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| American Dream Cuisine™ |
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Buendner Stube
In Arosa, Switzerland
Receives |
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Merit -
Extraordinaire |
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4 Stars
& 5 Stripes for
Extraordinaire - Society Cuisine &
Service |
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The Ultimate Award:
Seven
Stars and Stripes ™ |
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Buendner Stube is located in a very quaint part
of the Tschuggen Grand Hotel and is known for its friendly atmosphere and
comfortable, casual Swiss style dining. We entered the restaurant and
immediately noticed the country décor remenicent of a mountain-side
Swiss chalet. It didn't take long to see two beautiful smiles approaching to
greet us in the traditional Swiss fashion with "Grütsie" (Hi) followed by
three kisses on the cheek. "Welcome to the Buendner Stube"! The words spoken in
perfect English came from Restaurant Manager Doris Huber. Along with her on the
greeting committee was server Jirapon from Thailand who spoke flawless
Switzerdeutsch.
The stage was set and we were escorted to our table
tucked away in a private corner next to a fabulous wine rack displaying at
least 40 or so wines from all over with the emphasis put on Swiss selections.
Jirapon, who was quite knowledgeable about Swiss tradition, offered us a
warm-up aperitif of Veurve Cliquot, Ponsardin Champagne to set
the mood while we examined the menu. A powerful dry Champagne with generous
flavors, it is a blend of 2/3 Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with 1/3 Chardonnay
offering alomond, honey and ginger essence.
To start, Jirapon suggested
that we step up to the extravagant salad bar that was stocked with
locally grown produce of every variety just bursting with fresh clean taste. Of
course the addition of freshly baked brown whole grain farm bread
decidedly pushed us to a completely new level of decision making. This was
followed by Buendner Gerstensuppe - Traditional Barley soup from the
Buendner Region - a hearty soup for a mountain region fortified with
Swiss air-dried beef (Buendnerfleisch) and cream with the addition of celery
root gives it the flavors that every skier craves after a day on the slopes.
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Main Course I:
- Roasted Pike-Perch
Fillet over Savoy Cabbage
- was my selection of locally caught river
fish, pan-seared to lock in the flavorful juices and then finished in the oven.
This is a very popular fish on Swiss and Austrian menus since it can be
prepared many different ways while still offering a clean wild taste.
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- 2000 Malanser
Blauburgunder, Thomas Studach, Malans-Graubuenden
- only the warm
southern Föhn wind allows Pinot Noir grapes to flourish in the area known
as the Bündner Herrschaft in Graubünden where this versatile wine is
made. I found it to be dry with not much wood, presenting red fruit notes of
cherry and strawberry in a light body. Totally suitable for this type of fish.
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Main Course II:
- Capons with 'Speck',
Landjager and Rohschinken
- Small very tender chicken breasts
combined with three types of pork specialties of the region. Speck is cured
pork flank; Landjager is a type of smoked jerky with a hint caraway;
Rohschinken is a typical air-dried smoked ham.
- 2001 Ambassadeur Fume,
Adrian Mathier, Salquenen-Wallis
is produced using a Gros Rhin grape
from the community of Chamoson, in western Switzerland. It is complex with
sharp tannins and a vanilla touch, which works well for the contrasting flavors
of aged meats and juicy capon.
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Dessert I:
- Plum Fritters with
Vinilla Sauce -
Little pockets of dough filled with plum butter and
served with a delightfully light Crème Anglese.
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Dessert II:
- Moscato d'Asti
Sorbet Rose with Fried Strawberries and caramel sauce -
A sweet
sorbet with citrus overtones working well with donut -like fried dough stuffed
with fresh strawberries with caramel sauce for dipping.
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- 2002 Moscato d'Asti
"Cascinetta" - Schaumwein Vietti, Castiglione Falletto -
From just
over the Italian border in Piemonte, this ideal dessert wine has a slight
sparkle and deliveres flavors of honey and wild-flowers in a medium bodied
structure with light to golden straw hues.
We were truly impressed with the
quality and ambiance of the Buendnerstube Restaurant and worked our way past
some of the Swiss decorations to pause briefly for a picture of my wife Phyllis
next to a pair of ancient looking skis. I doubt if she would ever attempt to
use them under any circumstances since her idea of a vacation is somewhere
warm. The warmth in this locale was undeniable and started with the traditional
greeting and lasted until the last bite. This will be a place of comfort and
sanctuary for many years to come! |
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Doris Huber, John Lomitola and
Jirapon |
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As a final farwell, Doris
suggested a couple of glasses of Etter Himbergeist, Paul Etter,
Zug - which reminded me of a firey grappa when if fact it is the
distilled fruit and pulp of fermented raspberries, thus producing a pronounced
berry aroma.
We toasted to our new friendship and the hospitality of
the Swiss with their long tradition of proud self-reliance and friendliness
towards travelers. |
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by
Phillys & John Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme
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