Le Medoc Weinstube

As other Unilocalers have pointed out, when stuck at Le Meridien you really have few choices. Especially in August as a LOT of the local restaurants are closed. We worked late and decided to get their barbeque buffet. Was bad, really bad. Salads were warm, cold cuts were pretty limp and had flies on them etc. Worst was the meat. Very slim pickings. All offerings are put into a steam table pan thingy with a lid. You then get to dig through the various animal parts to find one you like. The chicken was way overcooked and extremely dry. You could crack a plate with it. Same with the one sausage that was offered. The outer casing shattered when bitten into as it was so overcooked. There was one type of meat though (not sure if it was pork or beef) that was tasty, even if overcooked. I went back and asked the cook at the grill for a brat and to not overcook it. I gave him a few minutes and went back to make sure he wasn’t cooking it Hades style. This was a good brat. Too bad the bread offered was dried out. The thing that saved them though was the good service and the pleasant atmosphere on the terrace watching people go up and down the many steps and watching the flies descend on the salads on display. If you do get the buffet, definitely custom request something and watch that he watches it.

Having stayed at Le Meridien for a long period of time and seeing the ads in the hotel elevator for Le Medoc, I thought I would give the place a try. This place has so much potential but the food really lets it down. After a month in a hotel here in Stuttgart I have sampled most of the restaurants downtown, and I can truly say that Le Medoc was the only bad meal so far. The atmosphere of the restaurant is fantastic, the wait staff were top notch and the wine was great too. My wife and I had the beef bourguignon and salmon. The salmon was raw in the middle and the beef was chewy. The vegetables had a sponginess to them and I am almost certain they were cooked the day before. For 70 euros it was the worst value for money I’ve had in Stuttgart. So unfortunate for a place that could be so much better. Maybe the venue would be better to focus on wine and appetizers, maybe have wine tastings with different cheeses, fruits and chocolates. It would be a great stop after a day in the office. So I am sorry Le Medoc, but I would not recommend for dinner but everything else was great.

This is one of the only two options you have to dine if you stay at Le Meridien, which, being in the middle of nowhere, is not close to any other restaurants.
Sadly both options only offer French food. Le Medoc at least proposes some variations on the theme.
The restaurant is cosy, the staff friendly and knowledgeable. The menu is very very limited and so is the wine menu (offering only French wines and some local ones, mine was quite good).
I wasn’t convinced by the food. My pumpkin soup was very bland and tasteless. As a main I got a salmon steak, which consisted basically of grilled salmon on a bed of sautéed spinach, served with boiled potatoes. Basically what I get in the canteen at the office. The only creative touch was a dab of the exotic sounding «Café de Paris butter». Which was some whipped butter flavoured with some herbs. Btw I think butter is the last thing I’d want on an already greasy salmon stake. All this for 18.50 Euro.
I left the restaurant paying some 50 Euro for really standard food, a water and a glass of wine.
I’d suggest, if you you are stranded at Le Meridien, do venture out to the city centre, you will definitely find better options.

Allgemein
Nettes gemütliches Restaurant. Das Brunch-​Buffet am Sonntag-​Morgen war üppig und abwechslungsreich. Der Preis von 29 € ist angemessen. Getränke (Saft, Kaffee, Sekt und Wasser) sind inklusive. Das Parken in der Holteleigenen Tiefgarage ist kostenlos.
Bedienung
Die Service-​Mitarbeiter war sehr nett und freundlich. Sie hatte ganz schön zu tun, da sie alleine die Tische abräumen musste, Getränke servieren und nach dem Buffet schauen musste.
Das Essen
Das Buffet war gut. Brötchen, Brot, Käse, Obst, Müsli, verschiedene Meeresfrüchte-​Salate, Pastete, warme Gerichte (Fisch, Rind, Gemüse, Kartoffeln). Das Nachtisch-​Buffet war seh lecker!
Das Ambiente
Sehr nettes Restaurant mit gemütlicher Einrichtung. Einrichtung passt zum «Französischen» Restaurant.

Mein erster Besuch in der neuen französischen Weinstube Le Medoc, das zum Le Méridien gehört habe ich in guter Erinnerung. Die Austern waren gut (auch wenn ich sie lieber selbst auslöse), das Tartare de Boeuf auch gut, auch wenn es meinem Geschmack nach ein wenig zu stark Senflastig war. Das Personal ist freundlich, noch ein wenig unroutiniert und hat ausschließlich gute Weinempfehlungen gegeben. Ich werde sicherlich nochmal hingehen. Evtl zu einer der Weinproben. Wenn das Personal dann souveräner und das Essen vollends tadellos ist, gibt es von mir den fünften Stern. Viele Grüße und guten Appetit.