I just came back from a too-short trip to Zurich, Switzerland. For my culinary tour guide (in spirit, anyway), I enlisted the help of the astoundingly talented Zurich-born chef Daniel Humm, who earned a Michelin star at the very young age of 24 at Gasthaus zum Gupf, about an hour from the city. Humm has since won another rare accolade—an F&W Best New Chef award in 2005—and now heads the elegant Eleven Madison Park in New York City. He still finds time to return to his native Switzerland, as we wrote about in our July issue—and fortunately, for me, he also had time to share his favorite spots in his native city:

 

Vorderer Sternen Grill Humm says this small outdoor stand has the best bratwurst in the city. It's also refreshingly unpretentious: My delectably moist St. Galler bratwurst came wrapped in paper along with a large, crusty roll and plastic container of spicy mustard (22 Theaterstrasse; 011-41-44-251-49-49).

Confiserie Sprüngli The city has several outposts of this famous confectionary, but its grand flagship is on the Paradeplatz (across the street from the much, much grander Credit Suisse headquarters). I couldn't find the truffes-brioche Humm recommended but I loved the truffes du jour, filled with oozy salted caramel (Bahnhofstrasse 21; 011-41-44-224-46-46).

Restaurant Obere Fluehgasse According to Humm, locals love this tiny out-of-the-way spot for Swiss specialties like Zurich geschnetzeltes (veal cutlets served with rösti). Unfortunately, the restaurant was more out-of-way than I expected—south along the pristine Limmatquai, then up a very steep hill—and the kitchen was closed by the time I got there. Duly noted for my next trip there (Flühgasse 69; 011-41-44-381-111-10).

Chefs have proclaimed pork their favorite sandwich filling, creating everything from new takes on banh mi to messy pork-belly sliders. But recently I've been spotting uni (sea urchin) on sandwiches all around New York City. Uni-obsessed chef Michael White is serving sea-urchin-and-lardo crostini at his new seafood restaurant, Marea. Chef George Mendes has created a stellar sea urchin toast with cauliflower cream for his menu at the recently opened Aldea. And the Chelsea tapas spot El Quinto Pino does a clever sea urchin panino.

 

Bored with plain water and in need of nonalcoholic liquids to help me get over the post-Aspen cold that's knocked out several F&W editors this week (possibly from late-night parties at 212 House), I stopped by Green Canteen, the first restaurant to become LEED certified in New York. After a fragrant house-made ginger soda and a peanut butter-banana milk shake, I'm on the mend and ready for more drinks. Here are a few I'll make this summer, whether I'm sick or just hot:

Gingery Fuji Apple Soda (above)
Rhubarb Soda
Green Tea Soda
Almond-Tea Milk Shakes
Prune Whip Shakes

This past weekend, while my cohorts were riding gondolas above Aspen at the Food & Wine Classic, I was off climbing mountains around Burlington, Vermont. To make sure I was at my athletic peak, I fueled up on the best local food I could find. Here’s how to follow my culinary regimen:

Climbing Mt. Mansfield  
Pre-Hike Boost: American Flatbread's blisteringly hot pizza with house-made sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and caramelized onions.  
Post-Hike Recovery: Crispy-skinned duck breast and hanger steak swirled in horseradish aioli from F&W Best New Chef 2008 Eric Warnstedt at Hen of the Wood in Waterbury.

Climbing Mt. Abraham  
Pre-Hike Boost: Heavenly honey-glazed doughnuts from Dinky Donuts at the Burlington farmer’s market, followed by softly poached eggs over crisp potato rösti at Waitsfield's The Green Cup.
Post-Hike Recovery: The Alchemist's superjuicy blue-cheese burger and a Lightweight, the perfect pale lager for rehydration, in Waterbury.

Hiking to Lake Champlain at Shelburne Farms
Pre-Hike Boost: Soft, sugary blueberry scones from Burlington's City Market.
Post-Hike Recovery: A farmhouse grilled cheese from the Shelburne Farms cart with a salad of just-picked local greens.  

Yearning for a seasonally inspired lunch last weekend, I made the quick walk from my Brooklyn apartment to Bklyn Larder, the new specialty grocer and prepared-foods shop on Flatbush Avenue. A few blocks from owners Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg’s lauded restaurant, Franny’s, the shop extends its Greenmarket-fresh credo to sandwiches, terrines and other dishes. I loved eating my delightfully buttery sautéed-beet-green-and-ricotta sandwich while gawking at the cheese and meat cases—and anticipating my return for more in-house tastings. This home cook plans to make Bklyn Larder a regular post-Greenmarket stop.

When I lived in St. Louis 10 years ago, the food scene wasn’t inspired. But on a recent visit I ate some seriously tasty new food, including from F&W Best New Chef 2008 Gerard Craft, who’s got expansion on his mind (more on that later). Some highlights:

Pi (6144 Delmar Blvd.; 314-727-6633) and The Good Pie (3137 Olive St.; 314-289-9391)
Pi serves cheesy deep-dish and thin-crust (my favorite) pizzas on crunchy cornmeal crusts. The Good Pie’s wood-burning oven turns out perfectly bubbly, charred and chewy Neapolitan pizzas.

Bobo Noodle House (278 N. Skinker Blvd.; 314-863-7373)
It’s best known for wok-fried noodles and pho, but the secret is its addictive rolls—crispy pork spring rolls and minty shrimp summer rolls, served with a chile dipping sauce.

Sidney Street Cafe (2000 Sidney St.; 314-771-5777) and Monarch (7401 Manchester Rd.; 314-644-3995)
These two local favorites have been revitalized, thanks to enthusiastic young chefs. At Sidney Street, chef Kevin Nashan (who trained at Spain’s Martín Berasategui and NYC’s Daniel) serves elevated dishes like five-spice halibut over ramp-and-fiddlehead risotto. Monarch’s Josh Galliano (who most recently worked at An American Place) utilizes local products, like the peas and chanterelles in a rich carbonara. 

Stuffed, I couldn’t make it to the one last spot I wanted to try—Pappy’s Smokehouse (3106 Olive St.; 314-535-4340), which I’m told has the best barbecue and is worth the sometimes hour-long wait. Not to worry, I’ll be back soon. 

Star chef Rick Bayless (part of F&W's first-ever class of Best New Chefs in 1988) of Chicago's Frontera Grill and Topolobampo is busy putting the finishing touches on his newest Mexican spot, Xoco, and participating in Bravo's Top Chef Masters. But before all that, he took an eight-day food tour through India with his family—and Tweeted his way all through it. Here, some of his highlights from Mumbai:

Mumbai 1st imprssn: like sprawling Veracruz City w scent of dried spice n air.
Staying@Taj Mahal Palace&Towers.Gorgeous;sad much still clsd

Explored Mumbai's Crawford Mkt on hottest day o yr. Air so thick, hard 2 breathe. Salvation: alfonso mango seasn.

Hip Ind Fusion rest: Indigo,fave o Bollywood stars. Pasta w Bombay duck (that's fish),squid, pak choy, Ind herbs

Check this blog tomorrow for Bayless’s Tweets from Kerala.

Daniel Boulud’s raucous new DBGB Kitchen and Bar in Manhattan is as much about beer as it is food—everything from American craft ales to esoterica like the winey Grand Cru from Belgium's Rodenbach (the perfect match for Boulud’s blood sausage, says sommelier Colin Alevras). And all that beer's not just for drinking: It shows up in a couple of my favorite DBGB dishes and even a dessert. A classic carbonnade is braised in a rich Belgian Abbey Double, while the pork-and-Emmenthaler Viennoise sausage (one of 13 available) sits atop crunchy lager-steeped sauerkraut. The Kriek Beer–Cherry sundae is an addictive mound of sour cherry–beer ice cream, fresh cherries, speculoos cookies (Belgian spice cookies) and whipped cream.

Thanks to Daniel, I’ve got a real hankering for beer. But I’m well equipped to deal with my craving, thanks to these four beer-infused recipes from F&W:

Coconut Shrimp Beignets with Pepper Jelly Dipping Sauce

Brazilian Beer-Marinated Chicken 

Smoked Brisket with Coffee Beer Mop Sauce

Sour-Cherry Lambic Sorbet

The team from Langham Hotels was recently in NYC to share news about their superglam new Shanghai property, The Langham, Yangtze Boutique, and the dramatic, head-to-toe renovation of their historic The Langham, London. Arguably their most exciting project: the upcoming Langham Place, Beijing Capital Airport, attached to the new Norman Foster–designed Terminal 3. When the hotel opens next year, it will have a fancy Cantonese/Sichuan restaurant called Fine China, a hip lounge called Fuel with live music and Wii competitions, and a brewery. There is already talk of rolling the concept out to other airports around the world. I never thought I would willingly want to check into an airport hotel, but I can't wait to check this one out.

Grub Street and Eater.com are all over New York City's of-the-minute food trend: haute poutine, dressed up versions of the beloved Quebecois junk food of french fries, gravy and cheese curds. The latest NYC poutine spotting comes via a Tweet by Freemans owner William Tigertt: “Forget the truffle mac & cheese @ Waverly Inn, the duck confit poutine @ Hotel Griffou is the new artery clogging crack for downtown set.” Outside Manhattan, Mary Dumont, a Food & Wine Best New Chef 2006, tops hand-cut fries with melted cheese curd and chicken velouté at Harvest in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Rob Evans, a BNC 2004, layers his duck-fat Belgian fries with cheese curds and homemade duck gravy at Duckfat in Portland, Maine.