Yet the new wave in Aarhus has been led not by architects or artists, but by chefs. In the past 10 years the city has filled with great places to eat, and today it boasts three Michelin-starred restaurants. In 2017 Aarhus and its surrounding area form a European Region of Gastronomy.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a small city, we have a lot of good restaurants,\u201d says chef Rene Mammen at Michelin-starred Substans. \u201cI used to cook in Copenhagen,\u201d he says, smiling, \u201cbut I moved back here because Aarhus just welcomes everybody. It\u2019s laid back, down to earth. Our friends run the farms that supply us. I can drive out to pick berries in 10 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local sourcing goes further at Haervaerk, a Bib Gourmand restaurant in a street full of cyclists. \u201cWe have no menu,\u201d says owner Michael Christensen. \u201cWe just use what we get locally each morning. So the dishes change from day to day and even table to table. You can taste that freedom in our food.\u201d He illustrates the point with a series of surprising snacks, including woodland mushrooms creamed with sweet corn, herring roe in puffy profiteroles, and earthy beetroot sprinkled with pink flowers. It\u2019s cutting edge but still comfort food.<\/p>\n