$30
San Lorenzo has become one of
Rome's trendy neighborhoods, and Uno
e Bino seems expressive of the youthful brio of the area, otherwise
teeming with pizzerias and beer bars. It's small, with just 14
tables, and smoking is - grazie dio! - forbidden. The
food goes
beyond the usual Roman fare, with novel dishes full of spice and
seasonings. Succulent lamb sits atop fried artichokes, shrimp comes
with a tomato aspic, and beef is braised slowly. You must try the
tasting of five chocolate desserts.
ZURICH
LE PAVILLION
Ermitage Am See, 80 Seestrass, Küsnacht; 011-41-1-914-4242
$85
Just outside town and set against the beauty of the lake, Ermitage
Am See is a jewel-like boutique hotel, and now, with
chef Edgar
Bovier providing a touch of Niçoise flavors in dishes like roasted
scampi with fennel, arugula, and sun-dried tomatoes; cream of
chickpea soup with sautéed calamari in a sauce bouillabaisse; and
suckling pig with potato purée and sweet-sour sauce, Le Pavillon
has happily won its first
Michelin star. This is
Switzerland, so
not to indulge in chocolate is unwise. Have the warm fudgelike
chocolate moëlleux with melon, ginger, and mint, or the bittersweet
chocolate millefeuille with strawberries. The premises, once a
farmhouse, have a country-style posh.
Barometer
16 Glockengasse; 011-41-1-211-5665
$35
A new hot spot in a historic downtown stone building, Barometer
seems to be taking a reading on
Zurich's young professionals who
come to sit here in close, tidy quarters to feast at moderate
prices on the kinds of dishes that come from Switzerland's three
cantons: salmon saltimbocca with cabbage, roast dorado with orange
juice and sage oil, and breast of duck with spätzle and olive
tapenade. The restaurant has its own wine label for Swiss bottlings
of Pinot Noir, Petite Arvine, and Syrah from the Valais.
MADRID
LA BROCHE