Ticino offers a culinary adventure from mountaintop to lakeside

Switzerland's sunny, Italian-speaking canton of Ticino is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful regions in the country as it boasts shining Lakes Maggiore and Lugano, the epic southern slopes of the Alps and gorgeous parks and gardens. 

Its culinary landscape is just as breathtaking—aside from typical street-side restaurants, some of its best eateries are found inside its grottos, on its mountain slopes and peppering its lakesides.

The grottos are particularly unique to Ticino—and a must when visiting the canton. These historic caves, which started off as refrigerated storage for meat, cheese, wine and other perishable goods thanks to their constant air circulation, and later, meeting places, now house some of the most beloved restaurants in the country.

Grotto America right on the Maggia River in Ponte Brolla is one such restaurant. On my visit, the rushing of the rapids and wind in the leaves provided a soundtrack to patrons outside, who were enjoying an evening on the stone tabletops outside the mouth of the 400-year-old grotto. Inside, I was welcomed into an incredibly cozy atmosphere comprised of small white plastered dining rooms that were full of sturdy wooden tables covered in red- and blue-and-white checkered tablecloths. Fireplaces roared nearby, making the place literally and figuratively warmer. 

Almost 200 years earlier, thousands of people met and dined in this grotto before emigrating to America (hence the name) to escape poverty, and I was walking in their footsteps…only I was fortunate enough to dine and stay here. Like this one, grottos in Ticino later started serving food and drink, turning into a bonafide establishment. 

As a winner of the "Best of Swiss Gastro" in 2016, Grotto America helmed by Davide Buvoli is one of the best spots to take advantage of fresh, in-season and locally sourced ingredients. My first experience of Ticino's fresh food came in the form of Grotto America's L`elica, a long, wooden board that hosted slices of meat and cheese that simply melted in my mouth. The polenta con brasato (polenta with beef braised in Barbera wine) followed with a local red in a traditional "boccalino,” of course, making for a hearty and outstanding representation of the region's staple. We topped it off with a sampler of its desserts, rendering me completely full and understanding what grotto dining is all about.

Switzerland Tourism has a list of the best grottos to dine at, which includes Grotto America, as well as others such as Grotto San Michele in Bellinzona, Grotto Milani in Ludiano and Grotto dei Pescatori in Lugano.

From under the mountains to the very tippy top, Switzerland's Ticino boasts incredible food higher up, too. La Fontana Ristorante & Bar at the foot of Cardada Cimetta (at an altitude of approximately 240 meters), within the Hotel Belvedere Locarno, takes its lofty position seriously. Its dishes are some of the most heavenly creations I tasted on my trip to Switzerland.

To start, La Fontana served a home-marinated amberjack carpaccio with beetroot juice and a salad with green apple, Sichuan pepper and Büscion cheese. Following that, the first course was a seasonal raviolini del plin stuffed with black cabbage, cardoncelli mushrooms and Ticino ricotta cheese, Valle Maggia cheese fondue, mushroom jus, thyme foam and black truffle. Our meal finished off with lamb chop au gratin with fig honey and pistachio and a lamb filet wrapped with savoy cabbage and Pioradoro ham, and Chanterelles with Romanesco cabbage and Ascona red polenta. It was a symphony in my mouth, especially paired with several wines along the way, including Ticino's special white merlot. La Fontana placed a cherry on top of it all with a slice of baked cheesecake with salted peanut ice cream and blueberries.

La Fontana not only expertly used local ingredients, but presented them in an exciting and innovative way, leaving a different but soaring impression of Ticino's food scene than I had anticipated. Its gastronomy reflects the region's oft-spoken slogan: "La dolce vita in Switzerland." 

As it is above, so it is below. Sitting right on Lake Maggiore—the lowest part in Switzerland—Ristorante Al Pontile takes full advantage of its proximity to the lake, seating guests right on the edge of the Ascona promenade. Boats pass by on the shining water as the restaurant's friendly staff offer you a glass of wine spritzer. Whatever is going on in life seems to evaporate with every sip. 

Ristorante Al Pontile, though, is more than its pretty setting. It serves local and international specialties—I tried the bouillabaisse and the duo di mare, a tartare of salmon and tuna carpaccio, as well as the pasta alla Pugliese, which shocked me.

My family has roots in Puglia, Italy and I never expected to taste my grandmother's sauce in Switzerland! The same sweet but savory sauce has been passed down through the generations, and here it was in Ticino! Ristorante Al Pontile achieves the best of Mediterranean cuisine—my tastebuds can attest.

Ticino's culinary achievements are as varied as the landscape within its borders and should be as celebrated as its own food destination. The local wine, including its unique white merlot, the freshness of its ingredients and the sheer expertise and imagination of its chefs should place Ticino at the top of any trip to Switzerland.