Switzerland

Alpenkräuter Restaurant Bären – Wengen’s One and Only?

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Ziggy

I mentioned in the last Zermatt post, the struggles of finding good eats in mega touristy destinations. In picture perfect, car free Wengen, the challenge was similar. I got bored with researching food here fairly quickly. In fact I spent more time researching Basque Country, our next destination. Hence, I was winging it, or Wenging it if you will, more than usual.

Bären earns the distinction of being possibly the only place, in over 30+ years of travel, we ate in twice, other than one country we used to frequent. It’s not that Alpenkräuter Restaurant Bären, as it’s listed on Google, was flawless. Its just that after researching, trying a few others, and the first meal at Bären, it became clear that the probabilities of finding something better was very low.

Compared to the other places we tried, Bären felt like a real, well functioning, busy restaurant. Even though it’s inside a hotel, it didn’t feel like a hotel restaurant, unlike one place in the Belvedere we tried on our second night. It felt like a decent size family restaurant with elevated cooking. Daughter and mom run the front, dad cooks. And the entire hotel/restaurant is surrounded by their garden where they get much of the ingredients.

On both nights we enjoyed their exceptional soups, especially the creamy herb soup. And on both nights we enjoyed their superb salad. The older I get, the more I appreciate a good varied salad. A special of Halibut one night, was expertly cooked. A saddle of Lamb on another was another flavor packed winner. Tagliatelle, one of their specialties was fine, not great, but the kind of dish we appreciated after eating so much rustic fair.

The only miss was really the burger, a seemingly popular dish here. There’s a reason why you rarely see pulled beef on menus anywhere in the world. It just doesnt work, and it didnt work here. Besides not being better than a regular burger, it wasnt easy to eat.

Fantastic desserts, drinks, and friendly service on both nights. Prices are fair, for Switzerland. They really figured us Americans out. Many appetizers at around 19.50 seem fair. Add 1 or 2 more to go over 20 and oh boy, quite expensive 😉

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: Alpenkräuter Restaurant Bären, Switzerland, Travel, Wengen | 2 Comments

And What is This? This is Gruyères

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Ziggy

I’ll explain the Borat title later, but first… You know that Gruyeres cheese you get in the US supermarkets? Any idea where it comes from? Yep, you guessed it, Wisconsin! Notice the spelling without the grave accent over the ‘e’. The only other difference between the Swiss Gruyères and the American Gruyeres is everything. It can be a totally different cheese, and American has to have holes or eyes in it. Who to blame for this mess? The French, and Swiss. But mostly the French.

The US courts including the appeal court recently ruled against the Swiss request to register Gruyères due to its generic nature in the US. When you import so many different kinds of Gruyeres from various parts of Europe, some with holes, some without, it eventually becomes generic to the Americans. In France, not only Gruyères is made for generations, but the Gruyères region is bigger than Champagne. And to complicate things further, France registered their version with the EU before Switzerland. The difference between the French Gruyères and Swiss, for your next cocktail party conversation: French, just like the US, has holes. Swiss, no holes.

But I’m here to tell you about the town Gruyères, not so much the cheese. That’s an Educating With Ziggy bonus. I’m only beginning to scratch the Switzerland surface and so far I’m discovering an unusual amount of fairy tale villages scattered all over the country. Gruyères is tiny. Mostly a small wide street that takes a couple of minutes to walk from one end to another, but you want to spend hours doing so. Google says there’s a whopping 1k or so residents living here

Château de Gruyères, the main attraction here is more attractive than more popular castles we’ve seen in Switzerland. The garden especially was stunning, with an incredible array of flowers. Good and bad news for me. The good is that Mrs Z really appreciated this. The bad is that Mrs Z really appreciated this. That meant spending more time there than I hoped on an empty stomach.

There’s a tradition here that started by the Bovy family in the 1800’s to invite artists and even set up artist colonies in the castle. When we went, there was a weird contemporary exhibition. Hard to appreciate something where you have to guess the message. Like a video of three guys digging holes in the ground.

The other big attraction here is the fondue. Maybe I should have recorded the process of me eating it and send to the Château. I was skeptical as I didnt like the fondue we had earlier in Wengen. But this was much better. In Wengen the cheap white wine was more prevalent, while here it was the glorious cheese. Two cheeses in fact as this was the signature Moitié-Moitié, “half and half”. Half Gruyères, half Vacherin Fribourgeois

And a nice cheese and meat board since we clearly didn’t get enough cured meat and cheese from all the hotel breakfasts. All this was at Fleur de Lys btw because they were on the shaded side of the street. Thats not how I usually choose my restaurants but couldn’t help it in this case.

The town itself is a gem. Besides the Castle and the Fondue you also got the HR Giger Museum to satisfy your Alien sex fetish. Giger was an artist whose work often combined human anatomy and machinery. He won an Oscar for his design of the creature in Alien. Much of the work in the museum is not suitable for children. Also check out the Giger Bar across the street.

As for the title. If you are a Borat fan, you probably already know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIRcpknXy3A

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: Gruyères, Gruyères Switzerland, Gruyeres, Travel, travel+photography | Leave a comment

Zermatt – the Good, the Great, and the Ugly

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Ziggy

The car free Zermatt village is one of those bucket list destinations I didnt know I have. I will save the why for another post, but what I can tell you now is that no pictures or videos can prepare you, especially if you get lucky with clear sunny days. The only challenge in such a touristy place was finding decent meals. There’s not a whole lot of reliable info out there. The end result was a mixed bag with only one strong recommendation, but all considering not too bad.

The Good

Alphitta – If you are like me, one who cares mostly about the food, and less about the setting, take a short preference break here. Yes, add Alphitta due to the setting, not so much the food. The walk to it alone sets the mood, and the direct view of the Matterhorn is priceless. The food is good enough. It’s an extremely eclectic menu trying to please tourists from all parts of the world. So whether you have curry, crispy pork belly, pasta, or whatever, it probably wont be the best rendition you ever had, but more than acceptable. Just skip the terrible goat cheese salad unless you prefer overly fruity dressings.

The North Wall – Being a pizza snob in NYC is a blessing and a curse. When we travel, the rare times we have pizza, I almost always expect mediocrity. While the dough at The North Wall can use some work, the Neapolitan(ish) pies are fairly solid, and satisfying overall. Especially considering its made in a gas oven by ~~Brits~~ not Italian.

The Great

Restaurant Waldhaus – I think the best tip for Zermatt is to simply keep walking up toward the south side. By the time you’ll reach Restaurant Waldhaus and a few others in the area like Sonnmatten, you’ll be out of breath but well outside tourist trap central. If you are looking for finer dining, perhaps Sonnmatten would be a better choice, as Waldhaus is as rustic as it gets.

The food is quite rustic as well. The highlights early on were the special of the day, chanterelles, sautéed with a curry sauce and came on top of their salad (or pasta if you prefer). Solid dry rubbed ribs, and meatloaf. A special of liver with risotto (top pic) was another highlight. From the sweets we especially liked the hot apricot cake in a clay pot. All with direct view of the majestic Matterhorn.

Gelato Italiano – The prize after each hike. Other than the apricot, superb gelato throughout. Try the Malaga if you like rum raisin or the cherry.

The Ugly

Grampi’s – Gets generally good reviews but the biggest disappointment in Zermatt. One of those places that feels very touristy including the menu. Everything from the Vitello Tonnato, pastas, to the Tiramisu was just a poor imitation of the real thing. Think Costco Tiramisu. The ribs may have been the only decent thing but not the same caliber as Waldhaus. Our waiter somehow just knew. He kept asking if everything was alright while checking my reaction Larry David style.

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: Alphitta Zermatt, food, Restaurant Waldhaus Zermatt, Travel, Zermatt, Zermatt Dining | 2 Comments

Lucerne Random

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Ziggy

Just some of the poor quality photos I took in Lucerne, while munching on pretzels and schnitzel sandwiches. But first, some tips.

No need to stay in Lucerne central. Check out Hotel Balm in Meggen, especially if you appreciate a good hotel restaurant.

Lucerne itself requires half a day to see, even at slow pace.

For meals, besides the Balm hotel, check out Landgasthof Rössli, and Weisses Schloss. All popular with locals.

Sunday is the worst day to walk around Lucerne on an empty stomach

One reason to stay in Meggen is to see the spectacular Meggenhorn castle, missed by 99% of tourists.

All nearby mountain visits will be forgettable if you plan on Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen, etc but Rigi is pretty cool.

A crazy but memorable outside the box day trip with a car: Rhine Falls, Schaffhausen, Stein am Rhein.

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: Lucerne, Travel, travel+photography | Leave a comment

Three Gems in Montreux / Vevey

Posted on September 7, 2025 by Ziggy

Minutes apart, the towns of Montreux and Vevey, on the east side of Lac Léman, aka just dont you dare call it Lake Geneva on this side, compliment each other very well. Montreux got a stunning promenade, while Vevey adds a picturesque old town. If you are staying in a hotel, the Riviera card will provide you easy access to both. You also got the mesmerizing Chillon Castle, and a world class museum, Chaplin’s World nearby, not to mention a stunning wine region. Which means staying for at least three days is ideal. Hence, according to my calculations, you need three meals. I cant say these names will rock your world, as these towns are not exactly culinary destinations. But solid options nonetheless.

Chez Nocente (Vevey)

The amount of Italian eateries all over Switzerland is astonishing. But rarely you come across one that is actually run by an Italian. In this case a Brindisi, Puglia native. The place itself is adorable as I found it by chance the day before we ate there. Smartly furnished, with Italian movie stars, and Pugliese stuff like Trulli displayed throughout. And chances are, you will be the only tourist there.

Start with a glass of Roero-Arnais. Leave the local wine for other establishments. Consider their elaborate salads, eggplant lasagna, and Mozzarella with various pestos. Finish with the pastas like ravioli stuffed with eggplant and scarmozza, and/or the special of the day. I’m on the fence about the Orecchiette with sausage here, but some of the group liked it.

La Table de Montreux

Stylish, Italianish, localish joint, in the center of Montreux. This is where you get your Entrecôte fix. Quality beef arrives sliced, sitting on a hot stone if you want to cook longer (you dont). This is also where we got the best bread of the two week trip. Pizza bread. If its any indication, the pizzas here are solid as well. Finish with the just about perfect, Tiramisu.

Du Pont (Montreux)

If I had to pick one meal, this would be it. Located in the old town, not the most picturesque to be honest. Quite a hike to get up there… for our Uber driver. Quick and easy 10 minute walk down. By the time we left, Du Pont was buzzing with locals. And it’s always amazing to me how in so many European restaurants one person often older than me, runs the entire front with ease.

Enjoy the light, seafoody terrine du leman that comes with a sizeable salad, and/or the Caesar. A top notch beef tartare as good if not better than places we enjoyed in France. But the crème de la crème was the Cocotte Poluet Morelles. Succulent chicken tenders with creamy sauce and morels cooked in a Dutch oven.

Happy Travels.

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: Chez Nocente Vevey, Du Pont Montreux, food, La Table de Montreux, Travel | Leave a comment

This is Wengen

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Ziggy

Like an alcoholic in a distillery. That’s how I felt when I got off the train in this car free Swiss mountain village, and started walking. The main road is like a red carpet leading to your hotel. It took over 3 hours to get there from Lucerne, but it felt more like a year since thats how long I anticipated this. It’s a bucket list item I never knew I had.

Wengen isnt as posh and famous as Interlaken, Lucerne and the rest of them. It has one 5 star hotel (Belvedere) that recently opened, and sticks out like a sore thumb among all the wooden chalets. It will be a shame if more opened. Says the food blogger that had dinner at the Belvedere one night. It was in the name of research of course. For the children.

Not only you can easily spend 4 nights in Wengen, but make that your minimum. Take the cable car to Männlichen and hike to Kleine Scheidegg and Fallbodensee. On another day, see the other side of the valley (Mürren, Schilthorn, Gimmelwald). Save the rainy day to Thun and the mesmerizing Lake Thun. In destinations as such you need to have some cushion in case of bad weather.

Listen to uncle Ziggy (instead of say my main competitor Travel + leisure that recommends the Belvedere). Stay in Alpenruhe. The hospitality and attention to detail by the young couple running the place is tough to match. The views from the third floor, and the top notch breakfasts are reasons enough.

And might as well have all your meals at Alpenkräuter Restaurant Bären. We haven’t tried many, but this one is quite popular with the locals and the only one that felt like a well functioning, real restaurant, as opposed to a tourist trap or a hotel restaurant. Even though it is in fact inside a hotel.