Frankfurt Restaurants

Frankfurt will probably never be known as a gastronomic mecca. Typical Frankfurt specialties are Handkas mit Musik, a yellowishly translucent, wrinkled, gelatinous cheese served with vegetable oil and raw onions, one of the try it once and call it an experience dishes; and Frankfurter Wurstchen these long, slender, spicy pork sausages are known around the world and celebrated their 500th birthday in 1987. Legally speaking, a sausage can only be called a Frankfurter if it is produced in the city or the surrounding area. Another culinary tradition is Grune Sosse, or green sauce, a thin cream sauce containing six varieties of fresh herbs, usually served with hard boiled eggs or boiled ox breast and boiled potatoes. If one is going "native," all this is washed down with Apfelwein (apple wine).

The city does offer a broad array of other cuisines, ranging from American "soul food" to Japanese sushi. The high proportion of for eigners living in the city has resulted in a better than average selection of national cuisines to choose from.

High Class

Bistro 77, Ziegelhuttenweg 1 3. Tel.: 614040. French nouvelle cuisine, rated highly by customers but less so by some professional critics. One of the best kitchens in Frankfurt with an excellent wine list. Tables spaced far enough apart for sensitive conversation. Don't be put off by a bunker like exterior. Decor inside is postmodern pastel pink and grey. Extremely attentive service.

Bettina Eck, Bettinastrasse/Erlenstrasse. Tel.: 749652. Tucked behind a high rise bank, this is one of the Frankfurt banking community's favorite lunchtime hideaways. Food and wine are very good. And, unlike some "big name" restaurants in the banking district, the prices are right, too. Small and popular. Reservations a must.

Erno's Bistro, Liebigstrasse 15. Tel.: 721997. French cuisine. A long time lunch and dinner favorite with the bankers. Small, cozy, wood paneled, it's Frankfurt's version of a Parisian bistro. Lamb is outstanding. Good lunch. Quality has declined since Erno's death, but still very good.

Gargantua, Friesengasse 3. Tel.: 776442. Fine food and wine at this small, warm restaurant catering to successful young urban types. Owner is former political streetfighter Klaus Trebes.

Le Gourmet, Hotel Gravenbruch Kempinski. Tel.: (06102) 5050. If you are not staying in the hotel, the restaurant is worth the trip. Has earned a Michelin star. Intimate and comfortable, excellent service, and superb French cuisine, both classic and nouvelle.

Hessler, Am Bootshafen 4, Maintal Dornigheim. Tel.: (06181) 492951. Twenty minutes east of Frankfurt on the Main bank, Frau Hessler's restaurant features one of the region's best wine lists and pricy but very good food, mixing regional and French specialties.

Humperdinck, Gruneburgweg 95. Tel.: 722122. Nouvelle cuisine variations on the classic French. Luxurious decor and good service within walking distance of the banking district. Located in the former Westend villa of composer Humperdinck, famous for the opera "Hansel and Gretel."

Le Midi, Liebigstrasse 47. Tel.: 721438. French international cuisine with the nouvelle touch. Pleasant and comfortable, in the heart of the Westend banking area. Expensive to the point of being overpriced.

Sangers Restaurant im "Weissen Turm:' Hugenottenstrasse 121, Friedrichsdorf. Tel.: (06172) 72020. If you are seeking a break from the urban environment, Klaus Sanger's highly rated restaurant in the Taunus Hills outside Frankfurt is worth an excursion, with an original, eclectic menu including fixed price "surprise" menus of five or seven courses.

Weinhaus Bruckenkeller, Schutzenstrasse 6, Tel.: 284238. The most famous of the old Frankfurt restaurants. Interesting mix of well prepared international and regional cuisine. Evenings only. Located in the stillunpretentious east side of Frankfurt, it provides one of the last remaining tastes of the prewar city. Elegant, 360 year old, multilevel, vaulted cellars with valuable antiques. House musicians. Can get smoky.

Chinese

Dynasty, Konrad Adenauerstrasse 7. Tel.: 293041. One of the best Chinese restaurants in the city, situated in the first class Arabella Grand Hotel.

Greek

Alexandrion, Weekmarkt 13. Tel.: 288287. A popular place near city hall.

Italian

Da Mario, Moselstrasse 12. Tel.: 251194. A good and moderately priced restaurant.

Napoli (Golfo di), Leipzigerstrasse 16. Tel.: 776566. Also good and inexpensive.

Pittore, Zeisselstrasse 20. Tel.: 599134. Excellent fresh food, including fish and seafood. Inexpensive.

Japanese

Kikkoman, Friedberger Anlage 1. Tel.: 232541. Part of the Japanese chain. Central situation. Recommended by book fair PR chief Peter Czerwonka who publishes a small guide (Borsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels) for fair visitors.