Walking through the old city can be a touristy trap or a delightful respite back in time. When I asked for a 'traditional' spot to dine on my second night in Dusseldorf, the helpful concierge pointed me to Tanta Anna in the old city.
I became suspicious that I had taken a wrong turn on this pleasant, sunny Spring eve as the pedestrian traffic thinned markedly upon entering the Andreastrasse. It was the kind of evening one imagined in the Spring in Europe; a modest wind cooling the sun in a bright sky to a near perfect temperature. As I reflected on the 65-degree early evening, a decrepit sign loomed large at the corner of the next block, proclaiming my destination was just ahead, and so I paced forward and crept gingerly into the nearly empty dining room shrouded by a heavy curtain.
I became suspicious that I had taken a wrong turn on this pleasant, sunny Spring eve as the pedestrian traffic thinned markedly upon entering the Andreastrasse. It was the kind of evening one imagined in the Spring in Europe; a modest wind cooling the sun in a bright sky to a near perfect temperature. As I reflected on the 65-degree early evening, a decrepit sign loomed large at the corner of the next block, proclaiming my destination was just ahead, and so I paced forward and crept gingerly into the nearly empty dining room shrouded by a heavy curtain.
A rich and well-worn dark wood paneled the room, along with many brass plates, relics and trockenspiel (I will presume my high school German treated me right here). Stained glass windows and script on the walls gave the place a ratskeller-style feel. It overwhelmed the senses a bit, and as I took stock of the ancient bar (Anno 1593 in an historic script on the wood paneling above), I wondered if myself and the two others (both non-natives) had been tagged with a "tourist" sign on our backs. We would find out.
An amuse soon arrived after my order of the chef's degustation menu: a veal liver pate with vegetable salad. It had a, well, veal livery flavor and a crunchy set of vegetables underneath in a white sauce. Decent but uninspired, and doubt crept in that I had been relegated to a place for American tourists.
I take a moment here to note, very out of character, I did not choose the wine pairings. My trepidation was bolstered by the lack of sommelier present and the names of the chosen wines (all German, nearly all whites) printed on the menu next to each course. Too, I wanted to be "authentic" so I figured that after the proffered aperitif, I would switch to a draft beer.
I munched on some house made breads (simple but with different nuts and vegetables inserted, quite nice) and awaited the "traditional" German degustation. As I finished the last of my champagne, the first course arrived to the antique table inlaid with metal pattern:
Course One: Raw marinated scallops with summer truffle, cauliflower mousse and bell pepper fume. What, you might ask, does this have to do with traditional German cuisine? I have no idea, but the scallops were pasty (in a good way, I can't find other words to describe it), and while I will remind my readers that red peppers are not my favorite flavor, the cauliflower mousse and white truffles, combined with a crisp potato "coaster" which balanced said scallops above the mousse, came together very nicely to start the meal. I would note the red pepper fume did detract from the delicate flavor of the truffles, however. All said, a very good start to what I was worried would be a disappointing experience.
Course Two: Clear chervil soup with crispy chicken "lolly". The steaming hot cup of soup had a bit of sweetness to it, and the chicken lollipop (a round of flat, shredded meat on a large toothpick) truly looked like a lolly, and was delicious.
Course Three: Poached halibut with glazed carrots, oyster and pancetta broth. I did not care for this dish. The oyster was wrapped around the halibut, which was dry (particularly for being poached). A low-light of the evening.
Course Four: Fried rabbit with parsley. Lightly breaded and succulent. Served with an excellently prepared scalloped potato in broth. Fried parsley drizzled on top. From low-light to highlight! Perfectly seasoned and hot out of the pan. A dish I couldn't have asked more from - and one that oozed "authentic German".
Course Five: Cheese specialties of maitre Affineur G. Waltmann. This course turned out to be three cheeses: a Rotweinkaese, a Roquefort, and a brie with ash. All quite excellent - an amazingly fine sample of cheeses; the entree course (number four) and this together would have been an outstanding meal alone.
Course Six: Bundt cake with rhubarb, mint pesto and chocolate sorbet. Very nicely done, and the mint pesto was excellent.
As I wrapped up my dining, fearing the raw caloric intake I had just accomplished, I reflected on the meal. While I sat for nearly 3 hours, the wait staff was not slow; they executing with the precision of the French-trained boys over at The Victorian just not the chatting and hovering. They refilled promptly, brought out dishes with perfect timing when I was done enjoying the prior course and another stein of beer. I would also add that the pilsner and the dunkelweiss beer on tap were both excellent.
I discovered too late that my decision to skip the wine pairings was unfortunate indeed - the Tanta Anna is one of the premier and original "Wine Houses" in Dusseldorf. A silly mistake of impressions - three of which befell me on this evening's fine dining, as you will note from above.
Nonetheless, the dining was top notch, and truly an authentic locale in the old city. Who knew that a brief two day trip to Germany for some meetings would result in such culinary delights - I only wish I had time to sample the more local and bohemian pubs and restaurants I spied on my walk to and from dinner. Make your way there, and catch the rabbit.
Course One: Raw marinated scallops with summer truffle, cauliflower mousse and bell pepper fume. What, you might ask, does this have to do with traditional German cuisine? I have no idea, but the scallops were pasty (in a good way, I can't find other words to describe it), and while I will remind my readers that red peppers are not my favorite flavor, the cauliflower mousse and white truffles, combined with a crisp potato "coaster" which balanced said scallops above the mousse, came together very nicely to start the meal. I would note the red pepper fume did detract from the delicate flavor of the truffles, however. All said, a very good start to what I was worried would be a disappointing experience.
Course Two: Clear chervil soup with crispy chicken "lolly". The steaming hot cup of soup had a bit of sweetness to it, and the chicken lollipop (a round of flat, shredded meat on a large toothpick) truly looked like a lolly, and was delicious.
Course Three: Poached halibut with glazed carrots, oyster and pancetta broth. I did not care for this dish. The oyster was wrapped around the halibut, which was dry (particularly for being poached). A low-light of the evening.
Course Four: Fried rabbit with parsley. Lightly breaded and succulent. Served with an excellently prepared scalloped potato in broth. Fried parsley drizzled on top. From low-light to highlight! Perfectly seasoned and hot out of the pan. A dish I couldn't have asked more from - and one that oozed "authentic German".
Course Five: Cheese specialties of maitre Affineur G. Waltmann. This course turned out to be three cheeses: a Rotweinkaese, a Roquefort, and a brie with ash. All quite excellent - an amazingly fine sample of cheeses; the entree course (number four) and this together would have been an outstanding meal alone.
Course Six: Bundt cake with rhubarb, mint pesto and chocolate sorbet. Very nicely done, and the mint pesto was excellent.
As I wrapped up my dining, fearing the raw caloric intake I had just accomplished, I reflected on the meal. While I sat for nearly 3 hours, the wait staff was not slow; they executing with the precision of the French-trained boys over at The Victorian just not the chatting and hovering. They refilled promptly, brought out dishes with perfect timing when I was done enjoying the prior course and another stein of beer. I would also add that the pilsner and the dunkelweiss beer on tap were both excellent.
I discovered too late that my decision to skip the wine pairings was unfortunate indeed - the Tanta Anna is one of the premier and original "Wine Houses" in Dusseldorf. A silly mistake of impressions - three of which befell me on this evening's fine dining, as you will note from above.
Nonetheless, the dining was top notch, and truly an authentic locale in the old city. Who knew that a brief two day trip to Germany for some meetings would result in such culinary delights - I only wish I had time to sample the more local and bohemian pubs and restaurants I spied on my walk to and from dinner. Make your way there, and catch the rabbit.
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