Alt Luxemburg Restaurant – Karl Wannemacher • Windscheidstrasse 31 • 10627 Berlin Charlottenburg
Press Reviews
Der Tagesspiegel
„Rarely do chefs succeed, when restricted to three harmonically ordered elements, in causing so much pleasure to the tongue, here it occurs constantly: Scallops on leeks in orange sauce, filet of bream in bouillabaisse sauce with fennel and rouille sauce. Best products, optimally prepared. And also nothing is changed by the fact, that the meat dishes crown the menu like islands of stability, nothing for avant-gardists, nothing for food-photographers, but rather just simply, the devil take it: delicious. Tender the genuine wild duck with Schupfnudeln (small potato noodles), mushrooms, and pointed cabbage, mellow the veal filet with vegetable-macaroni-gratin and black salsifies.” (1-23-2005)
Berliner Zeitung
“Whoever believes that he has already eaten a perfect duck breast, should come here and experience it himself with astonishment. The deep-fried potato leaves form a consummate combination with leek cream. The desserts. There are people who say that they are the best one can obtain in Berlin. There are also said to be people who only come to ‘Alt Luxemburg’ for the desserts. Both are conceivable. The three types of rhubarb consist of a light jelly with fresh ginger, a rhubarb-vanilla-gratin, and a sorbet. Similarly delightful are the pina colada parfait and chocolate bars with mango-pineapple ragout (both 10.50 Euro). The old West Berlin lives. And how.” (5-7-2005)
Wolfram Siebeck, Die Zeit
“It tasted really great then in one of Berlin’s oldest gourmet locales, Alt Luxemburg. Because it is located in the West, it has been somewhat forgotten in gourmet circles. Which does not speak for the elite among the connoisseurs of fine food and wine. For here the cooking is better than with the cool Italians, better than with the trapeze artists behind the gold-leaf façades of the grand hotels, to say nothing of the many regular haunts in the former Stasi (East German Ministry of State Security) district. What Karl Wannemacher has over all of them, is a sovereignty, which can only be achieved through experience. Here the guest does not cross his fingers fearfully with the hors-d’oeuvres, he does not send a quick prayer to heaven, when the entree is served. The certitude with which Wannemacher circumnavigatesthe Charybdis of the illusion of originality, is as impressive as his marksmanship with the seasoning. From the salmon-mousse to the coffee chocolate, everything is masterful.”
(Die Zeit Nov. 8, 2003)
www.epicurious.com
“Chef Karl Wannemacher’s charming restaurant, a Berlin classic, has been delighting Berliners since 1982, and over the years, his cooking has evolved in tandem with the city’s increasingly cosmopolitan tastes. Settle into the banquettes below the oil paintings hung on pale yellow walls. Feast on delicate but passionate cooking that is inspired by traditional Alsatian recipes, but occasionally borrows from Asian kitchens. Wannemacher’s lovely wife, Ingrid, runs the dining room with the skills of a generous hostess, and service is deferential. Wannemacher’s menu changes often, but dishes like his smoked-eel-and-horseradish terrine, pan-fried foie gras, and monkfish with saffron sauce show off his imagination and technical skills.”