The story
Carlton Hotel in St. Moritz delivers refined Italian cuisine alongside contemporary Alpine dining across two distinct culinary spaces. Executive Chef Salvatore Frequente manages the Grand Restaurant while overseeing pastry and breakfast service throughout the property. He sources heavily from regional suppliers like Ludwig Hatecke and Andri Casty to ground his menus in Engadin terroir. When winter arrives, the eighteenth Gault & Millau rated Da Vittorio shifts focus. Chef Paolo Rota travels down from their flagship in Brusaporto to lead a small brigade of four young cooks. They operate out of a recently renovated compact kitchen that prioritizes speed and precision over formal hierarchy.
The Italian cooking here balances playful technique with straightforward ingredient quality. A crostone presents thinly sliced Calamaro instead of traditional Colonnata lardo, while a Bavarese course layers sweet corn cream beneath Royal Belgian caviar. Guests frequently order the Carta bianca tasting path, highlighting Italian preparation methods like marinated scampi dressed with elderflower and kaffir lime. The Grand Restaurant table leans toward substantial roasts and grain bases. An organic salt-crusted chicken requires a forty-minute wait before serving. A Carnaroli risotto incorporates dark Grisons beer and veal sweetbreads, proving that alpine ingredients translate seamlessly into broader European techniques.
Polished wooden tables surround small fir trees placed directly in the center of the Grand Restaurant dining area. Guests often reserve seats near the Bel Etage fireplace, where afternoon tea service runs continuously through the colder months. The sun terrace overlooks the lake and offers a lighter lunch program during daytime hours. Outdoor gondola cabins parked nearby provide an unconventional setting for fondue when temperatures drop. Every suite and room features southern exposure, ensuring unobstructed views of the Engadin peaks regardless of which culinary venue you choose for your evening meal.
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The man for all occasions! Executive Chef Salvatore Frequente is in charge of breakfast, the small menu on the sun terrace, the snacks by the two chimneys on the "Bel Etage," and the highly sought-after room service in a suite hotel. He also oversees the fondue served in the very well-booked gondola cabins outside in the parking lot. His most important role: Fine Dining in the "Grand Restaurant," elegantly lit, with little fir trees right in the center of the dining room. Just Rampazzi. Frequente, the man from the south, has settled in well in the mountains. Ludwig Hatecke and Andri Casty are his key suppliers, with massive "grosses pièces" served on large tables being the house specialty. The new hit: an organic chicken from Luma, prepared in a salt crust and well worth the 40-minute wait. Even the amuse-bouches reveal the chef's ambitions: Oona caviar 103 on a Bruggli trout chip, French toast with Luma beef tartare and white truffle. With the "corn variation," we particularly liked what was served alongside it: a playful chicken pâté on a chicken chip. Marinated slices of Lake Maggiore zander followed in the next course, nestled inside an elegant radish rose. The accompaniments were impressive: herb beurre blanc, sorrel cream, dill, Oona caviar. We enjoy spoon dishes, and the chef has several ready to serve. An Engadin organic egg from Andri Casty in Zuoz (renowned for its organic lamb) with porcini cream and Jerusalem artichoke foam, and of course Salvatore's signature dish: Carnaroli risotto Grand Riserva. Dark Grisons beer (!) was cooked into it, along with artichokes, wood sorrel, and veal sweetbread cubes basted with meticulous care. For the main course, a delicate venison backstrap from Savognin (served with rosehip and hibiscus) was carved. The owning family favors sustainable "Moving Mountains" cuisine. Frequente has embraced the concept brilliantly and with growing enthusiasm, presenting a complete "Moving Mountains" menu: oyster mushrooms, caramelized onions, vegan Engadin cheese, celery variation. However, we can't quite get used to plant-based cheese.
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