Hotell Mezzo

The menu is limited, but we ate here twice while skiing in Sälen and tried most of the dishes. We were happy with all of them, and the staff were nice. A good spot for lunch, though maybe a bit pricey. I still think it was worth it. I’m only reviewing the restaurant since I didn’t stay at the hotel and there isn’t a separate listing for it.

I was blown away by dinner. We stayed in and had excellent aperitifs and an amuse-bouche, then deer steak, rainbow trout, elk carpaccio, and escargots. There was real evoo at the table, and the crème brûlée and ice cream were out of this world. It was a real culinary experience. If you’re here, the prices shouldn’t be a dealbreaker, and it won’t wreck your budget. Sure, petrol-station food is cheaper and fills you up, but it’s not this. Breakfast was among the best I’ve come across. The breads were baked in-house, and the omelet was fluffy like a soufflé. The buffet had carefully chosen treats like burrata, French goat cheese, fig and pear marmalade, prosciutto, and iberico, plus plenty more. The hotel itself felt private, personal, elegant, and comfortable. The woman managing it was knowledgeable, pleasant to talk to, friendly, and helpful. She even helped us with our car. I’ll be back. Thank you!

I work in the industry, and the food was a bad experience all around. A lot of the ingredients seemed like bottom-shelf products, especially the garlic bread, which was a disgrace: store-bought bread with pesto. It felt like the fancy setting was what we were paying for. Given what the produce costs, the profit margins seem shameful, and the cooking itself was bare minimum. At these prices and with this restaurant’s reputation, I expected attention to detail and not to feel ripped off. The frustrating thing is that the concept has real potential. The gyoza pot stickers could have been great with a richer umami sauce instead of plain mushroom soy sauce. The lobster roll would have popped with a freshly baked New England-style top-split hot dog bun fried in butter, rather than what I can only guess was a thawed Brooklyn bun from korvbrödsbagaren. Don’t eat here until they get their act together and fix some embarrassingly bad execution.

The food and the whole experience were awesome. Just don’t be shy about giving me a bit more on my plate next time.