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| Kurt
Scheller Restaurant |
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| Warsaw,
Poland |
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Extraordinary
August - 2006 |
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5 Stars
& 5 Stripes
Cuisine & Service |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes™ |
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| I glanced around the darkened room looking for my host
that evening as I entered the restaurant. I stood momentarily soaking up the
atmosphere produced by theatrical contrasts of highly polished wood and I
visualized an intimate encounter with the likes of Greta Garbo or Marlene
Dietrich. It became clear that the stylized geometric and angular shapes of the
furniture, tableware and lighting took their inspirations from the early 20th
century European design styles such as Art Deco, Bauhaus and Expressionism and
the Vienna Secession. The subdued atmosphere produced by stepped profile chrome
lighting fixtures over the bar area was in keeping with the overall mysterious
motif and I could have sworn that I heard the sultry jazz voice of Josephine
Baker playing in the background. My peripheral vision now focused on a tiny
corner of the room framed by two walls adorned with nostalgia photos and award
plaques of the persona sitting at the table. It was my host Kurt Scheller, the
namesake and Executive Chef of this intimate and hauntingly evocative
restaurant in the Rialto Hotel. You can't miss the likes of Chef Kurt with his
distinctive handlebar mustache flowing downward several inches below his chin.
Add to that the thick wire-rimmed glasses precariously hinged on his nose and
his characteristic black beret on top of his head all the while allowing the
wispy strands of his white hair to flow along the side of his face. His face is
an inspiration, an expression of aesthetic sensibility somewhere between
sculpture and fashion. My host motioned me towards the table with a subtle head
gesture while raising his heavy eyebrows. |
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| I was impressed with Chef
Kurt's divine confidence as he greeted me and he proceeded to inform me as to
what covert pleasures were in store for my dining experience. "Bring on the
Potocki!" Chef Kurt shouted at the barman Minostaw Wigehowski who dutifully
mixed up a potion called "Skowronek" or Skylark named after the conquering
stallions of the fearsome Polish cavalry. It was vodka in its purest form mixed
with 5-6 grape tomatoes, pinch of salt, 3-4 basil leaves and a dash of balsamic
vinegar. I was awed and anxious but Chef Kurt assured me that all would be fine
if consumed with great haste. |
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| Thorsten
Bührmann & Kurt Scheller |
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| “...compliment my host Chef Kurt for his creative license and
daring to think 'out of the box' ...” ~ TB |
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| ‘Never mind’ I thought although I wondered
if I would make it to the first course. Under the watchful eye of Chef Kurt I
was escorted through the Variation of Polish Style Goose Liver as a
'Greeting from the Kitchen' followed by Suwalki Style Chanterelle
Risotto paired with a glass of Chef Kurt Scheller's own wine from the Lake
Garda region of Italy bottled by Pasqua. Our diligent server Daviusz
Wojciechowski served up the next course of Trio of Polish Soups including
Cream of Crayfish from the Masurien area with Caviar Toast, Horseradish Soup
with Veal Tongue and Porcini Mushroom Soup followed by Baltic Monkfish
filet Marinated with Gingerbread Spices from Toruñ. |
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This special delicate fish
filet has all the hallmarks of a unique style of cooking utilized by Chef Kurt
as he uses only the most distinctive ingredients of the local areas from around
Poland, in this case the most famous product of Toruñ, gingerbread. I
was about to compliment my host Chef Kurt for his creative license and daring
to think 'out of the box' when suddenly the table was cleared and a fanciful
preparation of Fallow Deer Venison Cutlet from the Bialowiestok Region
was presented together with a glass of Kurt Scheller's own Primitivo. I
was struck by the incredible complex flavors of fresh venison loin right out of
the forests of eastern Poland roasted in a mushroom coat preparation, with
blackberry sauce on soft potato pancakes. |
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| I needed a few minutes respite at this point and Chef
Kurt obliged with a call for a bottle of Soplica Vodka, a popular dry
distillate produced from select rectified spirits with the addition of
infusions of dried fruits. Now I was in real trouble I mused as I was urged to
quickly slurp, not sip the rich, smooth and incredibly pure liquid. My only
saving grace was the quick response of the server as he placed our dessert
course of Chocolate Pudding with Raspberry Sorbet in front of us and
asked us for the coffee order. The coffee in Poland is full bodied in keeping
with the ironclad European coffeehouse taste preferences resulting in a
powerful aroma followed by creamy rich flavor. It was a great way to segue into
my most precious desire at the moment and that was to aspire to sleep… I
had a long day ahead of me and my thoughts were at their peak now. I bid
farewell to my hallowed host and thanked him for the innovative culinary tour
de force through the provinces of Poland. DO MILEGO ZOBACZENIA! |
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| Thorsten Bührmann & Karl Braun & Kurt Scheller
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by
Thorsten Buehrmann
Editor: John Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid
Lemme |
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| © 2006 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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