The Spritz Anders, left, at Oberdrüber in Darmstadt, Germany, is made with grape secco, Sanbitter, lime and mint. At right is a Crodino Time, made with Crodino, ginger ale, lime and mint. Sanbitter and Crodino are nonalcoholic Italian bitter aperitifs. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
It was less a nod to Dry January than a chance to try different flavors and ingredients when my wife and I chose two nonalcoholic cocktails to start the evening during a recent dinner at Obendrüber in Darmstadt, Germany.
The restaurant is on the top floor of the Henschel department store in the center of downtown. What had started as a snowy winter day was now a cold, rainy night as we studied our menus.
The large plate glass windows reflected the inside of the restaurant. Outside, the raindrops on the panes blocked a clear view of the historic palace across the street.
Our beverages — the Spritz Anders for my wife and the Crodino Time for me — arrived as we were contemplating the weather and our meal.
The spritz was made with grape secco, Sanbitter, lime and mint. Anders is German for different, but it wasn’t that “anders” from a regular Aperol spritz.
My drink had ginger ale, lime and mint. For the uninitiated, Sanbitter and Crodino are Italian nonalcoholic bitter aperitifs. Both cocktails were tasty and refreshing.
Inside Obendrüber in Darmstadt, Germany, with a view of its open kitchen. The restaurant is on the top floor of the downtown Henschel department store. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Lights on the top floor of the Henschel department store in downtown Darmstadt, Germany, show the location of Obendrüber restaurant. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
During store hours, you can walk through the clothing departments, up to the fifth floor where the restaurant is located.
Opened in 2019, Obendrüber, which translates to on top or above the top, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner overlooking Darmstadt’s marketplace, Old City Hall and the former residential palace.
While breakfasting at Obendrüber has become immensely popular, we were there for dinner.
The menu is not exceptionally large — less than a handful of selections for each course — but offers a choice of meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes.
This lamb’s lettuce salad at Oberdrüber in Darmstadt, Germany, was served with croutons, tangerines and a potato dressing. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
This caramelized goat cheese served on a bed of golden beets, almonds, apples and a mesclun mix and drizzled with 13-year-old balsam vinegar, was an appetizer at Obendrüber in Darmstadt, Germany. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
For starters, my wife chose the lamb’s lettuce salad, which was served with croutons and tangerines and a potato dressing. I ordered caramelized goat cheese served on a bed of golden beets, almonds, apples and a mesclun mix, then drizzled with 13-year-old balsamic vinegar.
Both were delicious and satisfying. The lettuce was not limp as it sometimes is, and the goat cheese was crusty on top, soft underneath. The bed of vegetables, fruit, nuts and leaves made it perfect.
We ordered rieslings as dinner drinks, one with alcohol, one without. Both were tangy and went well with our meals.
The turmeric chicken served at Obendrüber in Darmstadt, Germany, came with an herb yogurt dip and rice flavored with saffron, pistachios and apricots. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The truffle pasta served at Obendrüber in Darmstadt, Germany, is spaghettini in a Parmesan sauce with pine nuts and topped with shaved truffles. It was rich but delicious. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
For our main course, my dining partner chose the turmeric chicken. It came with an herb yogurt dip and rice flavored with saffron, pistachios and apricots. We agreed that the thigh and drumstick were juicy, but the breast was a little dry. It was delicious, though, dipped in the yogurt.
I ordered the truffle pasta. I could smell the truffles even before the server arrived at our table. The pasta was spaghettini cooked al dente, in a Parmesan sauce with pine nuts and topped with shaved truffles. The sauce was creamy, the truffles delightfully pungent. It was rich but delicious.
A note to prospective diners: Obendrüber tries to use seasonal, local products when possible, so the menu is ever-changing. What we had this month might not be available when you go.
The dessert menu at Obendrüber in Darmstadt, Germany, featured this cinnamon panna cotta, which was topped with a blood orange sauce and a orange-flavored crisp. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
For dessert, we split a cinnamon panna cotta. Topped with a tart blood orange sauce and an orange-flavored crisp, the dish, followed by a couple of espressos, was a wonderful way to end the meal.
The store was now closed, so we took the elevator from the restaurant’s foyer to an exit on the market square.
We’ll be back, though. We still need to join the breakfast crowd on some sunny morning.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at Obendrüber in Darmstadt, Germany. The restaurant is on the top floor of the Henschel department store. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Inside Obendrüber in Darmstadt, Germany. The name translates to above or on top, and the restaurant is on the top floor of the downtown Henschel department store. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Obendrüber
Address: Marktplatz 2, Darmstadt, Germany
Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Monday; 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 9 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday; closed on Sunday. The kitchen is open 9 a.m.-noon for breakfast Monday through Saturday, noon-2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday for lunch and 6-9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday for dinner.
Prices: Soup and salads from 8.50 to 22.90 euros.; pasta from 18.50 to 25 euros; entrees 19.50 to 35 euros; dessert 10.50 to 12.50 euros. Wines start at 8.50; soft drinks and beer start at 3.50 euros and cocktails at 11.50 euros.
Information: www.henschel-darmstadt.de/gastronomie/
