Owners John and Melina Kofod have created an enchanting restaurant, Sortebro Kro, in The Funen Village in Odense, Denmark.
The Funen Village in Odense, Denmark is a charming open-air museum recreating a Funen village in the 19th century, and when Edward F. Nesta and I visited in May 2006, I almost expected to see Hans Christian Andersen come around the corner. What I did not expect was to find a jewel of a restaurant in a tourist setting, however Sortebro Kro is indeed a little jewel.
The picturesque restaurant has low wood beamed ceilings, rough-hewn wood floors, and a long wood table that divides the room into two sections. The table was decorated with silver candelabra with tall white tapers, a mixed wildflower bouquet, and wine bottles in an old wooden crate. Sortebro Kro sets the stage for ambience; the dining room tables are dressed with white linens draped over flax linens, there are antique oil lamps that have since been electrified on the tables, and pretty spring flowers grace square green vases filled with colored glass pebbles. Plants in woven baskets line the wide window ledges beneath cream-colored Roman shades, and antiques are scattered throughout the restaurant. From our table, we had the advantage of having a direct view into the open kitchen where we watched Chef Kofod and his team in action.
Our waiter, Per Kristian Granli, began our lunch with an amuse bouche of foie gras terrine on edible flowers, raspberries and grissini, paired with Secreto Sauvignon Blanc 2004, from Chile. The wine had aromatic floral notes with creamy citrus and tropical fruits on the palate.
For our first course, we had poached salmon that Chef Kofod presented on a long white plate painted with avocado cream, placed the poached cylinder-shaped salmon on a bed of red diced peppers with slow oven-baked cherry tomatoes, served with thinly sliced grilled bread, and garnished with fresh parsley leaves. Our waiter brought us a basket of hot, triangular rolls and a wooden bowl of butter to accompany the salmon.
We arrived in Funen at the beginning of asparagus season, and for our second course, Chef Kofod prepared local white asparagus presented on a bed of boiled and pureed nettles, with a roasted scallop topped with marinated red onion, and finished with a savory tomato foam. The scallop had a fabulous seared crust, the asparagus was tender and flavorful, and I really enjoyed the nettles, which was a new experience for me.
After a lemon sorbet palate cleanser, Edward and I were ready for our third course. For Edward, the chef presented a tender chicken breast over grilled wild mushrooms and asparagus, with a reduced chicken and wine sauce. I had a delectable lemon sole served with small local Fjord shrimp, thin green asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, watercress, and mashed potatoes mixed with olive oil that were browned in the oven in a soufflé dish. We paired our selections with a Château Lamothe de Haux 2000, from the Bordeaux region of France, made with 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, and 20% Muscadelle.
In keeping with the season, Chef Kofod created a trio of luscious rhubarb desserts: a refreshing rhubarb sorbet, a rhubarb spume, and a rhubarb consommé served with buttery, nutty Florentines. We paired the trio of rhubarb desserts with a glass of Viu Manent Semillon Late Harvest 2004, from Colchagua, Chile, made of 100% Semillon, with a nutty nose, tropical fruits and honey on the palate, with a lingering finish, that was the perfect companion for the rhubarb.
Sortebro Kro
Sejerskovvej 20
5260 Odense S
Denmark
Telephone: +66 13 28 26
Fax: +66 12 75 14
Email: sortebro_kro@mail.tele.dk
www.sortebro.dk
Read our articles on Denmark in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs’ Recipes, Liquor Cabinet: Olfestival, Music Scene: Saxopaths Saxofonkvartetten and Music Scene: Mickey Lee – She’s The Girl Maria Marie.
For additional information on Denmark please contact: VisitDenmark at www.visitdenmark.com, VisitAarhus at www.visitaarhus.com, VisitOdense at www.visitodense.com, Fyntour at www.visitfyn.com, and Wonderful Copenhagen ® at www.visitcopenhagen.com. For SAS Scandinavian Airlines information, please contact them at www.scandinavian.net. For information on DSB rail service, please contact them at www.dsb.dk.
© November 2006. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.
