The Oelmuehle building is a former private residence that was converted into a hotel and restaurant. Its name, which means oil mill in German, harks back to the 1800s, when the property was a commercial mill that produced oil primarily from cabbage. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
My introduction to the term “gluten-free” came courtesy of a celiac disease diagnosis when I was about 12 years old, during the dietary dark ages for people with the adverse gut reaction to certain staple grains.
Luckily for me, awareness of the condition has since gone from almost nil to widespread, prompting eateries and commercial food producers throughout the world to provide all sorts of GF fare.
Yet when I consulted my trusty app to see what suitable restaurant options are available in and around Kaiserslautern, Germany, there wasn’t much to choose from. A designated GF restaurant in Landstuhl called Oelmuehle, which also has some excellent online reviews from diners, caught my eye quickly.
The exterior of the Oelmuehle hotel and restaurant features a garden with this metal animal sculpture standing amid walking paths, flowers and manicured greenery. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
The Oelmuehle restaurant’s dining room is well-apportioned with wood. The chocolate brown table settings are combined with drapes of assorted hues and brightly colored pillows and cushions on the dining room bench. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
The place is a combined hotel and restaurant tucked away in the town amid a web of side streets that are the narrowest I’ve ever driven. And on the night of my first visit, darkness combined with rain and hail made for quite the white-knuckle journey.
That prelude made walking into the restaurant seem even more inviting, and once I was at my table, the server brought a light course to get things going.
On the plate were two slices of gently toasted bread and a small container of cheese spread with a few sprigs of a plant I didn’t recognize. Completing the ensemble was a meatball atop a smattering of finely diced peppers. The variety of tastes brought sheer bliss.
Gluten-free bread, lightly toasted and accompanied by a cheese spread and another small starter, is standard fare served to patrons at the Oelmuehle restaurant in Landstuhl, Germany. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
The meal turned less pleasant once I dug into my entree. Although I’m not a vegetarian, I liked the sound of both meatless main courses on the menu, and the budget-friendly price point on these two dishes appealed to my inner tightwad.
I ordered the spinach potato dumplings, opting to leave the curry with rice and some meatier fare for a second visit.
One of Oelmuehle's vegetarian offerings is spinach and potato dumplings, which have a goat cheese filling and are served with fresh vegetables. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
For me, seeing a dumpling dish on a menu evokes notions of a light pasta pocket with filling.
The closest approximation I can think of to what I was served is hush puppies with a green tinge, but the three dumplings were as dense as a neutron star. At first, I thought the portion was inadequate, but by the end of the meal, I was glad that there were only three.
The dumplings also were blander than expected, and at one point, an image of a churning cement mixer flashed through my mind.
Oelmuehle’s curry with rice is a vegan dish consisting of cashews, coconut, mango and assorted vegetables in a curry sauce on a bed of white rice. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
Even with an almost liquid goat cheese center, each dumpling was a jaw muscle workout. I never could figure out what the potato component of the dumplings was, and furthermore, the main course overwhelmed the accompanying vegetables, rendering them almost tasteless.
Intent on a chance at redemption, I ordered creme brulee for dessert. The presentation was a work of art. And as amazing as it looked, it tasted even better.
Oelmuehle’s dessert menu is headed by an artistically presented creme brulee. The custard is topped with powdered sugar, sorbet and fresh fruit. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
The satisfaction from dessert absolved me of regrets I had about my entree choice. I left the restaurant stuffed and content.
I went for a carnivore option on my return visit to Oelmuehle. After the introductory toast and cheese spread, as well as a savory onion pastry instead of the meatball, I ordered pork loin with vegetables and buckwheat spaetzle.
This dish was a surefire winner. Topped with a generous sprinkling of pepper, the tender pork cuts were delicious, as was the thin cream sauce. The plate came with the same side of vegetables as the dumplings, but being paired with meat dramatically improved the veggies’ taste.
I had high hopes for the spaetzle, a German specialty that had eluded me until now because the standard version contains gluten.
Buckwheat spaetzle is served as a side dish accompanying pork loin and vegetables at Oelmuehle, a gluten-free restaurant in Landstuhl, Germany. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
After the initial bite, it seemed as if this was going to be a dud. But I stuck with it, letting the spaetzle piggyback on the flavorful pork. That did the trick.
Having lived in Russia, where buckwheat factors prominently into cuisine, I knew better than to expect knockout flavor, but even so, the Oelmuehle spaetzle turned out to be a gradually acquired taste.
Instead of finishing with dessert, I got a takeout order of the aforementioned curry with white rice. It included cashews, coconut and a medley of vegetables.
I’ve never tasted anything like it in Germany. It gets high marks from me for both creativity and taste. My only quibble was that it needed some more cashews.
Because I was driving, I steered clear of the diverse alcoholic beverage menu. Both times I dined in, I ordered a glass of locally sourced fruit juice and was very happy.
Ginger ale is one of three Thomas Henry beverages on the menu at Oelmuehle in Landstuhl, Germany. The others are bitter lemon and tonic water. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
The currant juice and other fruit juices at the Oelmuehle restaurant in Landstuhl, Germany, are locally sourced. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
My choice for meal No. 1 was kirschsaft, and the tangy cherry tartness was a godsend of a dumpling sidekick. With the pork loin, I opted for johannisbeeren, or currants. It too was tasty. I scored the trifecta with the bottled ginger ale I brought home.
Considering the homey warmth of the restaurant’s wood-laden dining room and the prompt, courteous service I received from the waitstaff, I’m gratified by the knowledge that abundant gluten-free goodness is on the table in this part of Rheinland-Pfalz.
A signed portrait of retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO supreme allied commander in Europe from 2013 to 2016, adorns the wall just inside the entrance to the Oelmuehle restaurant in Landstuhl, Germany. The restaurant is part of a family-owned hotel, and its entire menu is gluten-free. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
An illustrated map of Rheinland-Pfalz in medieval times decorates a dining room wall at the Oelmuehle restaurant in Landstuhl, Germany. The premises once housed a flour mill, which was transformed into an oil mill in the 1800s. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
Oelmuehle
Address: Muehlstrasse 2, Landstuhl, Germany
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 5-10:30 p.m. (kitchen closes at 9:30 p.m.); closed Sunday
Cost: Soup, 6.50 euros; appetizers, 9.50 to 13.50 euros; entrees, starting at 13.50 euros for the curry with rice and the pork schnitzel and ranging up to 39 euros for the beef tenderloin steak.
Getting there: Hotel guests have priority for restaurant seating, so make a reservation. Both evenings that I showed up without a reservation, no tables were available. Street parking is prohibited and Oelmuehle’s parking area is tight. A sign asks patrons to request help from the staff if they’re having trouble finding a place to park.
Information: www.oelmuehle-landstuhl.de/en/restaurant-2/; 06371-404-980
