In another thread, Jeremy Holmes highly recommended Gebr Hartering and it turns out it is 2 blocks from our apartment, 1 block as the crow flies across the canal. Weve walked by it man times and noticed many fine empty wine bottles in the window and checked out the menu, but never pulled the trigger. Stopped in yesterday to inquire about vegetarian options and was informed they have fresh vegetables on the menu daily, no problem. Were soon to go and will post back.
Was just in Amsterdam last month. Really enjoyed the Indonesian food at Restaurant Blauw.
Checked in at Café de Klepel again last night. Food was probably the best I’ve had since going there and my team did some damage to their wine list:
- 2010 Rostaing La Ladonne
- 2005 Domaine Coursodon Saint-Joseph La Sensonne
- 2011 Domaine Tempier Bandol (Red)
- 2014 Domaine de Ferrand CdP
- Domaine Vincent Careme Vouvray Brut
Was fortunate that they had a last minute cancellation and I was able to get a six top in
To follow up with my comments in Post #121, we dined at Gebr Harterling and throughly enjoyed it and shall return again during our month stay in our nearby apartment.
We opted for a 5 course, off menu, vegetarian meal and it was creatively put together, perfectly seasoned, beautifully presented and served with professionalism and detailed explanation.
The extensive mostly European sourced wine lists revealed some great options and the use of Spiegelau and Riedel stems for specific varietals added to the wine experience. Roel, the one who made up the wine list was our server and was more than happy to talk about the wines in detail. I went with some of his suggestions and was pleased with the choices. He also made it easy to shift from one wine to another without having to pay for the entire bottle.
This is a winner and highly recommended.
Wine notes to follow:
Our wines:
2010 RECAREDO TERRERS BRUT NATURE GRAN RESERVA CATALONIA- the first taste of this Cava served as a warning to tread lightly; it was big, rich and luscious and required smaller sips which worked perfectly to enjoy the gifts of the citrus and stone fruit notes embraced by a serious streak of acidity; it was full bodied with a massive mouth filling texture and held on for a long, palate cleansing finish; each sip was better than the one before it; made from 52% Xarello, 44% Macabeo, 4% Parellada; disgorged after 61 months in bottle.
2012 PASCAL MARCHAND & TAWSE BOURGOGNE ROUGE- this was young and spry with serious fruit forwardness showcasing fresh ripe red cherry with hints of underlying cranberry; it was smooth and easy on the palate and finished off with more red cherry/ berry and that hint of cranberry; for us, a small pour was perfect.
2015 CLAUS PREISINGER KALKUNDKIESEL ROTWEIN CUVEE TROKEN AND UNFILTRIERT- trusting our wine savvy waiter, we went with this young, interesting tasting Austrian wine; Im not certain of all the varieties in this , but I believe it contained Blaufrankisch, Zwiegelt and perhaps St. Laurent; nonetheless, it tasted like a blend of Syrah, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Nebbiolo; I know Ive never had a taste profile like this previously; generally, there was a gamey wild cherry, wild cranberry and blackberry taste joined by some minerality; it was sort of like the Cava in that the first taste got your attention and you weren’t quire sure what you had on your palate and what to do about it. I drank it.
2014 DOMAINE GILLES ROBIN CUVEE ALBERIC BOUVET CROZE-HERMITAGE- this wine was highly energetic with youthful vibrancy, a full body, lots of depth and a serious flavour profile of pepper and spice laced plum, blueberry and blackberry; it was another wine to sip and enjoy in small tastes; with my preference for more elegant and charming wines, I had to mother through it which i did with pleasure.
It`s always interesting to travel to areas around the world and discover wines not heretofore sampled. It confirms that good wine is being made globally and there is so much more to explore and learn. I love it.
Cheers,
Blake
Forget all this, just go to van Vlaanderen…
Checked it out on their site. Looks good with a more than decent wine list even including my newly sought after Musar. Location is an issue for us as our apartment is in the heart of the Centrum a few blocks from Centraal Station. We walk everywhere and this is a bit of a hoof. May have to do an Uber.
Thanks for the tip.
The link for those who want more info: Home - Restaurant van Vlaanderen
When we first arrived in Amsterdam 2 weeks ago, I went to make reservations at Cafe de Klepel on a night when our favourite server, Job, was on. Informed he was on vacation and would not return until Oct. 1, we made reservations after his return.
Went last night and had another fantastic evening of fine food [from Chef Peter] and a lineup of nice wines all from recommendations from Job [pronounced Yoob]. He is as passionate about wine as I am and his 3 week vacation was taken exploring Spain`s wine regions.
I may post notes, but here are the wines we had:
Here`s the write up for our wines:
My favourite go to wine related restaurant in Amsterdam is Cafe de Klepel. They have an extremely wine knowledgable staff to support a relatively strong, globally rich wine list with over 30 wines by the glass available. They use a higher end line of restaurant and dishwasher friendly Riedel stemware and graciously change out each stem for the next wine. The food is mostly organic and locally fresh as well as being creatively prepared, presented and so savoury in a French bistro fashion.
One of the 3 wine aficionados who trade off night shifts working the bar and the dining area is Job [Yoob} He just returned from his vacation which was 3 weeks touring the wine regions of Spain which pretty much says something about his degree of passion.
I invariably trust Job to make the wine choice decisions for us and he comes through not only with great wines, but detailed info about each one. We start off with champagne, of course.
NV J L VERGNON CONVERSATION BLANC de BLANC BRUT- from Le Mesnil Sur Oger grand cru fruit, the first nose on this was more of an oxidative one and the initial taste seemed to confirm such; at first, it came on really strong and after a couple of sips, it seemed to mellow out and show off its Grand Cru pedigree, but toward the end of our pour, it regressed back into oxidative notes; in between came robust lemon, lime, apple and pear fruit; it was almost too sweet for me although Job stated the dosage was low; it was mildly acidic and had a mineral component that came in late, after a few tastes, I was going to order more, but then it became apparent we needed to move on.
2015 CHATEAU PECH REDON LA CENTAUREE LA CLAPE LANGUEDOC BLANC- made by grower Christophe Bousquet who heads up the appellation committee for La Clape, this Grenqch Blanc, grown in the hillside vineyards was delicious and refreshing with its mineral infused Mandarin orange and green apple notes which followed aromatics of orange blossom and tropical fruit; lightly acidic, it had a medium to full body and a palate cleansing effect in the end.
2013 NICOLAS ROUGET BOURGOGNE ROUGE HAUTES-COTESS du NUITS- this wine kind of grew on me and I went for a 2nd glass; it had a nose suggestive of spice, game and wild red fruit; the taste had wild red cherry with a briary accent that stood out from here on through; it had a medium plus body and a tangy crispness that surprised and pleased.
2013 CLOS du JANGUEYRON HAUT-MEDOC- the label also shows Michel Theron as being the viticulturist; this bottle had ripe black currant fruit embellished with cedar, tobacco and milk chocolate accents; it had a medium plus body, mild tannins and nice mouthfeel.
NV MARGUET SHAMAN 12 BRUT ROSE GRAND CRU- Job selected the perfect way to finish off an evening with a brut rose which is my style at home; i believe the 12 stands for the base wine in this case 2012 as I`ve seen other bottles with the abbreviated number when it was noted with the base wine being the same; 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay; this house is a 2005 merger of Champagne Marguet, circa ~1875, and Champagne Bonnerave Freres, circa 1905; it had a nice inviting bright red colour which introduced the fresh lightly sweetened strawberry and red cherry fruitiness; it was nicely balanced although the bright red fruit was the hallmark; the vineyard sources are organically and bio-dynamically farmed when possible.
I love the surrender and accept status that occurs when we travel abroad. Their wine list has some big time heavy hitters that I can get in the US, e.g. MV Krug, Chave Hermitage, Dagueneau, Yquem “Y”, Mommessin Clos de Tart et al. But I choose to go with wines mostly unfamiliar and selected by people in the know to get new and exciting adventures. Life is full of choices and in this case they`re all good.
Cheers,
Blake
Please excuse typos and unintended auto-corrects
During our month stay in Amsterdam, we heard about Restaurant Wink [pronounced Vink in Dutch] from 2 different local sources who we trust. Also, it turns out the owner/chef used to work in the kitchen for our stam cafe, de Engelbewaarder, and her special daughter also worked there as a server.
Along with another couple, who gave one of the referrals, we dined there and had a fantastic evening.
I was impressed with the wine knowledge of the husband/owner [Jan Paul] who handled the sommelier role perfectly. Even his choice of stemware and the quality of such was right on. We trusted him to make the call for all of our wines and he nailed it.
Our table server was well informed, gave clear English interpretations to the various selections offered for this evening and was attentive to serving and clearing details.
The star of the show was the passionate and dedicated chef who arrives early in the day, preps all day long and then prepares orders upon request and even personally serves many of the plates. It is so important for food to be prepared by one who is putting good energy into it as is the case here.
Seating is limited to about 30. Reservations are a must on any night. You can order 5 or 7 courses with options within or al a carte. They basically allow you to do whatever you want to do so long as it please you.
The food is creatively prepared and presented with varying taste profiles and many items are “homemade”.
Highly recommended.
Back to de Klepel for a last night`s dinner before returning to the US with Job behind the bar. We had the 3 course vegetarian dinner, a fine champagne rose from Marguet and a bottle of a fruity good Cab Franc from Anne Claude Leflaive from Anjou.
This is a go to place for all wine enthusiasts. If you go, get engaged in wine speak with the guys behind the counter. They are super knowledgable, passionate and happy to share wine and education.
Broke with tradition tonight and let one of the local guys choose a new place for us to eat. We ended up at Rijks, a Michelin-starred restaurant next to the Rijksmuseum. A high-end spin on the locavore theme, even the wine generally has a Dutch influence (I.e. French, but a Dutch producer). The gin and tonic list is spectacular, with my highlight of the night probably a Bobby’s with Double Dutch tonic.
Food went from inspired (langostine dish was amazing) to good (pork knuckle was more like a pork bite) to ok (200g 28 day dry aged steak).
In all fairness, Michelin-starred places aren’t my sweetspot any more, as I’ve now found my happy place in the brasserie/farm-to-table cliche genre. But, I’d hit the bar there ANY time and the rest of the table loved it… so here are some pics.
Blake - you’re gonna LOVE this. Check the restaurants on the cover; it’s a laundry lists of our places here 
I have a friend sending me a copy.
I have a good looking line up of places for my week in Amsterdam, but I need a super casual, no reservation place for one night. Middle Eastern would be ideal as my wife is vegetarian… Something fairly centrally located- we’re going to Keukenhof the first day and may or may not have dinner. I have to keep the first couple days very light until I adjust to the time zone.
I assume there will be plenty of stalls selling new herring, That would work if my wife is not hungry.
I gotta ask (esp since I am in Amsterdam now).
Your wife is vegetarian but will eat fish?
Im in Amsterdam right now, still figuring out what to eat. Reading this thread with interest.
I ate Stubbe haring.
Hans Egstrof stroopwafel
Italian restaurant Casa di David
Japanese/Sushi Akitsu
Venus and Adonis .
And some other places. All were good .
Made no advanced reservations.
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Lived there for 7 years both during studies and after — what are you looking for?
I have spent some time there for work/fun and now planning a wedding for later this year in the countryside. To help friends/guests, my fiancee and I made this list to be shareable. By no means is it comprehensive but it takes into account our experiences, some restauranteur/Amsterdam chef recs, and things like the bib gourmand list.
I am also open to suggestions for anything I have missed.
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I had lunch at Serre, and dinner at Casa di David and Ciel Bleu.