Meet Berlin's Elite

What do Hillary Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mick Jagger and Otto von Bismarck have in common? They've all dined at Borchardt's, a Berlin classic situated between Gendarmenmarkt and the Brandenburg Gate. Opened in October 1853, the fashionable restaurant was nearly destroyed in World War II, then left to decay during the reign of East Germany's communist government. But under new management, Borchardt's gained a new lease on life after the Wall fell, and it's now a magnet for Berlin's political and social lite.

Roland Mary and Marina Richter rented the building in 1992 with a plan to create a...