Brasserie de France

In the early 1990's I worked in Kaiserslautern, Germany and became fond of eating lunch at a French bistro not too far from my office. They always had good specials such as Coc au Vin or Alsation Tarte flambee (Flammkuchen in Germany) with a good quality glass of house red or white. I had heard much about the diversity of restaurants in my new home and decided to put Berlin to the test. There are certainly many opportunities for French cuisine in this city, but I was looking for something a little less extravagant than the majority where my wife and I could order a lunch special or a la carte. After searching the internet and making a couple of phone calls I found a place in Berlin-Wedding named Brasserie de France that seemed to fit the bill.

It turns out that the bistro is attached and affiliated with a French cultural center name Centre Francais de Berlin with hotel, cinema, etc. There is a parking lot right off Müllerstraße for the hotel that can be used free of charge by bistro customers as well. Upon entering we noticed that the place was half full and we made our way to an open table for two. A waiter promptly greeted us and gave us two menus. They had a special of the day but my wife and I both decided to order a la carte. For starters I went with lobster cream soup and my wife decided on frog legs in a buttery garlic sauce. The fresh bread and soup tasted good with a glass of Cotes du Rhone. My wife, who grew up in the German state of Rhineland Pfalz very near the French border, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying a dish that she had not had in some time. After dipping a piece of bread in the sauce I understood why. The French are very proud of their culinary accomplishments and culture, as well they should be. By the time we finished the first course to include a basket of bread we were not sure how we would eat what was still to come.

My wife's blood sausage and the Quiche Lorraine were meals in themselves. We know now that ordering just one of the items would be sufficient on most occasions, but it was still so good. I actually almost finished my quiche, leaving only the crust behind. After my wife reluctantly gave up on her blood sausage I did my best (I'm such a trooper) to help out. Our waiter came back and asked if we would like dessert, letting us know at the same time that he thought he already knew the answer to his question.

I now have more reason to believe that you can find what you are looking for in Berlin. I know that every meal will not be something worth writing about, but Berlin seems to have a way of motivating you to keep looking and tasting. This is fun.