Smaller European cities such as Amsterdam have been sidling up to bigwigs London and Paris to become culinary destinations in their own right. In a new series, Bloomberg Reserve's Peter Elliot takes a whirlwind food tour to find the best places to eat right now.
The Ivory ClubThe centerpiece of the lifestyle group headed by Christian Mook brings exotic faux-Indian surroundings and top-rate fare.
HeimatIn a city that is moving to quickly eradicate its post-war blandness, either with elaborate reconstructions of 18th-century squares or super-modern towers such as Norman Foster's Commerzbank building (go see the atrium), a bit of 1950s retro becomes welcoming. Heimat looks like a concrete spaceship but feels like a modern European bistro, with plated small dishes, excellent wine service, and the best service in town. It seats only 20, so post-work tables are difficult to secure, but I had no problem just walking in and waiting for a seat at the bar.
LohningerMario Lohninger worked with David Bouley in New York, perfecting Mittel-European fare at Danube. He then wandered down the molecular path and has come back to earth in his own spot. Have the wiener schnitzel.
ZargesFrankfurt is a lunch town, and if you want to see the movers and shakers of the European Central Bank, this is the place.
Also of NoteThe staid bar at the stately Frankfurter Hof is ground zero for publishers who come for the book fair. The Main Tower Restaurant, 53 stories up, is surprisingly good. And Villa Rothschild served one of the best classic French meals I've had in years.
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