Take the Venice Simplon Orient-Express at the Café du Simplon in Lausanne

If you’ve always dreamed of taking the Orient Express but don’t have the time or budget, the Café du Simplon in Lausanne might be the next best thing. The name of the café comes from the street where it is found, the rue du Simplon, and from the Venice Simplon Orient-Express connecting London to Istanbul.

The menu reflects the various culinary influences found along the way, with an emphasis on simple cooking using fresh, good quality ingredients and a Mediteranean touch. Fish is delivered daily, and the reputable Boucherie Simon, which neighbors the café, provides the meat. Vegetarian dishes are given a special place on the menu.

Fun as well as good food are to be had by all. Take a look at their website for the film, music, theatre, and literary event program. It is WiFi-equipped, so it is a good place to meet for business meetings.

If you’re looking for greener pastures, this weekend is the time. Swiss’expo, the “largest farm” in Switzerland, opened 14 January 2010 and will continue until the 17th.

Lovely the cow.

It is being held at Beaulieu in Lausanne.

The agricultural show includes more than 1,000 show animals, including calves, cows, horses, ponies, and goats, as well as local and regional produce, to be eaten on site or to take away, and an organic farm and village.

More than one thousand European-bred cows will be in competition. The “coronation ceremony” of showered down, brushed up and decked out cows will take place on Friday 15 January, when the prize cattle will be put up for auction.

Saturday night offers music and awarding of prizes to champion livestock.

For the children: Lovely is coming to Beaulieu

The Swiss milk producers association and their cow Lovely will show you how a cow produces milk and how it is turned into butter, cheese and yogurt through the use of games, diagrams, photos and tastings.

Colorado Country Band: it’s party time this weekend

The Colorado Country Band will play on Saturday 16 January 2010 from 19H30 to 20H30 and on Sunday 17 starting at 13H. They play new country rock.

For information:

Check out Nextstop‘s brilliant list of all the trendiest night spots in Lausanne!

The American International Women’s Club will be sponsoring a Thanksgiving Day lunch at the Royal Savoy Hotel in Lausanne from 11:30 A.M. to 14:00 P.M. on Thursday, 26 November 2009.

The luncheon starts with a cocktail and wine party, offered by the club. The menu includes pumpkin soup with cheese straws, turkey stuffed with chestnuts, cranberry sauce, sweet potato gratin, French green beans, and apple tart with pecans and ice cream.

The price is CHF 60 for members, and CHF 70 for non-members.

You must register IMMEDIATELY, by e-mailing: registration@aiwc-lausanne.org.

Students from the International School of Lausanne will perform during this annual event, and the Community Services Committee will be holding a supply drive for the benefit of the Terres des Hommes federation to support children in need.

Map.

Cupcakes in the City opened in Geneva today

For those of you who just reminisce about cupcakes, or for those of you who continually have your eye out for the perfect cupcake after watching still another episode of Sex in the City, a new store, Cupcakes in the City, dedicated exclusively to the beloved American cupcake, opened today in the Eaux-Vives neighborhood in Geneva.

A wide range of both savory and sweet cupcakes is available, as well as the equipment necessary to make cupcakes at home.

The flavors have a sophisticated, European twist that your average birthday party or school fête cupcake doesn’t have, such as honey and Speculoos (ginger cookies), lime and ricotta, Carambar caramel, etc. They plan to expand the range over time, and ice cream cupcakes will be available during the summer months.

They come in mini and standard sizes, going respectively for CHF 3.20 and 5.50. You can special-order XXL ones, birthday cakes, and customized party and reception cakes.

The three partners are already planning to open other shops in Switzerland and abroad.

Cupcakes in the City
12 Rue Henri-Blanvalet
1207 Geneva
Tel./ Fax +41 22 700 28 43
e-mail: info@cupcakesandthecity.ch
Site: www.cupcakesandthecity.ch
Open Mon.-Fri. 10:30 to 18:30, Thursday late closing 21:00.

What’s in season in the Lake Geneva region

The Lake Geneva region offers an interesting mix of spring, summer and fall fruit and vegetables at this time of year. It is surprising what a variety of local fruit and vegetables are still available this late in the growing season.

We plan to publish MarketView every week or so so you can take a look at our list before you go to the market.  It should serve as a tool to help you make your grocery list and menus for the week before you go off to the market.

Since there is such a large variety at the moment, I’ve separated the list into categories.

Spring and summer fruit and vegetables

Aubergine/eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgette/zucchini, green beans, radishes, bell peppers of all colors.

Strawberries, corn, raspberries, blackberries (rarer than the other berries).

Rosemary, basil, mint, dill, coriander, parsley, laurel, scallions.

Fall fruit and vegetables

Baby carrots, radishes of all types, new potatoes, Swiss chard (blettes).

Rhubarb, grapes, apples, pears.

Wild greens of all types, mesclun, cabbage, beets.

Plums, peaches, leeks, pumpkin, squash of all types, cauliflower.

Flowers

Lakefront, Lausanne

The city of Lausanne is now offering free WiFi in seven of the city’s main squares - Flon, Palud, Riponne, St-François, Montbenon, Navigation, Port, Service des Automobiles and Aéroport de la Blécherette. It is also available in some lakeside locations. This free Internet access is available to residents and visitors alike and is referred to as “FreeSpot”.

The Lausanne Tourisme site gives detailed maps showing the locations where WiFi can be picked up.

This facilitates business meetings in cafés and restaurants that are near the FreeSpots. It is, however, advisable to call the restaurant or café where you make your appointment to make sure that the WiFi actually picks up the network.

Filters have been installed so that minors cannot access inappropriate sites and content.

The downtown Geneva location of the Ecole-Club Migros will be giving a gourmet cooking class in English on 24 October 2009. They plan to add more classes during the year, in both the Balexert and downtown Geneva locations.

The class starts at 14 H (2 p.m.) and lasts until 17 H (5 p.m.).

Students will prepare a 3-course gourmet meal, learning both traditional and modern cooking methods.

You can sign up in their offices, by phone or on the Internet.

NOTE: Lausanne is offering classes in Italian and Spanish, but is considering classes in English if they have enough requests. So if you are interested, give them a call and express your interest.

Ecole-Club Migros:
Genève-centre (downtown), Rue du Prince 5, 1204 Geneva, tel. 022 319 61 61, offices open 8:30 H to 20:30 H Monday through Thursday, 8:30 to 17 H on Fridays, and from 9:00 H to 12:30 on Saturday.

Website: www.ecole-club.ch

Chef Geoffroy Pautz is giving summer cooking classes near Lausanne

Hostellerie Les Chevreuils
80 route du Jorat
Vers-chez-les-Blanc
1000 Lausanne 28
Tel. +41 21 785 01 01

http://chevreuils.ch

Hostellerie Les Chevreuils is offering summer cooking classes for children. Classes will continue on Wednesdays through October.

These courses were such a great hit in last summer that head chef Geoffroy Pautz has decided to do it again. Classes are geared for children 10 to 15 years of age, and take place in the restaurant kitchens.

After the classes, at the end of the afternoon, parents and relatives are invited to come taste the dishes the children have prepared.

Classes cost CHF50 per child. This price includes the choice of one cookbook. There is a maximum of 12 children per class.

Classes are held on Wednesday, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., on the following dates:

8 July 2009

19 August 2009

23 September 2009

14 and 21 October 2009

To make reservations

Reservations can be made by telephone, using your credit card. Your card will not be debited; it is only used to confirm your reservation. Payment is made in cash, at the reception desk when you come in.

Complete collection of 15 of Geoffroy’s recipes, as well as 10 recipes on video.

Click here to see how to get there.

The May 2009 edition of Baboo Time features an article Hamburger Mania with a long list of the best hamburger haunts in the Lake Geneva area, from Lausanne to Geneva, with one just behind the train station in Rolle. The listings are in both French and English, and give full descriptions of the hamburgers: how they are served, where the meat comes from, atmosphere. In other words, just about all you know and all you need to know about a hamburger. Some even deliver!