When Bill and I first moved to Wiesbaden in late 2018, we surveyed the local eateries. One place we quickly found was Martino Kitchen, which was at that time, located within a hotel and next to a Feinkost. We dined there for the first time in April 2019. I remember raving about the innovative menu, and the wild garlic soup Bill ordered that blew my mind.

Our second visit to Martino Kitchen, when it was still in its old location, was in November 2019. Once again, I enjoyed our visit. That time, we got to sit at the shared “chef’s table”, and I got to watch the chefs hard at work.

Then 2020 came, and we all remember what happened in 2020… We didn’t visit Martino Kitchen again until November 2023, just before Bill and I visited Armenia. We stopped in for lunch after I bought a gift for my former student from my Peace Corps days. He now works as an associate director for Peace Corps/Armenia. I remember being somewhat less impressed by Martino Kitchen that time, although the lunch we had that day was fine.

In July 2024, Martino Kitchen changed locations and moved to a smaller venue right off the Marktplatz in Wiesbaden. I wanted to try the new location, especially since the menu seemed to have changed somewhat. Unfortunately, we usually go to Wiesbaden on Sundays, and Martino Kitchen is closed on Sundays and Mondays. They also only do lunches on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and we don’t often go out for dinner these days.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago, Bill asked me if I’d like to go out to lunch. We remembered Martino Kitchen and Bill went to see if he could score us a table. There were no reservations available at the end of August. We figured they were on vacation, and after yesterday’s visit, I suspect we were right. Anyway, he made us a reservation for yesterday afternoon at 1:30 PM. I see from their Web site that congratulations are in order. In 2026, Martino Kitchen got a recommendation in the Michelin Guide!

In spite of a brief traffic jam, we arrived at Martino Kitchen slightly before our appointed time. There was one party of three sitting out on their terrace area, and one party of three sat in their very small dining room. I was surprised by how tiny the new space is, but I have to admit, the location is excellent. It’s right next to the music school on the Marktplatz.

We decided to sit inside, mainly because the chairs looked more comfortable to me. As I took a seat next to the window and looked outside, I was doubly glad we were indoors. One of the ladies sitting outside was smoking pretty much non-stop. Fair enough, since that’s allowed here. I’m just glad I had the choice to avoid it.

When we sat down, a woman I now recognize as Kathi from Martino Kitchen’s Web site, welcomed us. I noticed the menu was somewhat different from what it was at the old location. It seemed to be more focused toward Italian food, which suits me fine. We ordered a bottle of sparkling water, and Kathi asked us if we were from the United States. We said we are, but we live here in Wiesbaden. She apologized that she only had menus in German, and we reassured her that we know “restaurant German!”

Kathi said she had just gone on a trip to the western part of the United States. She listed lots of places I’ve never been, since I come from the East Coast! I was relieved to hear that she had a great time during her vacation to our homeland.

We quickly decided on what we wanted for lunch. Bill opted for the melon gazpacho with mozzarella as a starter and the “catch of the day”, which was grilled tuna with seasonal vegetables and risotto. I opted for the salmon tartare and spaghetti carbonara. Kathi soon returned to apologize that they’d run out of gazpacho, so Bill ordered their insalata verde, instead. She also told me that my spaghetti would be linguini, which was fine with me.

We had some lovely fresh bread and Bill ordered a bottle of white wine from Abruzzo, in Italy. Meanwhile, more people sat down inside, and a couple more tables were occupied outside.

After a short time, our first courses arrived. Bill was very pleased with the salad, which came with very sweet tomatoes, romaine lettuce, goat cheese, and what tasted like peaches. My salmon was served with capers and lemon. It was supposed to have Schmand (sour cream), but I didn’t see it there. That was okay with me, though. I’m not a big fan of sour cream, anyway. Kathi said they’d see the setup for my salmon dish in the States and ordered it for the restaurant. I’m not sure what was in the bowl under the salmon… looked like seeds or some other decoration. I didn’t investigate.

Next came our main courses. Bill’s beautifully prepared rare tuna was served with cauliflower and Pfifferlingen mushrooms, as well as creamy risotto. I had been considering the tuna, but since I had mushrooms, I’m glad I opted for the carbonara, which was excellent. It was satisfying, without being too rich! The presentation was also very nice.

Since lunch was so good, we decided to have dessert. That was a good call, since they had their delicious cheesecake. I had forgotten how good the cheesecake is at Martino Kitchen. It’s very creamy and light, and yesterday’s version came with plums and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. I had the tiramisu, which was also light and creamy, but tasted of coffee instead of fruit, with coffee soaked ladyfingers at the bottom of the bowl. 😁 I probably should have had the cheesecake, though… It was a real star!

We finished off our wine and called for the bill, which came to about 140 euros. After last week’s lunch at Landhaus Diedert, we were pretty pleased with the price for yesterday’s indulgence. No, it’s not exactly “cheap eats”, going to Martino Kitchen, but it was significantly less expensive to dine there. We had a very nice time, and I’m sure we’ll be back again.

Kathi said she recognized us… which wouldn’t necessarily surprise me. On the other hand, I’m sure they see all kinds of us “Amis” around. The whole staff made us feel very welcome.

After lunch, we decided to go home, because we thought there was going to be an event by the fire department in the Dorfplatz. On the way to our car, we encountered a German couple who shared the elevator with us. They said something in German that I didn’t understand, but then I said it looked like the elevator canceled our floor request. The Germans, who were very friendly said, “Oh, English speakers!” It was pretty funny, and flattering… We certainly do pass as locals, until we speak! Below are a couple of ads for the local casino, near where we parked.

As it turned out, the fire department’s event was elsewhere (and it’s apparently still going on today), and we didn’t feel like hunting for it. So we went back home, and ran into one of our American neighbors who was celebrating her birthday. She was wearing a beautiful red dress. Later she came by and invited us over, but by then, I was already in my nightie and sitting outside with a beer. So, we decided to stay home… I kind of suck at parties, so we probably did her a favor.

The weather has gotten very nice over the past few days. Today, it’s sunny and pleasant, with a cool breeze. I’m hoping that soon, I can close the windows at night, so the mosquitoes will stop eating me alive. I don’t like spraying myself with OFF before I go to bed.

Bill has to fly to Budapest in the morning, so I think today, we’ll just relax at home, even though there are some events going on right now that might be fun to attend. Bill will be gone until the middle of next week, so I will probably be doing a lot of music projects. Hopefully, I’ll feel like it, anyway.

So ends today’s “travel post”. I hope it was edifying!