THE DUTY OF AN ARTIST - "Rico's", Küsnacht ZH, Switzerland

I always hated the question: "What did the artist want to say?". Artists are not teachers or entertainers. Normally, they don’t want to tell you what to think, but give you an opportunity to experience your own emotional and intellectual reactions. This is the power of art: being an artist yourself through interpretation of someone else's interpretation.

At the same time, my earnest conviction is that the artist, that goes public, for example by presenting works in a museum (for painters and sculptors) or a restaurant (for chefs), has several obligations towards the public. Since a spectator invests her or his energy in perception of your works, be honest, be respectful, be thankful. This duty means, firstly, to passionately deliver 100% of what you have, and, secondly, to provoke, to excite, to create conditions making possible, or better to say - sufficient, for the spectator to make the job. For me this is what makes a good artist great.

As spectators we entered the museum-like space of the Rico's.

Rico's
Seestrasse 160, 8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland
Z-star: *** (3/5)
Michelin: **
GaultMillau: 18/20
https://www.ricozandonella.ch/
Chef: Rico Zandonella

The interior is so kitschy that you can put a picture of it into dictionary. Golden vases, bright plates, green half-man half-hare and waitresses' red Louboutin sneakers amazingly work together. It's not relaxing, but it's pleasantly entertaining ... notwithstanding the missing crystals and peeled off paint.

Honestly, I would never expect that anything may invite more attention, but then came the food.  Rico Zandonella is an expressionist: he throws flavors on a plate like Jackson Pollock. Three forms of goose liver are racing for power. Langoustine in a zucchini blossom explodes in a solid group of calamary in lemon sabayon. Like a fairy-tale creature bathing in a golden light shows the summer deer with rosehip and gnocchetti-savoy ragout. Iced blue cheese seems to be unnecessary, too strong for my taste buds.  But with a little of consideration you get the idea - it is the maxima of this menu, kitschy as it is, and. therefore, absolutely makes sense. You want to take a relaxed breath at the rose garden, but it puts you on a roller-coaster of various sorts of melon with a glass of champagne. Want a glass of water? - Here's refreshing Moritz lemon sphere with vanilla and grapefruit. Bravo!

If everything is so cool, why then only three Z-stars? Well, because of the chef's attitude. The booking, and, respectively, notification of lactose-intolerance was made more than a month in advance. I am not even mentioning that in Switzerland you can buy lactose-free milk, cream and butter in a supermarket nearby. I would rather mention "Die Rose" in Rüschlikon (please refer to my earlier review of this marvelous place) as an example of how a chef may substitute ingredients, still delivering an incredible creation, not a "half-dish". Rico Zandonella is too busy with admiring himself. Three times sorbet in one menu as a lactose-free option? Seriously?! What a shame, Rico, you could be great.