Sometimes behind a hotel restaurant there is just a good restaurant. Brasserie Marie, located in hotel De L'Europe on the Amstel, is such a place. No lobby-like fuss, no buffet for business travelers. The concept is called Parisienne de Luxe: French classics with a contemporary interpretation, a wine cellar you rarely find anywhere else, and a terrace where you just sit by the water in summer. Michelin has already noticed the restaurant, which doesn't surprise anyone who has eaten there once.
The menu is French and serious. Chef Jop works with the classics but doesn't let them feel old. Start with Huîtres Irlandaises, Irish oysters you can eat pure, Rockefeller or with Perle Imperiale caviar. Or go straight for the Blini Caviar, 30 or 50 grams, with smoked salmon, chives and crème fraîche. The Tartare de Bœuf comes with mizuna and can be optionally enhanced with caviar. Those who want something less obvious: the Anguille, eel from the BBQ with watercress, is one of the better dishes on the menu.
The interior is a classic Parisian salon style, but without the clammy grandeur that such rooms sometimes have. Light, elegant, without excessive trappings. Outside is even better. The terrace is right on the Amstel, and in the summer months Marie sur l'Eau opens: a seasonal riverside bar with oysters, fougasse and French wines. One step further: the Marie En Bateau service allows guests to dock by boat and order dishes and champagne on board. That sounds like a gimmick but in practice is just a logical way to take advantage of the water.
The 1915 wine cellar with more than 1,250 wine labels can be visited daily and is the silent backbone of what Marie puts on the plate.
The 1915 wine cellar with more than 1,250 wine labels can be visited daily and is the silent backbone of what Marie puts on the plate. This is not a sight for tourists but simply a cellar where the wine you drink with your food comes from. Groups of 10 to 16 can visit for a 3- or 4-course menu, and festive menus of 4 or 5 courses are available around Christmas on Dec. 24, 25 and 26 and New Year's Eve.