Life is a storry of misunderstandings. Same holds for the little Speisekneipe in Frankfurt am Main. The living room of the regional freaky wine freaks sometimes struggles with unaligned guests, or better said, the guests struggle with the concept. They just seem not to understand the concept.
Actually, the owners Patrick and Christoph are kind hearted and most polied people but like Korki&Flaschi and even the moon, they also have a little dark side. Which is actually well communicated beforehand, so dont complain afterwards. Important notice, the place has a clear focus on alcohol and besides that offers only water.
Also important notice, if you enter the dive, you will see some special graffitis on the walls. The intention is to prepare you for what will expect you inside. Just don’t get distracted and enjoy the very bright sight of their delicious kitchen and well selected wine cellar. Despite known names especially from the german and french new wave wine scene they offer a little more unknown bottles.
If you dare, just ask for a recommendation. Maybe a rare champagne, some creamy Beaujoulais, a Jacquere from Savoie, you will find one or more interesting partners for your visit. To refresh the palate inbetween the courses, maybe a “Zwi-Bi” (Zwischenbier = Intermediate Beer) or a crispy “Schoppen” local Frankfurt apple cider, if you dare the “Mischkonsum” (not recommended mixing of alcoholic beverages of different style like beer and wine).
Let’s talk about food. The seasonal, regional and regularly changing menu, brings a sharing concept into a list of about 10 positions. German heart, french soul, italian lifestyle – imagine the dishes. Housepickeld vegetables, creamy butter with Fabi’s “Kernöl” (Pumpkinseed oil from Kärnten) and traditonal “Ausgehobenes” a Frankfurt Bread specialty is a nice anchor to start.
The menu always contains nice vegetarian creations but is backed up by serious stuff: Sour Kidneys, Tatar with Ketchup a la Witzigman, Grilled Bone Marrow topped with Coriander. You come as a party? Ask before, sometimes it is possible to have special dishes ordered: Grilled Pick head, Terrine, Lievre a la royale, old fashioned but never lost its taste. Chef Patrick has cooked his way through numerous starred etablisments and breaks his experience down to simple but complex dishes.
Some evenings the concept of wine dining seemlessly blends into a little party. Look out for special events, dedicated champagne parties, or wine feasts on holidays, for instance, with dutch snack food like “Bamischijf” prepared the Kneipen-way. If you want to dive into the Frankfurt wine scene, best place to go, but be carefull not to get lost in the wine warp.
Whatever your intention to visit the place may be, stay cool, be tough, have fun, drink good wines, enjoy good food, soak up the atmoshpere. Just finish your visit with a “Kännchen” (Asbach and Coke served from a tea can in tea cups) and call it a culinary day.
Location: www.speise-kneipe.de