With three Michelin stars apiece, these two restaurants are the critics" favorites.
Some countries have dozens (well, only Japan and France); some countries have none (much the rest of the world, especially outside the U.S., Europe and East Asia). The Netherlands has two: two three-starred Michelin restaurants, that is. While neither restaurant is in the capital Amsterdam, the three-star accolade is awarded precisely for restaurants "worth a special journey", so check the door-to-door journey planner and prepare for a trip to the eastern Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel to taste the country's finest cuisine, bar none.
De Leest
Kerkweg 1
8171 VT Vaassen
Phone: +31 (0)578 571 382
Were it not for De Leest, Vaassen (province of Gelderland) would fly under the radar of most Netherlands tourists. But this picturesque town of 16,000, situated between the cities Apeldoorn and Zwolle (location of De Librije, below), has a claim to world fame as the site of De Leest, an exquisite French restaurant on the border of national park De Veluwe. Head chef Jacob-Jan Boerma spins local foods into refined French dishes, served both á la carte and as set menus which are fairly reasonably priced (around 60 euro for lunch, 130 euro for dinner) for one of the two most critically acclaimed restaurants in the country.
De Librije
Spinhuisplein 1
8011 ZZ Zwolle
Phone: +31 (0)38 421 2083
De Librije sounds an awful lot like "library", a reference - in the form of a Middle Dutch word (the modern word is bibliotheek)Â - to the restaurant's first location in the former library of a 15th-century abbey. Now, in an effort to unite all their amenities - restaurant, hotel, shop and school - under one roof, the restaurant has abandoned its monastic quarters for an 18th-century former prison.
The head chef Jonnie Boer still executes his characteristically refined Dutch-international cuisine, but now diners can retreat to their rooms at Librije's Hotel at the same address. For Amsterdam visitors who don't want to make the trek to historic Zwolle, province of Overijssel, Librije's Zusje (Librije's Little Sister) is their one-star location at the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam.
De Leest
Kerkweg 1
8171 VT Vaassen
Phone: +31 (0)578 571 382
Were it not for De Leest, Vaassen (province of Gelderland) would fly under the radar of most Netherlands tourists. But this picturesque town of 16,000, situated between the cities Apeldoorn and Zwolle (location of De Librije, below), has a claim to world fame as the site of De Leest, an exquisite French restaurant on the border of national park De Veluwe. Head chef Jacob-Jan Boerma spins local foods into refined French dishes, served both á la carte and as set menus which are fairly reasonably priced (around 60 euro for lunch, 130 euro for dinner) for one of the two most critically acclaimed restaurants in the country.
De Librije
Spinhuisplein 1
8011 ZZ Zwolle
Phone: +31 (0)38 421 2083
De Librije sounds an awful lot like "library", a reference - in the form of a Middle Dutch word (the modern word is bibliotheek)Â - to the restaurant's first location in the former library of a 15th-century abbey. Now, in an effort to unite all their amenities - restaurant, hotel, shop and school - under one roof, the restaurant has abandoned its monastic quarters for an 18th-century former prison.
The head chef Jonnie Boer still executes his characteristically refined Dutch-international cuisine, but now diners can retreat to their rooms at Librije's Hotel at the same address. For Amsterdam visitors who don't want to make the trek to historic Zwolle, province of Overijssel, Librije's Zusje (Librije's Little Sister) is their one-star location at the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam.
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