Food at Bad Dürkheim’s Pinot & Co. makes a winner out of even seemingly standard fare

Sometimes a menu item that appears destined to disappoint turns out to have the opposite effect, a lesson I learned when I let two work friends order before me at Pinot & Co. in Bad Dürkheim, Germany.

They repaid my kindness by poaching my top two choices on the dinner menu: a penne pasta in a creme sauce with chanterelle mushrooms, steak and spring onions and a Hungarian fish goulash.

That left me grasping at the “emergency” option of a Holstein schnitzel, which I thought seemed like such a typical German meal. Yet it was anything but typical. And it mirrored how we ended up at Pinot & Co.

The Holstein schnitzel at Pinot & Co. in Bad Dürkheim, Germany, is served with fried potatoes, an over-easy egg and a side of cucumber salad. The dish was on the restaurant's rotating dinner menu through Aug. 16. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Experiencing the posthome leave blues, I decided to get out of the house and explore a part of the area I hadn’t seen yet. I landed on the German Wine Route town of Bad Dürkheim.

After seeing an interestingly named restaurant, I clicked on the website, only to end up on Pinot & Co.’s site. That wasn’t an error. The original eatery doesn’t exist anymore, and its successor is barely five months old.

On Römerplatz in the town’s main pedestrian area, Pinot & Co. had a relaxing atmosphere even for as busy as it was that Saturday evening. We sat inside, where it felt slightly less crowded than the outdoor patio area.

The interior of Pinot & Co. in Bad Dürkheim, Germany, includes a bar, booth seating and a mural of grapevines. The restaurant is open 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The permanent menu consists of tapas, small dishes and desserts. What caught my eye, though, was that the main dinner menu changes every four weeks.

Our food was served more quickly than I had expected, which made me a little nervous, but those worries evaporated with the first bite.

My friend who selected my first choice also got a leek quiche as an appetizer. She said it had too much crust and was salty, but it was still good. The salad was a nice addition, the house dressing garnering particular praise.

As for the penne dish, she described it as “damn delicious.” The steak was cooked medium without being requested, the chanterelle mushrooms were tender and cut into smaller pieces that made them easier to eat, and the cream sauce tied everything together.

Penne pasta with steak, chanterelle mushrooms and spring onions in a thyme cream sauce was served at Pinot & Co. in Bad Dürkheim, Germany. Patrons topped the dish with Parmesan cheese. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The Lauchkuchen, a leek quiche, is served with a side salad at Pinot & Co. in Bad Dürkheim, Germany. The dish is part of the restaurant's year-round tapas and flammkuchen menu. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

My other friend, who picked the fish goulash, started her meal with a dampfnudel in a riesling sauce. She described it as having a nice crunch with a salty bottom. She also said the sauce was light and had a little citrusy flavor.

As for the goulash, she praised the broth, as well as the fillets for not being too fishy. No single element overpowered the others, and the peppers and potatoes added a solid texture.

I was not jealous of them in the slightest, though, because that No. 3 choice on my original list quickly proved that I had underestimated it.

The Holstein schnitzel came with an over-easy egg and a slice of red beet on top, fried potatoes underneath and a cucumber salad on the side. It tasted like a farmer’s breakfast that had breaded pork loin instead of bacon or ham.

The schnitzel was juicy, and the breading was cooked well, not burned or dry. I tried eating the egg yolk with a piece of meat, and it was an interesting mix. The breading and meat soaked up the liquid, which meant less of a mess, but the yolk flavoring took over the schnitzel.

The fried potatoes were not overly burned and very oily, just the way I like them. And the cucumber salad was a hidden gem, with a creme fraiche sauce that accentuated the natural cucumber flavor.

The lone criticism came with dessert.

One of my dining companions had the seasonal white chocolate parfait, which came with blackberries, strawberries, currants and blueberries. The berry medley was tart, and the white chocolate wasn’t cold as she had expected. But she did find the mint pesto refreshing.

Pinot & Co. in Bad Dürkheim, Germany, served a white chocolate parfait topped with currants, blueberries, blackberries and mint pesto. The dessert was part of the restaurant's mid-July to mid-August menu. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The red wine cake at Pinot & Co. in Bad Dürkheim, Germany, is topped with chocolate pieces and a red wine glaze. The dessert is part of the restaurant's permanent menu. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The other got a chocolate-and-red-wine cake with a red wine glaze. She said it tasted like pound cake with a few chunks of chocolate. In addition, the cake needed more glaze because it was a little dry, she said.

The dessert didn’t sour the meal, though. We left Pinot & Co. quite pleased overall. And with new dishes on the menu, we’ll have plenty of choices when we go back.

Pinot & Co.

Address: Römerplatz 4, Bad Dürkheim, Germany

Hours: 4:30-11 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 12-11 p.m. Saturday and 12-9 p.m. Sunday

Prices: Tapas, appetizers and desserts range from 4.60 to 13 euros; flammkuchen is between 12 and 16 euros; the dinner menu, which rotates every four weeks, ranges from 10 to 27 euros.

Information: Phone: +49 6322 7909522; online: www.pinotundco.net