Specker's Gaststätte zur Ratswaag

Description:

• One of Potsdam's most prestigious and sought-after restaurants happens to be one of its oldest, within a thick-walled country-baroque building set midway between Potsdam's railway station and its historic core. The clients who file in here for the inventive cuisine of Chef Gottfried Specker tend to be deeply involved in the whirlwinds swirling around whatever political event happens to be gripping Germany at the time of your visit. Expect business-suited representatives from municipal and national bureaucracies, often lunching or dining with representatives from the European Union, all within a sometimes reverentially hushed ambience that reflects the basic conservatism of many of the guests. Within a decor noted for thick walls, rich paneling, and mementos that evoke the glory days of Prussia, you'll dine on cuisine that changes with the seasons, the availability of local ingredients, and the inspiration of the chef. As such, it's likely to change at intervals of every 10 to 14 days. Expect a celebration of whatever's fresh (asparagus, strawberries, game, and some kinds of fish are good examples) and ongoing specialties that include, among others, a terrine of wild mushrooms and gooseliver; medallions of sea wolf in a Riesling-flavored foie gras sauce; a clear oxtail soup, loaded with flavor and garnished with spinach leaves; cream of wild mushroom soup; poached crayfish on a bed of black (squid-ink-flavored) risotto; and breast of guinea fowl with a mango-flavored cream sauce.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010