Berlin, Germany (Gastrosofie). Who does not know a few quotations from the poet, philosopher and global playwright named Bertolt Brecht? That stark one about the shark…
The great librettist and lyric of the past century was born on February 10, 1898 in Augsburg. He died on August 14, 1956 in Berlin (East), capital of the German Democratic Republic, where he as a communist went to stay in 1948 after 15 years of exile. A year later the “Berliner Ensemble” comes to life in which Brecht carries the artistic responsibility. Looking across the Spree from Friedrichstraße station after dusk, a lets say pink revolving circle with writing inside on a neo-baroque building immediately strikes the eye. It is the logo of the in short “BE” on top of what used to be the “Theater am Schiffbauerdamm”. BB’s “The Threepenny Opera” had its premiere here in 1928 – and became a resounding success. In 1954, the “Berliner Ensemble” was able to make this theatre its artistic home, with Helene Weigel, Brecht’s wife, acting as general director. Peter Palitsch designed the logo, by the way.
Anyway, to quote BB again: “First comes the food, then comes the moral”. From there it is not far to the saying “to be put in the pit without having enjoyed a mouthful of good meat is inhuman”. It is also not far from the “Berliner Ensemble” to “Brechts Steakhaus”, which is actually just around the corner on Schiffbauerdamm. On the corner and right next to the BE is “Ganymed Brasserie” known for its fine French cuisine, its meat from the lava stone grill, for its fish and fruits de mer from the Bretagne. Ganymed has been into fine dining since 1931, and kept it up during the GDR session, with Brecht and his crowd coming by, and East meeting West for talks. Brechts or the ex-“Trichter” saw these famous guests as well, and Marlene Dietrich, Hans Eisler… Nowadays Ganymed and Brechts are partners not only for the “to go” as Michael Pankow runs both, plus piano bar Vincent and the Bar à Vin. At Brechts Steakhaus, Christoph Ganzert is chef de cuisine and responsible for the meat. The native Berliner got „the basics of his training“ in „well-known restaurants“ such as „Il Punto“, „12 Apostel“ and „Ciao“ – Italian roots then. In the “Ciao”, “at the time ‚the best Italian in town”, as Ganzert himself put it, he stayed for another three and a half years after completing his training. This was followed by positions as Sous Chef in “Tauro”, Chef Rotissier in “The Grand”, as head chef in ‚Filou‘ and sous chef on the restaurant ship “Van Loon”. Before the now 34-year-old “came to Brechts Steakhaus” in 2019, he cooked under Samer Schramm at “Spindler & Klatt”.
A splendid vita! This also applies to the meat that „comes from species-appropriate husbandry of highest quality from a trusted supplier“, namely „from ‘True Wilderness‘ the Dry-Aging Pioneer, and‘ Vinzenzmurr’ in Germany”, but also „from ‚Rubia Gallega‘ in Spain, for some the best steak in the world, and grass-fed cattle from Ireland‘.
Ganzert can process the good pieces from well-known suppliers himself in the “Brechts Steakhaus”, because it has “its own cutting kitchen”. And on “the menu you can find prime cuts, dry aged steaks, tartar, roast beef, fillets, but also burgers. Homemade sauces and side dishes as well as salads complete the offer of the special steak house” with a newly made-up terrace on the banks of the Spree.
Worthwhile to go, certainly, but if you prefer a gourmet grill box “to go” for a picnic or intend to dine at home, call Nicole Bathe on 03025762789 from 10 am to 3 pm, or e-mail catering@ganymed-brechts.de and the cupbearer of the gods will have them ready to take away until 10 pm. Starting at a price of 26 euros per serving for „Beef Burger for 2“, then 32 euros for “Classic: Bratwurst & Rumpsteak” or 39.50 euros for “Exquisit: BBQ Brechts Selection”. This box has apart from lots of meat plus sauces and a bit of vegan also some extraordinary good salmon plus teriyaki in store. For the whole picture take a good look at the head photo. These grill boxes can also be ordered on shop.ganymed-brechts.de. And they can be delivered to your chosen address. All you have to do is to prepare and grill the meat – by help of an online brochure. Give it a try, and consider that the same applies to aspiring grill masters as to future revolutionaries: “If you fight, you can lose. Who does not fight has already lost.“
