June 2002 - Nr. 6
Berlin Restaurants Garner Gourmet Stars
Four Seasons Hotel’s Seasons Among Top Eateries in German Capital
Toronto – Berlin’s beloved Bouletten meat patties and Currywurst street vendor sausage have received serious competition among local and international gourmets. The critics for the French gourmet guides Gault Millau and Michelin showered culinary points and stars on Berlin’s fine restaurants when they issued their respective 2002 edtions. " In culinary terms, Berlin is hot these days," says Michelin palate Alfred Bircher, while Gault Millau states that no other major German city had kept its testers as busy last year with new restaurant openings as Berlin.
Seven Berlin restaurants received a Michelin culinary star each. Of its 20 available points per restaurant, Gault Millau gave 18 to one, 17 points each to six, 16 points to one, and 15 points each to five fine eateries, including Seasons at the Toronto-headquartered Four Seasons Hotel. U.S. Tom Zagat’s guide Europe’s Top Restaurants lists an idyllically located spot in the city’s Grunewald forest as the sixth best place to eat on the continent.
According to the professional gourmets it’s primarily thanks to the grand hotels that the standards of dining in Berlin have risen to new heights. Young chefs, often trained in star-studded restaurants elsewhere, have journeyed to Germany’s capital and are starting to make their mark. Among them René Conrad of Facil, the rooftop restaurant, at the Madison Hotel at Potsdamer Platz, Wolfgang Nagler of Die Quadriga, at the Brandenburger Hof Hotel, and Karlheinz Hauser of Lorenz Adlon, at the legendary Hotel Adlon.
Independent restaurants add to Berlin’s fine fare with their own stars and kudos. Gault Millau praises chef Michael Hoffmann of Margaux at the renowned Unter den Linden address as the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ in its 2002 gourmet guide. Margaux received not only a Michelin star and 17 Gault Millau points, but was also named Berlin’s Best Gourmet Restaurant by Marcellino’s Restaurant-Report 2002. Restaurants Adermann, Vau and Ana e Bruno, serving exquisite Italian food, also received their professional culinary recognition each, setting the trend for others.
For more information on Berlin, please visit the Web site www.berlin-tourism.de or contact berlintourismpr@aol.com. For more information on Germany, please contact the German National Tourist Office’s toll-free number 1-877-315-6237 or send an e-mail to gntony@aol.com. For other information on Germany, please visit GNTO’s Web sites: www.germany-tourism.de
