This intimate restaurant and hotel is a hidden jewel, to which I was fortunately introduced by a…read morefriend on a recent trip to northern Germany. He had been many times before. I shall go again whenever I'm back in the country. As its name indicated, it is on a lake, its setting one of complete tranquility, broken only bird song and the occasional splash of a fish in the water. The rooms are perfectly furnished and stylish. The bow-fronted dining room looks out across the grass to the lake, each table having its own window and view. The decor is light, the atmosphere soft, the furnishings subtle and playful, an unobtrusive display of the owners' refined and creative tastes. Each evening the restaurant offers a fixed four-course menu (thus saving diners the anxiety of choice) with the option of carefully selected, accompanying wines . The food I had was superlative (this is one of those rare Michelin starred restaurant) in creativity, ingredients, preparation and presentation. Whether it was venison in filo pastry, turbot on mountain lentils, or, in a crescendo of tenderness, three cuts of lamb from Lake Müritz, each course seemed to top its predecessor. The wines were bright and subtle in flavors, colors and contrasts. The service was so unobtrusive, the pace so relaxed, that the meal seemed to appear of its own accord. Dessert came with a Vermouth La Copa, which balanced two sherries like voices in a choir. If you stay overnight you have the added pleasure of breakfast, a quietly lavish spread of breads, cheeses, meats and fruits, gleaming jewel-like in the morning sun.
