Love of Food | Baden-Baden: Eating and drinking your way through Germany’s historic spa town

Merkurstüble, restaurant atop Merkur mountain, Baden Baden, Germany. (Photo: ⒸBaden-Baden Tourism Board)

Baden-Baden in Germany, for first timers, needs an introduction. It is not as familiar to the Indian traveller’s vocabulary as say, the Black Forest region. Yet, it sits on the edge of the popular mountain range and is in the vicinity of the French border. Sandwiched between scenic landscapes has made it a magnet for elite travellers over the years. Queen Victoria, Napoleon III and a galaxy of Russian writers passed through this historic spa town, including Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Leo Tolstoy. Being a luxury destination meant that food was always at the top of the totem pole of experiences. The gastronomic legacy continues today with everything from Michelin-starred restaurants and cosy little taverns to bistros and countless street cafés. Wine pilgrims also flock to Rebland, 6 km from Baden-Baden’s city centre and one of the noteworthy Riesling growing districts in Germany, for best sips of the aromatic wine. So, as the year draws to a close, here’s a curated bucket list of eateries, from high-profile restaurants to cafés around the street that will help you navigate the spa town’s eclectic food map.

Wintergarten Restaurant, Brenners Park-Hotel

Miso-cooked eggplant with teriyaki jus, pickled kohlrabi, green appleand amaranth at Wintergarten Restaurant in Brenners Park-Hotel.

When a court tailor called Anton Alois Brenner bought a hotel called Stéphanie-les-Bains at an auction in 1872, little did he know that one day history-makers like Charles de Gaulle, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and movie stars like George Clooney will unpack their bags in its rooms. Today, the Stéphanie-les-Bains, renamed as Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa, has one of the finest restaurants in Baden-Baden, that gets a mention in the Michelin Guide as well. Called Wintergarten, it transforms local German produce into an international spread aided by a lot of Asian cooking techniques. A bold Japanese theme runs through most of its headlining dishes that also celebrate Baden-Baden’s vegetables and meat. For instance, the miso-cooked eggplant with teriyaki jus, pickled kohlrabi, green apple and amaranth lets the produce shine with the funk of Japanese condiments. Similarly, cobia fish is confit’ed in nut butter and served with kombu broth, Black Forest ham, myoga or Japanese ginger, radish and soba noodles. As expected, the finest local wines have made their way into the restaurant menu as well. Quaff the 2017 Riesling Feigenwäldchen Buntsandstein, from a winery at walking distance from the hotel to intensify the flavours of your food. A five course-menu at Wintergarten costs around €145 (around Rs 12,725) per person, without wine-pairing.

Merkurstüble

Perched on top of the lofty Merkur mountain, the restaurant can be accessed by Germany’s longest funicular railway. As you sit inside the glass-fronted train, forested mountains loom large all around you. Right on the mountain peak, the restaurant offers outdoor dining with jaw-dropping views of the hills and a variety of adventure sports. As the menu reveals its head-spinning variety of courses, you can watch the entire spa town spread out below like a Japanese fan. Regional cuisine is celebrated here, with menu entries like the hearty Spätzle (a local German noodle), knodel (traditional bread dumplings), pork schnitzels, apple strudel and more. Whatever you do, don’t forget to order the maultaschen or meat-filled dumpling, a local delicacy. Although its traditional fillings include minced meat, smoked meat, spinach, bread crumbs and onions, the restaurant has a melt-in-your mouth cheese filling variety as well. A generous dish of Schnitzel (pork) with French fries and spicy sauce at Merkurstüble will set you back by around €18.80 (Rs 1,650).

Café König

Petit Fours at Café König (Photo: © Baden-Baden Kur& Tourismus GmbH)

It is a landmark in Baden-Baden’s food map, with dessert worshippers trekking long distances to savour its signature cakes and confectionery. It is also the oldest café in town, beginning its sugar journey in 1889. All of Baden-Baden’s A-list visitors like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Hungarian composer Franz Liszt swung by König for their caffeine fix. Today, its art nouveau interiors draw a globe-trotting crowd while its bewitching bevy of confections look like gems in gleaming glass cases. Baden-Baden’s micro climate ensures that it has pleasant weather round the year. So, on sun-soaked days, order your coffee and desserts under an old chestnut tree outside the patisserie. Expect to queue up on busy days (which is almost every day) but Café König’s cakes, tarts and chocolate truffles are the stuff of dreams. Most prized are its Roulette-Chocolates, a praline confection paying homage to the Casino Baden-Baden. Another memorable bite is the Chocolate Chestnut (around €5), bringing to mind the seasonal bounty of the city’s chestnut trees.

Fritz & Felix, Brenners Park-Hotel

Black Forest Negroni at Fritz & Felix, Brenners Park-Hotel. (Photo: ©Jan Dimitrovic)

Another restaurant housed inside the Brenners Park-Hotel, overlooking the expansive spa gardens is the Fritz & Felix. A giant Galician Charcoa Grill (a unique equipment for theatrical-style charcoal grilling using solid lump-wood charcoal) occupies centrestage at the restaurant’s live kitchen. Fritz & Felix offers food with plenty of polish, defined by the finest cuts of local meats, fresh fish as well as diverse vegetarian dishes. A traditional dish from Baden-Baden is reinterpreted at the restaurant. Locals are known to serve a roast saddle of venison with steamed pears filled with red currant jam. At the Fritz & Felix, the dish gets a modern plating with out-of-the-box companions like jalapeño, polenta and barbecued corn. It is priced at €49.

Since Baden-Baden hugs the Black Forest region, the Black Forest cake inspires a cocktail at the restaurant as well. Go for the Black Forest Negroni, which uses kirsch or cherry brandy from a regional distillery called Edelbrennerei Markus Wurth. The brandy is aged in cherry wood barrels. Other ingredients that are thrown into the elixir are an aperitif called Fisini from another local distillery called Fies, Belsazar red vermouth, orange and cherry.

Nigrum Restaurant

Another Michelin-guide mention, the restaurant is an upscale gourmet destination. With furniture by French industrial architect and designer Philippe Starck, Nigrum’s black and gold interiors offer a context for its imaginative menu. Austrian chef Ronald Ettl is known here for creating a different menu of eight dishes every two weeks. These creations flit between traditional recipes with a modern twist and international cuisine. From the eight-dish cornucopia, patrons have the option of selecting and creating their own three to eight-course dinner.

One of Ettl’s culinary expressions is the classic saddle of deer, served with black cabbage, potato mille-feuille as well as a shallot and fig confit, combining artistry and whimsy with equal élan. A three-course menu without wine-pairing at the restaurant starts at €99 approximately and goes higher for more courses.