sandwich combos that you don’t get in the U.S. - though at much higher prices. Another useful thing to know is that Zürich has many public fountains, and essentially all of them (except the ones with a sign “Kein Trinkwasser” or the international icon for non-potable water) run top quality drinking water.

AFFORDABLE:

Always look for the Tagesmenu (you never see it called Tagesteller here, in spite of what the guidebooks say) - this is the prix fixe daily special, and is usually a good deal. You can get a reasonably inexpensive meal at typical Italian places - remember, southern Switzerland is very Italian, so it’s almost regional. You will find such places along the Langstrasse, or in the Aussersihl area, but they are spread all over the town. If it looks like a “Mamma and Pappa place”, and the menu is relatively small, try it… you may have discovered something interesting.

We have a few pizzerias which we frequent regularly: the Vorbahnhof just besides the main station, at the Sihlquai tram stop, and the Molino at the Stauffacher. Swiss-Italian pizzas are large, very thin and are eaten with a knife and fork, never with your fingers. (Tangentially, the Pizza Hut near the main station went out of business last year…I don’t think those thick greasy pizzas did much for the locals.)

Zürich has the oldest continuously operating vegetarian restaurant in Europe, Hiltl. It’s been in business since 1898. The takeaway is good for an inexpensive picnic lunch, and the sit-down restaurant is pretty reasonable if you choose well from the buffet.

With visitors, we often go to the Zeughauskeller or the Bierhalle Kropf, just at the Paradeplatz - both traditional Wurst (sausage) and Potato type places with a civilized beer hall-type atmosphere. They are both very popular with locals, especially businessmen, as well as tourists. They are packed at lunch, but since they are big places you can usually get in.

Another great Zürich institution is the upstairs café at Confiserie Sprüngli on Paradeplatz. The pastries are to die for, though another interesting thing to try is the cream and berry-filled Birchermuesli, a great favorite with older ladies for a light lunch.

Two non-traditional places we go to quite a lot are King Kurry, a small Indian place at Bahnhof Wiedikon, and The Outback Lounge (which has nothing whatsoever to do with the American Outback chain), an Australian food place (kangaroo, ostrich, crocodile) with good people-watching. The pickup action around the bar on weekends is quite amusing. Zürich also has a lot of attractive cafés to while away your time in, just like any civilized European city. (There are also a couple of Starbucks, if you really must.)

BREAK THE BANK:

The number 1 place in Zürich is actually outside of the city limits: Petermann’s Kunststuben in Zollikon. Within the city limits, just at the border of the old town is the Florhof. See here for more suggestions and addresses. And, for a very unusual dining experience (in total darkness) there is the Restaurant Blinde Kuh (see full review and report).

What’s Zürich’s attitude to food in general?

Until not that long ago, Zürich was rather boring restaurant-wise. Some people might say it’s still boring, and perhaps compared to major gourmet capitals like Paris, Milan or London it may be. Things are slowly evolving however, and becoming a lot more diverse. A decade or so ago when I first started visiting Switzerland you couldn’t even find things like fresh ginger in the supermarkets - now you can find just about any kind of exotica you want. When people like to go out to eat it tends to be for an “occasion” - remember the Zürich is one of the most expensive cities in the world. This has meant that mid-range restaurants have suffered in terms of quality and diversity. What’s changed the restaurant scene the most perhaps is the proliferation of great clubs and bars, so you’re seeing more places that cater to the hunger needs of the club-and-bar-hopping crowd. (Unfortunately the Asian-Fusion trend is part of that but hopefully things will evolve for the better in that area.)

Where to shop for food?

Start at the many supermarkets around town - Migros and Coop are the market dominators. The quality of produce and selection at the supermarkets is quite good. Within the city, the Coop - St. Annahof store on the Bahnhofstrasse is fairly small but has a good selection of interesting things like balsamic vinegars, olive oils and wines. There’s also a Coop in the brand new mega-mall, Sihl City. Migros City at Löwenplatz is the handiest to the main station. Check out the chocolate bar shelves at both places!

If you have the chance, go to one of the open-air markets, which take place at different locations at different days. The best source to find them is on the Züritipp site, section “Ausserdem”, then look for “Börsen & Märkte, Lebensmittelmarkt”, for the specific day of the week. Laughing Lemon, which offers cooking and wine courses in English that get rave reviews, has a handy list of things that are in season, and listing of Zürich markets (on the sidebar there in a popup window).

On the higher end are the Food Factory in the Jelmoli department store, and the food department in the Globus (Löwenplatz and Bellevue). Pricey, but quite interesting to browse at least.

For a “old time shopping experience” go to Schwarzenbach at the Oberdorfstrasse in the old town. And, you can’t miss a trip to a Confiserie Sprüngli store for chocolates and other goodies. (I much prefer Sprüngli to the more internationally known Teuscher.) The Paradeplatz store is the flagship (see above for the tearoom), but there are smaller Sprünglis dotted around the city, including two conveniently positioned for last-minute shopping in the airport. I am very partial to their savory “Apero” nibbles, made from deliciously buttery pastry, that are quite ruinous to the waistline.

An in-depth review of Confiserie Sprüngli.
See my Food Destinations: Zürich guide for more.

Which area is best for food?

There are restaurants all over the city. A concentration is in the old town, on the right bank, along the Limmatquai and up into the hill. In the warmer months, most places along the Limmatquai have tables outside, and having a coffee in the afternoon, watching people, is someting you shouldn’t miss. Another concentration is Wiedikon/Aussersihl, and on the other side of the railway, the Industriequartier and Zürich West, a very trendy area with theaters and lots of clubs. Finally the Seefeld area is another center for restaurants.

What’s the biggest flop and best avoided?

As always, chain places, particularly if they are “international” should raise some suspicion. See my notes above about Asian-Fusion places.

What are the big names in the restaurant scene?

Horst Petermann has already been mentioned. An “institution” is the Kronenhalle at the Bellevue (don’t forget the Bar there), or the Oepfelchammer in the old town.

What are the most reliable restaurant guides for your area?

All of the guides below are in German…so far we haven’t found any good English language restaurant guides. You can also try asking in the usually helpful English Forum Switzerland, where many expats hang out. * Zueritipp - an online guide with a sort of young-ish focus * Neue Zürcher Zeitung, then click on “Restaurantführer”. The NZZ is the leading newspaper in Zürich * On paper: “Zürich zum Essen gern”, published by Orell Füssli * On paper: “Zürich geht aus!”, Edition Überblick; looks like a magazine, and is available at many newsstands

What to be aware of when dining out in Zürich?

Not much is cheap in Zürich. However, remember that the prices you see in the menu are what you actually pay. Tipping is not needed, although many people leave the change to the next franc, or five or ten, depending on the tab. Many places close the kitchen at 22:00, and close down at midnight. There are some which are upen until 2, and a few until 4. And, as everywhere, make reservations in the “better” places. Seafood (not counting local freshwater fish) is generally very expensive and not worth the price.

Heart shaped cappuchino

maki — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 12:57:17 +0100

Where I shop for Japanese/Asian ingredients in Zurich

maki — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:24:21 +0100

I have always meant to post about this but haven't gotten around to it. This is not an in-depth report with pictures and everything, but just a quick post, since Julie asked :) If you don't live in the Zürich area go ahead and skip to other posts...

First off, I mostly cook Japanese, Chinese and Korean when it comes to Asian food. Those are the cuisines I'm most familiar with (well, for Chinese it's more like Japanese-style Chinese most of the time). So if your preference is for Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese etc. other stores may be better.

With that in mind this is where I go the most:

There's only one totally-Japanese grocery store in Zürich, Nishi's Japan Shop, Schaffhauserstr. 120 (Tram lines 7 and 14, stop Guggachstrasse, or lines 7, 9, 10, 14 stop Milchbuch) (map). It's small but stocks most of the basics, including rice from Japan and California. No fresh produce here except for the occasional nagaimo or something. All the fish and meat etc. are frozen, but that seems to be pretty standard for Asian groceries in Zürich. Recently started carrying real fresh tofu made in St. Gallen or Spain! (Previously they only had the hermetically sealed Morinyu type, which I dislike so much it lead me to making my own.) Also has a small selection of takeaway sushi and such.

The other store I go to a lot is Lian Hua, which has 2 branches: at Birmensdorferstrasse 94 (Tram lines 9 and 14, several buses, or any S-Bahn that stops at Bahnhof Wiedikon) (map), and Schaffhauserstrasse 269 (Tram lines 10 and 14 to Berninaplatz). I go to the Birmensdorferstrasse one. This is mainly a Chinese store but has Thai, Korean and a small amount of Japanese items too. It has a nice fresh produce section with things like garlic chives, bitter melon, coriander with the roots on etc. (They have an 15% off everything deal on Saturdays...the sign is somewhat hidden, but they do take it off!) The only disappointment I've had here were some dried mushrooms, which were totally flavorless. On the other hand the frozen whole shrimp is a pretty good deal (cheaper and sort of fresher tasting than the ones at Migros). The tofu prices here are comparable to the ones at Nishi, but they have a wider variety. For fun they have a selection of unusual (to me anyway) soft drinks, like water chestnut and red bean.

Also, while it's not totally Asian, Barkat (which I described in depth in this post) does carry some Asian ingredients, especially Thai. It carries more of the "Asian" in the British sense of the word ingredients, meaning Indian and Pakistani etc. Also has some Asian-type produce like sweet potatoes (not the orange American type ones, the white-on-inside ones). Great prices here! It's just a couple of blocks away from the Lian Hua at Birmensdorferstrasse, plus there's a Migros opposite, so this area is my primary everyday shopping zone. (Nishi's is too expensive to go every day...)

Finally, there is a very nice Korean grocery store, YumiHana, at Schützengasse 7 which is just off the Bahnhofstrasse, steps from the train station. (map) Like most other Korean groceries it has a big selection of Japanese items too. Prices for Japanese items are about the same, or even sometimes a bit more expensive, than Nishi's though. I think that candy may be a bit cheaper here (like one of my weaknesses, Hi Chews...which Nishi's often is out of anyway). It has a small counter in the front of the store where you can eat some tasty Korean snacks like pajon, albeit at Züri prices.

I am happy that both Migros and Coop carry more Asian-cooking friendly produce now, like fresh ginger, green onions, chili peppers, and so on. This situation is much improved from when I first started coming to Switzerland more than a decade ago, when you had to go to the Globus food department for ginger. But, whatever you do, avoid that frozen sushi at Migros.

Food Destinations 4: Schweizer Heimatwerk, Zurich

maki — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:19:55 +0100

The theme of the fourth round of Food Destinations, hosted by Paula of Mango and Lime, is My Favorite Gourmet Gift Shopping Spot. I've already written about some of my favorite spots to shop for edible goodies in Zürich, not to mention my favorite place to buy chocolate, always an appropriate gift for a food lover. There are times though when you need an extra-special gift. In addition, I often find myself in a situation where I need to get something for someone abroad, and since I'm going there from Switzerland they expect something Authentically Swiss. Those are the times I turn to Schweizer Heimatwerk, or Heimatwerk for short.

Heimatwerk means home craft, or local handcraft or folk art, in German. (I can't think of an equivalent English word for it, but in Japanese it's close to mingei-hin); so, the name of the store translates to Swiss Handcrafts. From this you might assume that the Heimatwerk store carries stereotypical Swiss items like cowbells, music boxes and cuckoo clocks. While it does carry a small and very select selection of the two former things (there are no cuckoo clocks since the cuckoo clock is not really Swiss, it comes from the Black Forest region of Germany), most of the store is dedicated to the works of contemporary Swiss craftspeople and artists.

About one third of the store is devoted to food-related items like dinnerware and various kitchen supplies (there are also toys, fabric and clothing items, and decorative objects). If you want a piece of traditional Swiss folk cart, it is possible to get, for instance, a handpainted fondue set decorated with cows, made in the Appenzell region. But whenever I go there I'm drawn to the more modern design items. For instance: the clean, modern lines of a thick felt bread warmer; beautiful pale ceramic plates or brightly colorful dinnerware; glass-stamped items for the table; candlesticks made from blocks of wood; simple wooden, hand carved bowls and nutcrackers. Swiss people love modern design, natural materials (especially wood), and bright colors, and this is reflected in the selection at Heimatwerk.

There's one drawback to Heimatwerk: the prices are astronomical, even for pricey Switzerland. While they direct a lot of their marketing towards visitors, a lot of casual tourists who wander in there looking for a cheap souvenir get sticker shock and leave without buying anything. For instance, that wonderfully minimalist felt breadwarmer is 90 CHF, about US$73. A hand-hewn wooden bowl, studded with wonderful knots, was on sale at 255 CHF ($210). It's really a shame - but I guess there is a price to pay for top quality craftsmanship. I can't afford to shop for myself there too often, but I do own a few items that I've splurged on over the years; a wooden salt and pepper set, a set of wooden coasters, each coaster made from a different kind of tree, some hand-made St. Gallen lace tablemats, and so on. I've never regretted any of the things I've gotten from there.

The plus side of course is that everything at the stores is of top quality. And there are some inexpensive items if you look closely, such as hand-screen glasses with cute designs on them, kitchen towels that would last you forever, and the original (or so they claim) vegetable peeler. Another bonus: they will wrap even the smallest purchase for you,if you request it, exquisitely.

Perhaps not surprisingly the store is quite popular with Japanese tourists - I always think that modern Japanese and Swiss design sensibilities are quite similar.

If you find yourself in Zürich, be sure to at least stop by a Heimatwerk store, especially if you love modern design. There are 4 in the area, including 2 in the airport, and each has a different selection of items. The location with the best selection of high-end craft and design items is the flagship store on Uraniastrasse on the Limmat, the main river that runs through the city. They also have smaller stores in Basel and Geneva.

Schweizer Heimatwerk
Main store: Uraniastrasse 1, 8001 Zürich (a couple of blocks towards the Limmat from the Bahnhofstrasse. map)
1 other location in the city, 2 in Kloten airport, and 1 each in Basel and Geneva
http://www.heimatwerk.ch

Be sure to check Mango and Lime for the Food Destinations #4 roundup!

Food Destinations #3: Confiserie Sprüngli, Zürich

maki — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:29:44 +0100

[Update:] Now you can buy Sprüngli chocolates online to be shipped worldwide! See the Shop page for details.

My entry for Food Destinations #3, hosted by Emily of Chocolate in Context, is, rather predictably maybe, the best known confectionery, pastry and chocolate store in Z&;uuml;rich, Confiserie Spr&;uuml;ngli. Even though it has multiple locations throughout the city, including 4 stores at Kloten airport for last-minute gifts to chocolate hungry friends in other countries, the quality is always very high and totally reliable. The blue-and-white Sprüngli packaging has a certain cachet in Zürich as well as much of the rest of Switzerland - it's a guarantee of something delicious within.

Since I've described Sprüringli briefly previously, this time I'll concentrate on the chocolates. Sprüngli specializes in pralines and truffes, hand-dipped chocolates with various fillings. The best known truffes may be the truffe du jour, hand-dipped milk or dark chocolate truffles made of fresh cream with no preservatives. For this reason they have clear signs everywhere telling you that you must eat these truffles the day you purchase them. Most people have no problems with that.

They do sell more sturdy chocolates that will last for a week or so (though it is recommended that you do not hoard them, since chocolate does deteriorate.) Their assorted chocolates come in all sizes, from small boxes called Lilliputs with tiny bite-sized truffles or pralines, to large, multi-tiered boxes. The Lilliputs are very handy as gifts-from-Switzerland since they are small and compact. They will also sell you their chocolates by the piece, and none of the unfailingly polite ladies behind the counter will even blink if you order just one.

A fairly new entry into their truffle lineup is the extraordinary Cru Sauvage, made from wild cacao beans harvested in Bolivia (or so the pamphlet says). Intensely chocolately and creamy, they are about as close to a chocolate orgasm as you can get. The Cru Sauvage is only available for a few months during the year, so if they aren't around, the next best would be the Grand Cru truffles.

Other offerings include kirsch-soaked cherried dipped in chocolate, which many people swear by, and premium chocolate bars made in-house. They also make some adorable molded chocolates, like milk-and-white chocolate cows or teddy bears. (My stepfather is addicted to the cows.) During the Christmas season, they sell a chocolate bar with cinnamon in it, which is quite addictive. They also carry chocolate bars from other companies such as Lindt, but I would avoid those since you can get the same from other places such as supermarkets. They have also started offering chocolate and wine pairings.

About the only thing you can't get at Confiserie Sprüngli are chocolate for cooking, or couveture - for that, I go to Schwarzenbach, which should be your second chocolate destination in Zürich.

Incidentally, Confiserie Sprüngli has no relation to the chocolate manufacturing giant Lindt & Sprüngli; as their web site explains they parted company more than 100 years ago. So the Lindt chocolate shops now invading shopping malls in the U.S. are operated by the latter. As far as I know, Confiserie Spr&uum;ngli, unlike their rivals Teuscher, hasn't opened any stores outside of Switzerland. They do however ship overseas - see the page for details.

Confiserie Sprüngli locations. (The web site erroneously says Sales Outlets, making them sound like discount/remainder places! They are all boutiques with a full lineup of products.) Paradeplatz is the main store, with a restaurant on the upper floor, but many other locations also have places to sit and eat too.

An education in olive oil

maki — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:42:21 +0200

Olive oil is so ubiquitous nowadays that you may not even think twice about it. But the world of olive oil goes so much deeper than you might imagine. It's not just about buying a bottle labeled Extra Virgin and trusting it's all good.

For example, did you know that there are professional olive oil tasters, not to mention juried olive oil contests? That an apple is used as a palate cleanser during an official tasting or contest? That the best olive oil is made from unripe green olives? That if you want the freshest olive oil of the season, the time to buy it is from January until about March? That oil makers often use two or more olive varieties to come up with the unique blend?

I learned about these things and more when we visited the Zürich offices Di Bennardo, a family run olive farm and oil production company in Sicily a couple of days ago for an olive oil degustation (tasting). It was an enlightening and very entertaining experierence, and gave me a greater insight into the world of olive oil, as well as how a small family-run company is marketing its product with pride.

We first read about Di Bennardo olive oil in a recent article in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), the biggest newspaper in Zürich. The article described how a young entepreneur was marketing his family's Sicilian olive oil, an oil that had won several awards both from professionals and from consumers. It also mentioned that Di Bennardo held degustations (tastings). Intrigued, we just had to try. (Normally the degustations are held for groups of 10 or more but they kindly made an exception in our case.) Di Bennardo is a totally family run operation, with the farm and processing plant in the town of Ribera, Sicily and the main office in Zürich.

We were greeted by Giovanni Di Bennardo, the 27 year old owner of the company. After a brief explanation of the background of the company and of how olive oil is made as we sipped a white wine from Sicily, we proceeded to the tasting.

Giovanni gave us a slice of apple first, explaining that the slight acidity in the fruit is perfect for cleansing the palate. He then poured some of the olive oil into a INAO glass (the one that is used for official wine tastings). It was a deep green color, and totally clear. He explained that filtered premium quality olive oil such as his was really the best - it kept for a lot longer (a year to 18 months) than unfiltered olive oil, which only keeps for about 3 months. I had a misconception that unfiltered was somehow better than filtered, so this was a revelation to me. (Unfiltered olive oil also burns very easily - though you really don't want to be using any top quality olive oil for cooking anyway.)

He handed me the glass of olive oil and I swirled it in my hand, as I would a wine, and took a deep whiff. The only way to describe the smell is to say it was like green tomatoes, still on the vine, early in the morning with the dew still on the leaves. I know that adjectives like 'grassy' are often used to describe the smell of olive oil but this was much better than that. It smelled like summer.

At this point, a professional taster will slurp the olive oil from the glass, but I felt reluctant to do that. The idea of drinking oil straight up maybe? In any case, we proceeded to taste it in the more conventional way, by dipping cubes of bread in the oil. (White bread is best because it tastes neutral, Giovanni explained.) The oil was as fruity as I expected from the smell, but at the same time it was light and had no cloying aftertaste.

We bought a bottle of it right then and there (as well as a bottle of top quality Modena balsamic vinegar that they also sell).

Tasting at home

The next day, I set up a small olive oil tasting session of my own. I made ready an apple, wine glasses, and small bowls for dipping into. I poured out some oil from the three we had, all extra virgin oils; an AOC olive oil from Le Baux area in Provence (from the Moulin Jean-Corneille), the Di Bennardo olive oil, and finally the everyday olive oil that we use for cooking, the house brand oil (which comes from Spain) from the Migros supermarket. Price wise the Provence olive oil is a bit more expensive than the Di Bennardo, and the supermarket one is the cheapest of course.

Giovanni had told us that there are three criteria used by tasters for judging olive oil : color, odor and sapor or acidity. So first I checked the color. The Provence one is unfiltered so has a cloudy appearance, and is also yellow rather than green. The Di Bennardo one is a deep olive green, and totally clear. The supermarket one is surprisingly green also, and clear.

Then I deeply sniffed each one. The Provence oil had light fragrance, though it had the most olive-like one of them all. The Di Bennardo oil had that green-tomato smell. The Spanish supermarket oil was also surprisingly fruity, with a more pronounced grassy smell.

Finally I took a sip from each (getting over my "ew, drink oil?" reaction. It's really not so bad). The Provence one was quite smooth and neutral, slightly nutty, with little aftertaste. The Spanish one had a pronounced pepperiness, though not unpleasant. The Di Bennardo one was definitely the most fruity one, with almost no pepperiness. That peppery flavor comes from the level of acidity; the Di Bennardo olive oil label indicates that it's guaranteed to have less than 0.3% freeacidity, while the supermarket oil says it's less than 0.7%. (The Provence oil didn't indicate any acidity level.) So as luck would have it, I compared three very different oils. I think this is going to help me to judge other olive oils in the future. I've had olive oils that were so peppery that they almost made me gag - those must have had quite high acidity.

Later that night we tried the Di Bennardo and the Provence oil on plain lettuce salads. The fruitiness of the Di Bennardo definitely enhances the flavor of the vegetable, though the Provence one was also very good in a different way.

Marketing a family product

The other interesting aspect of visiting the Di Bennardo office was gaining some insight into how a small family company was marketing its product. Giovanni Di Bennardo is actually still a law student at the University of Zürich. (His father immigrated to Switzerland from Sicily many years ago.) Five years ago, when he was 22, he bought 300 bottles of olive oil from his uncle, who owns the family farm down in Sicily, and started marketing them in his way. Last year they produced 60,000 bottles, and he's been so busy that his studies are on hold. He told us his favorite marketing method was to pick up the Gault Millau restaurant guide and call them up to see if they would be interested in trying his oil. It's been quite successful since he's convinced several top restauranteurs to use, and endorse, his product.

They also put a lot of effort into packaging - the label is an old family photograph, to emphasize the fact that it is a family business; the bottle is made of dark glass to protect the oil from light, and sealed with foil. They also have wooden presentation boxes with laser-edged labels, for corporate gifts and the like. It all adds up to the image of high-end and quality. They've even published a small book, La Cucina di Bennardo, describing the family and the farm, with lots of photos and recipes of course.

They also enter the oil into international tasting contests. Giovanni said that the International Olive Oil Award (IOOA), which is held annually in Zürich, is one of the best - it's a true international contest with worldwide entrants, and is also quite neutral, since Switzerland is not a major olive oil producing country. (Di Bennardo won the gold award in 2004 and placed third in 2006.) Winning an award can mean a lot to a small producer.

At a time when giant international corporations dominate the food manufacturing business, it's quite interesting to see how a small company can push itself forward. It's not just about how good something tastes - it's how it's sold. Prior to Giovanni's attempts, his uncle sold most if not all of his oil production to local outlets in Sicily. Now they sell almost all of it to restaurants and gourmet stores in Switzerland, and they've just contracted with a distributor in New York to sell to the U.S. market.

I have a feeling that they have a good chance to be quite successful.

The Di Bennardo olive oil isn't being sold outside of Switzerland yet though they are just now branching out to other markets. In Zürich you can buy it at Jelmoli, Marinello, and the Wednesday specality food market in the Hauptbahnhof, as well as directly from the the web site.

A few other olive oil facts

The best olive oil is made from unripe olives, because the riper the olive, the more moisture it contains, and the less concentrated the taste. Also ripe olives oxidize much faster, making the oil too acidic.
The best olive oil olives are picked by hand, which ensures that the fruit is not bruised. (I forgot to get a picture of the wooden olive picker...I want one, it's cute!)
Harvest time for the unripe olives is October. This means that the olive oil pressed that season comes to market around January to March. Unlike red wine, olive oil does not age well - it's best consumed up to a year after production if filtered, and up to 90 days if unfiltered/cloudy. Check for either a manufacturing date or a 'best by' date.
Modern olive oil production ensures that the olives are not exposed to air. Olive oil production is a lot about controlling and suppressing the level of acidity.
Cheap olive oils are often blended with other oils in order to meet the maximum allowed acidity level (0.8%) allowed by the European Union.
Top quality oils will often have a batch number printed on the label, in case there is a problem; the maker can track problems by that number.
The major olive oil producing countries are Italy, France, Spain and Greece, but many other countries produce it too, such as Turkey, Israel and Australia. (There are small scale olive oil producers in southern Switzerland too.)
I asked Giovanni about the differences between oils from different regions of Italy. He said that in his opinion, the oils from Tuscany tend to be heavier or richer, making them suited to the local cuisine; the oils from Liguria are light; and the oils from Sicily are very fruity. He may be biased but it would be interesting to compare them. (For what it's worth, Nigella Lawson mentions several times in her books that she loves Ligurian olive oil.)
Further reading: Olive oil tasting resources at aromadictionary.com, and an olive oil tasting account on 101cookbooks.com. (There they used shot glasses, but to me the wine glass makes better sense, since you can really get your nose in there and sniff.). Also, Trader Joe's guide to olive oil(PDF) is pretty good.

Food Destinations #2: Lebensmittel Markt am Helvetiaplatz, Zurich, Switzerland

maki — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 23:23:40 +0200

This is my entry for Food Destinations #2: My Local Market.

There are several fresh food markets in Zürich. I was actually going to talk about another one, but someone else had covered it already (as you'll see in the roundup!), so I decided to head to the market at Helvetiaplatz.

Helvetiaplatz is a leafy square in a residential neighborhood of Zürich, and it caters mainly to residents. (It's also on the edge of the small red-light district of the city, but that doesn't mean it's seedy. No where in Zürich is really seedy.) It's a lively market with approximately 30 stalls - a nice manageable size. Everything is presented pristinely, like all Swiss markets. About half of the stalls sell fruits and vegetables, ranging from a big operation in the middle that sells mostly fruits, to small one-man stalls with apples, potatoes and other produce that had just travelled a few minutes. I love the fact that Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland but there are still farms within the city limits.

All the produce is very clearly labeled by country of origin, except for the small local farmers' stalls. Most of the produce comes from within Switzerland, or from Italy, Spain or France. There were berries galore - raspberries, blackberries and red currants; late peaches and nectarines, plums in all colors, and so much more.

The really local fruit being sold by an old local farmer - an apple variety called Spartan that is rarely seen in supermarkets, juicy ripe pears, and reine-claude (greengages, a kind of plum) - were the most appealing to me though. If you've never had a fresh ripe greengage, which are a sort of pale yellow-green in color, you are missing a lot. And the apples were small, tart and crisp, the way I like my apples to be. What really drew my eye though was the really ancient scale he was using to weigh the fruit.

Greengages or reine-claude

Fall was in the air in the form of squashes, both edible and ornamental. This green kind from the Ticino (the southern Italian speaking part of Switzerland) is one of my favorites, because it's sweet and dense like Japanese kabocha.

There are a lot of stalls selling flowers. On this first day of September there were lots of sunflowers and bright branches of physalis. This made me feel so nostalgic since my grandmother's garden had tons of these.

Some fall vegetable plants were being sold too. A lot of Swiss people with no gardens have allotments where they grow their own vegetables.

There are also stalls selling organically raised chicken and eggs, lamb, and other meats, fish, olives, as well as bread and baked goods. There was one crazy man from eastern Switzerland charming the socks off any lady that passed him by, convincing them to try his cured ham and cheese, rustic breads, and massive, fragrant steinpilz (Portobello mushrooms or large porcini).

And what Swiss market would be without cheese? There are a few cheese stalls, selling Swiss as well as French, Italian and Greek varieties. I went a bit nuts buying at the stall selling some interesting French cheeses, such as a wild boar (sanglier) cheese. Though...do they really mean it comes from pig (boar) milk? I will have to go back and find out.

There's a lot more too. Helvetiaplatz is in an area that has in recent years seen an influx of people of many nationalities. (It might be interesting to note that it's estimated that 25% of the population of this small city is now non-Swiss.) There are a few stalls reflecting this - such as one selling Persian delicacies like dried rose petals, dried dates and figs, and another selling Asian vegetables like pak choy and bitter melon. Even the regular stalls are selling more exotic looking produce now.

The Helvetiaplatz market operates year-round on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6am to 11am. To get there, take tram 8 or bus 32. From the main station, take tram 14 to Stauffacher, then either tram 8 or just walk a few blocks.

(Even more photos here!)

Food Destinations: Restaurants in Zürich

Max Wyss — Thu, 18 May 2006 14:36:29 +0200

Posted by Max

When living slightly outside of one of the allegedly most expensive cities of the world, one does not go that often to restaurants in town, even if Zürich has quite a choice of nice places. For your own discoveries, you can try exploring in the Altstadt (the old town on the right bank of the Limmat river), in the Seefeld area (right bank of Lake Zürich), the Kreis 5 (the area between Hauptbahnhof, the Limmatstrasse, the Hardbrücke and the railroad access to the main station), or in the Kreis 4 (the area between the Badenerstrasse, the Kaserne, and the railroad tracks). These are essentially the entertainment quarters in town.

But let us mention a few places we occasionally go to, particularly when we have visitors from out of town. Most friends visiting Zürich need their "Sausage fix", and for that, we have have two possibilities.

The Zeughauskeller is in a building built about 500 years ago as an armory, just behind the Paradeplatz. This place is also kind of the canteen for the (in)famous Zürich Gnomes. It is a rather big place, but service is quick and nice. Their sausage menu is more than a page long, and should suit any taste, starting from the simple Kalbsbratwurst (whitish veal roas sausage) to the Saucisson Vaudoise (a chunky hearty sausage speciality from the western part of Switzerland), or -- if you are there as a party, the Kanonenputzer (a pork roast sausage sold by the meter). They have a nice selection of beers, and the wine menu is not too bad. Prices for sausage with potato salad range from CHF 16 to CHF 25.

A little bit more upscale is the Kropf, just off the Paradeplatz. Their turn-of-the 20th Century interior in the main hall gives a great ambiance, and on warmer days, the Terrasse is very nice. The menu shows a good range of Swiss specialities, and their service is good and relaxed (actually the Kropf has been among the first restaurants where the food is brought to the table on trolleys, instead of being carried by the waitresses).

Ah, yeah, when we just want a sausage as a snack, we go to the place claiming to have the "best bratwurst in town", the Sternen Grill at the Bellevue. Their Kalbsbratwurst is indeed very good, and thanks to the high turnover at one of the busiest squares in town, never dried out. They say, who has never had a Bratwurst from the Sternen Grill has never been to Zürich

A place whose connectivity is the most outstanding feature is the Outback in the Bahnhof Stadelhofen. No, this is not the crappy bland steakhouse chain with that name in the US. They have a slightly Australian theme, and on their menu you find slightly exotic things such as crocodile, ostrich, kangaroo, and their main beer is Fosters. Because it is just a few steps from the platform of the Stadelhofen S-Bahn station, it can get pretty crowded in the evening. It's our favorite place to have dinner after catching a movie at one of the numerous theatres nearby.

Two places are special, even if they are not within the city limits.

The place with the best view is the Uto Kulm, on top of the Uetliberg, the mountain to the south west of the city. When the weather is accordingly, it gives the whole alpine panorame from the Lucerne and Bernese alps in the west to the Säntis in the East, with a great view down on to the city and the lake. The cuisine of the Uto Kulm is a refreshing version of "international", with decent wines on the menu.

The highest ranking restaurant in Zürich is also not within the city limits. Petermann's Kunststuben is a little bit outside, in Küsnacht, on the right bank of the lake. This place helps getting Zürich a place on the top restaurants map of the world. It is near absolute perfection, and definitely worth a visit (hint, lunch is of the same quality level as dinner, and the cellar is the same...).

Locations:

Restaurant Zeughauskeller, Bahnhofstrasse 28a, 8001 Zürich, phone 044 211 26 90, Tram 2,6,7,8,9,11,13 Paradeplatz

Restaurant Kropf, In Gassen 16, 8001 Zürich, phone 044 221 18 05, Tram 2,6,7,8,9,11,13 Paradeplatz

Sternen Grill, Theaterstrasse 22, 8001 Zürich, phone 044 251 49 49, Tram 2,4,5,8,9,11,15 Bellevue

Restaurant Outback Lodge, Stadelhoferstrasse 18, 8001 Zürich, phone 044 252 15 75, Tram 2,4 Opernhaus, Tram 11,15 Bahnhof Stadelhofen, Tram 5,8,9 Bellevue, S3,S5,S6,S7,S9,S12,S16,S18 Stadelhofen

Restaurant/Hotel Uto Kulm, Gratstrasse, 8143 Uetliberg, phone 044 457 66 66, S10 Uetliberg

Petermann's Kunststuben, Seestrasse 160, 8700 Küsnacht, phone 044 910 07 15, S6,S16 Küsnacht

Food Destinations: Zürich, Switzerland

maki — Thu, 18 May 2006 14:09:55 +0200

This is my entry for the Food Destinations event - a day late!

Introduction

Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland, and the center for banking and commerce. With a population of around 350,000 for the city proper, and about 1 million for the greater Zürich area, it's not a large metropolis by international standards, but it's certainly very cosmopolitan. The entire population of Switzerland itself is around 6 million, so you can see that Zürich is quite dominant population wise.

This is a city that flaunts its prosperity in a subtle yet quite emphatic way. From the moment you land at the airport in Kloten and work your way through the granite-clad, spotlessly clean corridors, you are surrounded by a very Swiss kind of luxury. Trains are always on time, and always impeccably clean. Crime is barely an issue. People pay for their groceries at the supermarket with CHF 500 (Swiss Francs - currently roughly US $400) bills and the cashiers don't bat an eye. The shop windows along the Bahnhofstrasse, the main street leading from the imposing Hauptbahnhof (main station) are filled with understated displays of astonishingly expensive watches and jewelry.

This means that eating out in Zürich can be rather expensive. However, there are still many ways to enjoy the rich variety of food that is available here without breaking the bank. It's quite easy to find an expensive and fairly good restaurant here, but for my Food Destinations essay for my adopted city of the last decade or so, I'm going to concentrate on some great non-restaurant food experiences, with just one exception. (Max will be covering the restaurant scene in more detail in his post.)

Practical notes for visitors:

Almost everyone speaks at least a little English, so you don't have to worry about communications. Swiss-German sounds nothing like regular German by the way!
As in most European cities, service is included in the bill at restaurants and cafés. Most people leave some small change when they pay.
All resturants have smoking and non-smoking areas, and now the trains are all non-smoking.
The best way to get around town is on the pretty blue-and-white trams. All the destinations I've listed are close to a tram stop. The easiest way to use the tram system is to get a Tageskarte, or Day Ticket - available from the ticket offices in the main station, or from any vending machine at the tram stops.
Add 0041 to the telephone number and omit the first 0 (e.g. if the number starts with 044, just dial 0041 44 etc.) if calling from overseas.

So, here are my chosen destinations, in no particular order.

Confiserie Sprüngli, Paradeplatz

Bahnhofstrasse 21, 8022 Zürich, phone 044 224 46 46 http://www.spruengli.ch
Trams: 2,6,7,8,9,11,13 to Paradeplatz

Paradeplatz is the center of the city. Several tram lines converge there, and it's surrounded by chic boutiques, popular restaurants and expensive hotels like the Savoy. Dominating one corner is the flagship store of Confiserie Sprüngli, a true Zürich institution.

A confiserie is a store that sells both sweet and savory items; pastries, cakes, chocolates, sandwiches, and even ice cream. (Incidentally, the German term Konditorei is not that often used here, even if this is the German speaking area of Switzerland.) Sprüngli sells all of these items in their always busy ground floor boutique. Whether you want a box of chocolate pralines or truffles, a small yet delicious sandwich, a selection of delicate savory nibbles made from buttery puff pastry, or a beautifully presented slice of cake, you can find it here. A couple of specialities include the Cru Sauvage truffle, made from a wild cacao bean that grows in Bolivia, and the Luxemburgerli, a tiny meringue sandwich with a flavored cream filling.

Upstairs is an elegant Edwardian-style decor café/tea room, where you can sample a slice, or two, of those irresistable cakes, or have a salad or hot dish for lunch. One speciality that may sound strange but is surprisingly delicious is a sort of deluxe bowl of Birchermeusli (the bowl of fibre-filled cereal goodness invented in Switzerland). The Sprüngli version is soaked in milk until it's soft and mushy, mixed with crushed berries, and optionally topped with cream. The tearoom gets very crowded from around lunchtime until 3 in the afternoon, especially on weekends. One impressive thing about Sprüngli is that no matter how busy and hectic it gets, the ladies who serve you are always cheerful and unruffled. You never get the kind of attitude here that you might get at Fauchon in Paris for example - and the pastries are just as good. It is, however, a bit pricey.

Incidentally, there are smaller Sprüngli stores all over the city, so if the main store is too crowded, try another one if you only want to buy something. There is a Sprüngli conveniently located at the airport, plus 3 in the Hauptbahnhof. The distinctive blue-and-white Sprüngli wrapping has a certain cachet, so if you need to bring a gift to a Swiss friend you can't go wrong with something from here.

Globus am Bellevue

Theaterstrasse 12, phone 044 266 16 30, http://www.globus.ch
Trams 2,4,5,8,9,11,15 to Bellevue or S-Bahn Stadelhofen (one stop from the Hauptbahnhof)

Unfortunately they didn't let me take any pictures here. Nevertheless, this branch of the Globus department store is a worthy stop for any foodie.

The three-story store located opposite the Zürisee (Lake Zürich) is totally dedicated to food. On the ground floor there is a casual restaurant serving a variety of foods such as Asian style noodle bowls. There's even a sushi bar, which for Switzerland is not too bad. (I don't pretend that sushi is great here.) The upper floor is dedicated to kitchen equipment and tableware; for a cook it's sort of like an Aladdin's cave of goodies. Much of it is rather upclass and modern; you won't find grandma's china patterns here, but you will find elegant pure-white dinner sets from Villeroy and Bosch, hammered iron pots from Japan, shocking pink silicon baking molds from Fauchon, stainless steel pots and kitchen gadgets from R&oouuml;sle, Sigg and WMF, and the like.

Finally, the basement is all about food and wine! The vegetables are impeccable and viciously expensive; there are several gourmet food counters (one for cheese, one for cured meats, one for fresh pasta, and so on), and a fairly comprehensive wine section. One good thing about this gourmet food basement is that there are lots of opportunities to taste and nibble. Tasting dishes of mustards and oils and vinegars and the like are laid out generously, and there's usually some sort of wine tasting going on. The other day for instance they were handing out handfuls of organic chocolate in one corner, and having a balsamic vinegar tasting in another.

An ideal summer afternoon is to put together a picnic lunch here and carry it over to the lake, to either eat on a bench or on the deck of a commuter boat (the boats are part of the city transportation system, so the fare included in your Day Pass.)

Barkat Lebensmittel

Birmensdorferstrasse 143, 8003 Zürich, phone 043 811 54 90
Trams 9,14, Bus 33, 67,76 to Schmiede Wiedikon

At first glance, Barkat looks like a rather scruffy cash-and-carry market...which it actually is. But look closer, and you see a microcosm of the multicultural community of Zürich.

Barkat is located on a busy street right opposite an ubiquitous Migros supermarket. (Migros dominates food shopping in Switzerland.) Outside there are boxes of cheap, mealy apples and 50 kilo sacks of onions. But inside, the vegetable aisles carry things like casava, plantains, a huge variety of herbs, Japanese style sweet potatoes with pinky-purple skins and white insides, and amazingly cheap shiitake and maitake mushrooms. This is where I encountered puntarelle for the first time, for example.

There are several boxes that are just labeled "Asiatiche Früchte/Gemüse" (Asian Fruit/Veg); I often have no idea what they are but it's fun to ask people or just try them out. In the back, there rows and rows of spices, legumes and rice from various lands, as well as snacks (tooth-achingly sweet Indian pastries, strudel from Croatia) and breads that you don't see in regular stores. There are some misses here (rubbery mystery cheese or flavorless mystery jam) but going to Barkat is always an interesting adventure. It's all quite inexpensive, which makes it even more fun.

Restaurant Zeughauskeller

Bahnhofstrasse 28a, 8003 Zürich, phone 044 211 26 90, http://www.zeughauskeller.ch
Trams: 2,6,7,8,9,11,13 to Paradeplatz

My only restaurant entry is not necessarily the best in the city, but it's a must-go-to if you want to sample typical traditional Swiss/regional cuisine. In the case of Zürich that means sausages and potatoes, most often in the form of rösti, a grated potato pancake. And one of the best places to have that kind of meal is at the Zeughauskeller, which is conveniently located on the Paradeplatz (diagonally opposite from Sprüngli).

A typical lunch at the Zeughauskeller - Wurst and Rösti.

The restaurant is big, and in the warm months there is plenty of seating outside too. The menu is pretty basic - sausages, cutlets, a couple of fish dishes, and salads. People do not come here if they are on a diet or after 'trendy' food: they come for the excellent sausages, beer on tap, and the friendly atmosphere. The decor is sort of refined-beer hall. Out of town visitors we take there love it, especially Americans. At lunchtime the tables are filled with the "Züri Gnomes"...a.k.a. the bankers. (See a bit more about the Zeughauskeller in Max's post.)

St. Jakob Confiserie

Badenerstrasse 41, 8004 Zürich, phone 241 41 41, http://www.st-jakob.ch/html/confiserie.php
Trams 2,3,8,9,14 to Stauffacher

This small exquisite confiserie opened fairly recently, on a busy street about 5 minutes from the Hauptbahnhof by tram. It's run by the St. Jakob Behindertenwerk, a charitable organization that provides employment to disabled people - so while you indulge yourself you are also contributing to a good cause...a plus-plus all around! The head confiseur here is a lady, and the store has a very feminine feel to it. Even the packaging is in spring shades of pink, green, blue and yellow.

The chocolate pralines and truffles here are all handmade and delectable, of course - I am especially fond of the peppermint truffles, which taste like rather upscale after-dinner mints. They also have a line of handmade Leckerli (a sort of spicy biscuit that is a speciality of Basel), gorgeous cakes and sandwiches. The only drawback is that they don't have anywhere to sit to sample their wares on-site. Prices here are a bit less expensive than at Sprüngli.

Spezialitätenmarkt im Hauptbahnhof (Speciality Market in the Main Station)

Hauptbahnhof Main Hall, Every Wednesday from 10:00 - 20:00, http://www.ltm.ch/index.php?site=content/sites/spezialitaetenmarkt

The main food market for the city is conveniently held right in the large main hall of the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), every Wednesday. Since it's all indoors there's no fear of battling bad weather all year round.

Approximately 50 or so stalls sell everything from beautiful organically grown produce to cured meats to potted plants to breads and pastries to jars of honey, preserves, various sauces, and much, much more. The stall holders come from all around Switzerland and surrounding areas like Italy and France. There are also a couple of stands selling hot food and cold drinks to eat at one of the provided picnic tables. This is a must-stop if you happen to be in town on a Wednesday.

H. Schwarzenbach Kolonialwaren, Kaffeerösterei, Tee-Café (Imported Dry Goods, Coffee Roaster, and Tea/Coffeehouse)

Münstergasse 19, 8001 Zürich, phone 044 261 13 15, http://www.schwarzenbach.ch
Trams 4,15 to Rathaus

My final entry is perhaps the most uniquely Zürich destination of all. Located right in the Altstadt (historic old town), Schwarzenbach has been in business as a exotic-foods store for 140 years, run by the same family. (Their web site says that all 5 bosses have been named Heinrich! The current owner is Heinrich the Fifth. He only has two daughters though, so maybe the next generation will break the Heinrich string...) The current Schwarzenbach mini-mall consists of the original Kolonialwaren (which literally means "wares from the colonies") on the right and a café on the left, with a humongous old coffee roaster in the middle. When they are roasting, the whole street is filled with the irresistable aroma.

The old Kolonialwaren store is the real draw however. The windows are filled with a surprisingly up-to-date assortment of foods: dried herbs and grains, pastas of all shapes and sizes, vinegars and oils. Inside, you're transported back to another time: shelves filled with jars and boxes, big glass containers full of candy; baskets of dried fruits. Nothing here is self-service - you must wait patiently in line for one of the quietly helpful and polite ladies to take your order. Amazingly though, the selection here just as big, if not bigger, than at the glitzy modern Globus. This is the place that I buy my favorite salt from Brittany, as well as organic rye flour and the best chocolate couveture (chocolate buttons for cooking) in town. And the coffee is well, amazing.

The little café next door is quite plain inside, but very relaxing. There is a big variety of coffees and teas to try, plus some delicious pastries. You can while away hours here in perfect contentment. It's a great place to rest your feet after exploring the many interesting shops in the Altstadt.

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