Restaurant Schönau, Erlenbach

Gazpacho

Guess what this is and pat yourself on the back

I was on my way to soccer practice and wanted to try out a place on the Seestrasse heading out of Zurich towards Rapperswil. There are some nice places around and I landed at the Restaurant Schönau. Beautiful location on the lake, it was warm and nice weather, you could even go there by using the regular boat service on the lake of Zurich. I got a crappy table (understandable since I didn’t have a reservation and was on my own), but since I was reading preoccupied reading the local tabloid I didn’t mind. Knowing that I had to run after some strikers and sweep them off their legs in another hour I opted for a rather light dinner. To get me started I chose a Gazpacho. The presentation was beautiful, minimal and non fussy. I really liked it, although not as much as the one at the Hiltl, since this one was lacking sauteed scallions. The real killer though was the main course. Check out the picture, what the hell is going on ? Are we back in the 1980s? Who knows, maybe the cook learned his handicraft while listening to Like a Virgin and Billie Jean. If my wife (not-existing and not taking any applications to the great despair of the swiss female population) were to cook a meal like that, I’d smile dearly and tell her I’d love her. If I was a restaurant owner I’d hit my chef with the mallet used to flatten Schnitzels. The name of the dish is “Schönau Ravioli”. It’s described as Ravioli with veal, mortadella, fennel seeds served with a light butter sauce and old Balsamico. I didn’t taste much of the fennel seeds and I wasn’t too keen on the mortadella – veal combination. The foamy part doesn’t warrant an even longer description. All in all it’s a beautiful place to go for dinner with people you’d like to impress, enjoy the view and drinks, forget the Ravioli. A bit pricier, but it’s worth paying the premium for the location.

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