"A German friend recommended this restaurant to us, so we made dinner reservations for our time in Lake Constance. I suppose a disclaimer is in order here because we are Americans, but we have been living in Germany for 9 years, so we are familiar...with German food, in particular Bavarian food. As frequent travelers, German cooking doesn 't rate very high on our list (OK, it 's on the bottom), but we expected something a bit special at this pricier restaurant. Both my husband and I were disappointed. I didn 't try his entree, but he wasn 't impressed. It was shrimp in a curry sauce with banana, which I would never think of combining, and now I know why. He said it wasn 't served hot either. My forelle amandine, normally mild-tasting, was fishy and had several bones. Only the toasted almonds made it edible. It was served with the plain steamed potatoes, which I don 't mind in principle, but I think a pricey restaurant could show a little more imagination when it comes to a side dish. We had to laugh when the server brought out a bread basket, which held two nearly microscopic pieces of bread. I don 't eat the bread, so I didn 't care, but it seemed incredibly chintzy. Even the included morning breakfast at our hotels serves a full basket of breads and croissants. While I 'm sure many guests find the atmosphere at Becher charming and old world, it just seemed old and in need of a face-lift. In a similar vein, despite the presence of other guests, it was so quiet in the dining room I joked to my husband that we could practically hear one another 's heart beating! It didn 't seem normal to speak so quietly. To be honest, I felt like screaming. Toward the end of our meal, a family with a talkative little girl was seated, and her somewhat noisy presence was a relief after all that silence. I feel bad being so negative, but either this restaurant could do better or I just lack the proper appreciation for old-style German cooking."
