Last October, when we were searching for a new home in Wiesbaden, we visited the area twice and brought our dogs both times.  During our first visit, we stayed at the Town Hotel in downtown Wiesbaden.  It was very pet friendly, convenient, and close to everything, but staying in a tiny hotel room isn’t so good when you have dogs with you.  The second time we visited, we stayed at GL Suites, which is a group of apartments that are pet friendly in a neighborhood called Rambach.

Although GL Suites gets a lot of negative reviews on TripAdvisor for being outside of the city, we enjoyed our stay there.  We really liked the neighborhood, and it was convenient to have self-catering accommodations.  One other reason we liked GL Suites is that it’s close to several good restaurants.  We managed to try the nearby Italian place, Castello Romano, which was very good.

We also wanted to try Cem Klein’s Mediterranean Grill, but the night we stopped by, they were fully booked.  However, they were very friendly and welcoming and offered to make us a reservation.  Since we hadn’t yet moved to Wiesbaden, we couldn’t make a reservation at that point.  But we did vow to try it eventually.

I had wanted to visit Cem Klein’s last weekend, but they were fully booked with parties.  Bill made us a reservation for last night at 6:30.  We had a fantastic time and it was a great ending to a fun day.  I really needed to have some fun, too.  It’s been a stressful few months.

Here are some photos from last night’s delightful meal.

The approach…  There is street parking near the restaurant, which has indoor and outdoor seating.  The outdoor area has a bar set up that appears to be just for pouring beers and sparkling wines.

We were invited to sit wherever we wanted.  Our waiter was handsome, charming, and spoke perfect English.

We had a round of aperitifs.  I had sparkling wine…

Bill had a Campari with soda.  The soda was served in a carafe on the side, just as he likes it.

The appetizers and main dishes at Cem Klein come in small or large sizes.  I like this concept, since I don’t like to waste food, but I like to have multiple courses.  I can’t eat the way I could when I was a teenager, even if I look like I can.  I appreciated having the choice to get small or large portions.  All of our portions were small, and they were plenty without being too skimpy.  The menu also changes frequently, so there’s plenty of reason to go back again.  They had a small range of dishes, but there was still something for everyone.

Fresh bread

Amuse from the chef… This was a zucchini cappuccino.  Basically, it was a soup made with zucchini and other fresh vegetables and served like a cappuccino.  It was delicious and rather generous.

Outdoor bar area.  I was enjoying the music and kept “Shazaming” to find out who was doing what.  I suspect I’ll be downloading some more tunes today.

A small smoked salmon with mashed potatoes, lime essence, basil, and rosemary sprigs.  The potatoes tasted like they had a touch of sharp cheese in them.  The salmon was very fresh.

Bill had a small goat cheese salad with walnuts, tomatoes, and fresh greens.  

Bill originally ordered a different wine for dinner, but our waiter suggested El Inquilino, a Rioja.  It tasted of pomegranates and had a lovely perfume aroma.  At 29 euros, it wasn’t excessively expensive, either.

I ordered a small entrecote, but I think they may have brought a large.  The small was supposed to be about 125 grams and this appears larger than that.  The beef was from Argentina and was cooked to medium.  It came with Bearnaise sauce, perfectly roasted and salted potatoes, and a small salad.

Bill had a pork stew with raisins, onions, potatoes, and a dash of creme fraiche on top.  It seemed to be Spanish style, and he loved it.  I think he especially liked the raisins, which added a touch of sweetness to contrast with the salt of the olives.

For dessert, Bill had panna cotta with a berry sauce.

I had a large “colonel”… lime sorbet with vodka.

We had a round of double espressos and a house glass of grappa while Bill settled the bill, which came to about 110 euros before the tip.  We rewarded our host well because he truly did a good job.  He was beaming as we left.  So were we!

In my Mini on the way back home… we need to explore Sonnenberg more.  It’s a really nice area.

I even got to try on a new dress and put on makeup!

Until next time!