Page 106 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION

opts for a more classical update of the Belle champagne, black truffles, kirsch, and four (yes,
Epoque. four) types of cheese.
The Bel Etage, the heart of the Carlton, en- While fondue proves the undoing of my fledg-
compasses a vast salon flanked by stone fire- ling vegan status, I atone by immersing myself
places, a bar, a terrace, and the Restaurant in the “Play” program, aided and abetted by the
Romanoff. Da Vittorio St. Moritz, the hotel’s Carlton’s “outdoor butler,” Janis Lombriser. A
two-Michelin-starred Italian restaurant on the multi-lingual native of St. Moritz, Lombriser is
floor below, is more firmly based in the 21st the consummate outdoorsman and has been
century, with vibrant drawings of celebrities skiing since he was 18 months old.
lining the walls. For guests who don’t ski or want to see what
I’m most intrigued by four stationary ski gon- else St. Moritz has to offer, Lombriser provides
dolas in the hotel’s forecourt, flanked by ever- plenty of alternatives. On my visit, we attempt
greens draped in fairy lights. In these humble, ice-carving under the cheerful tutelage of
cozy quarters, I feast on fondue featuring sculptor Reto Grond, who helps me create a

106 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2023