Fodor's Expert Review Johann Lafer's Stromburg

It's a pretty 15-minute drive through the Binger Wald (Bingen Forest) to this luxurious castle hotel and restaurant overlooking Stromberg. Johann Lafer is a prolific chef who pioneered cooking shows in Germany. In the elegant Val d'Or the Variationen (medley) of foie gras and the Hirschrücken mit Rosenkohl (venision with Brussels sprouts) are classics. The less formal Bistro d'Or serves tasty regional dishes. The wine list features some 200 top Nahe wines and several hundred Old and New World wines, with a particularly fine collection from Bordeaux and Burgundy.