There is a particular pleasure in dining somewhere that has earned its authority slowly, not through the elaborate orchestration of celebrity roll-outs and social media campaigns, but through the quiet accumulation of exceptional evenings. Restaurant Tennerhof, the flagship dining outlet at the Relais & Châteaux Hotel Tennerhof in Kitzbühel, is precisely that kind of place.
For those who make glitzy Kitz a seasonal ritual -- the Hahnenkamm-Rennen crowd arriving in January, the tennis and golfing set appearing for both Austrian Opens in spring and summer -- the Tennerhof table is less a discovery and more like a homecoming.
For over three decades, Restaurant Tennerhof has been accumulating recognition for its cuisine. The hotel’s aforementioned prestigious Relais & Châteaux association, begun in 2007, also recognizes the dining establishment as a unique Relais Gourmand. These critical approvals speak volumes in an industry where reputations are made and unmade with a speed and terror perhaps equivalent to The Streif downhill. On a recent trip to the destination, we had the pleasure to dine at Tennerhof and put it up against the rigorous criteria of our own NAVIS Curated Collection of exceptional luxury experiences.
The Setting
Privately owned by the von Pasquali family for nearly a century, the intimate, traditional Austrian chalet is perched on a hillock above town, its 39 rooms furnished with antiques from the family estate. This DNA extends to the restaurant as well. The dining room is warm and alpine in the best possible sense, more elevated than a stube, and more cosseting than the dramatically dark, minimalist décor found in Kitz’s more high-profile dining outlets. In other words, like a home. In summer, the terrace unfolds a panorama of the surrounding majestic peaks, the Hahnenkamm and the Kitzbüheler Horn; in winter, when we arrived, the windows frame the legendary Streif slope.
Quiet Craftsmanship
German-born Head Chef Kai Horitzky honed his culinary talents primarily within resort destinations, mainly across Austria and Switzerland, and under the mentorship of MICHELIN-starred Chef Martin Bieri. Horitzky’s menus feature seasonal dishes with a contemporary touch, paying consistent tribute to regional classics, a worthy philosophy that sounds straightforward but in practice is often difficult to execute with distinction. His sourcing is impeccable and emphatically local where it matters, international when the ingredient demands it. The result is a menu that feels rooted without being provincial and refined without losing its sense of place. This is certainly a throwback to his mentor, Bieri’s catchphrase “Home is where the Bauch doesn’t have to be eingezogen” (Home is where the belly doesn’t need to be sucked in).
Four Courses, Flawlessly Composed
The evening opened with an apéritif at the cozy hotel bar before moving on to the restaurant, where a special menu had been prepared for our visit. We started with a signature dish: Sea Urchin, Scallop, and White Strawberry. Seafood in land-locked North Tyrol might seem a gamble; sourced from France via the hotel’s trusted partners at Rungis Paris Express, they proved worthy of the effort. The sea urchin provided a citrusy salted caramel note, the plump scallop added a delicate, nutty creaminess, and the white strawberry, with its hints of pineapple, created an unexpected, convincing counterpoint. The tartness of lime and moody lemon balm threaded the flavors together to create a vibrantly confident starter. Expertly paired with a Reserve Chardonnay from Weingut Alexander Egermann whose nuances of mango and vanilla offered a juicy and playful, yet still elegant, accompaniment to this dish.
The soup course which followed, Jerusalem Artichoke Foam with Caramelized Almonds, served as a progressive dining narrative. Light and aromatic, the foam provided restraint between the iodine-bright starter and the more substantial course still to come. The accompanying Proidl Senftenberg Riesling Alte Reben Kremstal was complex and restrained, but hints of green apple, peach, and lime proved worthy to the dish’s goal of bridging both two courses.
Tyrolean Milk-Fed Veal with Grand Jus, Morels, Wild Garlic, Peas, and Aztek Gold Potato as the main course, provided an ambitious centerpiece to our evening. Sourced from the trusted local butcher in town, the veal was cooked sous-vide, yielding a tenderness that was inspiring. Developed over four days and in multiple stages, the grand jus, incorporated beef and veal bones, oxtail, red wine, and regional root vegetables, comprises the kind of foundation that highlights truly committed professional kitchens. Morels, wild garlic, and peas surrounded the incredibly tender veal with a richness ideal for the winter season. An Andreas Gsellmann “Panobile” Weissburgunder, a type of Pinot Blanc, provided a mineral-driven complexity counterbalanced by notes of pear and herbs, adding a brightness to a potentially heavier course.
Dessert, by Horitzky’s design, moved in an entirely different direction, with the Poached Nashi Pear, Fruit Pearls, Verjus Sorbet, and Polenta Crisp a considered study in lightness. Poached in port wine for twelve hours, the nashi -- an apple-pear hybrid – surrounded by Yuzu pearls and verjus sorbet (from the juice of unripe grapes), added a delicate acidity more refined than citrus, providing a cool, fresh finish. With the added polenta crisp, the dessert executed an astute and memorable conclusion to this exceptional meal.
The Cellar, the Service, and the Schnapps
The wine program was curated with genuine intent and dedicated attention to the diversity of Austria’s wine regions, with staff who demonstrated a fabulous, un-affected knowledge of local producers. Service throughout, attended to by staff in traditional Tyrolean garb, was warm and precise in the typical Relais & Châteaux manner: attentive without hovering, knowledgeable without lecturing. The addition of imaginative amuse bouches underlined the kitchen’s generosity of spirit, illustrating that this team was cooking for the pleasure of it, and creating an engaging narrative, not just individual plates, which is the mark of an exceptional kitchen. The cohesive flow made for a magnificent gastronomic experience.
Restaurant Tennerhof succeeds because it does not chase trends, achieving, as it has for over three decades of decorated service, something rarer and more lasting: a clear and confident culinary point of view. Horitzky’s cooking is honest, regional, and quietly brilliant, and the setting, both the warmth of the room and the broader canvas of one of the world’s great alpine retreats, elevated every course. We finished our meal in cozy comfort with a post-dinner schnapps by an open fire, reflecting that very few evenings can be orchestrated quite this well.
Photos: Restaurant Tennerhof Media, NAVIS Media | Words: Janine Devine
