First opened in 1873, the Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne is steeped in history—not just as one of Switzerland's grandest holiday destinations, but also as home in the 1950s and 1960s to celebrities such as Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn (who not only lived there, but celebrated her wedding to Mel Ferrer at Bürgenstock in 1954).
In 2011, the property was acquired by the Qatar sovereign wealth fund and shut down for renovations—reopening at the end of last year to rave reviews and critical acclaim. Just last week, French restaurant guide Gault et Millau named Bürgenstock its 'Hotel of the Year' for 2019, calling it a "culinary Mecca of central Switzerland."
If planning a trip to sample the cuisine at any of Bürgenstock's 10 award-winning restaurants and bars might not be imminently on the horizon, the good news is that SWISS international airlines has partnered with the hospitality company to bring its food to you—35,000 feet in the air.
Beginning this week, and through December 4, SWISS first and business class passengers on intercontinental flights from Switzerland can select from menus created in partnership with Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne's Culinary Director Mike Wehrle. Inspired by the resort property's seven restaurants—RitzCoffier by Marc Haeberlin, Spices Kitchen & Terrace, Sharq Oriental, Taverne 1879, Verbena, Oak Grill and the Golf Restaurant—the in-flight dishes offered will include local cheeses, sausage, smoked ham, wurst, and regional wines.
The first-class menu will include a choice of six first courses—such as marinated lobster with cauliflower panna cotta or quail galantine perfumed with Asian spices—followed by four main course options, including but not limited to black cod with white olives, eggplant tagine, and veal tenderloin with black truffle sauce. Following, guests will have the option of a selection of cheese from the canton of Nidwalden and a dessert of either chocolate marquise with poached pears or a berry tartlet with meringue and blueberry sorbet.
The business class menu will include first course choices such as vitello tonnato or salmon trout tataki with pumpkin and chervil root, followed by main course options including beef tenderloin with valle maggia pepper sauce or pikeperch fillet with Noilly Prat sauce. Following the meal, guests will be offered a cheese course and a passion fruit cheesecake.
