November 2004
Fresh from the gourmet scene
Fancy dining with the stars? Then head to the newly opened restaurant at Munich’s Blaues Haus theater, CONVIVA im Blauen Haus. Every evening at 9 pm a steel wall that separates the restaurant from the actors’ canteen will be pulled back to enable the audience to mingle with the performers. And, what’s more, every bite you take is for a good cause—the restaurant, which is also open to non-theatergoers, is run by CBA, a company that encourages the integration of people with disabilities in society and employs a mix of disabled and non-disabled in its ventures. From its humble beginnings with a 28-seater restaurant in Laim nine years ago, the company’s decision to take over an establishment four times as big, and in the city center, is a brave step. Still, the food they’re offering certainly seems up to the challenge, with a fresh, creative and varied menu, whether you’re after a quick lunchtime bite, coffee and cake or a full three-course dinner. If that weren’t ambitious enough, last month CBA also opened a groovy new lounge bar and cafeteria in the Gasteig concert hall.
CONVIVA im Blauen Haus, Hildegardstrasse 1, Tel. (089) 23 33 69 77
Blink and you’ll miss it. Yes, Munich’s bar scene is in such a state of flux that the latest joint may often have closed long before you’ve dragged yourself down there. Well here’s an advance warning: you’ve got just one more month to try the Café im Hochhaus in Blumenstrasse. Previously Café Dallmayr, a haunt of the blue-rinse brigade, the bar was gutted, funked up and reopened as Munich’s hippest spot in September. Now, just three months later, it’s in line for another revamp. Leaseholder Michael Dietzel, previous manager of the Stadtcafé and owner of a Spanish beach bar, intends to transform the place into a grown-up bar with “absolutely no retro in sight” he promises.
There’s more to life than beer—even for the people who run the Hofbräuhaus. Stephan Kuffler and Joseph Peter have cast their tastebuds further afield to open their latest venture, Pastaria Centrale, in Terminal 2 of Munich’s airport. The bar promises the best of Italy and the US, with a range of salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes, all of which are prepared on the spot. Drinks include flavored coffees and Italian classics such as Aranciata. And, no, there’s not a Mass to be had!
On the wine front, meanwhile, there’s a whole new world of whites waiting to be discovered. Munich wine chain Garibaldi is hosting an evening devoted to Italian and Austrian whites, with a liquid journey through the Friaul, Marken, Wachau and Styria regions. Supping gets under way at 8 pm on Wednesday, November 10, in the Garibaldi shop at Frohschammerstrasse 14, with tickets priced at € 20. If red’s more your poison, then head to the same place two weeks later, on November 24 at 8 pm, for an event devoted to the international biggies—pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. For € 25 a head, you’ll have the chance to compare wines made from the same grape but in different countries. For more information and reservations call (089) 359 02 22.
And now for something completely different. The Garibaldi wine bar at Schellingstrasse 60 has launched a live, constantly changing wine list on the Internet. It shows which wines are currently open for drinking, when they were opened, how much a glass costs and how many glasses remain. Exactly what the purpose of this is, we’re not sure, but it’s certainly intriguing watching the contents of a bottle of 1998 Amarone, a snip at € 49.70 for a small glass, disappear before your eyes and wondering, who in the world…?
www.garibaldi-bar.de
