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Bareiss Restaurant
Gärtenbühlweg 14
72270 Baiersbronn-Mitteltal
Germany
Overall impression Arriving at the Bareiss Restaurant at the tail end of a two-week visit of Southwestern Germany where we had been repeatedly surprised with the quality and refinement of the restaurants, we had high expectations of this establishment. We were delighted to find the restaurant met and surpassed them with room to spare.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the small restaurant tucked discretely within the outstanding Bareiss complex. The elegant royal blue décor and window framed dining room looked handsome and welcoming in the partly sunny winter light. Our corner table in the rear of the dining room afforded us a splendid view of the entire area and privacy at the same time.
Staff, led by Restaurant Manager Thomas Brandt, were cordial and service oriented. Chef Claus-Peter Lumpp selected a surprise tasting menu and delighted us with all his choices. Jürgen Fendt, the talented sommelier, matched the dishes with well suited wines to make the meal a complete success. Bareiss Restaurant will be a must stop anytime we're in the area.
Location Within Bareiss complex in the town of Baiersbronn in the German Black Forest.
Opened/renovated The restaurant opened in 1983. It was redecorated in 2008.
Owned and managed Hermann Bareiss
Restaurant managers Thomas Brandt and Jürgen Fendt
Type of restaurant Gourmet
Executive chef Claus-Peter Lumpp
About the executive chef Born in 1964, Claus-Peter Lumpp apprenticed at the Kurhotel Mitteltal (later Hotel Bareiss) and worked in the military and at a variety of European establishments, including the Val d´Or in Guldenthal, before returning to the Kurhotel Mitteltal in 1987. He also worked under Chef Alain Ducasse at Louis XVI restaurant in Monaco.
He also worked as saucier with Günter Scherrer at Restaurant Victorian in Düsseldorf; earned a diploma of head chef as chef of the restaurant at Kaminstube; worked at Petermanns Kunststuben in Zurich, at Tantris with Heinz Winklers and Eckart Witzigmann. He worked with André Jaeger at Rheinhotel Fischerzunft in Switzerland; and with Ezio Santin at Antica Osteria del Ponte in Lugagnano. In the spring of 1992 he took over the kitchen at Restaurant Bareiss.
Pastry chef Stefan Leitner who won sixth place in the Der Feinschmecker Best Pastry Chefs 2008/2009 rankings.
Head Sommelier Jürgen Fendt, a native of Aschaffenburg, Bavaria received training as a restaurant manager at the Hotel Goldener Hirsch between 1984 and 1987. After that he worked as Commis de rang at Ausbildungsbetrieb, siehe oben and later at the Hotel Colombi Freiburg im Breisgau. He worked as Grundwehrdienst in the military and at as chef de rang at Landgasthaus Krone Schlier bei Ravensburg. He worked as sommelier at Restaurant Zum Alten Fischertor, Augsburg; Restaurant Die Ente vom Lehel im Hotel Nassauer Hof in Wiesbaden; Restaurant Sonnora in Dreis / Südeifel; Hotel Deidesheimer Hof und Restaurant Schwarzer Hahn
Deidesheim; and as restaurant manager at Hotel Burg Wernberg in Wernberg-Köblitz before taking the job of head sommelier at Bareiss Restaurant.
Décor/ambiance The newly redone restaurant was decorated in a Louis XVI style. The ceiling and walls had wood, the carpeting and chairs were royal blue. There was a large flower arrangement in the center of the dining room. Christophle silverware and Laligne knives added sophistication to the table.
Handicapped access There was no handicapped access.
Size The 70 square meter restaurant had a staff of 15 (six service and nine kitchen staff) and could accommodate up to 32 guests.
Meal To prepare for our surprise four course tasting menu we had some Diel German sparling wine which was laced with hints of wood and coin. To accompany our bubbly wine the staff brought us four bite size morsels: tuna tartar, guinea fowl, king fish sushi with beet juice rice, and ravioli of cheek of veal. We were sampling the second of those when our young servers brought a salmon cauliflower combo in a spoon. Next there were amouse bouche of young ox followed by monk fish and octopus. Bread choices included: baguette, sour dough, saffron, wheat, parsley and milk.
That's when the serious food began arriving: Bretonischer Hummer mit Spargel und Curstacémousse , German for fabulous Brittany lobster; and Kreation von Gansestofleber mit Ananas und Estragon , an extraordinary foie gras dish made with pineapples and tarragon. The next courses were pigeon and langoustines: Cassolette vom Bresse Taubchen mit Risotto, Madierasauce und Truffelglace, pigeon with risotto in a sweet Madeira wine sauce. It was accompanied by a finger bowl in case we used our fingers to taste the pigeon leg. And the langoustine dish was Sautierete Langostinos au leicht geaucherter Paprikasauce mit La Ratte Kartoffein und Aioli.
There was also, Dreierlei vom Milchkalb mit Morcheln, Spargel und Leichter Sherrysauce, a savory veal with morel mushrooms in a sherry sauce; and Bretonischer Steinbutt auf Aristchoken und Feves mit gratiniertem Ochsenmark und gefullter Steinbuttbrandade , turbot with bone marrow in a Mediterranean style wine sauce.
Desserts were equally ambitious and just as rewarding to the palate: Cube von Vollmilchschokolade und Karamell mit Banane , a chocolate mousse with a crunchy caramel center served with caramelized banana and ice cream; and Variation von Rhabarber und Mascarpone , a rhubarb dessert with mascarpone. After dessert we had a cappuccino and a green tea. My green tea was prepared in contraption set next to our table consisting of a glass tea pot held over an open flame. The hot beverages were accompanied by mousse towers with salt caramel and an ice cream with pistachio garnish (a favorite) as well as a selection of bite size candies from a cart. We tried the sesame tuiles , marshmallow, chocolate and caramel tarts. All were excellent.
We relied on the wine expert to select wines to match our meal and asked that he emphasize local and German wines whenever possible. He selected: 2007 Luhrer Kronenbuhl Chardonnay Sputtese trocken Weingut des Stadt Luhr, 2007 Schelinger Kirchberg Grauburgunder RS trocken Weingut Schatele Backen, 2006 Pinot noir U and U Hand Jurgen vonder Mark Baden, and 2005 Fellbacher Lammler Riesling Barenanslese WeingutSchnoutmann Warttemberg for the menu that started with Brittany lobster; and 2005 Schweiches Annaberg Riesling Beernanslese Weingut Heinz Schmitt Mosel, 2007 Sauvigon blanc trocken Cuvée S Weingut Aldinger Wurttemberg, 2003 Grauburgunder trocken Hades Weingut Drautz-Able Wurttemberg and 2004 Latinia Santadi from Sardinia.
Service Staff were attentive and service oriented, translating to English and sharing explanations on our dishes whenever possible. In addition to the restaurant manager and sommelier, we were looked after by Stephanie Bosch, assistant restaurant manager, Dominik Benz, Michael Köhle and Philip Reusch. The restaurant received the 2008/2009 fourth place award for service team from Der Feinschmecker .
Cellars, wine and alcoholic beverage selection The restaurant had more than 1,000 labels of wines and spirits available; of those 220 of them were available in half-bottles. There were also 70 different champagnes and 65 digestives. The restaurant's humidor stocked 20 brands of cigars.
Special menus There was a six course menu for 148 euros and an eight course menu for 170 euros.
Languages spoken In addition to German, staff spoke English and French.
Other The Bareiss Restaurant was ranked among the top restaurants in the following 2009 guides: Aral Schlemmer Atlas, Der Feinschmecker, Der große Restaurant & Hotel Guide , Gault-Millau, Michelin Guide and Varta Guide .
Would you dine eat there again/recommend it? Yes
Date of review April 2009
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