Bill and I needed to visit Heinrich’s 3000 drink market in Kornwestheim today to drop off some long emptied beer bottles and pick up some full ones.  After we loaded up on lots of Belgian beers and a few from other exotic locales, we headed into Ludwigsburg and searched for a restaurant without a midday pause.  I thought maybe we could go to Towers Irish Pub, but we were just a little too late.  Their kitchen closes at 2:30pm on Saturdays.

One of the beers we picked up today at Heinrich’s.  No, it’s not a description of our day.

I like how Heinrich’s has rearranged their craft beer section.

We rounded the corner and walked down the main drag, where we spotted the Emporio Bar, which was still swinging at 2:45pm.  Emporio Bar runs non-stop from 11:00am until midnight.  We entered the large, airy dining room and a friendly waitress invited us to sit anywhere.  We picked a two top in a corner next to large windows facing Wilhelmstrasse.  It proved to be a great place for people watching, although the four top table next to us was a bit close.  It was empty when we sat down, but became occupied about halfway through our lunch.

Emporio has a very large and rather impressive looking bar.  They also have a full range of Italian dishes, everything from pizza and pasta to regular fish and meat dishes.  I was tempted by a couple of specials, but decided on grilled chicken breast with rosemary potatoes.  Bill went with a very nice pasta dish of chicken and pepper cream sauce.

We both had glasses of wine.  Bill had Primitivo and I had Sangiovese and, of course, San Pellegrino mineral water.

Bill checks out the menu, as usual…

I got a kick out of the sign for the bathroom.  I want one of these for my house.  

Grilled chicken breast with “krauter butter” and rosemary potatoes.  If I had wanted to, I could have had salad or vegetables instead.  I like my starches, though.  It was refreshing to have grilled chicken instead of pork, beef, fish, or pasta.  

But you know, I think I liked Bill’s paprika pasta even better than my dish.  The tagliatelle came with a light cream sauce with roasted red peppers and chicken.  It was delicious.  

A shot of the front door.

 

I think the folks sitting at the next table were curious about us.  They were checking us out and the man gave me sort of a cheesy smile as I squeezed between our tables.  There’s no telling what ran through his mind when I said “Entschuldigung”.  I imagine he was thinking anything from “I hope she doesn’t knock over any wine glasses with her fat ass…” to “Those people probably voted for Trump.”  to “Thank God they’re leaving so I can have some elbow room.”  I’m totally kidding, of course.  They were perfectly polite.  I’m just being snarky.  The guy did give me a cheesy smile, though.

We paid 48 euros for lunch, before the tip.  We liked Emporio Bar enough to try it again sometime, especially if we’re in the area during the traditional pause.  It wasn’t the most exciting meal I’ve ever had, but it was pretty decent.

We parked at a different garage today.  It was very close to the big square.  As Bill was paying, I noted these two fold up seats pictured below.  I wonder how often they get used.  The garage close to the mall closes at 6:30pm on Saturdays.

Easy peasy parking pleasy…