Noerdlingen
This is how you get to Nördlingen by train: Plan arrival.
Jockl Kaiser from the Michelin-starred restaurant "Meyers Keller" processes long-forgotten, local products according to old recipes into culinary highlights - and also likes to serve a "champagne beer" to go with them.
In the middle of a circular meteorite crater - the so-called Ries - sits the medieval town of Nördlingen with its likewise circular and perfectly preserved city wall. On it you can walk once around the whole city. A good idea, because the movement and the beautiful view of old gabled houses and green nature in the surrounding area provide a good appetite. And with an appetite, a visit to Nördlingen's gourmet restaurant "Meyers Keller" is twice as much fun. Chef Jockl Kaiser has been cooking at a top level here for many years - a Michelin star shines above the traditional Nördlingen address.
In order to bring the Nördlinger Ries onto the plate in his restaurant, Jockl Kaiser is always on the lookout for old recipes, long-forgotten ingredients and culinary traditions. In doing so, he can draw from a wealth of resources. "The great thing is that I can get everything I need for sophisticated cuisine within a few kilometers. The Ries is incredibly fertile! By the way, there's even a brewery in our area that produces champagne beer. I like to serve that with noble compositions, too! And the guests really like it. It doesn't always have to be wine."
Jockl Kaiser was in his early 20s when he and his equally young wife took over the then brewery inn. The two decided to turn the traditional pub into something very special. "Today, we offer both. High-quality gourmet cuisine, but also regional specialties," says the trained chef, summing up his recipe for success. That's why the menu includes veal liver with pickled Bavarian figs and pink saddle of venison with morels and spruce shoots, as well as true inn classics such as braised Maultaschen, black pudding gröstl and Wiener schnitzel.
In the cellar of the traditional inn and restaurant, Jockl Kaiser not only stores fine beers and wines. This is also where a very special ham matures to perfection - Rieser Culatello Riserva. The meat from Swabian-Haellish pigs hangs in the cold, damp cellar climate for 30 months until it develops its nutty, deeply aromatic flavor and its unique crumbly softness. The original Culatello comes from the Po Valley in Italy, but the Nördlinger Ries region is apparently also very well suited for the production of this specialty. Incidentally, Jockl Kaiser also likes to pour a champagne beer to go with his Culatello.
Jockl Kaiser also has Nördlingen secret tips ready for his guests. "You absolutely have to climb the Daniel, our church tower. The view from up there into the Ries is simply magnificent. And during Advent, nothing beats a visit to the Nördlingen Christmas market." Good to know: "Meyer's Cellar" also has a stand there!
Cover photo: Elegant cuisine and traditional cooking - Chef Jockl Kaiser can do both © by.TM - Jens Schwarz