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| American Dream
Cuisine™ |
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La
Brezza Restaurant
Hotel Eden Roc |
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| In
Ascona, Switzerland receives |
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Society |
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6 Stars
& 6 Stripes
Cuisine & Service |
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The Ultimate
Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes™ |
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There's great news coming out of Ascona on the banks
of the beautiful azure Lago Maggiore in southern Switzerland. Hotel Eden Roc
has done it again and proven that its stature as luxury playground for those
who insist on nothing but the best in service, hospitality and cuisine is
justified. The Eden Roc, led by General Manager Daniel Ziegler and his highly
trained staff, has moved into the rarefied position of earning another stripe
for its already proven track record. It now means that with 6 Stars and 6
Stripes, the Eden Roc Hotel is only within one star of "World Class
Perfection".
The Seven Stars and Stripes Global Award team recently had
the privilege to return to the premises for update review of this fabulous
all-encompassing resort and at the behest of Mr. Ziegler, literally "to look
into every corner and around every turn". The original visit in 2003 resulted
in awarding a very high level of perfection on this grandiose and stately
establishment. |
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| In particular, the La Brezza
Restaurant at the Hotel Eden Roc has set new standards by raising the bar to
lead by example on the cutting edge of the Nouveau European Cuisine. Under the
tutelage of Executive Chef Rolf Krapf La Brezza has managed to produce the same
consistent satisfying experience for all who are lucky enough to discover,
experience and to dine. Chef Krapf also takes a personal interest in the
service and presentation of his unique creations, thereby guaranteeing a true
reflection of his committed passion for his cuisine. |
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Thorsten Piosczyk & Rolf Krapf |
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“La Brezza is an oasis at the Lago Maggiore. Artistry is
evidenced
in the kitchen of Krapf, he'll keep us writing." ~ TP |
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| At the behest of GM Mr. Zeigler, Our Global Awards
team discovered, experienced and ate their way through umpteen courses of
delectable superbly concocted original creations produced by the La Brezza
dream team. After all, Chef Krapf is also approaching the equally prestigious
"16 Chef Hats" award from Gault Millau and this gastronomic marathon only
reaffirmed the Chef's adherence to our own unique set of rigorous criteria.
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We began our evening with
heightened anticipation as to the ‘new order’ of surprises in store
for us on this memorable occasion. After being seated, my normally pragmatic
spirit at once focused with ease on the tranquil effect of the panoramic views
through to the mesmerizing Lago Maggiore. Two glasses of Laurent Perrier
Champagne were thrust in front of my dream-like apparition and I eagerly
savored their fine golden straw colored mousse. Knowing full well that only the
finest grapes from the best vintages are utilized, I was pleased with the broad
spectrum of citrus scents and delicate nose that characterize this consistently
pleasing champagne. |
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"Two glasses of Laurent Perrier Champagne were thrust in front of my
dream-like
apparition and I eagerly savored their fine golden straw colored
mousse." ~ TP |
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Our attention now shifted as the beautiful first
course arrived for us to sample. Beef Carpaccio with Provencal
Vegetables was the opening salvo and we took special note of the
wafer-thin, lightly marbled ruby colored slices of beef. It became immediately
obvious to us that Chef Krapf indulges in only the finest products available to
him at any given time and works his magic through the artful attention given to
each preparation. This was also true of the Smoked
Salmon with Fresh Garden Salad and Eggplant Salsa. |
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| I was further amazed by the
melt-in-your mouth quality of the salmon coupled with the tantalizing hint of
apple wood smoke. My level of satisfaction seemed to elevate with every moment
spent savoring each bite. Our good fortune of coinciding this visit to La
Brezza with the beginning of spring provided us with powerful tasting examples
of this early harvest including fresh locally grown asparagus. Poached St.
Peter’s Fish Rouladen over Fresh Glazed Green Asparagus offered
flavors bursting with spring’s freshness by careful steaming and
co-mingling with the delicate, subtleness of the fish. |
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For the moment it was appropriate to dive into
the attractive arrangement of fresh house made breads sitting at the center of
the table. Chef Krapf’s team produces its own bread from scratch
specializing in whole grain varieties of wheat, barley and oatmeal. It was the
‘laugen brot’ (barley bread) that caught my eye covered with
‘mohn’ or poppy seeds. It seemed to go well with the soft subtle
lemony flavor of the terrific Greek olive oil placed on the table by the server
as soon as he saw me reaching for the ‘staff of life’. As we dug
deeper into the pile of bread, our photographer Arno shouted “Speck
Brot!” (Smoked bacon bread) and quickly stuffed a sizeable piece into
mouth with paprika butter before I could react. |
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Our dutiful server placed a
fine bottle of Bianco D’Oro Kerner Terreni alla Maggia, Ascona
directly in front of us and announced that this local gem of a wine would serve
as our mainstay beverage to get us through the next course. We tipped the glass
to our nose and noticed the intense bouquet of apple blossoms while observing
its light green and yellow hue. This event brought forth the main courses of
Roasted
Sea Bream over Braised Artichokes and Spring Vegetables for Arno and
for me Roasted Brazilian Beef on Eggplant and Zucchini Picatta.
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To make sure that the pronounced flavors of the
Brazilian beef were dutifully accommodated, a bottle of Quattromani Merlot
Brivio, Delea, Gialdi, Tamborini was suggested as the accompaniment to this
extroverted creation. This wine was literally born out of the ‘hands’
of four individuals of noteworthy winemaking distinction named on the label.
While taking two years to develop and by using only the best grapes from each
of the four vineyards, the results added up to a well structured deep red wine
with dried fruit permeating throughout showing notes of dark chocolate and
smoke. Seven Stars & Stripes Tip: Don’t miss this wine; it is truly an
outstanding innovation.
It is evident that Chef Krapf and his team have
taken great pains to focus on the well-crafted but little known wines of Ticino
and have designed their original recipes to pair exceptionally well with them.
With our main courses having been cleared from the table, Chef Krapf was now
positioned to present the grand finale with the opening salvo being the rather
large cheese wagon slowly approaching the table. Certainly in keeping with the
tradition of emphasizing local products, La Brezza offers an astonishing
selection of regional fresh and aged cheeses combined with an assortment of
fresh and dried fruits. Our personal favorite was an ash covered fresh goat
cheese laced with black truffles and a particularly sharp hunk of 3-year-old
local Parmigiano.
All in all, our return this year to
La
Brezza and encountering the talents of its innovative Executive Chef proved
to us once again that creativity, consistency and elegance reign while
providing a solid foundation for a great culinary experience in a unique
environment. |
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"Hotel Eden Roc has done it again and proven that its stature as
luxury playground for
those who insist on nothing but the best in service,
hospitality and cuisine is justified." ~ TP |
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by
Thorsten Piosczyk & Arno Goudschaal
Editor-in-Chief: John
Lomitola
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