BERLIN romantic 4 day break

I know both hotels and, frankly, greatly prefer Hotel de Rome over the Adlon, especially if you want a romantic break. To be sure, the Adlon IS a true luxury hotel and it is not scruffy at all, but it has more large business hotel charme with fake antiques and overdone décor. The Hotel de Rome has more boutique hotel feeling and is a designer's dream.

Restaurants: For a unique experience, try the Maremoto and eat the 18-course molecular menu. www.maremotoberlin.de

If the Maremote ceases to exist, don't worry. They plan to rename it El Bulli (under supervision of Ferran Adria).

Wow, thanks Echnaton, Marmoto looks cool. We'll definitely book there for one evening.

Glad about your views on the Adlon/Rome... I saw a few rooms at the Adlon last year and they did feel a little businesshotel...

Thanks again

... and have booked lunch at Fischers Fritz for one day

Lunch at Fischers Fritz is gorgeous! It is unbelievably inexpensive - and you get real two-star cuisine and two-star service. The ambiance is a bit dated, yes... (It used to be a Ritz Carlton Hotel).

Fischers Fritz is probably the best restaurant in Berlin - even for lunch. But Maremoto is more adventurous - a dining experience you will talk about years after.

I suggest going to the Pergamon Museum on the Museuminsel,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pergamon_Museum

to see a Greek temple frieze from Pergamon in present day Turkey and the Ishtar Gate from Babylon. The Pergamon is a one mile walk along Unter den Linden from the Adlon Hotel.

I would really hesitate to recommend Maremoto, I had a disappointing dinner this year, the restaurant has fallen into hard times (very empty) probably due to the poor quality. The chef Christian Rienzner actually has a charismatic presence and he used to work for Ferran Adria at El Bulli in Spain but unfortunately,his food quality has suffered a downturn. It is a 120 euro per person adventure to sample a big lemon air bubble, frozen foie gras broth plus a series of overcooked seafood. I much prefer good food over "interesting" food.

There are plenty of solid Michelin starred restaurants to choose from. Try "Hugo"(short for French Huguenot)on top of the Intercontinental hotel for a fantastic dinner & view, many people would tell you that it is absolutely the best restaurant in Berlin. Another Michelin starred restaurant that you may want to consider is Lorenz at the Adlon itself or the only winebar restaurant with a Michelin star in Berlin called Weinbar Rutz (http://www.weinbar-rutz.de/essen/index.html). You'll be pleasantly surprised by the low prices (55/59 euro) for such superb food quality/presentation. Other Michelin level restaurants that I would also recommend:
Facil (french fusion) at the Mandala Potsdamerplatz (http://www.facil.de/englisch/index.htm ).
44 at the Swissotel, though I haven't been back since the famous Tim Raue left and a new chef took over (www.swissotel.com/EN/Destinations/Germany/Swissotel+Berlin/Dining%20and%20Leisure/Restaurants%20and%20Bars%20overview)

I did enjoy the food at Fischers Fritz at the Regent(formerly Four Seasons) which is the only restaurant in Berlin to capture 2 Michelin stars, but do come a bit more dressed up even for lunch at this business dead formal restaurant. Another good bargain lunch place to experience is Tim Raue's new UMA restaurant: http://www.restaurant-guide.com/restaurant-uma.htm
Happy 40th!

I would definitely go for the Hotel Rome! More intimate and classy then the Adlon.
The Adlon is a "must have seen" thing....touristy.

Regarding Fischer's Fritz:
The excerpt of the dinner menu would be enozgh reason for me to not set a foot into that venue:

GRENOUILLES ET CHOUCROUTE
Froschschenkel mit Spreewälder Sauerkraut -
neu Ernte- und Bio Lindamit Emulsion
von Wacholdergrün und Wasserspinat 38.00

~~~
ANGUILLE FUME ET FOIE GRAS
Terrine von Gänsestopfleber und geräuchertem Havelaal mit Pfefferkaramell,
Konfitüre von violetten Auberginen 39.00

~~~

Froglegs and Foie Gras are meant to please the taste buds of people who have lived obviously under a rock - any chef who puts these on to the menu lacks ETHICS! CRUELTY against animals should not be tolerated anymore.

Nowadays anybody knows about these CRUELTIES and "not knowing" cannot be accepted as an excuse.

Happy travels!

SV

spassvogel: <<CRUELTY against animals should not be tolerated anymore>>.
Does that mean that you have become a total VEGETARIAN? Good for you!

Can't help with hotels or restaurants, but I find the Reichstag roof to be quite romantic at night, esp after 10pm. Last entry is 10pm but the dome stays open until midnight. The crowd inside the dome really thins out after 10pm. Make sure you go up the ramp to the top - then lie down at the bench and look up the sky... I thought it was magical.

>>>Nowadays anybody knows about these CRUELTIES <<<

Have you ever been to Perigord? I have seen those geese. They were running freely and apparantly happily on the meadows. Anybody knows that feeding geese in order to produce foie gras is not harmful to the birds. Considering force-feeding a cruelty is one of the inventions of those people who want to be better than the rest of the world.

And if you complain about killing frogs (or pigs or cows or sheep or fish...): have you ever thought about the pain of a wheat halm when the harvester cuts it?

Got created us to eat animals.

DAX
YES I am vegetarian. Not a missionary (just my choice and still prepare meat for my mother if necessary) - but when it comes to ripping off frog legs while these creatures are still alive for the gourmand's palates I get furious about such ignorance.

traveller
I am sure these goats are happy!

Also glad that you got the verification that "got(t)(o)" created you in order to eat animals. If that makes you feel better when getting such kind of reassurance while eating flesh/brain/intestines whatever - good for you.
But anybody who has seen animals suffer in order for humans to "eat" them cheaply must get sick or is totally without any comprehension.

Let me get it straight: IF humans buy organically raised animals to be slaughtered at the nearest spot in order to become "food" - I have no objection! Not at all!

SV (@))

Got created us to eat animals.

What about

God created White sharks or Lions to eat humans?

Your first paragraph was somewhat "schräg" but the argument about the wheat is laughable!

SV

For the OP's sake, let's bring this thread back to good restaurants and hotels.

One of the greatest bargain dinner in Berlin this year is the french huguenot restaurant called "Guy" on Jaegerstrsasse 59-60 around the corner from the Gucci store on Friedrichstr. Till the end of this year, they have a special 10 year anniversary menu: 5 course dinner & 5 glasses of wine for 60 euro including all the amouche bouche and extra glass of wine to welcome each of us. Their service, staff, ambiance, food quality & presentation were quite impressive too.
http://www.guy-restaurant.de/In_Bildern/Menu/Jubi_Menu_August_Englisch.pdf

The link only gives you the menu for August, the December menu is actually better.

Wow, thank you DAX. Fritzer Fisch and Guy are booked, for the rest we'll see as we go along depending on the day, mood, weather etc...

For the record: i like vegetarian food and foie gras!