Category Archives: Nagold

Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Nagold

Friday night at Waldhorn in Nagold…

The Waldhorn… seems to be quite the legendary restaurant in Nagold!

 

Although Bill and I have been living near Nagold for just over four years now, last night was our first time visiting Waldhorn, an Italian restaurant in Nagold.  It wasn’t originally our plan to go to Waldhorn.  We went there because the restaurant we were hoping to go to was closed for an event.  We ultimately decided to eat at Waldhorn because it’s one of a few well known restaurants in Nagold we haven’t tried yet and, pretty soon, we will be leaving the area.  I had wanted to try Waldhorn a couple of months ago, but they happened to be closed for vacation.  After last night’s experience, I’m kind of sorry we didn’t visit there sooner.

When we got to the restaurant at about 7:00pm, things were in full swing.  The place was bustling with people.  Most of the tables were filled with couples and families, all talking loudly.  It’s definitely not the kind of place you’d go to for a quiet evening.  However, I could easily see that Waldhorn is a popular place with the local crowd.  Our waiter was very friendly and spoke English as he led us to the lone available two-top in the middle of the dining room.

Obligatory shot of Bill reading the menu.  Maybe when we move, I’ll come up with a new running joke as my signature.

 

We ordered a half liter of Barbera wine, which came in a carafe.  We also had our usual San Pellegrino.  This restaurant doesn’t offer wines by the bottle.  Indeed, it appears to be kind of a casual place that offers good food at reasonable prices.

The Barbera was very nice, especially after it opened up a bit.

 

Waldhorn offers the usual pizzas and pastas, as well as fish and meat dishes.  I saw that they had quite a few veal selections, as well as some of the better known Italian favorites like tuna carpaccio and Saltimbocca alla Romana.  They also had a couple of pasta dishes with mussels.  I had a hard time choosing, but finally just went with an entrecote, since I wasn’t in the mood to be adventurous.  Bill decided to have Spiedino al pepe, which was basically pork and beef served on a stick with pepper sauce.

They brought out a lovely bruschetta for us.  I usually don’t get too excited about bruschetta, but the tomato topping on this was a little spicy in an appealing way.  Also, the bread was very fresh and tasted like homemade pizza dough.  It was a nice change.

My steak came with an enormous and beautifully presented salad, of which I could only eat half.  It had a light balsamic vinaigrette on it.

Since I was having a salad, Bill had one, too.  His dish didn’t come with salad, so this was extra.  Instead of the balsamic vinaigrette, he had a creamy yogurt based dressing.  He said he preferred my dressing to his, although he did enjoy the whole thing.

Bill’s dish, complete with decorative rose garnish.  It came with a side of cooked vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, and potatoes.  I neglected to take a picture.

And my steak… this was 250 grams and cooked medium rare.  I had asked for it to be cooked to medium, but I don’t mind medium rare.  It came with krauterbutter.  To be honest, I’ve had better steaks, although this one was alright.  If we manage to go back to Waldhorn before we move, I’ll have to be brave and try something less pedestrian.  I noticed a lot of people were enjoying the pizzas.

I was kind of wanting chocolate last night, but ended up finishing with prosecco.  Bill had an espresso.  Our waiter was very charming and offered us a house shot of grappa.

Cheers!

 

Overall, we had a nice time at Waldhorn.  It’s obviously a local favorite and I can see why people like it.  It’s a good hangout for family and friends.  Our bill came to about 75 euros, which I think was pretty reasonable for what we had.  I’d go back.

Nagold is a town I’m really going to miss.  Not only is it super cute and charming, it also has a lot of fun events and several really good restaurants.  I hope we are just as lucky and find such a local gem of a town up near Wiesbaden.  If anyone reading this review is looking forward to moving to Stuttgart, I highly recommend looking for housing in the Nagold area, even though it’s kind of far from the military installations. It’s been a real treat to live so close to Nagold for the past four years.

Standard
Nagold

Nagold triple threat! Grill Off, Dog Swimming, and a Street Food Fiesta!

It’s no secret that Nagold is probably my favorite of all the cute towns in the Stuttgart area.  There are a lot of reasons why I love it.  For one thing, it’s super close to where I live.  For another, there are many awesome restaurants.  It’s a very pretty little town with a river, a great Badepark, and lots of shopping.  There’s even a nice hike to some well preserved ruins that give you a great view of the whole area, right on the edge of the Black Forest.

It’s not lost on me that when Bill and I move in the next couple of months, I’m going to really miss Nagold.  It’s an awesome town.  If we ever have the good fortune to move back to this area, I will be looking for another house near Nagold.  I love that town!

Today was a great day to be in Nagold, since there were three events going on.  There was a grill off, involving several eateries vying for the best barbecue, a Street Food Fiesta, and the pool complex was allowing dogs to swim on the last day of the season.  Bill and I visited all three events.  Below are some photos from the day, with some light commentary.  To my knowledge, these are annual events.  I know they do the dog swim every year at the end of the pool season.

This was a good bet today!

 

Not too busy yet!

This man is serious about his meat!

Setting up for judging.

 

After a quick weizen, we went into an awesome warehouse turned after work bar.  It’s called Teufelwerk and they host dancing, after work parties, movie nights, and concerts.  I had seen it before, but today was the first time we ever ventured inside.  Let me just say, I’m a little sad we have to leave now…

The inside of Teufelwerk.  We went in for a cupcake and potty break…

They have a little outdoor area overlooking the river, complete with repurposed toilets.

You could sit here and watch the world go by…

Or watch whatever is on the stage.

Or have beer and cupcakes.

They were getting close to starting the judging for the grill off…

The scene was set for good beef… so we decided to watch some dogs swimming.

 

Nagold has a really nice pool complex.  Today is the last day of the summer season, so people were allowed to bring their dogs for a swim.  We didn’t bring Zane and Arran because neither of them particularly enjoy swimming.  But we did pay a euro each to go in and watch the dogs who did attend.

This dog didn’t want to get in the water, but did want that ball.  S/he was trying to get the ball to float closer… and getting checked out by another pooch.

Plenty of dogs were having a blast!  It was a great place for action shots!

 

I was kind of tempted to jump in myself!

We passed by the grill off on our way to the Street Food Fiesta, which, to be honest, was kind of disappointing.  We should have just stayed at the grill off and eaten beef.

This was kind of a small affair.  The music was pretty horrible, too.

Bill had a “pulled beef” burger from this stand…

I was a little tempted by these fried dough treats, but then I realized they were a recipe for heartburn.

As I was sitting here eating meat on a stick, some really awful racist music came on.  They were playing dance and rap music and they played one song that was full of really filthy racist language.  I usually have a pretty high tolerance for that stuff, but my ears were burning.  

So I ate this and drank a beer.  Then we got the hell out of there.  I had to cleanse my brain by listening to Ronnie Milsap.

Still, they had some interesting food selections. I’ve seen better street food fiestas, though. Maybe we’ll have better luck at the next one in Tübingen in a couple of weeks.

 

My favorite part of the day was the dog swim.  I wish I had brought my dogs and my bathing suit.  Maybe they wouldn’t have gotten in the water, but I would have.  It was a great day for it.  And it was fun watching all the dogs playing.  If we were going to be here longer, I think we’d definitely check out Teufelwerk, although maybe we’re too old for it.

I’m sure Nagold isn’t the only town basking in the last days of summer.  If you’re new to the area, I encourage you to seek out events in your town.  There’s always something going on in Germany.  Dive in and enjoy the culture!  Create some memories!  As for me, I’m making a few more before we move to a new German town and make new memories on the Rhein.

Standard
Nagold

Shrimp salad and brats at Luz Bistro in Nagold…

ETA in 2025: Luz Bistro is no longer open.

Apologies for the fact that today’s review is of a place Bill and I have enjoyed several times since we’ve been living near Nagold.  We had really beautiful weather today and Bill decided he needed to drag me away from the computer for lunch.  It was late in the afternoon and we knew Luz Bistro in Nagold would offer food for those of us who don’t eat lunch at noon.  We have eaten at Luz enough times to know that the food and service would be good.  With the unseasonably warm and sunny weather, we knew we couldn’t go wrong today.  Bill is also leaving for a business trip tomorrow and will be gone a few days, so we knew we had to do something this afternoon.

We decided to enjoy the terrace, which was open and unshaded.  Personally, I would have liked it if a couple of umbrellas had been open for those of us who are light skinned, light haired, and light eyed. I am generally rather sensitive to the sun, but I’m particularly sensitive right now.  For some reason, my eyes have been giving me a lot of trouble.  I think it’s due to allergies.  My dog, Zane, has the same problem and actually went to the vet today because one of his eyes is all puffy and bloodshot.  I have the same problem, but I haven’t been to an eye doctor yet.  We’re still looking for one, if anyone has suggestions  😉

It was about 2:30pm when we got to the restaurant.  That’s when they have their short menu, which basically consists of lighter or simpler fare.  They have Wiener Schnitzel, a couple of salads, bratwurst, and flammkuchen, as well as desserts.  I was a little hungry, but not ravenous.  For the second week in a row, I went with a salad.  What an interesting trend for me!

We ordered a bottle of gray burgundy (a pinot gris) from the restaurant’s proprietor.  It was nice enjoying white wine in the sun, even if there was a guy smoking a stogie near us.

I think Bill had been planning on having beer, but I talked him into the wine, which he enjoyed.  It was 26 euros for the bottle.

 

There was a lady sitting behind me who was speaking rapid fire German with an Irish accent, which Bill immediately picked up on.  I was reminded of earlier this week, as I watched old ER episodes on iTunes and a guy was on there speaking Armenian with an American accent.  I don’t pretend to be fluent in Armenian by any stretch, but I did live there for over two years and had to use the language. It’s funny to hear it spoken with an American accent, although the actor speaks better than I ever will!  He was clearly born and raised in California, though, where there are many Americans who are ethnic Armenians and learn the language.  I ran into quite a few of them twenty years ago when I lived in Armenia.  They were coming there to go to dental or medical school.  “Western” Armenian is different than “Eastern” Armenian, though, and I was kind of proud to be able to tell the difference.  Especially since I have both a former Armenian teacher and one of my former Armenian students as Facebook friends.

Enough about my time in Armenia… on to the food.  I didn’t take a lot of pictures today because I was updating my phone during lunch and I prefer to use the phone for restaurant reviews because it’s somewhat less conspicuous.  Maybe it’s because I was born in the 1970s, but I feel weird taking pictures of food in restaurants.  But I also know they are an essential part of my reviews.  So feast your eyes…

This was my huge shrimp salad, which came with garlic bread (which wasn’t all that garlicky).  The salad was really nice, though.  It included four perfectly clean, generously sized, grilled shrimp.  I couldn’t finish this.  It was a lot of roughage covered with a very pleasing creamy dressing.  It reminded me a little of Ranch… perhaps slightly more delicately flavored.  I had lettuce, cucumbers, and corn to go with the shrimp.  I don’t usually go for a lot of dressing on my salads, but this was pretty perfect.  Not too much and not too little.  It was priced at just under 16 euros.

Bill had bratwurst with potato salad.  I tasted his sausage, which was grilled to perfection and came with mustard and bread.  It was very good, although perhaps a little heavy for such a pretty day.  This would be great in colder weather.  Bill said he wished he’d had the salad, although the sausage and salad were tasty.

All told, our bill came to about 61 euros before the tip.  The ladies who took care of us have waited on us before and were very professional, as usual.  It’s always a pleasure dining at Luz Bistro/Alte Post in Nagold.  We’re going to have to go back soon for an evening in their full scale restaurant like we had last spring.

If you live near Nagold, Luz Bistro is a nice place to have a “grown up” lunch at any time of the afternoon.  It’s really nice that they’re so close to where we live.

Standard
Baden-Württemberg, Nagold

Denn’s Biomarkt… where have you been all my life?

I know, I know…  I’ve been living in Germany for awhile now and Denn’s Biomarkt is a chain with locations all over the place.  I kept meaning to stop at one, but never got around to it.  Today, Bill and I decided to go to Nagold to shop for groceries.  We usually go to the Real or Aldi in Jettingen, but I felt like a change.

Although we were planning to hit the very nice Edeka in Nagold, I spotted a Denn’s Biomarkt location.  It had a huge parking lot that allowed free parking for up to 90 minutes.  Plenty of spots were open, so we pulled in and had a look.

I was immediately impressed by how quiet the place was…

There was lots of fresh produce and the lighting was very pleasant.  It was much nicer than the harsh, depressing lighting at the Real.

I was intrigued by this product for kids, although I didn’t pick any up.

They had a cheese counter, as well as this case of nice cheeses from around Europe.

And there was also plenty of wine from around Europe, including some enticing ones from Spain and Italy.

The wine of the month!

Fresh eggs!  

And, if the need arises, you can even buy socks, t-shirts, and underwear made of organic cotton.  They had a nice cosmetics area with a lot of natural products, as well as a small selection of organic pet foods and treats.

They even had fair trade chocolate eggs with toys in them.  I got one and will have to see what the prize is.  Hopefully, I won’t choke on it.  😉

And there’s a bulletin board advertising everything from rental properties to pets looking for homes.

I really enjoyed shopping at Denn’s Biomarkt today.  They offer some very nice products.  I noticed the store was particularly vegan friendly, which may be useful for some readers.  I also liked the fact that the store wasn’t too big or chaotic the way the Real is sometimes.

Unfortunately, we still ended up visiting the Real when Bill decided he wanted to make some hummus for lunch.  We also had a rack of empty water bottles to offload.  Many people who read this blog live in Germany and no doubt already know what is involved with returning racks of bottles at a German grocery store.  For those who don’t, I took a couple of pictures.

You put the rank in the bottom part.  It gets read.  A receipt for the “pfand” is printed…

You take the receipt and hand it in to the cashier when you check out.  The money you paid for the pfand is refunded.

I thought this dinosaur was funny.  Reminded me of a reverse Barney.  Of course, I always hated Barney…  Baby Bop perhaps?  

I must admit, I got a little sad walking through the store in Nagold, thinking about how much I enjoy that town and realizing that I may have to move again soon.  Or, maybe not…  I suspect I will mourn the missed opportunity of moving to Italy, too, if it turns out we stay here.  What a ridiculous problem to have.

Standard
Nagold

Another lunch at Luz Bistro and a trip to Media Markt…

ETA in 2025: Luz Bistro is now closed.

Our microwave gave up the ghost a few days ago.  We have no idea how old it is; we bought it from the people who lived in our house before us.  It was a basic model though, probably readily accessible at AAFES.  I use the microwave a lot during the week when I heat up leftovers for lunch, so it was a real bummer that the thing died on us.

Fortunately, we recently discovered that the nearby town of Nagold has a Media Markt.  Media Markt is basically like a European version of Best Buy.  Rather than trying to fix our used microwave, we decided to buy a new one.  An added bonus is that Nagold is one of our favorite little towns and boasts some nice restaurants, including Luz Bistro at the Alte Post.

I have blogged about Luz Bistro several times.  We’ve been there probably half a dozen times and we’ve never been disappointed with the food or the service.  I also like it because it’s rarely crowded, probably because the food isn’t cheap.  Although Luz Bistro doesn’t offer cheap eats, I have never felt we paid more than we should have.

Nagold was busy today because the market was going on.  I was a little sorry we didn’t make time to pick up some fresh goodies.  Maybe next weekend we’ll go.

We arrived at Luz at a little bit past noon.  A very charming and delightful waitress greeted us and invited us to sit where we wanted.  We selected a two top near the window, which seems to be where we always end up sitting when we’re not outside on the terrace.  When the waitress discovered we were English speakers, she offered us menus in English.  We told her German menus were fine.  The truth is, I probably ought to take the English menus more often!  However, I did manage to pick a great lunch today, despite having to clarify that I was ordering fish and not something I wouldn’t like.

Bill and I decided to have beer today instead of our usual wine…  

My lunch was delicious!  It was skrei, which is a lovely mild white fish from Norway.  It reminds me a bit of turbot or flounder.  The chef paired it with sinfully buttery mashed potatoes, foam, and topped with greens and scallions.  I really enjoyed it, although I had to cry uncle on the mashed potatoes.  They were so good, but a bit rich. 

Bill went with bratwurst and potato salad, accompanied by mustard.  He liked his lunch, too.  He said it reminded him of the wurst he enjoyed in Bavaria during his first Germany tour in the 1980s (before my time, obviously).  He couldn’t finish the potato salad.

For dessert, Bill had espresso.

I had “a bowl full of chocolate”.  Seriously, that’s what it was called in the menu.  It was basically very cold chocolate mousse and whipped cream served in what looked like a mixing bowl.  The whipped cream dollops had little madeleines on them.  The dessert was very light, which I appreciated.

 

After we finished lunch, we made reservations to eat at the Alte Post’s formal restaurant for next weekend.  As nice as Luz Bistro is, the Alte Post also has a more formal eatery which offers up to seven courses.  I look forward to returning and reporting after we try it.  It will be our first time.

Then, after we made reservations for next week’s Saturday dinner, we went to the Bauhaus/Media Markt in Nagold.  We lived here for over a year before we knew it existed!  But this shopping area actually has a lot of stores, including an Aldi, Deichmann’s, and a Kaufland, as well as a McDonald’s.

After searching briefly, we found the microwaves and ended up coming home with one that is a combination convection oven and grill.  I’m hoping I like it.  It’s bound to be a step up from our basic microwave that just bit the dust.  Bill is also going to try out his new toy, the Anova Precision Cooker.  I got it for him for Christmas, but it only just arrived.  And tomorrow, he will be brewing beer for the first time since we left Texas.  Should be a happy time!

This place was a madhouse today!

Standard