Frankfurt and Berlin, and maybe Cologne

[cmling]

I intend to spend a few days there in two weeks or so, and would be happy for any tips you nice people might have. I am grateful for suggestions in all price ranges. (I won't have a car, so the restaurants should either be in the city or easily accessible by public transport.)

Thank you!

Charley

Edited June 22, 2004 by cmling (log)

[gidon]

Abandon all hope: Cologne is not a culinary paradise! They do have a chocolate museum though. However, there are supposed to be some good places around, maybe check viamichelin.com. But right around the corner paradise awaits: Dusseldorf has the larget Japanese expat community. That must mean...

If you do find some gems in Cologne, please let me know though.

Gidon

[Gunnar]

Abandon all hope: Cologne is not a culinary paradise! They do have a chocolate museum though. However, there are supposed to be some good places around, maybe check viamichelin.com.

I was in Cologne a couple of weeks ago and had a very nice leisurely Sunday lunch at Zur Tant. I went with my brother to celebrate his brithday. We had the 4-course menu with wine pairing. Both food and service were very good. I particularly liked the fish course ("Zander Filet") and the dessert ("rhubarb aspic with strawberries"). Cost per person was 55 Euro for the menu (excl. wine). However, the restaurant isn't exactly central. We took the S-Bahn and then went for a nice 40min walk along the Rhine.

An option in Cologne itself is Le Moissonnier which is supposed to be very good, too.

Both restaurants have one Michelin star.

[cmling]

Well, I did have a nice meal in Cologne, after all.

"Börsenrestaurant Maître". It was close to my hotel, and the weather was truly horrible during my stay, so I didn't venture afar.

I had a three-course _prix fixe_ for lunch: a pairing of sole with scallops, milk-fed veal with chanterelles (+ lots of vegetables, etc. - too many, actually) and a delectable port sauce, and a complicated dessert involving a Montélimar of nougat with fresh apricots and a rhubarb sorbet plus various other little things.

Two amuse-bouches: an aspic of crustaceans in a herb sauce, and an impressive ball of deep-fried sweetbreads in a most delicate and creamy sauce.

Pre-dessert, too! A sorbet with a strong aroma of basil that I enjoyed a lot.

I think the price was EUR 47. I had a glass of NV Taittinger to begin with, then 4 glasses of acceptable wine to accompany the meal, coffee, and an Austrian "Alte Zwetschke" (it would be "Vieille Prune" in Alsatia - "Old Plum" just doesn't sound right) to finish with.

This made the whole thing EUR 100 (including well-merited tip), which I consider fair.

Very pleasant room, very attentive service. Not a Memorable Meal, but certainly a very nice one.

Charley

Edited July 19, 2004 by cmling (log)

[marlena spieler]

am headed to frankfurt for the bookfair tomorrow, its a last minute thing. when i was there last i frolicked in green sauce, and had the best of wurst, and potatoey things and apfelwein....and really good dark breads. mmmmm.

but this time i'm leaving a few days at the end of this last minute trip to go to berlin where i've never gone. is there anything i should keep my eyes open for, i'm a very very low budget person at this moment in time.

and i LOVE sauerkraut.

also, does anyone know anything about shpreivald pickles?

anyplace recommended to stay cheaply?

[gariotin]

Can't help you with Frankfurt or Berlin, but if you go to Cologne, there is a wonderful old brewery/restaurant called Paffner, I think. It is just a bit out of the city center and wonderful experience. Kolnish beer is very unique - light, not much alcohol, served in distinctive small glasses. The restaurant is full of big tables that you share - food is traditional and good. My brother and I mused that perhaps our grandfather had hoisted one there before he set out for America...

[Peter B Wolf]

am headed to frankfurt for the bookfair tomorrow, its a last minute thing. when i was there last i frolicked in green sauce, and had the best of wurst, and potatoey things and apfelwein....and really good dark breads. mmmmm.

but this time i'm leaving a few days at the end of this last minute trip to go to berlin where i've never gone. is there anything i should keep my eyes open for, i'm a very very low budget person at this moment in time.

and i LOVE sauerkraut.

also, does anyone know anything about shpreivald pickles?

anyplace recommended to stay cheaply?

←

It is " Spreewald / Spreewaelder Gurken ", an agricultural area about 50 miles soth-east of Berlin in the Land ( State ) of Brandenburg. Soil supposedly has a great influence favoring the growing of Cucumbers (Gurken). The name is officially protected. Curing with Basil and Lemonbalm contribute to their unique taste properties. These pickles go back as far or further then the German aothor Theodore Fontane in the 1850s.