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| Berlin, Germany |
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Society - Extraordinary
February 2012 |
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6
Stars & 5 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes® |
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| Adorning the walls of Quarré Restaurant are the
bright, intense colors and quick, broad brushstrokes of the Junge Wilde (Wild
Youth) art movement, as interpreted by German artist Stefan Szczesny, who
through his art, focuses on the human mystery of inspiration and its artistic
expression. After seeing these works of art and meeting Mr Szczesny, we must
agree that Quarré is the ideal location for their representation and
display as this Berliner venue on
street
level to the Brandenburg Gate (CLICK HERE) epitomizes the new
youthful movement that has taken the city by storm. Excitement is always in the
air at Quarré, with its Bistro-style that includes summer outdoor street
side seating covered by a retractable awning and some of the most superb,
original menu items, the inspired work of
Chef
de Cuisine Sebastian Völz (CLICK HERE). |
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| Quarre
Terrace |
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| The restaurant itself is run by Restaurant Manager and
Master Sommelier Hagen Hoppenstedt, a Gault Millau award winning
“Sommelier of the Year, 2009” with the wine list, service and overall
experience a reflection of his elegant style. Together, Hoppenstedt and
Völz have catapulted Quarré into the forefront of Berlin’s
lively and competitive culinary scene. I would say that what sets Quarré
apart from the rest would be consistency, menu creativity and overall gracious
service with great ambience. With a daily menu that features seasonal
adaptations to capture only the freshest available ingredients, Quarré
appears to have something for everyone including vegetarian and healthy
options. Our particular dining experience was comprised of a tasting menu
featuring a selection of Chef Völz’s favorite items but upon being
seated, someone in our party had asked if his craving for Green Snails could be
accommodated and before you knew it, Snails were added to the tasting menu
without missing a beat. |
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| So, we began with
Sweetbreads,
Raw Marinated Artichokes with Potato Fond (CLICK HERE) marinated
slices of potato, young garlic, chips, aioli with herbed potato sauce. Rich and
creamy, Sweetbreads have a delicate flavor and firmer, velvety-smooth texture
and with the acidity of the marinated artichokes proved to be a pleasant
synergetic relationship. Wine for this course would have to stand up to the
rich, succulent Sweetbreads and Hoppenstedt suggested 2003 Meursault
Genevrieres, Francois Mikulski, a full-bodied Premier Cru to compliment the
dish with buttery notes existing along side elements of citrus and equally
balanced minerality. |
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| Quarré Restaurant - Cuisine |
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| Now comes the Green Snails in Herbed
Velouté, added to the menu last minute because of a craving, proved
tender and juicy while lightly bathed in a simple but silky smooth herbed
velouté properly seasoned without overpowering the snails. Our
entrée of Brandenburg Venison, Pancetta Chips, Cabbage and cold
stirred Cranberries arrived, prepared precisely medium rare and
complimented by the salt-cured pancetta and sweet/tart flavor of cranberries. A
lovely 2000 Clos Vougeot Domaine Forey Pere et Fils, with awe-inspiring
structure ripe with cherry, plum and red berries and balanced tannins worked to
support this complex course. A delightful intermezzo of Sorbet of Rose
Champagne with Pepper Cherry, Lemon Zest and Sugar Straw was served next
followed by Warm Chocolate Cake, Sour Ice Cream with Mint & Rum
Jelly. |
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| Quarré Restaurant - Cuisine |
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| To round out the wine selections, for dessert Hoppenstedt recommended
2008 Kracher Beerenauslese, produced by one of my favorite Austrian
winemakers, offering a stimulating aroma of golden grapefruit, orchard apricot
and Fuji apple while coating the palate with a balanced structured acidity and
sweetness. Hoppenstedt followed through after dessert with a surprise aperitif
of high-quality pear spirits created personally by him, made the old-fashioned
way in small batches through proper distillation techniques acquired from years
of experience with an 80yr seasoned expert. The whole dining experience at
Quarré was charming, gracious and well prepared with an emphasis on
progressive, fresh cuisine changing seasonally, with inspired and imaginative
preparations. |
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| 2012 -
Quarre Restaurant - Seven Stars And Stripes - Award |
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by Edmund & Thorsten Buehrmann
Editor: John
Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme |
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| © 2012 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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