Our experience staying at Hotel Edelweiss on the Rigi
We stayed and dined at the Hotel Edelweiss on the Rigi on the occasion of Matthias’ birthday in May 2020. As we arrived in the early afternoon we went for a walk and looked at the herbal garden of the hotel. The evening was a truly special occasion. The service was excellent, the decor intimate and romantic. Every course was a creative surprise. It was most likely the best 9-course menu we’ve ever tasted. Read more about our experiences dining at Kräuterhotel Edelweiss below.
About the Hotel: Modern superior rooms with a view
There are 2 types of rooms. The classic room is a standard room as it can be found in many Swiss hotels. We took the superior room and it was the right choice. Modern chairs and a lot of wood are the characteristics of this room. And they come – to my pleasure – without a carpet. We both found the bed to be very comfortable. We put our stuff done and went for a walk. We had a look at the hotel’s own garden. Most of the herbs used in the kitchen are from this garden. We went to our rooms and got ready for the night’s 9-course fine dining menu.
The starters: Pastrami on a clothesline, pralines “Coq au vin” and false oysters
With the aperitif, we were served three different appetizers. The first one was herb chips and pastrami hanging from a “clothesline”. With it various herbs in a loosely spun alp butter, lard with herbs, and cream cheese. Matthias loved the bread and butter. The second one was Solène’s favorite of the evening, a praline made from Coq-au-Vin served under a smoke-filled glass bell. The third amuse-bouche was a “false” oyster sourced from aloe vera from the hotel’s garden.
The Wine Pairing
The amuse-bouches had stirred our excitement for the courses to come. We could already see the chef’s playful signature and were eager to continue the culinary journey. Dining is always about pairing the right wine with the right food. We decided to go with the suggested wine pairings which turned out to be a good choice. We started with a Plantscher of Chaton wines from Visp.
Diner Part 1-3: sweet lamb, sour maatje, and cabbage
The first course was served, it was a pike maatjes from Lake Lucerne with radish vegetables from the garden, garnished with mustard seeds. The Plantscher fit perfectly. The second course was a tartare of organic lamb with white asparagus on an asparagus stock with homemade crackers.
With the next wine, an Altesse Nature by Henri Cruchon, courses three to five were served. The third course consisted of an artfully cut cabbage served on a sauce with the puffed grain. It was beautifully arranged with flowers from the garden. This was Matthias’ favorite dish.
Diner Part 4-5: Fish, Asparagus, and Sorbet in 100-year-old Champagne glasses
It was followed by a crispy fried fish with sweet potato chips and some fish rye. The fifth course consisted of asparagus, an airy mousse made from calf’s head, and fresh mushrooms from the region. It was combined with a glass of Viognier from the Valais by the winegrower Thierry Constantin, which went well together.
As an intermediate course, we were brought a little rhubarb sorbet with some homemade strawberry schnapps. We really liked the 100-year-old silver champagne flutes in which the sorbet was served. The host told us about an old connection between the Hotel Edelweiss and the Hotel Dolder in Zurich, which is where these chalices originally come from.
Diner Part 6-7: Blood Sausage and Fillet with herbs from the garden
With the next wine, a blend of Malbec and Merlot from Grilette les Palins of the Domaine de Cressier in Neuchâtel, we were served the sixth course: a blood sausage on a bed of garden vegetables and with a blood sauce. This was followed by a Rigi cow fillet next to a mousse refined with dried garden herbs and flowers.
Diner Part 8-9: Chopped Pear, Basil Sorbet, Gin Tonic
The dessert consisted of two courses and was accompanied by a glass of elderberry sparkling wine. We started with a chopped pear, which was covered with an elderberry foam. We were also served shortbread biscuits with sea buckthorn mousse.
The second dessert consisted of basil sorbet and a tomato butterfly served with pastries, dried berries and some ice cream. Instead of a digestif, we opted for a homemade gin tonic, which is mixed with a gentian tonic.
Conclusion: Creativity and natural ingredients on 1650 meters above the sea
We enjoyed dining at Hotel Edelweiss a lot. The dishes are small artworks with local ingredients. The suggested wine pairings go perfectly with the dishes. The inclusion of the herbs from the garden – according to the host the garden has 350 different herbs – is truly creative. Furthermore, we liked the romantic setting and friendly owners (who name themselves the hippies of mount Rigi, more about this here). We can highly recommend this dining experience and – in combination with a hike on the Queen of the mountains – it will be a weekend in heaven.
Hike&Dine: Hike on the Rigi Panorama Trail
“Stay for a weekend on the Rigi, get up early, and watch the sunrise on Rigi Kulm. Then hike on the Rigi Panorma Trail from Rigi Kulm to Rigi Scheidegg. Enjoy the best views of Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps every meter on the way.”
