Ulla Winbladh

Description:

• More than most of Stockholm's restaurants, this is a highly reliable and sought-after staple, thanks to its origins in 1897 as part of Stockholm's World Fair, and thanks to a name that conjures up images of passionate love for most Swedes. (Was she a hooker or was she a madonna? Only Sweden's most famous 18th-c. poet, Bellman, knew for sure, as Ulla was his mistress, to whom he dedicated some of his most evocative poetry.) Because it was acquired by its present management in 1994, this restaurant has impressed even the most jaded of Stockholm's foodies. It occupies a sprawling, stone-built, white-sided pavilion set in an isolated position on the Djurgården. Inside, a series of dining rooms is outfitted like a 19th-century manor house, with unusual paintings and a sense of graceful prosperity. There's also an outdoor terrace lined with flowering plants. The menu focuses on time-tested, somewhat conservative Swedish cuisine, always impeccably prepared. (Patrons who agree with this assessment include members of the Swedish royal family and a bevy of well-known TV, theater, and art-world personalities.) Menu items include at least three different preparations of the inevitable herring; marinated salmon with a terrine of watercress, bleak roe, and asparagus; fish casserole with potatoes and shellfish sauce; Swedish meatballs in cream sauce with lingonberries and pickled cucumbers; and a beautiful version of poached halibut with hard-boiled egg, shrimp, and melted butter.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010