I’ve never been much of a fan of good ole American apple pie. As a matter of fact it is one of my least favorite desserts. However, the people here really know how to do wondrous things with apple… and it doesn’t stop at streusel.

At one of the restaurants that line the Rhine in Basel, Spillman, they serve “Apfel Küchli.” This is a battered and fried apple dessert similar to a stuffed doughnut. The most appealing part to me is that the apples are not cooked entirely (as in the US, they are often mushy when in desserts) so the apples are tart and tangy. Wonderful! As with any other good apple treat in this Germanic region, it is served with a vanilla sauce that will have you wondering what the big deal is with chocolate sauce. Typically after eating my dessert I continue spooning up the remainder of the vanilla sauce—it is that good!

Labels: basel, dinning out

Sweet Dreams and Goodnite

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After reading Balehoo's favorable review of Caffé-Restaurant zum Schmale Wurf I decided to try it myself. It certainly doesn't hurt that it is right down the street! I went for lunch, but it looks as though they have one menu for both lunch and dinner. Don't forget to ask for or read the chalkboard for the daily specials... which are pasta dishes that come with either a soup or salad.
The service staff does not speak much English..which is good and forces me to work on my terrible German. After a question about a dish's ingredient that couldn't be answered by the wait staff the chef came out to try to help. At which time we discovered that the chef is from southern Italy. (My dinning partner is fluent in Italian)The concept of the restaurant is for the chef to do dishes that best represent the various regions of Italy and additionally a few dishes that blend Italian and German style pastas.
I was quite pleased and incredibly stuffed. So far, in my Swiss experience, service particularly in bars and restaurants has been pretty poor. The service staff here was an exception. They were quick, friendly and eager to wait on us. Most dishes on the menu were in the $20CHF range with a few specialties up to $35CHF. A great deal considering the size of the portions.

I ordered a German style pasta noodle in a white wine sauce with cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. My guy ordered a spicy spagetti. Both of us also had the tomato soup... and I must say, this 'aint your grandma's tomato soup. Very nice, very rich and certainly as homemade as the pasta!





They also have a large dinning area outside along the Rhine... I can only imagine how lovely it must be in the spring. As it was a sunny Fall day, there were still plenty of locals and tourists mingling outside.

Labels: basel, dinning out, switzerland

Sweet Dreams and Goodnite

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Move over Berliner, there is a new specialty pastry in town! I have had Berliners occasionally over the past few years. They are basically the better than average jelly filled doughnut. When walking Mo from the vet this morning, I saw a Backeri that looked particularly good and decided to try a "Basler." You know, the whole when in Rome...
It could have been hard and crunchy and dry, but oh no it was delicious! Pure deliciousness.

It is generally like a long cinnamon bun, with a soft moist center and more well done edges. The inside has a squishy almond paste and the entire thing is topped with roasted sugar rolled almonds. Ah, heaven!
Needless to say, you must like almonds for this pastry, but if you do, then I highly recommend it.

Labels: basel, dinning out, switzerland

Sweet Dreams and Goodnite

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