Marius

Prinseneiland, January 2, 2016—

I APOLOGIZE FOR THESE photos; most of all to the restaurant in which I took them. They do not do the presentation of the dishes justice.

We dined at a real favorite. Of course I'm biased: the owner-chef is my Dutch son, who can do no wrong in my book, certainly not in the kitchen. Here's what we had:

Geroosterde tonijn met spinachie, citroen wortel en venkel
Sautéed tuna with spinach, lemon, carrot, and fennel

Gebraden Barbarie eend
Sautéed Barbary duck

Gepocheerde kweepeer met vanilleijs en pistasche
Poached quince with vanilla ice cream and pistachios

Marius is a small restaurant, seating maybe thirty; the menu is small, the wine list extensive and well considered. The food is delicious. Did I mention the chef did two year-long stints at Chez Panisse, in Berkeley?

The tuna was cooked perfectly and was firm, fresh, and meaty. The duck was also cooked exactly au point and came with delicious cabbage. I don't know when I've had better ice cream, and the quince could have been poached by my own dining companion, so professional, flavorful, and perfectly textured it was.

It is one of the Five Restaurants.

Riesling: Dengler Seyler Heiligenberg (Pfalz), 2012: smooth, characteristic, beautiful color, fine finish;
Greco di Tufo, Calafé, 2009;
Cotes de Duras, Domaine Mouthes le Bihan "La Pie Colette," 2012: rich, solid, good finish

•Restaurant Marius, Barentszstraat 173, Amsterdam; 020 422 7880
☛Restaurants visited in 2015 are listed at Eatingday's Restaurants>