Where to eat GERMANY 🇩🇪 Basel: Restaurant Stucki

Restaurant Stucki

Bruderholzallee 42, Basel

What we ordered: For two persons, we had the set menu of nine courses for 295 CHF per person. We also asked for the wine pairings and opened with a glass of champagne. Due to unforeseen circumstances (more on that later), we were only able to make it through four of the nine courses, which were, per the menu: 

PIKE PERCH
Yuzu ceviche, sesame fennel

GREEN ASPARAGUS
Basil brioche, mountain cheese

CAULIFLOWER SOUP
Scallops, coconut chutney

ATLANTIC COD
Shiso hollandaise, radish 

We took the bump of caviar, which was extra with the green asparagus. Keep in mind the minimalist descriptions do not wholly nor accurately describe the complexity of the dishes.

To drink, in addition to a glass of champagne, we had a glass of each of the following: 2022 Binigrau Eco Blanc Binigrau Cellar Mallorca, 2022 Savagnin Pure Weingut Seckinger Pfalz Magnum and 2020 Le Cornillad Domaine Patrick Baudouin Anjou Magnum.

Cost: 693 CHF / $735 / $818

Chef Tanja Grandits, the woman behind Restaurant Stucki in Basel, is an acclaimed German chef who is quite famous in her adopted Switzerland. Her restaurant is known to be one of the very best in Switzerland and among her many accolades, two Michelin stars. There was no reason not to be optimistic going in.

First some words about the restaurant itself as the villa in the hills of Basel is totally charming. We went in summer and sat in the garden. We were given a corner table which was the perfect perch to watch the theater of the dinner presentation and a staff that is so well trained and affable as to move through the service like dancers. Everything was impeccable.

With the amuse bouche, Grandits served a cold cucumber soup with little tartlets and a variation of a crouton so elaborate on its stick as to be really showing off in every sense. When I say Grandits served, quite literally she made the rounds to bring the back of the house to the front and not so much introduce herself, but remind you that her presence is felt and that unlike many of her stature, she is not just setting menus and responsible for purchasing, she is intimately engaged in the preparation of each dish and everyone’s meal.

The pike perch course was completely exquisite, a fusion of cold and citrus, delicately centered on one of the two courses we would enjoy with flaky but creamy like butter white fish. The second, the cod, would be even more surprising and soft. The cauliflower soup also centered on a delectable scallop. Each dish felt more important and weighted than the previous, a crescendo working up to later dishes of veal, lamb and cheese.

Of the dishes we sampled, the cod was my absolute favorite. The taste of it still lingers so many days later. Though to suggest any dish was less enjoyable would be an error. Each brought a component to an overall experience, a defining evening. It is a food so delicate as to merit the many special occasions that are celebrated there.

With food so rich and presentation so much a component of the meal, it is easy to lose track of all of the wonderful flavors one consumes. All dishes are whisked to the table at the same time, as it should be, and any additional pouring or presentation is part of the art, not just of the meal but of the service. To say that food this important and crafted is the only draw is to let go of how important how we eat is, which is to say very much so.

The spacious yard also meant that tables had enough room that conversation was kept private and lost to distance, so no eavesdropping. Over time and the decades, the diners who frequent places like Restaurant Stucki have become more casual, dress codes more relaxed. So much less people watching than there once was or is to be found elsewhere, I am afraid.

However, if there was spectacle the evening we were there, we may have inadvertently provided it through no fault of anyone. Georg it seems stumbled upon something he is gravely allergic to and went into some state of shock for a bit. Everything was handled very graciously by everyone behind the scenes.

I will not embarrass anyone and give a play by play of what went down and how but this is probably as good of a time as any as there could be for a public service announcement about food allergies, with or without the adventure eating. The incident also became the true occasion for a brief summer publishing break while we awaited results on a battery of blood tests to determine the source of the allergen. Which is likely why when this is published, the seasonal menu on offer at Restaurant Stucki may have shifted.

As far as food allergies go and people going into shock, take these things seriously! But also give the person suffering room to breathe. If they are feeling lightheaded and potentially nauseous, place them in the recovery position, which is resting on one side with the head resting on the arm. This allows for any vomit that might come out to not result in choking. Gratefully, there was none, but the discomfort and fatigue after recovery from anaphylactic shock was all too real.

What else is there to say about food allergies? An epi-pen is a very good thing to have! These are lifesaving potentially so definitely worth carrying if you can get a prescription as required in most places, it can save someone from a potentially life-threatening situation. Also, see a doctor. They will likely do blood work, allergy tests and a bevy of related screenings. It is important to find out what the source of the allergy is and then avoid anything that can induce things like anaphylactic shock, closing of the air passages, even death.

Get some rest after these incidents! Especially if the body goes into a state of shock, real recovery times can average from 24-48 hours but it can take several days until a person feels like before. But even then, listen to your body. You can negotiate with your spouse and yourself and your kids and your parents or your job but your body will tell you what it wants and needs. If that’s rest, take it! Not even a soldier can go without rest.

Lastly, find out what may have triggered the allergy. Though this is the mystery that led down potentially dark and scary paths, it can be the easiest to overlook. Restaurant Stucki was very gracious in providing a list of ingredients and noting which are potential allergens from the dish that my husband felt in his stomach may have been the source, the asparagus with basil brioche and mountain cheese. And that wonderful bump of caviar!

In fact, overall, the Restaurant Stucki staff were so fantastic in how graciously everything was handled from settling the bill to quietly bringing us our belongings from the dining hall, to giving my husband a coke to help recover and room to rest, which did at one point include the recovery position on the grass behind the restaurant. While it is definitely not their first rodeo with food allergies, the attentiveness of the service but also the space for privacy was very much attuned to the same rhythm of the dance we saw in the dining space.

I would love to go back, granted it is expensive so we will wait for the next big occasion as we had several concurrent when we chose our date to dine. Perhaps for an anniversary? However, when these things happen, it is only natural to be and feel somewhat embarrassed, however beyond one’s control circumstances can be. We are also extremely grateful that I was not made a young widow, and luckily, we still have my husband to share in that gratitude.

In any case, we can recommend Restaurant Stucki for those seeking a meal so elevated it is an experience. We are just sorry we could not stay and finish the meal! And of course, we both feel a certain sorrow that something that was intended to be joyful resulted in a most inadvertent crisis of health sorts. None of this is of course on the quality of culinary artistry and hospitality we felt while enjoying the meal at Restaurant Stucki.

How to get to Germany from Switzerland:

From Switzerland, it is a quick drive or train ride over the border to the north. The efficiency of the Swiss rail network though typically grinds to a halt when it comes to entering Germany through Basel.

There is a separate German rail station across Basel where trains typically arrive and depart from, though several trains a day can or may miraculously make it into the main Basel SBB (Swiss rail line) train station. The reason for this is chalked up to German cheapness and lateness.

With so many delays on Deutsche Bahn, the cost for disruptions to the efficient Swiss rail line must be paid for and the Germans have decided to simply opt out of their obligation and will often start or stop unpredictably, or predictably when tardy, at the German rail station in Basel known as Badischer Bahnhof. Should this happen to you, either a train or tram can help you to make the journey between the two stations at no extra cost beyond the inconvenience.

By car, the German autobahn is a bit better and there is freedom in traveling at any speed in Germany, especially with the rail lines hobbling along. You will also shave at least three hours off the rail journey if traveling between the two capitals of Bern and Berlin.

While the two capitals might have similar names and a shared language in German, the two countries and Swiss German dialects compared to the high German typically used in Germany could not be more different, though some common prejudices and a penchant for hard-line performative left-wing politics are shared in both Bern and Berlin.

By air, there are direct flights from Zürich to Berlin on Swiss Air and its sister airline Edelweiss as well as EasyJet and Eurowings. Swiss Air and its other partner airline Helvetic along with Eurowings also offer direct flights to Hamburg from Zürich. Additionally, Swiss Air and Lufthansa offer direct flights to Frankfurt and Munich from Zürich. Depending on your destination, flight times range from one hour to 90 minutes to Hamburg.

From Geneva, only EasyJet operates direct flights to Berlin. Swiss Air flies direct to Hamburg, however, from Geneva. In addition to Swiss Air, Air Dolomiti and Lufthansa also offer direct flights to Frankfurt and only Air Dolomiti flies direct to Munich from Geneva.

How many Germans are in Switzerland: More than 333,000

Distance between Bern and Berlin: 963 km

Distance from Restaurant Stucki to Berlin: 873 km

Learn how to make Germany's national dish, beer battered bratwurst (Wisconsin-style), and about its origins.

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