I saw this poster today and was rather proud that I managed to decipher it in under five minutes.

My eyes are finally back to normal and we had very pleasant weather today, so Bill and I decided to take a trip to Tübingen for lunch.  Actually, we started off and halfway there, I got paranoid about my curling iron.  I wasn’t sure if I turned it off.  So we turned around and came back.  I unplugged the iron, whizzed, and we started off again.  Then Bill got paranoid that the front door wasn’t locked.  Fortunately, we weren’t yet out of the neighborhood before he decided to turn around and check the lock.  All was fine, so off we went.  We reached Tübingen at about 2:00pm, which is when some restaurants stop for a pause in service.

The sign out front…

Nice…

Because we had arrived at the witching hour, we decided not to be too choosy about where we had lunch.  I noticed a pleasant aroma coming from Krumme Brücke, a little eatery I’ve passed a hundred times all five years we’ve lived in this area.  Although we have passed this restaurant many times and I have been curious about it, today was the first time we ever stopped in for food.

At 2:00pm, the place was pretty busy.  Most of the tables were full, though we managed to find a two top by the masonry heater across from the bar.  I saw some steps and wondered if maybe there was an upstairs dining room, but there wasn’t.  The short flight of steps led to the kitchen the the tiny bathrooms.  Krumme Brücke is truly a hole in the wall kind of place with not a lot of seating, especially as the weather cools down and everyone eats indoors.

The menu at Krumme Brücke is fairly eclectic.  Not only do they not take a pause between lunch and dinner, they also have a menu that is full of different stuff.  I think it’s mainly a German/steak restaurant, but I saw pasta, fish, and even a few “international” dishes.  I had gyros, for instance.  Bill had cevapcici, which is a Balkan dish.  I also noticed soups and salads.

Bill checks out the vitals on the victuals.

I wasn’t actually that hungry when we entered the restaurant, which was a blessing, because it took awhile before the wait staff got to us.  As we were waiting, the last three normal sized tables filled up, with only one tiny table facing the kitchen remaining open.  It had three chairs around it and appeared to be suitable only for drinks.  Speaking of drinks, it took awhile before we got ours.  But we both settled on Urtyp by Schwaben Brau, which was on draft.  We could have also chosen a bottled beer, wine, or any number of non alcoholic drinks.  It appeared that they had a full bar.

We tried not to be too conspicuous as we sat there waiting, but I couldn’t help but notice the young balding guy sitting at the large table next to us.  He kept staring at us.  I’m not sure why he was staring or why this often seems to happen to us in Tübingen area restaurants.  He wasn’t as obvious about it as the lady at Lustnauer Mühle was, but he was definitely noticeable in his noseyness.  Maybe it was my blue sweater.  I was wearing the same one today as I was during the last time we were assailed by a “looky lou”.

The other thing I noticed about this restaurant was that they were playing some really good American rock and soul from the 60s and 70s.  I was enjoying the music when I could hear it.  That’s actually one thing I note when I’m in a restaurant or a store.  If they play annoying Muzak, I probably won’t be back, especially if it’s a restaurant.  I have no complaints about the music in Krumme Brücke.

Bill’s Cevapcici, little sausages with ajvar sauce (mild red pepper sauce), fries, and onions.  It was pretty good and reasonably priced.  

My “German style” gyros.  I’m pretty sure this was once a schnitzel that was cut into strips and served with a rather watery tzatziki sauce.  I did enjoy the fries, though, which were nice and crisp.  The gyros tasted okay, but they weren’t really Greek style.  I probably wouldn’t order this again, although the German dishes I saw coming out looked really good.

Today’s offerings.

Once we finished up, Bill called for the check.  It was just over 26 euros.  After we paid, we headed over to Vinum.  We weren’t really planning to go there; I think I was just lured there out of habit.  We dashed in for a quick look, grabbed their last bottle of Georgian wine, and picked up a few cheap everyday bottles they were featuring on their tasting table.

We walked back toward the car a different way and I stumbled upon a do it yourself ceramic place.  We didn’t go in there, but I took note of it, because I figured some local American readers might be interested.  It appears to be a place where you can book an apartment to paint your own ceramics.

A couple of pics of Al Farbrica for the curious.  Like I said, I know next to nothing about this place, but am noting it for those who enjoy such activities.  We saw several women in there with girls and they appeared to be having a good time painting ceramics.  I also picked up a brochure, though it might be better to simply load the Web site in Google Chrome and get the low down.

 

We pressed on until we got to Die Kelter, which has sort of our go to spot for a final pee before we make the drive home.  We stopped in for a glass of primitivo for me and a double espresso for Bill.

They have The New Yorker in English and funky music to go with their beverages.

A parting shot before we made our way home.  I love Die Kelter.

One thing I noticed in the bathroom was a sign (at the top of this post) warning people not to drink too much.  It was in the bathroom stall, where many people have probably suffered the worst effects of being drunk.  It’s funny, because Die Kelter’s toilets are on the third floor and it’s a bit of a hike to get to them.  I would imagine it would be especially bad if one was very inebriated trying to get to them.  You have to climb several flights.  But anyway, I tickled myself by understanding the sign.  Basically it said that man can’t walk on one leg, nor on all four legs.  So know your limit or suffer the consequences!  They even have a Web site!

Alas, I don’t always…

So… that about does it for today’s blog post.  We’ll see what I come up with tomorrow.  Next week, we’re headed back to Ribeauville, so there will be France posts.