Werneckhof by Geisel, Munich, 10/27/18

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Werneckhof is a good sized place that spreads over 2 rooms.  Marble tile is on the floor and the lots of dark wood makes up the walls and seating.  Benches line most of the walls that match up with comfortable chairs at the well spaced large tables.  Low lighting, white tablecloths and napkins, no background music, leaded glass windows on one wall and an enormous chandelier are other features to the room.  They have achieved a 2 Michelin star rating because of their great food and superior service.  Twin brothers fill the rolls of sommelier, Toby Klaas, and manager, Markus Klaas.   They were both totally welcoming and helpful as well as keeping the pacing spot on while attending to your every need.  In fact all the service people we dealt with there were outstanding.  Chef Tohru Nakamura has been here since 2013 and was also very personable.  If you get the opportunity to go, do so cause he makes food you don’t want to miss.  The menu offered 2 tastings with 5 or 7 course options with optional wine pairings.  The table didn’t all have to get the same thing so we opted to have both of the 7 course options and order our own wines.  Some of the courses did overlap.   Continue reading

Schuhbecks Fine Dining, Munich, 10/27/18

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Schuhbeck’s Fine Dining is made up of 2 rooms with shiny wood tables and windows along one wall looking out on the street.   An elegant atmosphere with plush banquette seating along the walls and arm chairs for those facing.  Paintings, mirrors and fancy plaster work decorate the walls and reflect the elaborate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.  The bar area in one room is gold material behind the lighting reflecting the glassware.  Music in the background is 60’s American songs,  They opened 2 years ago and already have one Michelin star.  For lunch they offered an a la carte menu or a 2, 3, 4 or 5 course menu with wine pairings available for the 3 – 5 course options.   There were at least 3 choices to pick from for each of the courses and I’m guessing for the 5 course you just chose 2 from one section.  Service was attentive and super friendly and welcoming.  We chose the 3 course menu and ordered our own wine. Continue reading

Restaurant Atelier, Munich, 10/26/18

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hotel

Restaurant Atelier is located in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel.   The chef has been here only 4 years but already has 3 Michelin stars, a very quick attainment of that rating.  There were only 8 large tables and a larger party table in the back portion of the room.  Each of the well spaced tables had its own service table and were covered in a single beige cloth with a matching napkin.  Places were set with really heavy, large charger plates made of stone.  Lights were lowered and faint music played in the background. The staff all wore wrap coats, with the colors seeming to identify them.  (The sommelier was the only one in red).  Two tasting menus were offered with varying numbers of courses for each.  They offered to move or delete things as we would want.  We chose the Atelier Seven course menu and ordered our own bottles of wine.  At the end of the meal they nicely brought a copy of our menu with the names of the wines included.  Service was moderately friendly, portion control was good but pacing was too slow.  Service also was a bit unattentive, like not re-filling wine and water glasses and it took forever to deliver the ordered cocktails. Continue reading

Les Deux, Munich, 10/26/18

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Les Deux Restaurant, a one Michelin star place, is upstairs over the Les Deux Brasserie.  The building is in the shape of a triangle in a shopping area, with the restaurant benefitting from the second story windows on two sides.   The great view of the people moving about was pretty entertaining.   The good sized room has a much more formal tone than the downstairs.  The various sized pedestal tables were covered with a beige cloth and set with a cream colored napkin and comfortable swivel chairs.  A large center service table was set with wonderful flowers and the floor was composed of really narrow wood slats.  No music was in the background but the soft rumble of voices provided a good ambiance.  At lunch they offered a tasting menu, a la carte option and a 3 course business lunch that included coffee and water.  We chose the latter and the portions were generous but the pacing was irregular.  Service was friendly and efficient. Continue reading

Restaurant Tantris, Munich, 10/25/18

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Tantris is a large restaurant with 2 Michelin stars.  The interior and exterior feature dragons and plays on their logo.  The dominant color is orange with waitstaff even wearing coordinating floral prints.  The large tables are well spaced on a gray carpet with a reddish orange carpet-like covering on the ceiling.  Along with the well padded chairs noise level is not a problem even though there is music in the background.  Each cloth covered table is equipped with a service table and set with a dragon and really narrow flatware.  It is a striking place and one you’ll remember, especially the large gold light fixture that hangs near the entrance, between the bar and dining areas, and the large lighted replica of their logo on one wall.  Don’t miss a trip to the bathroom, both are  impactful in their design.   Service was excellent, friendly and insightful.  Pacing and portion control were terrific. Continue reading

Alois Dallmayr, Munich, 10/25/18

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Alois is upstairs over a busy delicatessen – the Dallmayr.  The entrance was a little hard to find in the busy store.  The red carpeted stairs were at one end without much marking.  The restaurant was made up of two rooms both with the same bird wall paper, but in different colors.  The bird motif was also used on their menu cover. The small stone tables have a metal binding around the edge and are widely spaced.  The windows along one wall overlook the busy street below and the color scheme is pink and purple.  All the chairs are set with an extra pillow and extra lamps in the windowsills have fringed shades.  Wall sconces had a mirrored reflector and music was in the background.  It was very stylized but with the lower ceiling and carpet noise level was not a problem.  They have been awarded 2 Michelin stars.  For lunch they only offered a 3 course menu, that did have 2 options for the first course.   Pacing was okay and portions were fairly small.  We ordered a glass of their rose champagne which was nice but 24 euros a glass.  They did start off each table with a warm moist cloth.  Continue reading

Gourmet Restaurant Königshof, Munich, 10/24/18

entranceThe Gourmet Restaurant has one Michelin star and is in the Hotel Königshof.  The hotel is over 200 years old and was given a new facade in the 70’s.  Unfortunately my understanding is that the restaurant will be closed soon for a couple years while the hotel undergoes a major renovation.  Wines were being moved to a storage area and some of the staff are moving to other places.  The large dining room is on the second level and has a long row of windows that overlook the busy street and buildings around it.  A lowered ceiling and very low lighting set the atmosphere along with double clothed tables, heavily starched napkins and very attentive and friendly staff.  They offered 2 tasting menus and an optional truffle special.  Wine pairings are available for the tasting menus.  We chose the Martin Fauster Menu and ordered our own red and white wines.  The pacing and portion control of the tasting were excellent. Continue reading

Acquarello, Munich,10/24/18

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Acquarello is a  fairly large restaurant that opened in 1994 and received a Michelin star in 2000.  The dining room is in shades of aqua and cream and Italian music plays in the background.  The large tables are nicely spaced and one wall is windows overlooking the outdoor patio.   Canvas is stretched across the ceiling which dampened the lighting and  kept the noise level down, but with the windows in the daytime there is plenty of light.  At lunch they offered 2 tasting menus, an a la carte menu and a 3 course lunch special.  They offer wine pairings but we chose our own bottle of wine.  Chef Mario Gamba was in the house and recommended the Classic Tasting menu which is composed of his hits of the last 24 years.   Pacing and portion control were spot on.  It turned out that the wonderful and friendly server we had was chef’s son Massi.  He was incredibly patient when giving descriptions and with my questions.  Service was well matched to the wonderful food.   Continue reading