Hey guys, today I'm writing about one of my favorite dinner experiences of all time! While at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo in late August, we ate at one of the GHT's best restaurants, L'Escale. It was a great all-around restaurant and it was very unique getting to cook my own food. While many restaurants have similar experiences available, I doubt many are up to par with L'Escale. Our family reserved a table for 6pm. We went down to the lobby and it was beautiful outside. It's amazing how picturesque this freaking lake is.

While so much of the restaurant's seating is located on the lobby's floor, L'Escale is located on just a few steps below. This however didn't sacrifice an ounce of the lake's beauty :). We were seated right near the banister, the table itself was quite cool. It had a huge glass surface with barrels full of corkscrews supporting it. Very appropriate due to the restaurant's huge wine collection. Our server came around and offered an amuse bouche, a delicious pear soup. We also ordered a nice bottle of Italian white wine.

Soon after, menus were brought to the table. There were so many choices, I was stuck between the cheese fondue and meat barbecue. After being forced to make a decision, they brought out the table-top grill to cook on. The meat and additional condiments were also brought out, the minuscule amount of prep time was a big positive. I was wowed by the smorgasbord that was brought out. Each of us participating got a palate of various meats and vegetables as well as communal spices and condiments. They literally had spices from every corner of the world - Cyprus, Australia, the UK, and the islands of Hawaii - as well as sauces from aioli to Japanese wasabi. Thoroughly impressive.

I started cooking soon after. While it was very exciting, you have to be especially careful to fully cook the meat as to not contract some type of food poisoning. For someone like me who is especially a germ-a-phobe, this can be cause a little bit of anxiety. Although, it was not to stress-inducing and the excitement well trumped the bit of anxiety. It was actually not too hard to tell if the meat was undercooked, especially thanks to the necessary cooking oil they provide you with. It was fun to try different combinations of spices and sauces. My favorite meats consisted of the lambchops and the steak. The grilled peppers also were delicious. My father got the cheese fondue, it was very well executed. I had some of the fondue because, how could I resist? ;) Again, very tasty.

I cooked all my food and was quite fulfilled. Thank god that the portions were appropriate because I imagine it could be easy to fill up with so many different cuts of meat. Our server offered dessert menus soon after we finished up. Just like all their different types of barbeques, they also had tons of desserts! I loved the dessert shot glasses, full of everything from mousse to tiramisu. I had the tiramisu and also shared some of the chocolate fondue. Both were mouth watering. I also got a chance to explore the restaurant, it was quite interesting. I'm sure in their main room they must have hundreds of bottles of wine!

Overall it was a great meal, both in food quality and experience. Definitely my favorite restaurant at the hotel. Thanks for reading, Sam.

Experiences

Cooking My Own Dinner