Alpengasthof Arnspritz, Mittenwald

I searched for the best eating place in western Austria and all signs pointed to Germany, just 30 minutes away.  So, off I go to find and explore Mittenwald, Germany.  As it turns out it was quite a touristy little village tucked away in the scenic mountains of the very southernmost part of Deutschland.

At the beginning of the dinner hour I announced myself at this very nice decorated, quite small dining room attached to a small hotel.  I was greeted by a very petite and very gracious older German lady who escorted me to a table in the corner of the lower eating area.  She apologized that there was no English menu or wine list.  I indicated that was fine and we began our negotiation for my drinks and dinner.  As she departed with my selections I couldn’t help but notice how quiet the place was.  In Italy it would’ve been easy to determine what the other people in the restaurant were discussing, for they are quite demonstrative.  However, my fellow German diners barely made a noise.  They talked very earnestly but in hushed tones.  It was interesting.

This small place had a very large wine selection.  At the advice of the waitperson I received a very nice German red wine, a 2007 Heger Spatburgunder Merdinger Buhl from Baden.  It was a very light, quite dry wine with woody tones.  It matched my dinner very well.

Initially I was served an amusee bouche of a very delicate mango cheese and arugula salad with a light citrus dressing.  It was very tasty.

My first selection was a delicious heavy zuppa containing nicely done shrimp, lightly cooked diced tomatoes, garlic and parsley in a lovely fish-based broth.  There was a nice amount of garlic and the broth was excellent.  This was so good that I soaked up each last bit of broth with the breads they served along with the zuppa.

Lastly, I had their lamb serving.  It was free-range lamb and was done exactly as I would like, rather rare.  It was served on a bed of nicely spiced, maybe even spicy, white beans, squash and diced tomatoes (they must be in season) and surrounded by dollops of mashed potatoes which had been pan fried in butter.  A taste with a bit of lamb and a bit of mashed potato was savory.  A taste with a bit of lamb and a bit of the white beans was equally excellent.  I doted over this dish for a long time.

I finished my excellent dinner with a cup of espresso, climbed into the car and careened my way back down the mountain to my very comfortable featherdecker.