In my last blog I mentioned, on our last night in Cologne, we had dinner at Restaurant Vendôme, in Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg. Since it was such a unique experience, I thought it needed its own blog.

Chef Joachim Wissler runs Restaurant Vendôme. The chef’s cooking style is proactive, modern and creative, making him one of the best chefs in Germany. He constantly reinvents himself in culinary terms but is careful not to take too much of a risk. Wissler has won a variety of awards in his time, including two Michelin stars.

The five-course culinary journey also comes with expert wine pairings from the sommelier team led by Dennis Ruhl and Christoph Strahl. Diverse wines to match the unique dishes accompany each dish and course. Nonalcoholic pairings can also be provided upon request. The sommelier team did a great job with the pairing choices.

We started our meal with a glass of Champagne along with a couple of small, delicious appetizers, including Beef Tartar and Jellied Beaftea & Imperial Caviar, a Tomato Baguette & Jabugo Bellota Bacon, and more.

The following courses included dishes made with crab, Atlantic skrei and chicken. The chef even presented the chicken before he cooked it so we knew what we were eating and knew it was freshly cooked.

We thought we were finished after the fifth course, a dessert course, but we were surprised with a second dessert course where we could pick two more dessert options from a variety of choices.

This culinary journey was, overall, an amazing experience and the perfect way to end a great trip to Germany.

— Mary Melnick, social media & editorial coordinator