A few weeks ago, Bill and I were still staring down the prospect of him spending three solid weeks in Bavaria on business. I was depressed about the idea of being alone for that long, since I tend to be kind of a recluse. I don’t enjoy cooking for myself anymore, especially in Germany, where we have small kitchens and everything is in Celsius (🤭).
It had been about seven months since our last visit to Pizarro Fine Dining in Groß-Gerau, so I asked Bill if he’d like to go there for dinner. If you’ve been reading this blog, you might remember that we discovered Pizarro Fine Dining in the spring of 2024. I was so blown away by our first experience there that we went back again in late May of last year. Then in February, we decided we’d better go again, because we weren’t sure what was going to happen with Donald Trump re-entering the White House. Pizarro Fine Dining is the kind of place where you don’t forget the food, and if we were going to have to move back to the USA or suffered a loss of income, I didn’t want to miss having another opportunity to dine there. Plus, I wanted to drown my sorrows.
Since we discovered Pizarro Fine Dining last year, we’ve noticed that it seems to have gotten more popular. The Web site has been revamped, and prices are slightly higher. Last night, it looked like there were fewer tables. Bill counted fourteen people, and every seat was taken. And it books up fast now– you have to secure your spot with a credit card!
Well… after last night’s glorious repast, I can see why things have changed. Once again, I left that restaurant shaking my head at some of the incredible flavors I encountered in Chef Julio Pizarro’s cuisine. Bill and I have been fortunate enough to dine in some really wonderful restaurants. The food we’ve had at Pizarro Fine Dining ranks as some of the best of the best.
I love the unique concept of this restaurant. You basically buy a ticket. At this writing, it’s 150 euros for the menu without any extras. The door is locked, so there aren’t any walk ins. It’s relaxed and casual, and feels like a house party, with good music, subdued lighting, and excellent wine pairings to go with extremely fresh Japanese-Peruvian fusion dishes, mostly featuring fish.
Last night, we sat at the “chef’s table”, which is a four top. Another couple joined us. We didn’t know them when we sat down, but by the end of our five hour meal, we felt like we’d made new friends. The couple we had dinner with live in Darmstadt and work for a company that tracks the weather. He’s Italian; she’s German, but she lived in Spain, The Netherlands, and France until she was 12. He speaks five languages. She speaks six! They met Julio at a party, and their friends told them they should book at table at his restaurant. It was their first time dining there, but I doubt it will be their last!
Bill and I pretty much went all out last night. We had the meat course, which wasn’t Wagyu beef last night, but another type of beef from Spain. The name of it escapes me now. It was leaner than Wagyu, but very delicious, and I opted to have a glass of wonderful Barolo wine to go with it. Edited to add: my German friend thinks it might have been Txogitxu, and now that I’ve looked it up, I think she’s right. It came from the north of Spain, and is described as the “world’s best steak.”
We also had the caviar, which we usually skip. It was definitely worth having it last night. I had the alcoholic wine pairing, while Bill had the “drink” pairing, which was non-alcoholic. Some of his drinks were fruit juices, but others were non-alcoholic wines. All were excellent.
And then there was the menu itself, which was titled “The Fire In Me”. Every course was beautifully prepared and delicious, but a couple of the courses were mindblowingly exceptional. I had to actually sit there dumbstruck for a few minutes to register how marvelous the flavors were, even when I wondered if I was going to be offended by something. There are certain foods I don’t care for, but some chefs can work magic and they have a completely different taste. Now– I still won’t eat mushrooms or truffles, so I had to skip those in the meat course– but I did enjoy beet root, daikon, radishes, and a few other items that normally I might not have wanted to try. Everything was exquisite!
After dinner, we had a round of espresso to perk Bill up for the drive home. The couple sitting with us, who had been talking up the train all night, looked crestfallen when they discovered that the train was canceled last night. They had to take a bus. Or maybe they called a taxi. I do think maybe we should take a cab to the restaurant so Bill can enjoy the wines more, but I like that he has the non-alcoholic beverages so we can try everything.
As usual, service was excellent, yet relaxed. The food was astonishing, and the company was a lot of fun. It was a really lucky thing that we hit it off with Susanne and G.G. as well as we did! Sometimes, people don’t mesh.
Anyway… the bill came close to 700 euros, which is a whole lot of money to spend on dinner. But we have a lot of things to celebrate this month. Next week is our 23rd wedding anniversary. Tomorrow, it’s likely that Bill will have a new granddaughter. And his next business trip, slated to begin November 17th, was supposed to be in Bavaria, but has now been changed to…
ISTANBUL!!!!!
And, with any luck, I will get to go with him. I can’t buy a plane ticket until he gets approved and booked on a flight. But, once that happens, I’ll hopefully be shopping for a seat on the same flight, and we’ll spend next week in a truly fascinating city in the Republic of Türkiye! I have been there, but it was in 1996. I am older and more established now, and since Bill will be with me, I probably won’t get hit on by the local men. 😉
So stay tuned… Hopefully, I will be setting this up tomorrow!
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