Fodor's Expert Review Martha's

Helmed by Manuel Schmuck, who honed his cooking style at the Michelin-starred Restaurant Reinstoff, Martha’s takes traditional German dishes and ingredients and turns them playfully on their heads. The raw wooden tables and nondescript space belie the chef’s daring in both preparation and plating: calf’s tongue is soaked in a beer vinaigrette and garnished with both mustard and mustard seeds, regional lamb is given a global twist with saffron, hummus, and guacamole, and cod becomes an Asian fish ‘n’ chips, with a tempura batter and nori seaweed. Don’t forgo the bread offered at the beginning: delicous soft pretzels and bread come with butter, quark cheese, and various dips.