Bill and I love a good fine dining experience. Alas, the coronavirus is cramping our style. Restaurants are opening up in Germany, but there are still a lot of restrictions and some risks involving with eating in restaurants. We decided to order take out from our favorite fine dining restaurant in the Wiesbaden area yesterday, just to see how feasible it would be.
Villa Im Tal has a special take out menu. I had wanted to order from it for Mother’s Day, but we were too late. This time, Bill emailed our order a day ahead of time. I’m not sure that was a requirement, but it worked out well. He got a confirmation and a time to pick it up– 1:30pm. He ordered us both “surf and turfs”, which were three courses for 48 euros each. The restaurant offers other choices besides this special, but Bill decided to get this because it’s a deal and because he figured I’d like it. Also, delivery service is available at 10 euros for 10km or 20 euros for 20km. If your order is more than 120 euros, delivery is free. I’m not sure if we’re in their delivery area. We’re probably not.
We decided to do our lunch the right way, with music, Georgian wine, and the good china. The only thing we didn’t do, besides dress up a bit, was light the candles. Here are some pictures of what the food looked like when Bill brought it home.
Everything was clearly labeled… 
The soup was still warm. 
Scottish beef and tempura fried shrimp. 
Asian style veggies… 
Mango curry soup. 
Pretty dessert!
I didn’t have any of the vegetables, because they were loaded with mushrooms, which I don’t eat. However, everything else was pretty good. I have had the soup when I’ve visited the restaurant for dining in, and it was just as good at home. I’ve often told Bill I’d love to have a recipe for this soup, which I think would be good when I’m sick. It’s very comforting, yet has a lot of flavor. Tangy lemongrass, mango, and curry makes for a rich, delicious soup. This was paired with curry flavored chips.
I probably would have liked to have had a side with the surf and turf… maybe we could have requested a mushroom free version. Next time we order take out from Villa Im Tal, we’ll have to remember that. The dessert was delightful! The chocolate mousse went beautifully with the marinated red berry compote– currants and strawberries are a great match to chocolate. I loved the way they made the dessert pretty in the take out container. It was so pretty we didn’t even plate it ourselves.
I’m glad we finally had a reason to use the teapot. 
It’s great to have a reason to use the china. 
Yum! 
Georgian wine… 
This one was a winner– dark chocolate and cherry essences… 
Bill’s plate, since I skipped the veggies. 
And we slummed it by eating the desserts in the containers they came in.
Of course I would have rather enjoyed this in the restaurant, but I can’t deny that this wasn’t a bad way to have a fine meal. We could listen to music; Arran could sit with us; and I didn’t have to wear a bra. It also cost significantly less, since we weren’t having aperitifs, ordering wine in house, or tipping on service… although Bill probably did tip the lady who brought him the food. We might brave the restaurant itself soon, since they have a really lovely outdoor area and even when there is no pandemic, there are plenty of widely spaced tables. It’s also just a really lovely place to enjoy a meal. The venue itself is in the woods, where it’s quiet and peaceful… just what we need to escape the stresses of contagion.