Miss Swiss? Fondue returning to S.F. spot
The Swiss-inspired cooking that made Matterhorn a popular spot in San Francisco for 24 years will live on in the new business replacing it on Van Ness Avenue.
And, yes, there still will be fondue.
Matterhorn shut down rather unceremoniously in September as owners Brigitte and Andrew Thorpe decided to retire and move to Florida. Filling the space will be a yetto-be-named Swiss bakery and restaurant from Natalie and Jason Horwath.
Natalie is the owner and head baker of Berner Rosen Baking, a local farmers’ market outfit specializing in Swissinspired sweets like meringue cookies and Swiss caracs, a chocolate-filled tart. The business’ name is a reference to a variety of apple discovered in Oppligen, Switzerland, in the late 19th century. The Horwaths’ project in the former Matterhorn space, which they said will open sometime in 2019, will be the duo’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant in the city.
“We will also have a selection of baked goods available each morning, and I'll be making our own sourdough bread for the restaurant and bakery,” Natalie said, adding that the restaurant menu is still being developed. Among the potential offerings will be fondue, raclette and rösti, a Swiss potato dish typically served with melted cheese, bacon or ham and a fried egg.
For the Horwaths, who have primarily lived in San Francisco since the late 1990s, their dream of opening a Swiss restaurant took root during their time living in Switzerland between 2010 and 2013.
“When we returned home from Switzerland, I started baking breakfast pastries for
farmers’ markets, and we also hosted cheese fondue and raclette pop-up dinners at Stow Lake Boathouse in Golden Gate Park, all in preparation for opening our own space someday,” Natalie said.
Matterhorn originally opened in the mid-1990s in the lobby of a mixeduse building whose landlord was also from Switzerland. As such, the restaurant’s interior was designed to look like a Swiss chalet. A few years after it debuted, Brigitte and Andrew Thorpe were brought in and made the fondue portion of the menu a pillar of Matterhorn’s identity.
The Horwaths are hoping they can do the same.
“The cheese for our fondue and raclette will be directly from Switzerland and France,” she said. “This will provide our customer with a genuine taste experience of what it'd be like to enjoy these delicious meals in Switzerland.”
Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips