Sensational in Striesen

The very good bouillabaisse blew us away

We had acquired a taste for it and were looking forward to the intermediate courses. Both were very much to our taste, but it was the bouillabaisse with young spinach and olive crostini (€7.50) that blew us away: To be honest, we wouldn't have expected such a good fish soup here. A very strong, spicy broth and plenty of fine fish in it. Currently number one in our unofficial hit list of Dresden fish soups. The intermediate course at the other end of the table: scallop & chorizo on asparagus risotto with braised lettuce heart (€12.50). A good combination, beautifully firm to the bite risotto (and a scallop that was a little too small for our scallop craving, which didn't detract from the perfect degree of cooking).

The killer dishes came with the main course: we photographed the Lusatian veal saddle steak with avocado crust, served with asparagus au gratin and redcurrant mashed potatoes (€20.50) at the pass and found it to be huge. Huge, as far as the portion is concerned. A trucker's portion! But also huge in terms of taste and cooking point: the meat was great, the potato puree with the currants was a real surprise (fruity, nice subtle acidity).

A nice course, but nothing compared to the 72-hour braised chicken thighs from the Chursdorfer Gutshof with paprika and potato vegetables (braised with wines from the Jan Ulrich estate; €16.50). They were simply sensational, as another guest of the evening attested, who discovered us by chance shortly before going home and - because we knew each other - had a nibble straight away. We like low-temperature cooked food anyway, and the chicken leg, which was actually cooked for 80 hours instead of 72, was as tender as butter. And juicy. And topped with a delicious sauce. The only disturbing element was the cocktail tomato, which (or of course always one of its brothers and sisters) was served with every course (except for dessert...)

There are three desserts on the menu, we were allowed to nibble on all three and found that the Saxon cheese variation with grapes and fig mustard (€9.50) was the least exciting. As nice as it is that Georg Bauch - who works as a freelance chef at Stresa - prefers regional produce and travels to local producers to do his shopping: We weren't convinced by the Lusatian cheese. But the sweet things Marbled chocolate mousse (ordered alone with marinated strawberries for €8.50) and crème brûlée with lemon and mint sorbet (€7.50) made up for it...

Wines to go with the courses

Of course, there was also something to drink: Our favorite waiter had offered to pick out wines to go with the courses - going along with this was a good idea because it's a great way to get to know new people and have a nice chat. From the excellent Grüner Veltiner Aschbach Weingut Herbert Studeny to the white wine discovery of the evening, a fresh ¡OJO! Verdejo Rueda DO from Monte Blanco For the main course there was a Cabernet Sauvignon-Vranec-Merlot-Cuvee GOMILA "Delightful"  from the Slovenian winegrowers Puklavec. Hand-picked wine with an intense dark red color and aromas of chocolate, vanilla, red pepper...

(The prices behind the dishes are those on the menu, we paid €42 for the 4-course menu.)

Infos

Restaurant Stresa
Augsburger Straße 85
01277 Dresden

Tel: 0351 - 656 157 30
restaurant-stresa.de

[Visited on April 20, 2013]