Dinner at the Potsdamer Platz
Berlin, Germany
Dined in May 2012
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
In the heart of Berlin just south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Großer Tiergarten the cities largest & oldest park lies the Potsdamer Platz, witch has a large shopping center, businesses, and the stunningly beautiful architecturally unique Sony Center. Underneath the roof structure is a large cinema location, shops, and many restaurants including Josty Bistro where they serve German specialties and international cuisine.
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Executive Chef:
Dumenika Bornhöfft
Main review:
The Josty has been synonymous with Berlin’s coffeehouse culture since the 18th century. Today, the restaurant and the entirely new Sony Center were rebuilt after being destroyed during the bombings in World War Two, and it represents a successful combination of modernity with tradition. A part of the restaurant is the historic breakfast hall of the former Grand Hotel Esplanade, an event location that exudes the glamour of bygone times, again demolished in the 1940s.
The focus of the restaurants menu is in German cuisine, with regional specialties from Berlin such as a schweinshaxe with spreewälder sauerkraut. In addition, they have many other classical, and international dishes that cater to the many tourists that the Sony Center receives daily. The cuisine excels with its modern interpretations, fresh ingredients and passion. I dined there in May of 2012 while doing a walking tour of that area of the city. I started at the Brandenburg Gate, then moved south visiting the Jewish Holocaust Memorial, the park, and finally running into Potsdamer Platz. I say Josty among others but bypassed all of them to see more sights, then returned for a dinner meal.
Josty was chosen by chance, as I did not do any research on the other restaurants in the area. Seeing the two story restaurant with floor to ceiling glass, great patio location, and the Sony Center itself was enough to have me dine. Also of course I was looking for some traditional German Cuisine. The restaurant was busy with tourists, locals, couples enjoying romantic dinners, business folks, and all tables very talkative. The menu consisted of:
- Breakfast
- Appetizers
- Berlin Specialties
- Pizza and Pasta
- Classics
- Burgers
- Steaks
- Desserts and Cakes
- Children
Items of interest from this menu include theLukewarm goat cheese (13€) on tangy lamb’s lettuce or corn salad with raspberry vinaigrette as a starter. The pizza menu caters more towards the American tourists with Hawaiian and other specials. The Berlin menu calf´s liver (19€) with onion sauce, apple rings and mashed potatoes looked appealing and different. Nuremberg Sausage, Veal, and Fried Thüringian sausage under the classical dishes is where I steered towards (13€) with onion sauce, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut.
If I was there for a lunch and locally lived in the area, other than German food with their burger selection, the Asia Burger looked interesting (13€) served with Asian chicken chili-mango-mayonnaise, arugula, sprouts, ginger, fresh coriander and sesame, or from the steak menu a 300g Entrecôte (34€) which in French translates as a prime cut from the intermediate rib section of the cow, or a boneless ribeye prepared to order.
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| Picture Courtesy of Beef For Foodservice Professionals |
Dessert:
For dessert you can be enticed by either a classic apple strudel or an apricot white cheese strudel (8€) with vanilla ice-cream or vanilla sauce.
Other Noteworthy Bistro Favorites:
Terroir in Stellenbosch, South Africa
Zink Bistro and Bar in San Antonio, Texas
Final notes and observations:
What is a restaurant review? Is one better than the other? These and several other questions are what I hear from foodies, and readers alike. Restaurants ask how the rating system is broken down. Remember that reviews you read online are subjective, but they should also be responsibly, and respectfully written, upholding the truth and accurately conveying the experience. My job is to put you at the table next to me, and to always be objective and not subjective. Hopefully I succeeded with that. Being impeccable with my word, never taking anything that happens at the restaurant personally, being honest in the review, never make assumptions, and to always write to the best of my knowledge.
My ratings are notated by the level of stars awarded from 0 to 5. The star rating is based on the calculation and point accumulation of six separate factors with nearly seventy questions broken down by individual experiences such as wine and other beverage selection, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, plus a bonus section called the wow factor. To see more details on how I do my ratings read this article:
Over all from this experience, and using my rating system linked above, I give Josty Bistro a 2 out of 5 stars, meaning that they were above the average for my expectations in a dining experience to most restaurants. The six factors used to get this rating are scored below.
|
Formula Factor Conclusions |
Max Points Possible: |
Total Points Awarded: |
Total Points deducted: |
|
Ambiance |
10
|
8
|
0.5
|
|
Food quality |
10
|
8
|
2
|
|
Plate presentation |
10
|
8
|
1
|
|
Customer service |
10
|
7
|
3
|
|
Alcohol and other beverages |
10
|
7
|
1
|
|
“Wow” factor BONUS |
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
Total |
50
|
39
|
7.5
|
|
Total percentage |
|
0.78
|
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
Review basics:
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5 stars
|
An Extraordinary Experience
|
94 - 100 % (105% w/ full bonuses)
|
|
4 Stars
|
An Outstanding Experience
|
87 - 93%
|
|
3 Stars
|
Exceeded All My Expectations
|
80 - 86%
|
|
2 Stars
|
Above the Average Experience
|
72 - 79%
|
|
1 Star
|
An Average Dining Experience
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66 - 71%
|
|
No Star Rating
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The Restaurant is Basic, Poor, or Appalling
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65% or below
|
|
Overall Star Rating:
|
2 of 5 Stars:
78% Rating with a 1 point “wow” bonus
Above the Average Dining Experience
|
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Wine List:
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Click here to view the restaurants wine list
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Corkage fee’s:
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The Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual, Formal, Conservative, or Semi-formal dining
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
|
|
Dress code:
|
Smart casual, Casual, or Conservative attire
|
|
Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette. If not then
Hire a Babysitter!
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Cuisine style:
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Contemporary, Bistro, Modern, German, & Vegetarian
|
|
Experiences:
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Trendy, Hot spot, Great bar, Great outdoor dining, Good for special occasions, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
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Payments:
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Valet, and Public lot
|
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
|
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Noise level:
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Low to Medium
|
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
|
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Patio:
|
Yes
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Other Berlin, Germany reviews on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Josty Bitro:
Sony Center
Bellevuestraße 1, 10785 Berlin
Contact Information:
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Maître d or host:
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+49 30 25751105 |
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Online reservations
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OpenTable |
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Restaurant website: |
Josty Bistro |
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Serving hours: Central European Daylight Time (GMT or UTC + 2:00) |
Daily: Mon-Sun 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM |
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Email contact: |
Contact Josty |
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Social Media &
Accolades:
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Instagram |
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Facebook Link |
****
The worlds best, based on my list of restaurants reviewed and rated at 4 or more stars. From the 300 published reviews as of March 2017, less than 15% hold that prestigious ranking of 4 or 5 stars, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. I have dined at restaurants on five continents from cafes, chains, and fine dining best of the world Michelin rated locations. Not all of the worlds best ratings are the same as mine.
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Modern Eclectic African Cuisine
Woodstock, South Africa
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Innovative East Meets West Menu
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Modern Upscale Global Plates
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Classic French Gastronomique
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Elegant Fine Australian Dining
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Chic Country-Style Vineyard Restaurant
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Hip Asian-Fusion
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Ornate Top 10 American Chophouse
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American-Global Molecular Menu
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Quintessential Modern Australian Cuisine
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Impeccably Acclaimed French Cuisine
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French-American Fine Dining
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High Rise Fine Global Dining, Highest Restaurant In The World
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Contemporary, African-Inspired Tasting Journey
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Upscale Creole Fare
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Inventive Eclectic Tasting Menus
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Safari + Upscale African Cuisine
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Creative Mediterranean Cuisine
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Posh French + A Culinary Experimentalism
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Inspired Farm-to-Table Dining
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So many great wines in this world, here are a few boutiques, cult wines, and favorites:
|
A 1756 Estate Famed Rubicon Blend
Stellenbosch, South Africa
|
Big, Bold, Cult Cabernets
Oakville, California, USA
|
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Screaming Eagles Sister
Santa Barbara, California, USA
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Agincourt, Waterloo, Salamanca
Yarra Valley, Australia
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Boutique Producers of Pinot Noir
Willamette, Oregon
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Old Huguenot Style Shiraz & Cabernets
Franschhoek, South Africa
|
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20+ Blue Ridge Handcrafted Wines
Asheville, North Carolina, USA
|
World Class Oregon Pinot Noir
Willamette, Oregon
|
|
Exceptional Cult Sauvignon Blanc & Cabernets
Yountville, California
|
Not Kehlsteinhaus, Exceptional Shiraz
Constantia, South Africa
|
Reviewed by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE)
Executive Chef
Father, Husband, Wine Drinker
Restaurant nut, History and
Star Trek lover
Picture below was taken at FOB Shank,
Afghanistan in 2012
About Sean:
I am based out of St. Petersburg, Florida working in the food service industry for over twenty years, and am currently with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, and Antarctica, also working in restaurants in and around Atlanta, Georgia prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army Food Service Program. The idea for Wine, Dine, and Play started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by friends to write down the experiences from a few restaurants, wine from the region that I tasted, and locations of interest such as Petra. Since that time, over 300 articles have been written, including fifteen restaurants from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide. There are articles on exotic world locations such as Victoria Falls, and South African Safari’s; food recipes & Grand Food Dictionaries; ethnic country cuisines such as Afghan, and Peruvian; tasting tours of world cities like Charleston, Cape Town, and Dubai; and of course wine from vineyards in California, Oregon, the Carolina’s, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, with much more to see and write about.
Who is John Galt?
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Other articles of interest on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Shark Cage Diving in Gansbaai, South Africa
The Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, UAE
(Articles coming soon)
Petra, Jordan
A Taste of Dubai
A Taste of South Africa vol 1 & 2
Wine, Dine, And Play’s “best of” List
FOB Shank - Cooking with Incoming
My Favorite Restaurants and Wine
TTFN
