Everyone knows Geneva for being a cultural, diplomatic, and economic center of Europe, right? People also know Geneva for it’s famous lake and fountain. Maybe even Swiss chocolates? The UN? The Red Cross?…Banks?
Well that’s all fine and dandy, but I didn’t go back to Geneva twice just for that stuff! No, it was the Café de Paris that brought me and another gourmand friend back for a second round.
Entrecôte avec frites
The Café de Paris is the only place that I know of that has no menu because it serves only one dish. And this dish is something heavenly. It’s a perfectly tender, juicy entrecôte steak cooked in a creamy garlic butter sauce, served with a side order of fries. It’s cooked and brought to your table on a small metallic plate that melts the sauce into a green liquid, and keeps the dish warm and sauteing over a small flame throughout the meal. Add a glass of red wine and the buzzing Parisian cafe atmosphere, and you have a near-perfect dining experience!
Admittedly, this is not really a place for vegetarians. If you fall into this category, I might suggest going with some non-vege friends who would eat the meat, and simply dipping your fries into the delicious sauce (that is, if your friends allow you to steal their precious share). This sauce is so famous, it has its own wikipedia page, but the exact ingredients have remained a secret since its creation in 1930.
So maybe you don’t care about history, or art, or diplomacy and politics, or even about chocolates. But if you find yourself within a day’s drive of Geneva, I suggest hopping in the car (or train) and getting over there just for the Café de Paris. It’s just that good.
Note: There are also several restaurants around Europe and the Middle East to which the sauce is shipped under license: the Café de Paris in Lausanne, the À l’Entrecôte in Sion, the Brasserie L’Entrecôte in Lisbon, and the Entrecôte Café de Paris restaurants in Dubai, Kuwait, and Riyadh. If these restaurants are closer to you, I would suggest checking them out, although I cannot vouch for their quality.
Photo credit: Image courtesy of khoogheem.
Café de Paris
Rue du Mont-Blanc 26
CH – 1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 732 84 50
Website: http://www.cafe-de-paris.ch
Related links:
Café de Paris: A Geneva Institution by Anne-Sophie Redisch
View Atlas Parasite in a larger map
In Geneva you will also find Swiss watches! But who cares? Really!
Cool. Another Cafe de Paris-fan. I always stop by when in Geneva. (Even wrote an article about it a few years ago.) Unique place, isn’t it?
(Found your post through Blogsherpas Kuwait blogs, btw.)
Thank you Anne-Sophie.
We can reference your article if it is available online. Also we have the Saturday Guest Post, if there is any unique place that we haven’t covered yet and you would like to share with us, we would be happy to feature it.
Thanks. My article is on BnA – here: http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/07-03/cafe-de-paris-a-geneva-institution-geneva-switzerland-europe.html
I’ll have a closer look at your website to see what you’ve covered already.
Added your link to the post. Thanks.