Vendôme

Vendôme sits inside the grand Schloss Bensberg hotel just outside Cologne, and it made its name under Chef Joachim Wissler — one of the people who basically dragged German fine dining into its modern era, taking the country's traditional food and running it through global ingredients and ideas. His longtime sous-chef Chef Dennis Kuckuck has taken over the stoves and hasn't let the standard slip an inch: French classics with a modern edge, everything clean and balanced and built to make you pay attention. Both menus come with or without meat, in five or seven courses, and the alcohol-free pairing is as considered as the wine list. Two Michelin stars. And since you're already in a castle, you may as well stay the night.