Berlin’s gastronomy is both classic and cutting edge

Those craving traditional comfort foods may certainly indulge in roast pork knuckles, calves liver, dumplings or sauerkraut in Berlin. However, 20 years after the fall of the Wall, Berlin’s cuisine, much like the city – has reinvented itself, offering up lighter and fresher fare, “öko” (organic) options, star-rated dining and an impressive selection of international and ethnic choices that now dominate the city’s dining scene.

In 2009, visitors to Berlin are invited to sample the city’s many food varieties, explore food trends, and experience the wide range of culinary options.

With health- and environmental consciousness becoming more main stream, the demand for fresh, regional and organic food has arrived in Berlin’s fast-food sector. Offering a popular alternative to burgers or sausages, busy Berliners now have a wide range of organic fast food choices.

With five locations in Berlin, Gorilla, Natürlich FastFood is Germany’s first organic fast food chain. Promoting sustainability, natural foods, and regional products, menu items are 100% organic and include sandwiches on whole wheat bread, salads, and soups. For location information see http://www.gorilla-natuerlich.com.

Even Berlin’s popular “curry wurst” can now be enjoyed by health conscious diners. “Witty’s Currybude” at Wittenbergplatz serves up a high-quality organic sausage drenched in the typical ketchup-curry sauce made from natural ingredients. Round-off this almost guilt-free snack with a refreshing organic beverage.

Yellow Sunshine serves strictly vegan or vegetarian burgers, fries, muffins and other fast-food favorites. Open 24/7, Fresh ‘N’ Friends organic supermarkets and boutique restaurants emphasize fresh, regional, and organic ready-to-eat foods, fair trade practices, and sustainability.

Foodorama on Bergmansstraße in Kreuzberg goes even one step further, calling itself the first certified “climate-neutral” organic restaurant, using seasonal and regional products, and operating in thermally insulated rooms. (http://www.yellow-sunshine.com, http://www.freshnfriends.com, http://www.foodorama.de).

On the other side of the foodie fence, acclaimed chef Tim Raue offers private dining of the highest standards at the “Krug Room”. Located within the “Ma” and “Uma” restaurants at the Hotel Adlon, the luxuriously furnished and completely private dining-room holds a maximum of eight guests. Every course is personally presented and served by Raue and his Maître d’ wife Marie-Anne. No other staff is present, but guests have a view of the kitchen via a camera feed. Raue offers delicacies and ingredients so rare, that they can only be offered to a small number of guests. Items on the menu include sea cucumber from the Catalan coast, fish maw from Hong Kong, and murahata melons from Japan, paired with the finest Krug champagnes and the rarest and most exquisite wines. A menu for eight starts at Euro 2,500, with no upward limit. Open Tuesday to Saturday, by request only. (http://www.ma-restaurants.de).

It should come as no surprise, that the 2009 edition of the Michelin Hotel & Restaurant Guide once again awarded twelve stars to Berlin’s gourmet restaurants. Boasting three Michelin stars in 2009, the Hotel Adlon for the first time ever has received the highest distinction for its restaurants the Chinese-inspired Ma Tim Raue, the Italian restaurant Gabriele with chef Björn Alexander Panek, and Lorenz Adlon for chef Thomas Neeser’s culinary art à la francaise.

Head chef Christian Lohse of the Fischers Fritz seafood restaurant in the Regent Hotel was again honored with two stars for “outstanding cuisine”. It should be noted that only 30 restaurants in Germany have ever achieved two or three stars.

Additionally, the restaurants Facil, First Floor, Hûgos, Margaux, Rutz, Vau and Vitrum have successfully retained their star in the current edition of the Michelin Guide, winning over the demanding Michelin inspectors over with their culinary masterstrokes. (www.facil.de, www.firstfloor.palace.de, www.fischersfritzberlin.com, www.gabriele-restaurant.de, www.hugos-restaurant.de, www.hotel-adlon.de, www.ma-restaurants.de, www.margaux-berlin.de, www.rutz-weinbar.de,www.vau-berlin.de, www.restaurant-vitrum.de).

Information on travel to Berlin is available at www.visitBerlin.de.