Restaurants
Blue Marlin
Though open only since July, the Blue Marlin's extensive seafood menu (except for kangaroo steak), upscale feel, and superb cuisine, have already built a solid clientèle.
The second-floor location is modern, airy and decorated with watercolor scenes of beaches, lighthouses and sailboats. Even a party of two gets a solid-wood table for six; a good thing, as plates and servings are very large.
The menu is a lesson in ichthyology. There's an illustration for each fish species with description, habitat information and a listing of related species. All are prepared creatively. Delicious, pan-fried flounder, for example, is served whole (minus head) with a light sweet and sour sauce flavored with onions and bacon. Trout comes with horseradish cream sauce, and Zander filet is baked with a topping of crab meat, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. A party of two can eat well for €50-60, not including beverages.
Contact: Blue Marlin, Lange Str. 9, D-18055, Rostock, telephone +49/0381/4443231.
Rating: Quality 14/20, Value: 13/20
Restaurant Kettenkasten
For more than a century, hungry sailors have been mooring their boats in front of what is now the Kettenkasten. Built in 1888 as a shop, it wasn't until a century later that it became a restaurant. A maritime theme features intricate model ships, antique maps, and oil paintings of ocean-going sailing vessels.
Among the better dishes are roasted Baltic herring wrapped in bacon, grilled salmon steak with caviar sauce, smoked salmon with peppercorns and horseradish, and a hearty fish soup. Another house speciality is Mecklenburger Rippenbraten, beef roulade filled with raisins, plums and apples, and served with red cabbage and boiled potatoes.
Dinner for two costs from €42 to 70, without beverages.
Contact: Restaurant Kettenkasten, Am Strom 71, D-18119 Rostock-Warnemünde, telephone +49/0381/512 48.
Rating: Quality 15/20, Value: 15/20
Meyers Mühle
(Editor's Choice)
From 1866 to 1920, the windmill sails at Meyers Mühle whirled in the Baltic breezes, forcing power through drive shafts and gears to the stones that ground the grain. When first built, the windmill, which was one of hundreds that lined the Baltic (most were dismantled for firewood during World War II), was in a field. Today, shielded from the wind by villas, homes and hotels, the sails are quiet, but the beams and millworks, along with paintings and old photographs, remind guests of a former time.
Service is casual and cordial at the eight tables. Large candles cast a soft light on a peaceful, rustic setting. Food is plentiful and good with an emphasis on fresh ingredients. The Greek salad (a non-regional exception) was enormous, served with a variety of lettuces plus watercress, tomato and radishes, topped with turkey, feta cheese, sliced green olives, and drizzled with a cucumber-garlic yogurt sauce. Bread came straight from the oven with green, yellow and red pepper slices baked in - perfect for absorbing the last of a stew of fresh fish chunks and sliced vegetables in a light tomato broth. The Schweinshaxe (roasted pork hock) nearly filled the plate, slow-roasted to perfect tenderness and served with potatoes and a horseradish wine sauce.
A couple could work hard to spend €60, without beverages, but a slow walk the length of the entire promenade would be required as digestif.
Contact: Meyers Mühle, Mühlenstr. 44, D-18119 Rostock-Warnemünde, telephone +49/ 381 5 42 50.
Rating: Quality 16/20, Value: 17/20
Prices current 2006
