After the tough week I endured, Bill decided that we needed a nice Sunday lunch. He decided to book us a 1:30 PM reservation at Landhaus Diedert, which has become one of our favorite fine dining restaurants in Wiesbaden. We have been there a few times now, and we have never been disappointed any time we’ve dined there. It’s become a favorite place for Sunday lunches, although we have a few other go to establishments we frequent.
Full parking lot!
We arrived a few minutes before our reservation to find their main parking lot full. I got out and waited for Bill to find a place to park, which turned out to be on the other side of the Biergarten/park area for kids. The weather was perfect today, so everyone ate outside under the massive oak trees. And what a divine lunch we had… feast your eyes!
I started with a glass of Sekt. Bill had a non-alcoholic sparkling drink made with cranberry juice. We had a round of their wonderful bread, with salted and unsalted butter, and a red pepper hummus.
For our first courses, I had burrata, which was very fresh mozzarella and cream with candy sweet cherry tomatoes and basil pesto. Bill had a colorful green salad with bacon and fried Pfifferlingen mushrooms. I normally get a little freakout out eating cheese and fresh tomatoes, but burrata is different. German cherry tomatoes are so beautiful and flavorful. They married perfectly with the basil pesto.
For our main courses, I had roasted Barberie duck breast with Asian inspired vegetables and Dim Sum. The vegetables were carrots, beans, and edamame. Bill had shrimp served in a sizzling Le Creuset frying pan, with olive oil and peppers. We washed it down with a locally produced Pinot Noir.
Me in my Finnish scarf!A local Pinot Noir…
I got a video of the shrimp sizzling away… I almost got the shrimp myself, since it was clear they had no mushrooms. But I ended up with the duck, which was also a very good choice.
Living in Germany doesn’t suck… most of the time, anyway.
Naturally, we had dessert. I had a cherry filled chocolate eclair with chocolate mousse, cherry sorbet, and sliced cherries. Bill had warm lemon cobbler with sour cream ice cream and citrus fruits. Since he takes medicine for his high blood pressure, I ate the grapefruit.
Dessert was wonderful!
And a few final photos…
We definitely love dining at Landhaus Diedert, which has a long and storied history in Wiesbaden. It’s definitely a great restaurant to visit if you need some culinary style pampering!
The drive to and from there isn’t too shabby, either… Wiesbaden is a very beautiful city.
Total damage before tip was about 200 euros. Yes, it’s a lot, but it was so worth it after this week. I definitely want to bring Bill’s mom there sometime. I think she’d love it as much as we do!
Lately, I’ve been following some local Facebook wine groups, besides the one I run. Thanks to events like the Wiesbaden Wine Festival, I’ve found a few local wines that I really enjoy. When I noticed that the Barth Winery was going to be attending this weekend’s JustWine wine tasting event at the StadtHalle in Hofheim, I told Bill we should pay a visit. I enjoy tasting wines, and I already knew I liked the products by at least one of the attendees.
The JustWine event is continuing today, starting at 1:00pm, and running until 6:00pm. Yesterday, it started at 2:00pm, and ran until 9. I had wanted to go early and maybe have lunch or dinner in Hofheim. Unfortunately, we got held up waiting for an Amazon delivery. I bought Bill an Alexa Echo for his side of the bedroom. I was hoping to pair it with the one on my side, and create stereo sound. I’m still working on making that happen. 🙁 It’s not as easy as it should be.
Because we were waiting for the delivery, we didn’t leave for the wine event until it had been going on for a couple of hours. One nice thing about this event is that it was at the Chinon Center, which has a huge parking garage. That made it much easier to get the wine to the car. We bought fourteen bottles, six of which will be shipped to us. Last May, we went to an event at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, and Bill almost killed himself getting the wine to the car, which was parked in a distant garage. Yes… the parking was the best part of the JustWine event. The rest of it impressed me somewhat less.
The entry fee for the JustWine tasting is 8 euros. For that, you get unlimited entry until the event ends for the day. You can taste wines by vendors from France, Italy, and Germany, as well as purchase gourmet food items from the SudTyrol and Hofheim. There was also a D.J. That was a first. I’ve never seen a D.J. at a wine tasting. The music was okay– sort of techno trance instrumentals– but it was turned up kind of loud, which made it hard to hear and be heard. There were also a LOT of people there, so it was hard to actually access the booths. We ended up only going to three before we finally decided to give up and see if we could find dinner in town.
Before we ventured into Hofheim searching for food, we stopped at the Edeka in the mall so I could get some hair conditioner. The guy running the register, Herr Rocky, looked pretty much over it as he asked Bill to put his “Geschlossen” sign on his conveyor belt. It must have been break time… or maybe it was time for him to go home.
Then, after we bought my hair product, we stopped at a couple of restaurants, both of which were totally full. We didn’t make any reservations, because we weren’t expecting to go to the event as late as we did. It looked like everybody was out in Hofheim last night, which is understandable. Less than year ago, things were still pretty locked down in Germany. Since I already had indigestion, I told Bill that we should just go home.
So that’s what we did… and I was soon confronted again with Alexa, and her reluctance to pair properly in our bedroom. Bill has to go away this week, so hopefully I’ll figure out how to get the speakers doing my bidding before he comes back Friday– temporarily– until he has to go away again for another three days. On the plus side, Arran and Noyzi were overjoyed to see us. Arran, in particular, was running around with unbridled joy. He has that big tumor on his side, and it seems to hurt when we touch it. Yet he still has the ability and the will to greet us with so much enthusiasm. He amazes me every day.
I might have enjoyed the JustWine event more if we had gotten there sooner, when it was probably much less crowded. We probably would have found food, too. There was food at the event, but nowhere to really sit, or even stand, because there were so many people there. Personally, I think they should have scrapped the disc jockey and put in a few more tables.
I did at least get to buy some sparkling Rieslings from the Barth Winery and introduced myself to Axel, the guy who represented the Barth Winery and alerted me to the event in the first place. He’s very active on Facebook and speaks perfect English.
I got a kick out of Axel, because as we approached his table, he was dealing with a very petite young Asian lady who seemed to be putting him through his paces. She also seemed to be a little bit “lit”. She ended up buying a bottle of sparkling rose before she stumbled off, looking a little bit cross. Maybe it’s because she understands Armenian or Spanish, as I used words from both languages to describe her rather familiar demeanor to Bill. I know… shame on me. But she was kind of hogging Axel’s attention, and it looked like maybe he could use an assist.
Anyway, I’m not sorry we got out of the house and went to the JustWine event. It was a little too loud and crowded for my tastes, but it was definitely a unique affair. And we did pick up some wines, which I will be avoiding during Bill’s TDY. I like to temporarily get off the sauce when he’s not home.
Friday night is a bit of a blur. Why? Because the moody weather outside made me want to drink beer. We went to the bar at 5:00pm so I could do that. I started with a pilsner, but then asked for a Hefeweizen, which they didn’t have on tap. When I was finished with those, it was time for dinner, and we met our new server. She was a lovely young woman who appeared to be very professional and seasoned.
Bareiss has its own professional academy, where its employees are trained. The young lady who had been our server on the first two nights was very personable and friendly, but she didn’t quite have the polish of our next waitress, who seemed to have a calmer disposition and slightly more poise. The difference was very noticeable. She must work more on weekends and holidays, when business is up. Her English was very good, and she was better at keeping up with pouring wine. Not an easy feat when I’m around. 😉
On Friday night, we also had company in our little section. The tables at Hotel Bareiss are grouped by twos, with barriers that kept them together. For our first two nights, no one was occupying the table next to ours. Friday night, an older couple appeared. According to their nametag on the table, they were both doctors. I looked them up, and see that they own a general practice in Ulm, and are joined by their daughter, who is also a physician, and another young male physician, who didn’t seem to be related.
The couple didn’t really talk to us much, except to say hello and goodbye. I noticed they were very sensible about their diets, but not totally health conscious. It dawned on me that this must have been a rare weekend of rest, as yesterday was German Reunification Day, so they had a long weekend.
Below are some photo from Friday night’s repast, which I believe was fish based. I see from the photos that I didn’t try every course.
I don’t recall what this is, but it looks like I’m the one who ate it.Cauliflower soup, which I didn’t try because I don’t like cauliflower at all.I think this was deer.I believe this was halibut… More cheese for Bill.And a wonderful dessert..Black Forest tart…Salud!
After dinner, we went back to the bar and proceeded to try a bunch of cocktails, some of which were invented by the hotel staff. Let’s just say we really ran up a bill that evening, and put the bartenders through their paces. One of the barkeeps was a pretty young woman who reminded me of the actress, Shelley Long, in the 80s. She was cool and professional, but Bill must have tipped her well, because on our last night, she said she’d miss us. 😉 She probably says that to everybody, though.
One of many rounds!
There are live musicians that perform every night at Hotel Bareiss. I saw two– both were men who played the electric piano in the bar and were much better players than singers. But I did appreciate that the music they played in the bar was from the 70s and 80s instead of the 90s, which is what they played at Hotel Engel Obertal. 90s music reminds me of how old I am, while music from the 70s and 80s is just better overall, and reminds me of being a kid. And I especially appreciated that there weren’t any panpipes!
We staggered back to our room at about 11:30 pm, which is a late night for us. I somehow managed to drop my iPad in the crevice between the two beds, which put me in a temporary panic, until I finally found the right mode on Find My iPad and located the thing. Yep… Friday was a night of excess. That’s for sure! But we had a good time. It’s not very often that we get to enjoy bars anymore. And Bill likes cocktails, but rarely gets to have them, because he usually does the driving. So this was a nice treat for him.
I always admire bartenders who can keep their cool and keep the drinks flowing smoothly. Before it got too crowded, I asked the bartenders if they have to remember all of the drinks in their very extensive menu. They said that a lot of drinks are repeated, and if there’s one they don’t know, there’s an app for that. Okay, then! I did get to try some new cocktails, which was fun. But I don’t think I found any new favorites.
I liked the bartenders at the Hotel Bareiss, but I can think of ones I enjoyed more at other hotels. The Waldhotel in Stuttgart had an awesome bartender named Angelo who recently retired. And the Excelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne also had a great bartender who made excellent suggestions, was very personable, and taught Bill a few tricks. He also complimented his taste. A good bartender is worth his or her weight in gold at a hotel! Those other hotels don’t have some of the wonderful amenities that Hotel Bareiss has, so I guess it’s an even split.
Travel insurance is important for expensive trips!
It’s a good thing that I bought travel insurance for our trip. In the weeks leading up to it, we learned that our older dog, Arran, has lymphoma. We had another dog named Zane who also had lymphoma, and sadly he died just one week after he was diagnosed. In Zane’s case, the cancer appeared while we were vacationing in Scotland back in August 2019, and we had no idea that he was sick. A week after we got home, I felt swollen lymph nodes under his jaw, and a week after that, he was gone.
So naturally, I was worried about how Arran would do while we were visiting the Bareiss Hotel. We didn’t find out about his lymphoma until canceling would have required us to pay 80% of the cost of the reservation. Then, we would have been fighting the insurance company. Nevertheless, the thought of canceling did occur to us.
We ultimately decided not to cancel, because Arran is overall healthier than Zane was when he got sick. We also took him to the vet last week, and she said she thought he would be okay during our time away. We had a fine needle aspirate done to see what kind of lymphoma Arran has; it doesn’t appear to be as aggressive as Zane’s was. We also knew that since we’d just be in the Schwarzwald, it wouldn’t be a problem to come back and deal with Arran if the need arose. We didn’t get any calls from the Hundepension while we were gone, so we assume he did alright. He has an appointment to see the vet on Wednesday, at which point we’ll determine what can be done to make the rest of his time the most comfortable.
I’m bringing up travel insurance for another reason. A friend of mine from back home in Virginia was fretting the other day because she had booked a cruise, and the area from which the sailing was occurring was affected by Hurricane Ian. She did not buy travel insurance. Fortunately, it didn’t turn out to be necessary; the cruise was delayed, rather than canceled. But she was lamenting about not being “smart enough” to get insurance. I don’t always insure my trips, but I will for expensive hotels that I can’t cancel, and for things like cruises. This trip, costing well into the four figures, was expensive for us. So I sprang for the insurance with “cancel for any reason” coverage, just for the peace of mind. I really recommend it, even though it adds an additional cost to the trip. We usually buy our insurance through USAA, but you can purchase it through many outlets. Be sure to read the reviews before taking the leap! Not all travel insurers are created equally. In fact, given how much service at USAA has been slipping lately, maybe it’s time I re-evaluated getting insured through them. 😉 (as of 2024, we do have to buy travel insurance elsewhere, since Travel Insured doesn’t offer coverage to us in Germany anymore.)
Edited to add: I am pleased to report that Arran made it through his time at the Hundepension with no issues. He’s home, and delighted to be back with his favorite person, Bill!
Now… on to happier matters!
We decided to start our trip on Wednesday, because our dental visit was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Downtown Stuttgart is about a 90 minute drive from Baiersbronn, and we didn’t want to be in a situation in which we were arriving late. In retrospect, it would have been okay to arrive on Thursday. I just thought it would be better to be checked in and settled before the dentist visit, especially since we had never been to the Bareiss before and didn’t know how things worked there. Besides, we love luxury hotels, so an extra night is never a hardship.
On the way to the Schwarzwald, we stopped at the Hundepension with Arran and Noyzi. Noyzi was absolutely delighted to be there. He loves the young lady who takes care of him– and young women in general. He also loves to play with other dogs. I expected Arran to be sulky, but he was actually pretty chill. Noyzi practically dragged me to the gate, while Arran moseyed along quietly, touching noses with a few dogs who greeted us on the way in. When we got to the gate, Noyzi literally pounded on it with his paw! He was so excited to see Natasha, the caretaker.
We explained about Arran to Natasha and I asked her to contact us if she had any problems with Arran, since we were only going to be a couple of hours away. Natasha didn’t contact us, so I’m guessing Arran was a slower, finickier version of himself. Bill will go get them in a little while.
Once the dogs were dropped off, we got on the road, stopping at a Rasthof for a bathroom break. Awhile later, we both needed another potty break. Unfortunately, at the second time we needed a break, there weren’t any full service facilities available. Bill decided to pull off at one of the “free” WCs on the side of the Autobahn. Those things are a mixed bag. Sometimes, they’re relatively clean and well maintained. Sometimes, they are something out of a horror show. The one we encountered on the way to Hotel Bareiss was closer to the horror show. The floors were a bit flooded, and there was toilet paper strewn everywhere. I have seen some truly gross facilities in my time, having lived for over two years in Armenia, where the public toilets were so nasty that one was happy to find a squat hole, rather than a commode. We should have moved on from that toilet, but I decided to hold my nose and go. It was not a good decision, as the gross water on the floor got on my pants.
Bill did come away from the experience with a funny story, though. A lot of the men were just going behind the facility and peeing in the woods. I should have done that myself, actually. But one elderly German man braved the toilet with Bill, and complained to him in German. He said something along the lines of, “So, this is Germany. We were in the Netherlands for four days last week. Everything there was right. Look at the state of things here in Germany. Shameful!”
I was pretty grossed out by that bathroom experience, and especially by the souvenir left on my pants. I actually considered changing pants before we got the hotel, I was so offended. But we pressed on, and arrived at the Hotel Bareiss in the early afternoon. We pulled up the grand structure with the electric gate, that didn’t open for us at first. But then we arrived at the front of the hotel, and a very kind and friendly man in a green blazer welcomed us. We walked into the lobby for the first time, noticing that the doors opened electronically just about everywhere on the grounds.
First impression!
A young man at reception eagerly welcomed us, easily finding our booking. He spoke English, but had some sort of severe speech impediment. I don’t know exactly what it was– maybe stuttering of some sort, or perhaps dysprosody? He was very professional, and I was amazed by his ability to explain things to us in English, in spite of his obvious problems speaking with fluency. We tried to put him at ease to make it easier for him to speak clearly. The only issue was that he had a trainee with him who appeared somewhat amused by his colleague’s difficulties speaking to us. I suppose that’s a human reaction, but it was kind of uncomfortable to witness.
You put your car keys in the “mailbox” so it’s easy to summon your vehicle.Next to the door at the Landhaus.
The young man showed us the little “mailboxes” in the lobby, where we could store our car key fob for easy access when we wanted the car brought to us. Then he took us to our room. I booked the Double Room Rotunda Landhaus II. This room– LH 35– had a huge balcony with a nice view and was outfitted with quaint floral accents. There was a large heart on our door that read “Herzlich Willkommen!” I noticed the heart sign was on the doors of all newly arriving guests. The bathroom had a huge bathtub in it, that I never got around to trying. It had his and her sinks, a bidet, and lots of gold fixtures. There was lots of closet space and a minibar, as well as an adjustable bed, couch, and a flat screen television with German channels. Below are some photos of the room:
Seating in the room.You could kill someone with that key ring!
Because it was still early in the day, and we hadn’t had lunch, we decided to see what we could find to eat. It was about 1:30pm, so they were serving lunch in the dining room where we had most of our meals. Lunch is not included in the price of the room, but breakfast and dinner are. That was different from the Hotel Engel Obertal. There, breakfast and lunch are included, but dinner isn’t.
Bareiss has several a la carte restaurants, including the Kaminstube, which we didn’t try, the Dorfstube, and the Forellenhof, which we tried last year. The hotel also has a Three Star Michelin Star restaurant called Restaurant Bareiss. Of course, to eat in the fanciest restaurant, one must reserve well in advance. Maybe we’ll try Restaurant Bareiss if we manage to stay at the hotel again. I would love to do that, since I really enjoyed our a la carte lunches. The meals we got from the board option were all excellent, but I was very impressed by the a la carte dishes that we paid for separately. I definitely think there’s an even higher standard with those menus. Below are some photos from lunch, which we purposely kept small, because I knew dinner was liable to be a big production.
The “amuse” from the kitchen.I started with scallops and pickled radishes with peas.Bill’s pork bellies with miso “marshamallows” were so good! We both ordered soup, but switched because the chicken soup had morels in them. I ended up with Bill’s creamy concoction garnished with a quail egg.Dessert! Lemon vodka…And a sinful chocolate and strawberry yogurt log. This was so good.A view of the hotel.
After lunch, we took our first walk through the “Waldpark”, which includes a short barefoot trail and a petting zoo. We met the hotel’s delightful goats and ponies, as well as some of the rabbits kept on site. Bareiss also has pet deer on the premises, but we never got around to visiting them. I was too enchanted by one special goat, who proved to be very friendly and willingly posed for several photos. I wanted to get a pet goat after meeting the ones at Hotel Bareiss!
Love this goat!Pretty Arabian.Aren’t they cute?View of Baiersbronn.I enjoyed the ponies, too.For kids!
For dinner, the hotel management requests that guests dress in smart casual attire. I didn’t see this rule being enforced, much to the chagrin of one European TripAdvisor reviewer. I did bring a couple of dresses, which proved to be useful, especially on Saturday night. Most nights, I wore pants and a sweater, while Bill dressed like he was going to work. Some people wore jeans, though, and weren’t turned away at the door. The staff all wore traditional German attire. I was impressed by the beautiful dirndls and dresses the women wore. I don’t generally like uniforms, but I thought the ones at Bareiss were very nice looking.
As for dinner itself– it’s extensive. Each night, there’s a theme. Most meals begin with a trip to the humongous salad bar/buffet, where there are many different dishes available, according to the theme. The array of choices is incredible. I counted over 35 different cheeses offered. I don’t eat much cheese myself– at least not the fancy ones that Bill likes. I do enjoy watching him enjoy them, and he sure went to town.
Then, you choose courses from the menu– starters, soups, fish dishes and red meats, cheeses, and desserts. If nothing on the themed menu impresses, you can order steak, or other cold dishes that are always available. Beverages are not included in the price of dinner, but they are included at breakfast. Each night, we enjoyed a different bottle of locally produced German wine from the hotel’s vast cellar. And, in case anyone is wondering, yes, they have wines from other places, too.
Below are some photos from our first dinner, which had an Asian theme. I wasn’t very hungry, due to the lunch we enjoyed late in the afternoon, so I only had fish and dessert… and wine, of course. The family that owns the hotel gifted us with a complimentary glass of Sekt. Dinner is served from 6:30pm, and the staff requests that people come between 6:30 and 8:30pm, although it’s possible to come later– until 10:00pm. Our waitress the first two nights was the same lady who looked after us at lunch. She was very friendly and professional.
Bill had a bigger appetite and tried more than I did the first night.Fish and risotto for me.Bill loved the cheese.The tall one is an Italian blue that Bill loved most of all.My kind of cheese… cheesecake.Handmade chocolates on the buffet.We had many cocktails. Brandy Alexander…Gin and basil smash…Gin martini…And a little pilsner.
I’d say our arrival was a success! Stay tuned for part three.
Those of you who regularly read my travel blog might remember that in August 2021, when it came time for Bill and me to visit our dentist in Stuttgart, we decided to book a stay at the Hotel Engel Obertal in Baiersbronn. We spent four pleasant nights at that luxury property and mostly really enjoyed ourselves. While we were staying at that hotel, we visited a restaurant owned by the Hotel Bareiss called the Forellenhof Buhlbach. I noticed a number of guests who were enjoying fresh trout there were also staying at Hotel Bareiss. I didn’t know much about the place, other than it’s where one of the two Three Star Michelin restaurants in Baiersbronn is. I also knew that Hotel Bareiss is considered a pretty swanky place to stay.
In August, Bill rescheduled our dental appointments, to accommodate the Hundepension taking care of our dogs, Arran and Noyzi. Since we moved to Wiesbaden and COVID-19 has been less of an issue, we’ve been combining our trips to Stuttgart with “mini breaks”. Last year, we did Baiersbronn, for instance. In the spring, we went to Sessenheim, France, and stayed in a beautiful little boutique hotel with a gourmet restaurant. I was considering staying in another nice place we haven’t yet been, when I remembered the Bareiss Hotel, and how curious I was about it. So I checked their availability for our dates…
Sure enough, they had room in their “Landhaus”, which is where some of the hotel’s suites and apartments are. After talking about it with Bill– especially given the steep price of the room– we decided to book it. And, because of the steep cost, and the contractual obligation to pay soon after we booked, I also bought travel insurance. It made sense, since the original quote– just for five nights in the room, parking in a garage, and half board, was about 3700 euros. That may seem like a lot, and it is. But you get a lot for your money at this hotel. Besides offering a comfortable place to stay, the Bareiss also has daily activities and many facilities, an awesome spa and sauna world, a huge pool complex with several pools, most of which can be used year round, walking trails, a petting zoo, and lots of child friendly attractions. It’s also an extremely dog friendly hotel, although there is a daily 35 euro charge for each dog.
Having just left the hotel this morning, I can say that the high price was mostly worth it. I liked the Bareiss more than Hotel Engel Obertal. The food was exceptional, especially considering that we mostly ate from the board program, rather than a la carte. The staff is mostly excellent, too. I did have a few quibbles about a few things, which I’ll get to as I write the blow by blow account of our trip. But– overall– I can say that we did enjoy ourselves very much.
I just wish we’d had better weather, because there were some outdoor activities I wanted to do while we were visiting. However, not doing those activities meant that we got to enjoy a couple of fabulous mornings in the pool and sauna world. They were not at all crowded, and were on par with some of the best public mineralthermes/spas/quellens we’ve been to. Imagine going to your favorite pool based spa with almost no one there, competing for resources. That’s what it was like for us at the Hotel Bareiss at this time of year, when most children are in school. I think if you’re a couple or a bunch of ladies who want a relatively quiet and less child populated experience at this property, definitely book in late September or October! In the summer, I’m sure it’s a hell of a lot more crowded and expensive! But then, the weather is also sunnier.
I’m going to start from the beginning of our five night stay and give a very detailed account, then do my usual quick and dirty top ten things I learned post, for those who want to skip the details. I hope you’ll come along with me on our latest Black Forest journey!
When Bill made the hotel reservation, he mentioned it was my birthday. De Witte Lelie Hotel offers upgrades, when available, to those who book directly. Bill booked a Junior Suite. The next step up was, of course, the Presidential Suite. I’m not sure if anyone booked it. We were given Room 9, which is pictured on the hotel’s Web site. All of the rooms are individually decorated. Room 9 really is a very unique room, accessible by a couple of flights of stairs. Room 9 has gold wallpaper that made me feel like I was in a glass of champagne.
Hard to believe we were just here…The gold wallpaper with bubbles is festive!The tub was huge and awesome.I loved the tiles.It’s strange to think of having such a famous face that it becomes wallpaper.Nice touch!Huge artsy photograph book in the hall.It was full of sexy celebrities.
On the back wall, there was a sliding door decorated with flowers and multi-colored holograms. Inside the bathroom, there was a huge bathtub, shower, and turquoise blue tiling with silver and shiny multi-colored flecks. One wall was decorated with Marilyn Monroe wallpaper. Another had a huge tiled mosaic of flowers. Three glass fish hung from the ceiling over the tub. It was definitely the funkiest, most stylish hotel bathroom I’ve ever seen. The toiletries were Hermes, which I loved!
The room had a king sized bed, made up with a duvet and several comfortable pillows. We brought two of our own, just in case, but we would have been very safe leaving them at home. They don’t skimp on pillows at this hotel. The bed was VERY comfortable. I wish I had thought to ask who provides the mattresses to De Witte Lelie, since we both really liked the one in Room 9. There was air conditioning that worked well, and a complimentary minibar stocked with local beer, still and sparkling water, Coke, and juice. There was also candy and applies available if we had the munchies, but if we needed anything stronger, the reception was willing to bring drinks to the room. Or, we could have hung out in the courtyard and enjoyed libations there.
Don’t let your dog pee on the building!
Since there was no restaurant at the hotel, we did decide to venture out for food. By sheer luck, we ended up at a very cool restaurant called Brewers’ Kitchen. Open only a year, this place focuses on dishes that use beer, and it’s run almost entirely by its chef and his girlfriend, who is, herself, very knowledgeable about beer. There were only two tables outside, and both were taken, so we sat by the window. That was actually a lucky thing, since we got quite an interesting show while we dined on innovative beer inspired cuisine…
But before I get into the side show, I want to write more about the restaurant. The chef/owner quit his job in 2017, got trained to be a chef and zythologist (beer sommelier). The restaurant has a small menu, and everything is made at the moment. I liked that, since everything on Friday night’s list of main dishes included mushrooms, and I don’t eat mushrooms. Since nothing was pre-mixed, the chef was able to make my dish without fungus. The chef only buys ingredients that come from within 40 kilometers of Antwerp, to include local beers from Belgium and the Netherlands. He also told us that he is interested in buying from farmers, brewers, and suppliers who respect the planet. Everything he presented was organic, and could be matched with a beer.
Bill and I went all in with the experience. The menu changes often, since it’s based on what is available. Most days, the chef has a meat, fish, and vegetarian dish. Vegan is possible if one makes a reservation and mentions a desire for vegan cuisine at the time of booking. Brewers’ Kitchen had no fish option on Friday, since there was an issue with their supplier. However, he did have lamb chops, which Bill loves. I went for the vegetarian option, roasted celery root, which I had never had before. I have to say, I found it surprisingly enjoyable. It might have been because there was a lot of butter in it! We prefaced the main courses with a starter of white asparagus with smoked fish and a poached egg.
Our first beer was served like champagne, since it was produced in a similar method.Amuse… cauliflower soup.Dutch SeaWise beer, has a hint of salt. We shared the first two beers.White asparagus with smoked fish and a perfect poached egg.Bread and butterNoblesse beer.The roasted celebry root served with barley, watercress, garlic, and beer. Bill’s lamb came with the same set up, plus mushrooms.Bill’s dessert.My Dame Blanche.They just got their sign.
After the main course, we both had dessert. Bill had a small warm cake with buttermilk ice cream, fresh strawberries, and salted chocolate caramel sauce. I had a Dame Blanche (white lady), which is vanilla ice cream, warm chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. What made the desserts special, though, is that the ice cream was house made. The vanilla ice cream was actually made while we waited!
The whole time we were eating, there was some kind of party going on in the street. Next to the restaurant was a little art gallery of some sort. The chef’s girlfriend told us that Antwerp is a very artsy city, and there are a lot of young people who attend the university there. I was astonished by the fashion show going on… which she said was probably prompted by the local fashion institute. We saw all kinds of looks going on. Most of the people were very young and hip looking, although some wore clothes that looked like they were influenced by the 1970s. There were plenty of smokers and drinkers, which made me glad we were sitting inside. Still, it was fun to look at the styles they were wearing!
I see from their Web site that they also have an Air B&B apartment for rent. That may be why the chef asked where we were staying. He was very approving when we told him our hotel. Dinner came to about 134 euros, before the tip. We thought it was well worth the money. Bill paid with a credit card and we walked back to the hotel, where we enjoyed our first good night’s sleep. Until 4am, that is… more in part 3.
Below: scenes from our very short walk back to the hotel…
At seven o’clock on Saturday night, Bill and I got dressed for our second gourmet dinner at Auberge au Boeuf. Having seen the menu on Friday night, I was a little nervous about what we would be having. Besides the tasting menu we had, there was also a truffle menu… and, well, I don’t do truffles. But I figured I’d find at least one item I hadn’t tried on Friday night that didn’t include the dreaded fungus.
Actually, I’m kind of glad we had two dinners at the restaurant. It gave us a chance to experience one of the other dining rooms. Saturday night was also a lot busier, with a very different crowd. There were a lot more French patrons on Saturday. Friday night, it seemed like there were more Germans.
We were waited on by the same trilingual waiter. He was a bit busier on Saturday night, so there were a couple of hiccups in the service. We ordered a beautiful bottle of Pommard to go with the a la carte items we chose. And, just as it’s been in all of the excellent restaurants we’ve visited, as well as a couple of crappy ones, our wine was “held hostage”. By this, I mean the wine was to be poured by our waiter or the sommelier. It was kept on a nearby mantle, within our line of sight.
I don’t mind having my wine poured by the wait staff, as long as they are attentive. Unfortunately, the waiter was so busy on Saturday night, we were left waiting to be recharged for several minutes. Finally, Bill discreetly made a move to get our wine, which was, again, next to our table and within sight. The waiter came over and stopped him, which I thought was kind of awkward. I mean, it was our wine… we paid over 90 euros for it. We don’t have broken hands. The waiter was clearly busy. He should have just let Bill pour the wine.
The second hiccup involved our water. We ordered a large bottle of sparkling water from Ribeauville. Somehow, a huge black fly found its way into the bottle, where we saw it doing the crawl. I stared at the bottle for several minutes before we were able to flag down the maitre d’ and ask her to take the bottle away. One would assume that in a situation like that, someone would bring us another bottle of water… or at least offer it. But no, I ended up having to ask our waiter, after we explained what had happened. I asked him for another, smaller bottle, for which we were probably charged.
As for the food, Bill and I both ordered one entree that we didn’t try on Friday. And we also had our favorite courses from Friday night, plus dessert. The meal came with the same hors d’oeuvres and amuse bouche we had on Friday night, as well as the fresh bread, sorbet, and candies at the end of the meal. Below are some photos from our second dinner. The food standard was, of course, outstanding.
The hall by our room. Bill checks the menu on his phone.We started with a Campari and soda for Bill, and rose champagne for me.You can see the QR stand, where we scanned to get the menu on our phones. Same hors d’oeuvres as Friday: snails, goat cheese, and tuna. Wonderful Pommard that got Bill in trouble with the waiter.ConsummeLook who came to dinner!I had the abalone with algae, gnocchi, and cheese sauce for my first course.This was the course I didn’t have on Friday. Red snapper with cannelloniBill had the smoked trout again for his first course. He said it was a bit too much, with the creamy mashed potatoes and egg.And then he had lamb with truffles, which was not part of Friday’s meal. For dessert, I had a trio of sorbets with fresh fruit.Bill went more adventurous with a chocolate kiwi dessert that included truffle flavored ice cream. Yes… truffles, as in fungus!Before I enjoyed this glass of Alsatian whiskey, we had the same candies we had on Friday night. I wanted brandy, but they didn’t have any. WHAT?!
When all was said and done, the total cost for Saturday night was about the same as it was on Friday night… roughly 300 euros. We don’t usually splurge that much on subsequent nights, but it had been so long since we’d last indulged in excellent food. If we visit Auberge au Boeuf again, we will make a point of trying Stammtisch.
Tomorrow, I will post about checking out and going home. See you then!
Before we came to Sessenheim, I booked dinner in Auberge au Boeuf’s restaurant for Friday and Saturday nights. If I had it to do over again, I would have booked one of those nights for the Stammtisch. Not only does the Stammtisch offer different choices, it’s also considerably less expensive and formal. But this isn’t to say we didn’t enjoy both of our dinners in the one starred Michelin restaurant. In fact, going twice gave us the chance to try a couple of different items, and have repeats of our favorites from the tasting menu we had on Friday night.
I wasn’t going to dress up for the experience on Friday, though I brought two dresses. I changed my mind when Bill decided to put on a jacket. It was a good decision to do that. I noticed that people were dressy at the restaurant– casually elegant attire was the norm. That’s definitely one difference between France and Germany. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to nice German restaurants and people were wearing jeans.
We arrived at the dining room promptly at 7:00pm, which is when service begins. On Friday night, most everyone there, except for us, was speaking German. One family brought their two dogs, who were making adorable grunting noises the whole time. Our waiter was the same young man who checked us in on Wednesday night. He spoke English just as well as he spoke German and French, which was very impressive to me. I used to work in a nice restaurant, and it was all I could do to remember the specials every night. But here he was, seamlessly flitting from table to table, speaking three different languages.
Bill ordered a nice local bottle of Riesling from the sommelier, who was also trilingual. We were invited to use our phones to scan the menu, which was on a QR code on a glass square that was affixed to a metal stand. I guess the QR code is one innovative way of getting around printing menus, which can apparently be vectors of diseases. It probably also makes it much easier to change the menus. No need to print anything. For those who don’t have capable smartphones, a tablet can be borrowed. The menus were in German and French. No luck for us English speakers. 😉
We decided on the tasting menu, which was called “Confession d’un Cuisinier”. Priced at 105 euros per person, this was a seven course tasting menu designed and created by Chef Yannick Germain, whose family also owns the hotel. It was quite adventurous for me, and the waiter was shocked when I told him I don’t eat mushrooms or truffles. Actually, I only had six courses, because one of the courses had mushrooms in it. The course count doesn’t include the extra goodies. I think the waiter might have worried that I would be a picky eater, but I did okay. Below are some photos from our first dinner.
A little pre-dinner wine.It was our first elegant dinner in many months. Bill was excited.A trio of hors d’oeuvres– tuna, snails, and goat cheese. I tired all three.This amuse bouche was a consommé with cranberries, radish, and beef.We had fresh bread…And scallops with artichoke hearts and caviar.You can see this was on a scallop shell, which was set upon ground scallop shells.This was my favorite course. Abalone is served with algae, gnocchi, and a delicate cheese sauce made with local cheese.This was smoked trout with creamy mashed potatoes, roe, and an egg. The white part is the white, topped with Riesling gel.You can see in this photo under the white, there was the yolk… And that was Bill’s favorite, even though he doesn’t usually like soft yolks! Time for a palate cleanse with black currant sorbet.This was the monkfish course I skipped due to mushrooms. And then we had pigeon… It reminded me of very lean and tender duck.Bill skipped the cheese, but the Germans at the table next to us had some.Dessert… And candies before the bill came...
This was definitely a very impressive dinner… although it wasn’t my favorite Michelin starred meal. Bill said he liked it better than the dinner we had at the Schwarzwaldstube at the Traube Tonbach Hotel in Baiersbronn last August. All told, we spent about 300 euros, not including the wine we had during our “afternoon pause”, which we got at the hotel. Was it worth it? I’d say yes, it was. It had been so long since our last night out. Service was excellent, yet unpretentious, and the quality of the food was outstanding. I got to try new things. We didn’t have to drive anywhere. And we did it again the following night. Stay tuned for that post.
I have to admit, I was kind of inclined not to do anything today. Bill and I started binge watching Squid Game on Netflix yesterday and we were kind of wanting to watch the last few episodes. But today’s weather is absolutely glorious, with agreeable temperatures and lots of sunshine. It would have been a crime not to get out of the house for a couple of hours. It had been awhile since our last visit to Villa im Tal, a wonderful restaurant in the woods on the outskirts of Wiesbaden. We’ve been several times, and have enjoyed every meal we’ve had there, but thanks to the pandemic, it had been over a year since we last dined there in person.
We decided to make a 2:30pm reservation at Villa im Tal, which was the tail end of lunch service, mainly because we weren’t ready to go out until about 1:45pm. Traffic through Wiesbaden was a real pain, especially for a Sunday, but then we turned onto the country road with limited access that leads to the historic building where Villa im Tal is… Every time I go out there, I miss country living, and having a horse. There’s a riding stable right next door, and many people go out there to ride horses, bikes or take luxurious hikes. The setting really makes me miss living next to a nature park, like we did in Jettingen.
Anyway, below are some photos from today’s visit… And as I share them, I realize that we really need to take a Saturday and do something besides eating in a restaurant. It’s time we went to a museum or climbed up to a Berg or something…
A lovely peek at the restaurant… Some horses were also passing. Made me wistful.Bill checks out the menu…Our waiter, who had been very busy, brought out some fizzy water and bread, with Spundekaese, a local cheese spread delicacy.I started with my favorite soup, mango lemongrass. It’s vegetarian, and a little spicy, but so comforting. The curry chip is a nice touch.Bill had a smoked salmon and avocado tatar with apples. I almost ordered this appetizer myself. I was pleased to get to try it.A beautiful chilled, crisp Riesling accompanied our fish heavy entrees. This wine was an excellent choice!I had grilled halibut with pureed parsnips and root vegetables. It was very hearty and buttery.Bill had sea bass (Branzino/Wolfbarsch), which isn’t the same as sea bass in the United States, It was served with cauliflower puree, beans, and tomatoes. The chefs are wizards with these purees, which taste as rich and decadent as potatoes. Must be all the butter!The digestive cart… we didn’t have one today.For dessert, I had a chocolate creme brulee with coconut Raffello ice cream and fruits. The cookie was a delicious buttery phyllo creation that was just slightly sweet.Bill had New York cheesecake with apricot compote and fresh fruits.
Service was very kind and professional, and our waiter was so gracious and friendly. He spoke excellent English and went out of his way to see that we had a nice lunch. I suspect we’re done eating for the day, but what a nice way to finish off one’s calories! I wish I could live out where the restaurant is… it’s just so beautiful and rustic, and it makes one forget that the city is not even two miles away.
Dog lovers will be glad to know that dogs are warmly welcomed and accommodated at Villa im Tal. We saw two canines enjoying lunch with their people at the restaurant. Our dogs aren’t quite well mannered enough to visit Villa im Tal, but I always enjoy the ones we see when we eat there.
We dined inside today, but there’s also have a really beautiful patio available. I saw some folks enjoying the outside area this afternoon.
This wasn’t a cheap lunch. With a generous Trinkgeld (tip) added, we spent 220 euros. Fortunately, credit cards are accepted. But it was well worth the money, and we left there smiling and happy. I hope we can visit again sooner. As long as the pandemic stays somewhat controlled, I don’t see why we wouldn’t. In fact, we need to go out more… and I need to get back to conjuring up our next trip, which I hope will happen within the next few weeks.
Using a reservation app called The Fork, Bill made 7:00pm reservations at the Michelin one starred restaurant, Restaurant Köhlerstube. This restaurant is one of two at the Traube Tonbach Hotel, located in Baiersbronn. The other Michelin starred restaurant at this hotel is the Schwarzwaldstube, which has THREE stars. That’s as high as the Michelin star system goes. I’m not sure how far in advance one has to plan for a table at the Schwarzwaldstube, but as it has just eight tables and is a very famous restaurant, I’m sure it takes a lot of lead time and perhaps a bit of luck. The Schwarzaldstube is not Germany’s, or even Baiersbronn’s, only three starred restaurant, but it is the venue in Germany that has had the distinction for the longest amount of time, having earned its stars in 1993. It is currently led by Chef Torsten Michel, who took over from long time chef, Harald Wohlfahrt, in 2017. The Köhlerstube, just down the hall, is led by Chef Florian Stolte; it gained its Michelin star in 2019.
The Traube Tonbach Hotel has a long and storied history, beginning in 1789, when Tobias Finkbeiner began the business that would stay in his family until this very day. This hotel has been family run for seven generations, and according to its Web site, is committed to excellent service, luxury, and sustainability.
The Traube Tonbach Hotel is also noteworthy, because on January 5, 2020, there was a devastating fire that destroyed the original Schwarzwaldstube and the former Bauernstube venues. The Bauernstube was special, in that it was the original tavern opened by Tobias Finkbeiner, who aimed to provide sustenance to the lumberjacks who had come to the Black Forest. In 1812, Tobias Finkbeiner was recruited to fight in Napoleon’s Russian campaign, as Württemberg was part of France at the time. Of the twenty-five people who left the Tonbach Valley to fight, Tobias Finkbeiner was the only one to return, and he continued the business and passed it to his descendants.
The hotel is currently in the process of rebuilding the restaurants that were destroyed in the fire. Meanwhile, the Schwarzwaldstube and the Köhlerstube are both operating out of the Temporaire building– basically the top floor of a Parkhaus that has been converted. There’s also a lot of other construction going on at the hotel, which I’m sure will make it a very nice place to stay when it’s finished. As for now, I’m kind of glad we didn’t book our stay there. Parking is in short supply and there’s a bit of a mess due to all of the building being done. We ended up having to park down the hill at the free public lot.
On our way to the restaurant, Bill almost had another accident. The main drag in one of the villages is being repaved, so there’s a temporary stoplight on either end of the construction zone. At the time we were passing through, there was a terrible glare on the stoplight, making it impossible to tell what color the light was. Both Bill and I thought he had a green light. No traffic was oncoming, so we started to make our way through the construction zone. No sooner had Bill said, “I’ve just got to clear this zone as quickly as possible” than we were confronted by oncoming traffic, including a guy on a scooter who blew past us in the opposite direction. Fortunately, there’s a roundabout at the end of the zone, so other drivers could circle back and come through once we were out.
Then, the GPS sent us on a shortcut through a village. The views on the way were beautiful. I would have loved to have gotten some photos. But Bill was so wigged out by the near miss in the construction zone, I missed the opportunity.
Once we got to the hotel, we were confronted by all of the construction and the lack of parking. Bill asked an employee where to go. The guy pointed to the Temporaire, and took off. It didn’t leave a great impression. I was also relieved that I wore comfortable shoes, since we had to walk uphill from the public lot to get to the restaurant. Nevertheless, when we arrived, there were two smartly dressed young men at the door, ready to greet us, check out COVID vaccinations, and take our jackets. And then we joined about two dozen other people who had booked the restaurant that evening.
The staff at the Köhlerstube were all dressed smartly. The ladies wore Dirndls, while the lower ranking men wore traditional dress. The sommelier who took care of us wore a regular suit. Everyone spoke English very well. We had a choice of the regular or vegetarian versions of the menu, along with several side options that could be ordered a la carte or used as a substitute. Below are photos of the menu that was offered on the night of our visit.
We were allowed to substitute dishes from the vegetarian menu…The American lady at the table behind us substituted a vegetarian dish for the venison.I might have been persuaded to try the duck, but decided to just get the venison, which is something I don’t usually eat.
There was a variety of people at the restaurant on Friday night. One table hosted a party of people who were celebrating a wedding, including the apparent bride in her gown. There were several couples, a couple of families with children, and a couple of groups of four. The American couple behind us brought their son, who looked to be about three or four years old. I was shocked by how quiet and well-behaved the boy was. He sat quietly and let his parents enjoy their meal with barely a fuss. He had headphones, and at one point, had fallen asleep. At the end of the meal, the wait staff brought him ice cream, which he didn’t seem to enjoy very much. They also brought him housemade chocolates. He chose a cool looking one that was blue, but it was a bit too much for his developing tastebuds and he spit it out in disgust. Bill also chose that one and said it was bitter chocolate. No wonder! I can remember not liking dark chocolate either when I was a child!
Here are some photos from our second foodie experience on Friday. Everything was delicious, although personally, I think I preferred what we had at the Meierei. I did appreciate that the portion sizes were manageable, especially since we weren’t quite recovered from lunch! We did opt to get the wine pairing with the courses, which I noticed a lot of other people were also doing. Each course was beautifully presented and the service was very good, although by the end of the meal, I was getting pretty tired and it took us some effort to flag down our check!
Checking out the goods.A little gift of tuna from the kitchen!Since we were going to be drinking a lot, we had aperitifs made with prosecco and tonic water. They were very refreshing and not too boozy. Whipped butter presented beautifully.The amuse– buffalo mozzarella with aubergine, tomato, and basil.Followed by perfect salmon with tiny frozen green apple balls, oysters, and daikon.Another shot, since Bill had his topped with caviar for an extra twenty euros.Next we had a langoustine with cauliflower. This was originally served with shitake mushrooms, but I don’t eat mushrooms. They were told ahead of time, and remembered when we mentioned it, but didn’t remember in time for the meal. It was no problem to get a new one.Next came sturgeon. This was my first experience with this fish matched with bok choy and Tom Yam. I think Bill liked this course best.Next we had venison, which came with a “finger” carrot. I was getting pretty full at this point, so Bill ate about half of mine. It was delicious, though. I made our server chuckle when I quipped, “Time for Bambi.” as she brought us the venison.Venison served a second way– braised with Thai curry.This was my favorite wine of the night, a lovely Spanish Syrah that went with the venison. I am going to look for it locally.I skipped the cheese course. Bill enjoyed it very much, along with a glass of semi sweet wine. And finally, dessert, which was called “curd cheese” in the menu, but really reminded me of cheesecake. It came with apricots, pistachios, Citrus Thyme ice cream, and an Earl Grey essence. Chocolates at the end, including the dark chocolate blue one not enjoyed by the little boy at the other table.
The total cost for this sumptuous meal was 521 euros before the tip. Thank God they take credit cards! Was it worth it? I think so… although this is the kind of meal that really should be done for the experience of it. I prefer more “comfortable” foods myself. But the delicate flavors and unusual combinations made this a very memorable and enjoyable experience for us. I liked the Meierei more, mainly because the service was so kind and personal. But I would absolutely recommend the Köhlerstube, even if the venue did remind me a little of a kindergarten. I hope we can visit again when the hotel has finished rebuilding its permanent locations for their restaurants. And, on another note, the Köhlerstube has now surpassed the now defunct Alte Post in Nagold for the most we have ever spent on a meal!
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