Dinner at Restaurant Schwarzenstein - Nils Henkel in the Rheingau, with Nils Henkel, Chef of the Year 2017 (Der Feinschmecker), Germany

Pictures: Dinner at Restaurant Schwarzenstein - Nils Henkel in the Rheingau, with Nils Henkel, Chef of the Year 2017 (Der Feinschmecker), Germany

In Frankfurt, Annette and I are members of a group of wine and food aficiniados that meets about once a month in a top restaurant. In August, we had dinner at Weinsinn, a 1 star Michelin Restaurant in Frankfurt. See here: Wine Dinner at one of Frankfurt's Best Restaurants - Weinsinn, Germany

In September, we went to Restaurant Schwarzenstein - Nils Henkel in Geisenheim in the Rheingau, where Chef Nils Henkel has been cooking since the beginning of the year, after he had taken a semi-sabbatical for 2 years.

Pictures: Arriving at Restaurant Schwarzenstein - Nils Henkel

The October issue of Der Feinschmecker, Germany's leading food and wine journal, carries a 2 pages article about Nils Henkel and his new job as Executive Chef of Restaurant Schwarzenstein - Nils Henkel as Der Feinschmecker selected him as Chef of the Year 2017.

Picture: Nils Henkel is Chef of the Year 2017

Nils Henkel is best known for being the Executive Chef at Gourmetrestaurant Lerbach at the Schloss Lerbach Hotel in Bergisch-Gladbach until it closed its doors in December 2014. Nils Henkel joined the kitchen team of Gourmetrestaurant Lerbach as Sous-chef in 1997, the year when the kitchen team of Lerbach headed by Dieter Müller was awarded the third Michelin star. Nils Henkel moved up to Head Chef in 2004 and to Executive Chef in 2008. Dieter Müller left Lerbach in 2010. In 2012, Gourmetrstaurant Lerbach lost one Michelin star.

There were seven of us. We had the 8 courses Fauna Menu for Euro 180 and 12 bottles of wine. We spent Euro 310 including tax and tip per person.

Nils Henkel came to the table twice to assist serving a course and joined us towards the end of the dinner for an exchange of views.

Dirk Eisel (a member of our group): What an incredible evening at Burg Schwarzenstein! Next to Esben Holmboe Bang's Maaemo and Harald Wohlfahrt's Schwarzwaldstube easily the best meal I have ever had at a restaurant - pure creativity and technical perfection. Also very attentive service, led by Marina Saldaña Alonso and Michel Fouquet. Many thanks to Nils Henkel and team, and also to the best group of people to share this experience with!

Der Feinschmecker: Nils Henkel ist Koch des Jahres 2017

NILS HENKEL wird vom Magazin DER FEINSCHMECKER zum KOCH DES JAHRES 2017 gewählt. „Die Freude ist groß und die Anerkennung ein riesiger Motivationsschub für das gesamte Team“, so kommentiert Nils Henkel die hohe Auszeichnung des FEINSCHMECKERS zum Koch des Jahres 2017, eines der führenden Food-Magazine im deutschsprachigen Raum.

Der Küchenchef des Restaurants Schwarzenstein steht erst seit Februar diesen Jahres am Herd des Fine Dine Restaurants des Relais & Châteaux Hotels Burg Schwarzenstein im Rheingau. Seinem Küchenkonzept ist er aber treu geblieben, hat es sogar noch weiter entwickelt. So gibt es auch auf Burg Schwarzenstein nur zwei Menüs – FAUNA und FLORA, letzteres rein vegetarisch.

Pictures: After-dinner Chat with Chef Nils Henkel

Nils Henkel: „Selbstverständlich gilt diese Auszeichnung nicht nur mir allein, sondern ist eine Teamleistung, die ich nach so kurzer Zeit nicht für möglich gehalten hätte. Dafür möchte ich allen Mitarbeitern vom Relais & Châteaux Hotel Burg Schwarzenstein, aber insbesondere natürlich meinem Küchen- und Service Team für die außerordentliche Leistung danken“.

„Was für ein fulminantes Comeback! Nach zwei Jahren Pause startete Nils Henkel auf Burg Schwarzenstein in Johannisberg neu durch. Und der Traumblick über den Rheingau scheint ihn zu beflügeln: hochmotiviert präsentiert er hier seine „Pure Nature“ – Küche, mit der er zu den Pionieren der neuen deutschen Küche gehört. Seine Gerichte sind voller Raffinesse und noch spannungsreicher als in früheren Jahren, die Aromen sind prägnanter, ihre Balance ist noch harmonischer. Elegant sind die Kreationen in den zwei Menüs allesamt, die vegetarische Speisenfolge FLORA gehört zum Besten, was in deutschen Spitzenrestaurants derzeit rund um die grüne Küche angeboten wird.

Pictures: The Wines

Elizabethonfood Visits Restaurant Schwarzenstein -Nils Henkel

Elizabethonfood: Just last December, it was announced that Burg Schwarzenstein, a luxury hotel located in the Rheingau wine region in Germany, had brought chef Nils Henkel on board to run their gourmet restaurant. Nils Henkel used to be executive chef at Gourmetrestaurant Lerbach at the Schloss Lerbach hotel in Bergisch-Gladbach, but he kind of fell of my radar when Schloss Lerbach ("Lerbach") closed its doors in December 2014. Henkel is a well-known and highly respected chef in Germany. For years he was the right-hand man of chef Dieter Müller at his eponymous three-star restaurant at Lerbach, at the time a highly sought-after destination restaurant. He joined Dieter Müller's kitchen team as sous-chef in 1997, the same year the restaurant was awarded its third Michelin star. In 2004 Henkel was appointed head chef, becoming executive chef in 2008. Two years later Dieter Müller left Lerbach, but Nils Henkel managed to retain Lerbach's three Michelin stars. In 2012 however, Michelin Germany demoted the restaurant to two stars.

Henkel's new home Burg Schwarzenstein ("Schwarzenstein") is nestled on top of a hill above the village of Geisenheim, offering quite specatucalar views of the Rheingau valley. The hotel houses three restaurants, the aforementioned gourmet restaurant (now called "Restaurant Schwarzenstein - Nils Henkel"), featured in the 2017 Germany guide with one Michelin star, the more casual "Burgrestaurant" offering a traditional menu, and there's a grill & wine bar. The hotel is owned by Ernst Udo and Ursula Grossmann, who acquired the property in 2004.

The gourmet restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday and for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays and you can choose between two tasting menus. There's the Fauna menu (6 courses €145, 8 courses €180) and there's the vegetarian Flora menu (6 courses €125, 8 courses €155). I had lunch at Schwarzenstein in March 2017 and I ordered the 8-course Fauna menu. *I was recognised.

...Ever since they acquired Burg Schwarzenstein, the owners, but also managing director Michael Teigelkamp, have been very open about their ambition to turn Schwarzenstein into the Rheingau's "erste Adresse" (first choice). With the hotel they've already reached this status, but with signing Nils Henkel, who's one hell of a chef, they will able to push the restaurant to the upper echelons of German gastronomy.

Picture: The End

The Rheingau hasn't had a two-star restaurant since Joachim Wissler was cooking at restaurant Marcobrunn in Eltville in the late 90s, but I believe that's about to change. Nils Henkel is a culinary renaissance man who (still) masterfully blends classic with modern. This was perhaps best embodied in the brilliant frog's legs and onion dish but the Brussels sprout dish is also a fine example. Today's dishes were technically strong with creative and balanced flavours, a focus on seasonal ingredients, and all cooked with great attention to detail. When I visited, Henkel had been in charge of the kitchen for a little over six weeks only, but he was already at full speed and had put together an 8-course menu that could easily be served in one of Germany's finest two-star restaurants. The hefty €180 price tag of the menu also indicates that this is (at least) the level they are aiming for. That said, I did feel that he still needs to dot some i's and cross some t's, before his cooking will be at the same level as I experienced in 2013 at Lerbach. But for now, as they say at Oxford University: passed with minor corrections.

The Dinner - FAUNA

Fauna

Aperitif and Greetings from the Kitchen

Bread

PROLOG

CARABINIERO

AVOCADO ▫ TOMATE ▫ JALAPEÑO ▫ BASILIKUM

PETERSFISCH, GEBRATEN

PAELLASUD ▫ SEPIA ▫ BOHNEN ▫ RÄUCHERAAL

DORADE, CEVICHE

BLUMENKOHL ▫ KORIANDER ▫ GRAPEFRUIT

SCHWERTMUSCHEL

NORDSEEKRABBEN ▫ GURKE ▫ DILL TAPIOKA

Der Feinschmecker: „Schöner kann man Muscheln nicht präsentieren, als Nils Henkel, unser Koch des Jahres 2017, es mit diesem hinreißenden Gericht auf Burg Schwarzenstein tut. Kurz sautierte Schwertmuschel richtet er in einer Muschelschale auf Krabbenmilch-Mayonnaise mit Krabbensud-Vinaigrette , Dillöl, und Tapioka an, dazwischen winzige Würfelchen aus Gurkenessig-Gelee,knackige Nordseekrabben, Dillspitzen und blaue Borretschblüte.Es geht noch weiter: Gurken-Couscous liegt unter der Schale, daneben eingelegte Gurkenröllchen, marinierte Algen, Algenpulver und Borretschkresse. Meisterlich komponiert!”

TAUBENBRUST

LORBEERSUD ▫ CONFIERTE ZWIEBEL ▫ SCHWARZER KNOBLAUCH