Schwarzwaldstube

Rating: 19
Author: Gault&Millau

Tonbachstraße 237, 72270 Baiersbronn, Germany

19/20
Exceptional Restaurant

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1 PHOTOS

Chef: Torsten Michel
Cooking: French | Gastronomic | Seafood | Vegetarian
Services: Access for people with disabilities | Accommodation | Electric charging station | Private Parking | Private Room
Style: Bar | Elegant | Romantic | With children | With family | With friends

Gault&Millau's review 2025

Torsten Michel and Stéphane Gass: What this congenial duo has been doing in the kitchen and cellar for years – and every day anew – will probably remain unique in German gastronomy: There may be a small handful of colleagues who come close to the precision and finesse, the intensity of taste with simultaneous lightness and the clear product focus with perfected accords in Torsten Michel's cuisine, which is characterized by contemporary interpretations of French classics. There may be a small handful of sommeliers who can keep up with Stéphane Gass' incredible sense of aromas, his extensive knowledge to the deepest depths of the regional peculiarities of every corner of the wine world and precisely at this moment of ready-to-drink vintages. And certainly also a new host who, like Nina Mihilli, who left in October 24, are able to ensure a comprehensive, but always individually coordinated well-being at every table in addition to immaculately perfect service and unagitated nonchalance. But the combination of the skills of these exceptional talents is what makes the Schwarzwaldstube a unique place in the culinary landscape. It is hard to imagine that guests of all stripes would not leave this institution of good taste happier than they came – perhaps with the exception of Instagram junkies, because Michel's creations focus less on appearance and more on inner qualities. Fortunately, the brilliant view through the glass front into the pure green also contributes – if the main building, which was completely rebuilt after the devastating fire in 2022, were not a temple of hospitality, the purist architecture would also look good on any luxury meditation retreat, and Heiner Finkbeiner, who even at the age of 75 still finds appreciative words at every table, would probably also cut a fine figure as a yogi. Because wisdom is undoubtedly part of running such a house at this level for so long, over the course of time as an eternal constant at the top of the industry. There is no question that the kitchen performance is also there – and the fact that it is doing it again this season is due to this combination of consistency and constant development that makes true greatness. Torsten Michel also has his preferences, but interprets them again and again. Like the two small carrées of tuna belly, marinated in their own lard and glazed almost creamy, each with a considerable nock of Imperial caviar with chives and crispy croutons of tuna bacon. So far, so familiar and delicious. Michel now serves tiny scallops and barnacles in an almost breathtakingly intensely seaworthy jelly and reinforces the wild maritime impression with the saltiness of anchovies and additional substance through melted guanciale sarde, a spicy bacon from the pork cheek. If the sea feels foaming with the tuna, it rests, to stay with the metaphor, gently and peacefully within itself during the next course. We also know the small headless and deboned red mullet, crispy fried on both sides on the skin and of course leafy and juicy on the inside, from recent years. New on top is now a herbal salsa with fennel, dill tips, mustard seeds and garden cucumber as well as fried scales for the crunch, plus glazed fennel stems and a fine-bitter fennel beurre blanc with a hint of cucumber vinegar, which, like all sauces, remains at the table for refilling, which we would also like to see in other restaurants. Whether butter-tender langoustine with wild mushrooms and crispy quinoa shells in crustacean mushroom stock, grade 4 tournedos of Japanese beef fillet with kabayaki eel, lotus root and crispy fried curly cluck as well as matured rice vinegar or a ravishingly consistent variation of lamb offal (sautéed kidney, fried sweetbreads) with fresh leeks in a creamy-drinkable-mighty coulis, plus a 2015 Morey St. Denis from Clos de Lambray as a perfect match: Michel's cuisine always remains close to the main product with a summery freshness – appropriate to the season of our visit – but also celebrates an aromatic variety with casual virtuosity and the power of combination that reverberates for a long time with every course. Was there anything else? Oh yes: the formidable cheese cart (Maître Antony). And finally, the pâtisserie, which is really on a par with the entire menu – for example in the form of a large Calisson d'Aix-en-Provence with pistachio and sour cream ice cream, caramelised pistachios and crispy-sweet dill tips on lemon confit or a reinterpreted Café Liègeois with vanilla ice cream (15 pods per litre provide the intensity), mango and coffee foam. Full and happy, an extended walk through the fresh Black Forest air is then recommended – and another visit soon to appreciate the delicacies of the à la carte section (yes, they are also available here, with four starters, main courses and desserts each, anything but a matter of course). But what is self-evident here? Exactly!