À la Pomme de Pin
11 rue Cité Derrière
Cuisines: European, French
About
Our favorite restaurant in Lausanne's old town lies between the back side of the cathedral and the château, within a 17th-century setting that most local residents remember from their childhood: It's nourished local hunger pangs since around 1935. As such, the staff might remember the favorite dishes of clients, who have included Coco Chanel, Charlie Chaplin, and Winston Churchill. Be aware that there are actually two restaurants on-site here, including a brasserie with bordeaux-colored leather banquettes, and a more expensive, and more formal restaurant, where prices are at least 25% higher and where the cuisine is more intricate, elaborate, and "gastronomic" than in its cheaper counterpart. Main courses in the brasserie are likely to include filet of fera (a whitefish from the nearby lake) prepared with white wine, parsley, and tomatoes; and roasted pig's trotters served with rösti and salad. Main courses in the restaurant might include rack of Emmenthaler valley veal with a mousseline of potatoes and foie gras; or a roasted rack of alpine lamb with potatoes and mountain herbs. Geôrges Croset and his family are the owners, assuring that all produce used here is very fresh, based on twice-per-week shopping trips (every Wed and Sat) to the local markets.