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Hotel Atlantic, Hamburg -
Germany |
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Hotel Le Palais, Prague - CZ |
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Restaurant Atlantic, Hamburg -
DE |
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Restaurant Le Papillon, Prague -
CZ |
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Next: Town House Galleria, Milan & Air
France |
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| Hotel Atlantic
Kempinski |
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| 5 Stars and 6 Stripes |
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| My
accommodations were in the clouds, the Sea Cloud suite, that is. High-ceilinged
bedrooms and suites, charmingly furnished, well designed and comfortable with
high speed WiFi, Internet access available. With the
Kempinski
Hotel Atlantic Hamburg ideally located on Lake Alster, my view was simply
to die for. Little sailboats came into sight dangling on the bluer-than-blue
lake Alster, it was hard to believe that we were here actually right in the
heart of Hamburg. As a European, I was delighted to find a bidet in the bath
facilities and charmed with the maritime touches even here. |
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| The
Hotel Atlantic Kempinski Hamburg attracts leaders of society and celebrities
for almost a century. And sure enough I ran in Udo Lindenberg, an internally
renowned and adored rock musician, author and painter. Mr. Linderberg resides
here year-round and considers the hotel his home. It is said that the
Hotel
Atlantic Kempinski Hamburg has been a culinary institution ever since the
day it opened its doors, 'feeding' the success of the meeting, wedding and
banquet business. Fabulously designed and meticulously decorated event halls
mesmerize attendees, playing an important role in the success of national and
international gatherings and corporate affairs. The Hotel Atlantic Kempinski is
boasting one of the most elegant ballrooms in Hamburg's history, the ornate
banquet room could easily be considered as the showpiece of the hotel,
combining awe-inspiring 'cathedral ceilings' with old-world splendor. Parts of
the Grande Dame are presently receiving a major face-lift, culminating in
larger accommodations and upgraded
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| Congratulations to all, from your Guests and from Seven Stars and
Stripes: |
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- For your visible commitment to excellence.
- For your willingness to be recognized for your latest
innovations.
- For your devotion to your staff and company.
- For your ability to receive.
- For your decision to raise the bar.
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| Restaurant
Atlantic |
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Hamburg, Germany
Chef de
Cuisine:
Sven
Buettner |
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| 5 Stars and 6
Stripes |
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| During
our degustación menu tasting we were impressed with the finesse,
classical ambiance and feeling of historical charm that we derived from the
layout and décor of the Atlantic Restaurant. Our sommelier Lars
Hentschel was not only a wine connoisseur but also a water expert since he had
to support an extensive bottled water menu complete with suggested food and
wine parings. With over 40 bottles of water to choose from, sommelier Hentschel
led us to understand the philosophy of water's interaction with food. Plans
were in place now to support each course of the degustación menu with
the appropriate wine and water paring.
Chef
Sven Buettner started us off with a very manageable Fried Lobster with
Mango Avocado Salad, going head to head with a 2000 Im Sonnenschein Riesling
Late Harvest Ökonomie Rebholz Siebeldingen; a perfect start for a bright
summer evening. |
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worth mentioning was the Turbot with Caviar and Truffled Mashed Potatoes, a
delightfully addictive creation featuring the 'king of fish' topped with the
'jewels of the Caspian' and finished with 'black gold from the earth'. Our main
course consisted of Roasted Salt-Grass Fed Lamb with Eggplant Puree and Sage
Jus, introducing us to a local specialty of Lamb fed exclusively on salt
grass, which grows on top of the many dykes in the area. The taste of the chops
is unique in that it imparts a somewhat salty, ocean-like flavor that spices up
the delicate lamb. We finished off our plates while savoring each explosive
morsel. Our night was almost complete except for the final touch of Preserve
Jar filled with Lukewarm Chocolate Cake decidedly an 'out of the box' approach
to presenting dessert.
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| Our
Seven Stars and Stripes™ book - 2003 to 2006 world-edition, is
still available. Over 300 pages - featuring only the finest
establishments and fascinating cuisine art images from around the world. All
beautifully compiled in this full-color collector's edition.
ISBN# 1-4259-4267-9 |
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| In Next Gazette: |
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| * Town House Galleria, Milan - Italy |
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| * Air France - Business Class |
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| In The Press: |
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| * Atlantic Hotel Hamburg |
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| Dear Friends
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| Finally! A glorious September! Morning Glory is the flower of the
month and its birthstone is the sapphire. For many parents all over the world
it is a long awaited time, the kids are back in school ;). In history - 1752,
the British Empire adopted the Gregorian calendar and counter-intuitively the
German Oktoberfest and the Chinese August Moon festival both occur in
September. Actually, it is a fabulous time to get away. Let us re-introduce you
to the infamous city of Hamburg in northern Germany and reside with us at the
famous Grand Dame, the Hotel Atlantic Kempinski and entice you to fall in love
with the romantic Le Palais in historic Prague, CZ - certainly not without a
visit to their amazing gourmet restaurants and to meet their world-class chefs.
We are flying this month with Air France to New York, where we are intending to
welcome our newly appointed advisory board member Mr. Nasser Samman, General
Manager of the Garden City Hotel, and we are tasting the cuisine of Executive
Chef Michael Rozzi at the Hamptons’ celebrity restaurant Della Femina,
both on Long Island. Reviews of Air France and Della Femina will appear in a
future newsletter. Then we are visiting Mexico, coincidentally celebrating its
Independence Day on September 16th. Next month we are reporting from
fashionably famous Milan, Italy - Europe’s first Seven Star award hotel!
Until then, |
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| I am yours truly |
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Thorsten Buehrmann |
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| Watch the Seven Stars and Stripes |
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| Award TV Show on |
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| Hamptons Televisions WVVH World-Wide |
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| Prague, Czech Republic |
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| 6 Stars and 5 Stripes |
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| After
landing at the newly renovated airport, our casual-elegantly dressed chauffeur
welcomed us in the main lobby and guided us quickly to his shiny polished
Mercedes Limo, which was conveniently parked at the main entrance. From here we
arrived at the Hotel Le Palais within less than half an hour, located in an
exclusive, quiet residential area and within walking distance of the famous
Wenceslas Square and the National Museum.
The
Hotel Le Palais, which opened in 2002, may still be considered as a
newcomer in the world of the global luxury hotel market, though the hotel
building is dating back to 1897 and was originally created in the distinct
architecture style of Belle Époque. Our check-inn was flawlessly
executed and equally unspoiled appeared the four buildings from the outside
with their interior architecture and decorations providing an exquisite
combination of stunning sophistication, combined with the fine points of modern
technology. |
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accommodations turned out to be the Presidential Suite, one of a dozen
splendidly decorated elegant suites of which two have open fireplaces. All
rooms and suites were luxuriously designed and furnished in 19th century style
with every modern amenity one could possibly think of and fabulous, precious
marble bathrooms. With a total of 72 rooms, the Hotel Le Palais is able to
maintain its personal touch, but still appears as a boutique hotel with
contemporary necessities, of which none is interfering with its charming old
world style. General Manager Jirí Gajdoík came across relaxed
hands-on and experienced, though young in years, already a pro through and
through. The
Le
Palais is part of 'Vienna International' - a group founded in 1989 that
owns and operates several exclusive hotels in Europe.... |
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| Seven
Stars and Stripes Awards for: |
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Hamburg, Germany
Chef de
Cuisine:
Radek
Šubrt |
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| 5 Stars and 4
Stripes |
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| As my
colleague Rolf and I took in all the visual stimulation of dining al fresco out
on the terrace, Restaurant Manager Karel Helštýn stopped by with
our menus and two fluted glasses of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. We eagerly
sipped the soft fine mousse while we perused the menu. Our desired choices did
not seem to have any bearing as the next person to arrive brought us an amuse
bouche of Lobster Bisque and three types of crusty Czech bread including an
irresistible dark whole grain. We were certainly on our way to being guided
through our culinary experience while in the capable hands of
Chef
Radek Šubrt, recently acknowledged as one of the ten finest chefs in
the Czech Republic. It was a great feeling, kind of like being driven to a
concert in a limousine by chauffeur...
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Rolf and I agreed that not only was
Chef
Radek's cuisine of the highest quality, flavorful and fresh but also
presented in multi-layered three-dimensional fashion as to excite the palate
long before the food was tasted.
...
Next, the Sea Bass Fillet with Fava Beans, radish salad and soya-orange glaze
provided us with a glimpse of what Chef Radek can do with this delicate fillet.
His deft pan searing of the Sea Bass sealed in its elusive flavor while
rendering the skin delightfully crisp. Along with the Sea Bass entrée
for me, my colleague Rolf was offered a rendition of Seared Duck Breast over
Risotto with Asparagus and Sweet Garlic, cooked to a perfect medium rose
pink. The whole duck breast was finished with a delicate garlic foam gently
caressing the risotto, illustrating how Chef Radek deftly adds flavor and
substance to a finicky entrée. |
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