"You better eat before you go, those tourist places never serve good food." Ohma (Grandma) Braun had spoken and her words echoed in my head as we left the house and started up the hill toward the historic Heidelberg Castle. We had scheduled our tour of the Castle for 2 pm with the intention of having lunch at the Gasthof Burgfreiheit Restaurant before our tour. This restaurant is known throughout Germany for its location beside the gate to Heidelberg castle. From here, overlooking Heidelberg’s historic center, we enjoyed a superb luncheon while completely ignoring Grandma’s frightening warnings of "That terrible stuff they feed the tourists."
My husband, Dutch and I didn’t want much -- just to dine in an authentic German restaurant with good food, pleasant surroundings, lots of choices and reasonable prices! We were greeted like old friends when we arrived, and in spite of our "textbook-pure German speech," we were promptly escorted to our table near the rear of the restaurant. A quiet spot from which we could view the entire restaurant. Large cold mugs of excellent German beer were set before us without even a suggestion of any other beverage. WONDERFUL--cold and inspiring!
Since we were unfamiliar with the local food, we asked our server to select an appropriate meal for us. Our waiter, Frederick, was extremely flattered that we allowed him this privilege(?) and he selected for us a lovely salad of crisp local greens dressed with an almost sweet, almond flavored dressing. For our main course, we each received 4 Pasties--a ravioli-like dish--with a delightful meat-filling flavored with cheese and herbs encompassed within a savory pasta...a light herb flavored sauce finished this beautiful marriage of ingredients. This dish was absolutely magnificent, and a good match for the VERY BEST pastas we’ve experienced throughout Italy.
While German food can be somewhat heavy, we found that here with a degree of Austrian influence, a dash of German creativity, and a new-generation chef, Gasthof Burgfreiheit offers hearty foods which can be enjoyed by even the most diet conscious diner.
The comfortable ambiance of locals, students, tourists and the inevitable tour groups all seated together at long tables, within easy vision of the kitchen offered a pleasant and queasiest mix. A huge assortment of imported German beers and delightful German wines from the Rhine, Mosel or Rheingau area (sold by the bottle or by the glass) was available to add to the experience. We selected a 1993 Alsheim from the Rheinhessen area to accompany the ravioli/pasta dish.
The well-appointed dining room contains simply set tables, lighting from Bavarian chandeliers, accents of copper, pewter, and greenery flowing from flowerboxes--all enhanced by the warm and inviting ambiance. Inconspicuous background music, accented by pure guttural tones of the German language, recall many past gastronomic treats and will always remind us of our stay in Heidelberg!
We never told Grandma what a wonderful meal we enjoyed--it would have upset her spirit!