Kempinski and Four Seasons

Thinking of visiting a five star hotel for teatime? You might consider Four Seasons, the hotel's menu boasts an impressive selection of teas and you can also order their sinfully delicious (if rather expensive) chocolate chip cookies. Once you bite into a cookie, you'll probably find the texture to be somewhat cakey, but they're still very good.

Geneva's Kempinski Hotel is probably one of the very few places in the city that will serve you a Reuben sandwich. Exciting, isn't it? Sure. That is until you see it and compare it to a Reuben you might get in any other self-respecting establishment in the world.

Pictured below: the Four Seasons' teatime chocolate chip cookies followed by Kempinski's Reuben sandwich.





Thought I'd also add the kind of Reuben you're probably more accustomed to seeing just for kicks:



Photo credit: Ernesto Andrade

Capocaccia

I'm not a big fan of the ubiquitous Panini. But then again what passes for panini these days is nothing like the real thing. On a recent visit to Capocaccia, I got a chance to sample their pressed sandwiches which I found tasty and fresh, but of course, this is Geneva, and tasty and fresh comes at a price...

Pictured below: a bresaola and goat cheese panini.

Relais de l'Entrecôte

Le Relais de l'Entrecôte is probably one of Geneva's most famous restaurants, but believe it or not I had never been there until a few weeks ago. It is important to note the establishment will be relocating as of 2013 so if you want to get a taste of their famous rib-eye steak in their current location, now is your chance to do so!

Different yet authentic

Do you like Bolognese sauce? Do you order it when you go to Italian restaurants? If you do, chances are you're not getting an authentic Bolognese experience, what you are getting is probably spaghetti drowned in a meat sauce. The authentic recipe, on the other hand calls for much less sauce so the pasta remains the true star of the dish and a wider pasta than spaghetti such as tagliatelle because it does a better job holding on to the sauce.

One restaurant that does tend to respect tradition and serves an authentic bolognese is Luigia -- and yes, those of you who've read some of my previous posts will probably know that I'm quite partial to that particular establishment. And I have to say, their bolognese is yet another dish I am quite fond of even though I do order it with spaghetti -- big no-no...

Pictured below: Luigia's spaghetti bolognese.



According to Wikipedia, the authentic recipe calls for the following ingredients:

• 300 g beef cartella (thin beef skirt)
• 150 g pancetta, dried
• 50 g carrot
• 50 g celery stalk
• 50 g onion
• 5 spoons tomato sauce or 20 g triple tomato puree
• 1 cup (250 mL) whole milk
• Half cup of still, dry white or dry red wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste

The milk definitely gives it great taste and texture and makes it a much richer dish than we typically get when we order bolognese on a night out in Geneva.

Cittadella

It would seem that small side streets that you could easily miss if you didn't chance upon them are often home to some of the finest restaurants. Indeed, Cittadella, a tiny Italian restaurant located in such a street in the Old Town is an absolute gem! While the food does tend to be on the expensive side, it is simply delicious, definitely worth trying at least once. They seem to make their own bread, which is always a good sign in my book, and the gnocchi is easily the best I've had in Geneva.

Pictured below: a wonderful scallop and grilled vegetable starter, fresh-baked bread and a shrimp pesto gnocchi dish.

La Ferme

If you happen to be in Onex and you're craving a HUGE pizza, then La Ferme is the place to go! I doubt you'll be able to finish it!

Pictured below: a margherita pizza.

Sofram

When most people think Turkish food in Geneva, they probably think of a kebab sandwich, but that's not what you'll be getting if you sit down to a meal at Sofram's, a small Turkish restaurant located in Servette. The food is tasty and fresh.

Pictured below: an assortment of Turkish appetizers followed by one of their signature dishes, köfte with a side of bulgur and vegetables.

Shogun

Shogun, yet another Eaux-Vives located restaurant, is considered to be one of the best Japanese places these days. The food is indeed fresh and tasty, their sushi certainly doesn't disappoint, and their seaweed salad is simply excellent!

Pictured below: a sushi platter.

Il Mirto

Il Mirto is an Italian restaurant located in Eaux-Vives. It's a little fancier than your typical Italian fare and in fact, the restaurant doesn't even serve pizza. Instead, it offers a unique selection of appetizers and various pasta, meat and fish dishes.

I definitely enjoyed their food and the atmosphere and would gladly go back.

Pictured below: Burrata and grilled vegetables followed by a squid and artichoke starter, a crayfish pasta dish and finally a scrumptious panna cotta dish.

American Food Avenue

I know that some of this blog's visitors are Genevan residents originally from the US and that they sometimes feel a little homesick. And of course one of the things people are most likely to miss when they're away from home, is the food they grew up eating! If you're experiencing similar feelings and aren't planning a visit home just yet, perhaps you can pay a visit to American Food Avenue located in the heart of Cologny to grab some of your favorite comfort food from back home!

If American food is what you're in the market for, Geneva actually offers a couple of choices, but right now, my preference goes to American Food Avenue simply because they are reasonably priced and very friendly, even though they don't enjoy the central location some of their competitors do. I would, however, recommend actually going to the store rather than ordering online just because I've hardly ever heard any good stories about ordering food online, so I tend to be very distrustful of the practice altogether.

In any case, feel free to check out the links below:

Website: http://www.afoodave.ch/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/afoodave