Bill and I had to venture into downtown Stuttgart this afternoon.  It was time to visit Dr. Blair for our semi-annual dental cleanings.  Afterwards, we decided to find some dinner.  I was pretty hungry because I hadn’t had anything to eat since about 10:00am.  Although we just had steak the other night at Tommi’s Bistro, I had been curious about Abacco’s Steakhouse, which is a place very close to Dr. Blair’s practice.  The weather was beautiful today and they had opened up the sliding doors on one side of the restaurant; so even if you were sitting inside, you were exposed to the lovely weather.  Since I don’t like sitting around people who are smoking, especially when I’m eating, we opted to eat inside.

I picked a spot right by a window, where the people watching was especially excellent.

Bill and I both ordered Paulaner hefeweizens.  Right next to the steakhouse is the Paulaner am alter Postplatz restaurant.  We enjoyed a great meal there last fall and might have been tempted today, but they were pretty packed.

Our waiter started out speaking German to us, but immediately switched to English as soon as he heard Bill and me talking to each other.  Although we were tempted by the cheeseburgers, which were part of a lunchtime deal that was to end at 5:00pm, Bill and I opted for steaks.  It was almost 5:00pm, anyway, so we figured we might as well try the specialty of the house.

Bill tried to tell the waiter he wanted his steak cooked medium, but the waiter explained that the steaks would come out rare.  All steaks at Abacco’s Steakhouse are served on hot stones, so you can control how done your meat is.

We both ordered rib-eyes, though Bill’s looked more like a strip than a rib-eye.  The steaks are about 250 grams each and they come with three different sauces.  One was like a sweet version of A-1.  One was a horseradish sauce.  The third was a basil chimchurri sauce.  We also had fries, though other sides are available and cost extra.

I had to get a shot of the steaming meat when it came out.  The second stone under the steak is kept simply warm. You move the meat to the warm stone, then cut the steak into strips.  Then you move the strips to the hot stone, and let each cook to your desired temperature.  It occurred to me that this technique probably means fewer steaks get sent back to the kitchen.  After all, you as the customer are ultimately in charge of how done your meat gets!  

I did notice that the steak tasted a little bland to me.  Bill also thought the meat was a bit bland, though otherwise enjoyable.  I don’t usually salt my food much, but I needed to salt my steak at Abacco’s.  It tasted like the meat might have been coated in oil instead of butter.  On the other hand, the beef was hot and juicy and, as steaks in Germany usually go, was pretty good.  According to the menu, our steaks were USDA prime beef.  I noticed they had steaks from Argentina as well as Iberico ham and pork steaks.  They also have salads for those who are more health conscious.

After we finished eating, our waiter tempted us with dessert.  We decided to have a round of double espressos and split a brownie dessert.

I thought the double espresso could have been hotter…  It was served well before the dessert was, so I couldn’t really hang onto it until the dessert came out without risking cold espresso.

The dessert was delicious!  The warm brownie was served with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate sauce.  It was the perfect size for splitting.  They also had ice cream, sorbet, apple strudel, and some sort of other dessert that I had never heard of…

I enjoyed watching people walk by.  These two ladies appeared to be identical twins who had to go a size up on their taxi.

A shot of the sign outside.  The location for this restaurant is pretty great.  It’s right in the thick of things.  The restaurant itself is very large and comfortable, with a very nice looking bar.

All told, we spent about 80 euros for dinner before the tip.  We both enjoyed the food and the service, though I think I still prefer Tommi’s for steak.   For us, Tommi’s is also less expensive and much more convenient, since it’s in our town and we can walk there.   On the other hand, Abacco’s offers burgers and other items that Tommi’s doesn’t have.  Aside from that, it’s in a convenient location downtown, which means that for many folks living in the Stuttgart area, it’s in a more convenient place than Tommi’s is.

I would recommend Abacco’s Steakhouse for those who are looking for a good hunk of meat.  However, given the hot stones the steaks are served on, I would recommend parents with small children be careful.  The stones are very hot and capable of burning those who are careless or overly curious.