Netherlands- De Librije- Three Stars in 2019

Co-proprietors Jonnie and Thérèse Boer have been working in De Librije since 1989 - in 1992, they bought the restaurant out from its previous owners, and won their first Michelin star in 1993. In 1998, they won their second star, and got their third in 2004, keeping them ever since. Jonnie writes and speaks often of his influence from nature; an inspiration that was obvious across the truly inspired menu.

ZWOLLE, NETHERLANDS, APRIL 2017

SERVICE: 9.5/10

FOOD: 9.0/10

PRICE PAID: $280PP (INCL. WATER, TAX, AND WINE PAIRING)

VALUE/MONEY: 9.5/10

FINAL SCORE: 9.5/10

With an extensive pre-menu that began in their whimsical lounge and continued into the stunning daylit courtyard of a 16th-Century monastic library, this was one of most luxurious and escapist experiences of my entire adventure. Four hours absolutely flew by, and I left feeling like I had had a true meeting of minds with the chefs themselves. One of the best in Europe, hands down. I’m especially grateful to my friend Thomas Buehner of La Vie fame for the introduction to the chefs.

The lobby, like nearly every room in this enormous and ancient building, has been thoroughly turned over to the Boer’s unique, playful style. An enormous glass seashell of candy is on offer. Black toilet paper in the restrooms. Orange pumpkin-shaped seats. Large, bejeweled elephants in the hallway. From the moment you enter the space, you feel transported to the authentically happy minds of the owners.

First Bites: “Crunchy Dutch Shrimp,” 10/10

As we are warmly welcomed and brought into the large space, a seat in the lounge is followed by Champagne and some snacks. First, some “Crunchy Dutch shrimp,” with crispy celery on top and smooth, creamy tapioca on bottom. The overall texture of the shrimp is light like an air bubble, and quite fresh. Fantastic, playful, flavorful contrasts, and a truly lovely start. 10/10.

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Next, we get the honor of meeting Jonnie Boer himself, who brings over the menu and explains how the restaurant works. More on that in a moment.

We are also given some razor clam on a tiny, light waffle- a light glaze of spice and an extremely rewarding texture- Cinnamon Toast Crunch with seaweed, essentially. 8/10.

Inside the leather-bound menu is a short but interesting prompt, reiterated by the chef himself:

“We primarily use authentic regional products, which we combine with cutting-edge cooking techniques. An innovative kitchen with a global touch here and there.

To make your choice <a little more exciting,> we have categorized our Librije menu by ingredient. You decide on one ingredient from each square and we will complement the menu to 5, 6, or 7 beautiful dishes.

Make your choice and enjoy!”

First Bites: Codfish Tongue + Madras Curry, 8/10

Our last lobby snack is then brought over - tongue of codfish in a Madras curry. The fish-bone plating is arresting and creative, and the snack is warm and rich. 8/10.

After selecting the menu and a moderately-priced wine pairing, we are led into the stunning courtyard and dining room of De Librije. Photos will not do the space justice. It is stunning, especially in sunlight.

First Bites: “Pine Cone with Satay,” 8/10

Another lovely amuse bouche from the kitchen- “Pine Cone with Satay.” Yet another rather impressive set of dishwork that looks like a huge bitch to clean, the tendril-like satays taste exactly like Parmesan breadsticks, and the bowl has a quantity of ungodly-rich rich peanut butter sauce. 8/10.

First Bites: “The Ring of Friendship,” 10/10

I will start by saying that this was probably the smallest dish I have loved this much in my three star journey. The "Ring of Friendship" is veal tartare with the perfect cap of Caviar. It is rich, it is raw, and it is perfect. 10/10

Next, we are brought some bread and butter with a pretty fascinating story. The flour for the bread is ground in an honest-to-God windmill in a small town called Omma, and the house whips it own butter, serving a large dollop straight to the table from its whipping bowl. Great touches. I’ll be honest, I ate the entire quantity of butter. 9/10.

First Bites: Passion Fruit + Trout Eggs + Carrot, 10/10

Served on frozen gloves (?), the last appetizer is passion fruit, trout eggs, and carrot. The dish gets a cool texture from pop of the eggs, the passion fruit flavor is very light, and the whole thing works just about perfectly. 10/10.

Course 1: Brown Crab + Chicken Liver + Calf’s Heart, 9/10

Finally, we break into the main menu. First up, some North Sea Brown Crab with shiso leaf, sauce made from smoked celeriac, tartare of the heart of veal (the red round shape on the left with spicy mustard), and chicken liver mousse. The mousse is extremely rich, and harmonizes with the crab. Everything sings perfectly; super fresh, 9/10.

We are also offered a glass of 2015 Keller Grüner Silvaner Trocken Rheinhessen - a solid but perhaps not outstanding German white with notes of mango, apples, citrus, and white flowers. It complements and does not come anywhere near to matching the heavy, spicy flavor of the dish itself and feels just a touch overpowered by the food.

Course 2: “Gagel” Gooseliver + Foie Gras + Crawfish, 9/10

Next, a course of gooseliver blueberries, "Gagel" plant (a delicious shrub called Myrica Gale in English) all smoked together in a box with crayfish. The rich gooseliver chunks pair perfectly with the super light, smoky crayfish. Very rich overall, but balanced. 9/10.

To accompany, a glass of 2015 Pichler-Krutzler Grüner Veltliner Klostersatz Wacha-Österreich - citrus, melon, with a bit of pepper, this focused and laserlike Austrian white cute right through the richness and is a perfect complement to the smoky dish.

They make the kombucha by adding brown sugar, butter, ginger, and yeast into the mix. The yeast feeds on the sugar and yields friendly acids (as opposed to alcohol, which it would if this were wine). The process takes 1.5-2 weeks, and it winds up with a beverage at around 1.5pH (similar to a lime). The kitchen then prepares the langoustine in the Kombucha like a ceviche, and it comes out just before service. Unfortunately, though this was a very creative approach, the langoustine was actually a touch dry, but it goes perfectly with the sauce and is topped with a lovely Keffir lime and dried and smoked egg yolk (they smoke it on their Big Green Egg barbecue). 7/10 overall.

This is all paired together with one of the house’s own wine labels, Kus Van Thérèse’s Solaris Barrique, a white wine with an intensely creamy yellow apple-white peach flavor combo that pairs perfectly.

Course 4: Lily Bulb 🌷+ Codfish + Blue Cheese + Spruce, 9/10

Next, Lily bulbs, codfish, blue cheese, pine tree tops that are brought over and cut up by hand with scissors tableside, and cabbage juice. The cod melts like warm butter, and the tulip bulb is fresh and crisp. The pine notes add a layer of tarry herbaceousness to the dish, and the aromatics are a lovely accompaniment. I’d love to know what inspired such an interesting dish! 9/10.

Presented on a beautiful set of seashells, perfectly-fermented kimchi with scallops, warm and very pretty to look at. In one of the few (very minor) faults in sourcing I saw for the day, the scallops aren't 100% fresh and taste a little fishy. 7/10.

A fascinating pairing of Pastora Manzanilla from Bodegas Barbadillo in Spain. The wine is a “relaunch” of the 1827 brand Pastora who became famous for being the first producer to sell Manzanillo sherry in glass containers, and the wine exudes the typical refined, salty, griny, green-apple flavors of Manzanilla Sherry that heighten the saltiness of the kimchi perfectly.

Course 6: Monkfish + Sour Pepper + Eggplant, 7/10

Next, a buttery, sinewy serving of monkfish in a yellow wine sauce with eggplant and “soured pepper.” The fish is a bit overly-soft and not quite cooked to perfection, but the flavors are all there and the earthy eggplant is a great counterbalance to the fish. 7/10.

To accompany, we are given glasses of 2015 Newton Johnson Pinot Noir Walker Bay, with intense floral notes, pure/polished red fruits, some smoky notes, and hint of cinnamon. Just a bit of grip from tannins is a nice balance with the soft fish.

Course 7: “Farmer’s Pigeon” + Baharat + Red Cabbage, 10/10

Next, a course of “farmer’s pigeon,” with sauce of cabbage and macadamia and spiced with Baharat, a lovely spice (whose name literally means “spice” in Arabic) that gives a profound depth of flavor. To the right is a “leg” of radicchio and corn. Heavy, rich, perfect creaminess. 10/10.

We are offered a pairing of a Tuscan wine, 2015 Kepos de Ampelaia, from South of Siena, Italy, and comprised of Alicante Buschet, Grenache, and Carignan - definitely not your typical Tuscan blend. Lots of beautiful red fruit, hints of cherry cola (it reminded me a bit of a Washington Cab) and a rustic flavor. The perfect partner to a rustic dish.

Course 8: Kamper Lamb + Seaweed + Eel, 9/10

Next, a unique form of Surf-and-Turf with extremely fresh “Kamper” lamb, herbs, beertoot, seaweed, and eel. A fantastic blend of temperatures and textures, this dish really blew me away with the bold mix of flavors coming together so perfectly. 9/10.

Course 9: Goose Liver + Celeriac + Dried Apple + Bacon, 8/10

Next, as we transition from savory to sweet: goose liver prepared in salt, spiced Jerusalem artichoke, dried apple, and bacon. The flavors here work together like a pretty amazing team, with the richness of the liver offset nicely by the salty, crunchy vegetables and pork. 8/10.

This is paired with a late-harvest “Mountain Wine” from Telmo Rodriguez, 2012. Deep yellow-gold in color, it has remarkably fresh notes of gingerbread, marmalade, and peach pits, which enhance the dish and give it more depth.

Course 10: “Lavas” flower with berries, 9/10

Finally, on to the true desserts. A lovely sugar-crusted flower called “Lavas” accompanied by berries- the dish is almost spicy, but delicious and bright. 9/10.

Next, one of my favorite desserts of all time - “Iced Coffee,” comprised of an exceptionally rich coffee-flavored ice cream spiced with deep cardamom. This is paired with a glass of 2014 Coteaux Du Layon from Domaine du Petit Clocher. Made primarily from Chenin Blanc, this Loire Valley sweet wine (Coteaux du Layon is a dessert wine appellation like Sauternes in Bordeaux), was heavily sugary, which was a good complement to the creaminess of the ice cream with the slight bitterness of the coffee grounds. This is definitely not a wine not for all occasions (it was really sweet,) but with this dish it seems to have found a great home.

Course 12: “Deconstructed Apple Pie,” 10/10

The pasty chefs in this restaurant really have my number. Yet another decadent and perfect dessert arrived next: “Deconstructed Apple Pie,” with searingly fresh, sugary, cinnamon-y apple slices, whole sticks of cinnamon, and vanilla ice cream. 10/10.

Course 13: Mascarpone + Orange + Mint, 10/10

At this point, I’m feeling truly murdered by the kitchen - a dish of mascarpone, orange, and mint showed up next. Brilliant colors, with deep citrus and dairy flavors that mesh in perfect harmony. 10/10.

Another course, another beautiful and likely-painful-to-clean presentation dish (in this case, a panorama of stumps in the forest with beautifully-flavored petit fours and chocolate). As an over-the-top complement to the experience, we are offered a description card pre-printed just for us that elaborates on the flavors of each piece (to the right). Blackberry & Bergamot, Pine & Apple, Oxalis & Pine Nut, Hazelnut & Elderflower, Mushroom & Chocolate, Juniper & Lemon are all presented. A perfect, forest-y dessert. 10/10.

Hilariously, another set of chocolates (this time shaped like seashells) came over next, these with more traditional fillings (mocha, caramel, coffee, etc.). Rich, creamy, decadent, and a great last-last. 10/10.

Finally, as things wound down, we are offered a short behind-the-scenes tour to view the various hydroponic experiments and sparkling-clean prep kitchen off to the side of the main floor. A truly special place; I would return here a hundred times.