Tag Archives: biergarten

Sundays

Sunday afternoon at the Waldgeist Biergarten!

Yesterday, we decided to go to AAFES to pick up a few things and visit Bijan, a local craftsman who makes tables out of wine barrels. Bijan, who is a member of my wine group on Facebook, says he is going to stop making tables because of an injury he had. Now he’s making jewelry. After we bought some personal care items at AAFES, we stopped by Bijan’s table, tried some wines, bought a few bottles, and picked up a couple of Bijan’s bracelets for Bill’s daughter and granddaughter. I’ve been making a care package for younger daughter as a morale booster. She’s halfway through a difficult pregnancy.

We had beautiful weather again yesterday, and Noyzi had really wanted to come with us on our quick trip to AAFES. Of course, dogs aren’t allowed in American stores on post, so he had to stay home. But once we got home, we decided to visit XXL Restaurant Waldgeist, a local restaurant near a sports park that specializes in humongous burgers. They also have a great Biergarten with comfortable tables and umbrellas, although since we didn’t have reservations, we didn’t score an umbrella.

Noyzi was very excited to be with us, because there were a lot of dogs at the Waldgeist yesterday. He’s getting better at going to Biergartens, although it takes him a little while to settle down. Bill and I decided to have lunch/dinner, which you can really do at Waldgeist. The portions are huge. Bill had the smallest Schnitzel they offer– 250 grams. It was still too big to finish. I had a Haxe, of which I managed about a third. I suspect I’ll be eating it for the rest of the week. I saw a couple of people ordering the huge burgers. They were the size of a small pizza! Waldgeist also has huge steaks, although I didn’t see anyone order one of those.

At the Waldgeist!

Waldgeist is a very kid friendly place. They have a playground for children, as well as children’s portions on the menu. We watched several little kids having a ball while their parents enjoyed food and each other’s company. It struck me how much I enjoy these weekend excursions, watching people enjoy themselves with their families and friends.

I think Waldgeist is a popular venue after sporting events, too, as it’s located very close to several playing fields, as well as a dog park. One thing to note if you visit the Waldgeist is that they only take cash payments. But, on the positive side, they’re open every day! Warm food goes from noon until 10:00 PM, and the restaurant is open from 11:30 AM until midnight.

Below are a few photos from our afternoon.

I turned my leftovers into a swan!
Playground in the distance. Kids were having fun!
I really like their tables. They’re very solid and comfortable.
This was the smallest Schnitzel they offered!
Haxe– otherwise known as pork knuckle. I won’t be hungry for awhile.

Later, we hung out in the backyard, listened to music, and enjoyed some wine, along with cheese that I bought for Bill at Henri Willig, a Dutch chain of cheese purveyors. I don’t eat most cheeses myself. I only like cheese when it’s a very specific kind, prepared in specific ways. I can’t just eat it cold, for instance. But Bill loves all cheeses, especially goat cheese. I can’t eat goat cheese at all!

Bill and his cheeses!

Looks like I made good choices this time. I wish I’d gotten a picture of Bill’s face when he first tried the goat cheese. It has garlic and herbs in it, which is a favorite combination for Bill. The other cheese is made from cow’s milk and includes Mediterranean spices. I also got some Baby Gouda cheese, but that’s pretty normal stuff, so he didn’t try it yesterday.

Pretty soon, this beautiful weather will be a thing of the past until the spring. I’m glad we managed to venture out yesterday. We probably should visit the Waldgeist more often. It’s a really nice place to spend a couple of hours outdoors, especially with our Noyzi.

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Hofheim, Sundays

Noyzi makes a new human friend at the Birkenhof Hofladen’s Bembelschänke…

Yesterday, Bill was supposed to Skype with his mom. He didn’t do it, because I complained to him that I wanted to go out and do something on Saturday. And yet, we didn’t end up going anywhere yesterday… it was hot and muggy, and nothing was appealing.

Today was different. It was hot and muggy today, but we decided we wanted to go out, anyway. The Birkenhof Hofladen has a 24 hour fridge that people can buy produce from. They also have a Biergarten called the Bembelschänke, which is a really nice venue for drinking beer, eating pretzels, and pondering life. It’s a dog friendly place, so Noyzi came with us. Boy did he have fun! A Bembel, by the way, is a pottery wine pitcher found in these parts. This is German wine country, after all.

When we arrived at the cornfield, we walked Noyzi toward the entrance, where we were promptly greeted by a gorgeous dog who obviously lived at the farm. I think he might have been a “Swissy”. He was very much “Johnny on the spot” when we arrived, meeting us at the gate, and checking out Noyzi with his hackles raised. Noyzi, of course, just wanted to play.

The lady of the farm came out and claimed her dog, whom she said was two years old. She yelled at him to sit and he ignored her the first couple of times before he complied. He and Noyzi traded a couple more sniffs, then parted company as she took him inside.

Bill and I chose a shady spot in the Biergarten, which wasn’t very crowded at all. We ordered a couple of beers– an amber for him, and a weizen for me. Noyzi was nervous, but he eventually calmed down a bit as we enjoyed a “cheese bread” plate for Bill, and Spundekäs with a pretzel for me. I was impressed by how beautifully the food was presented.

The Bembelschänke offers a variety of beverages– wines, beers, soft drinks, and non alcoholic juices. I was actually really tempted by the lemonade, which looked very refreshing. The food choices are somewhat limited to snacks, but that’s okay. After you enjoy a round or two, you can visit the 24 hour fridge and load up on farm fresh goodies. I took a video for Bill’s daughter. She’s never had a chance to live abroad.

A little about what’s available…

As we were finishing up our second round, the lady of the farm came over with a big bowl of water for Noyzi. I could tell she was a bit smitten by him. I think the feeling was mutual, as he went right over to her and gave her a snuggle. I was glad to see him so comfortable with someone he doesn’t live with 24/7. Noyzi really likes women, and he’s come such a long way from the scared pooch he was in 2020, when we first brought him home from Kosovo. He was very well behaved at the Biergarten, aside from taking a little while to settle down. I think if we go back, we’ll be welcomed warmly… especially by Noyzi’s new friend.

One of the young waitresses said, when she saw Noyzi, “Mein Herz.” Or something to that effect. The lady of the farm said he was very “Hübsch”. It was clear that he made a very good impression. I do love my beagles, but I’ve got to admit that Noyzi the street dog sure is better behaved and easier on most levels. He works very hard not to offend, and he mostly succeeds.

Anyway, we were very proud of him. It was a hot, but lovely, afternoon. The mood at the Biergarten was perfect– not too busy and very warm and welcoming. I hope we can do it again soon. And the bonus is, we scored some nice goodies for home!

Below are some photos…

Corn is growing all over the farm!
Cheese and bread for Bill.
Love this!
We brought home some jams, eggs, wurst, and mountain cheese for Bill.
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Hessen, Sundays

Noyzi visits his SECOND Biergarten…

We had such beautiful weather, yesterday, that we just couldn’t abide staying home. But, once again, it was later in the day when we decided to go out for awhile. I started throwing out suggestions of places that were an hour or so away from our house, but then we wondered about Noyzi, who has become very fond of coming with us when we go out somewhere. Bill then remembered a Biergarten located near us that we’d never been to previously. His good friend from work had been there and recommended it, and Google said it was just 13 minutes away by car.

I was sold on that suggestion, so we headed out to Hockenberger Mühle, a restaurant and Biergarten about seven kilometers north of us. Noyzi was all too thrilled to jump up into the back of the Volvo. It’s funny how we used to have to pick him up and put him in. Now, he just leaps in with no problem.

When we got to the Biergarten, we found it very well populated with people who were wise enough to make reservations. Nevertheless, we were able to score a parking spot in a small field across the two lane road approaching the restaurant. The Hockenberger Mühle was tucked away in a corner, with the Biergarten mostly covered by a permanent roof and/or large umbrellas.

An obviously hardworking man seated us with another couple, who turned out to be good company. They had arrived at the Biergarten, courtesy of their bikes. The male half of the couple had taken a nasty spill before their arrival, and had a pretty banged up looking leg. Nevertheless, they were very friendly and talkative, and quite tolerant of Noyzi, who was nervously looking around and occasionally barking. We explained to the couple that Noyzi is a street dog from Kosovo and he’s still learning how to act in public. They were understanding and told us about friends of theirs who had adopted a dog from Romania. That seems to be the “in” thing to do in Germany, these days. I would be happy to adopt a more local dog myself, but the shelters don’t seem to want to let Americans affiliated with the military adopt, thanks to some of the irresponsible actions of our countrymen.

The Biergarten was very busy, and there were many bikers, as there is a bike trail nearby. I also noticed several large, well dressed families who looked like they might have just come from church. The German couple who were sharing the table with us said it looked like maybe some of the kids with them had just had their first communions.

Bill decided to have a tuna salad. I had a Schnitzel and fries. Ordinarily, I might have opted for something less fried, but I was preoccupied with Noyzi and didn’t have the chance to study the menu more carefully. I do like Schnitzels on occasion, but they’re kind of entry level. Oftentimes, I can’t finish them, although I managed to do it yesterday. Bill had a Dunkelweizen beer, and I had my usual Hefeweizen.

After the biker couple departed, we had some time alone at the table. A couple more people showed up with big dogs, both of which were better behaved than Noyzi was (although he really wasn’t bad at all). We did get a few side eyes from some folks. One guy was at the table next to us and kept giving me looks, but I noticed he could barely keep his food in his mouth and he smoked several cigarettes. So, I guess we’re about even, in terms of table manners. 😀

I went looking for the ladies room and stumbled across the restaurant’s playground for kids, plus more tables, which were all occupied. Bill called for the check, but it took awhile for them to bring it to us. Meanwhile, we were joined by more bikers– this time, it was a gay male couple. They were nice enough, but I did think it was funny that they asked if we were there on vacation. I mean, there we were with our big ass street dog… Did they think we flew him over to Germany for a week’s break? They knew where we lived when we explained we live in Breckenheim.

Then, when Bill went to pay the check, he got the numbers mixed up and tried to give the server way more money than she needed. She protested, and after Bill finally got the check paid, one of the men said, “In Germany, a ten percent tip is enough.”

I kind of stifled a laugh and said, “Oh, we know not to tip like Americans here… ”

I don’t think the guy realized what had happened. Bill thought the bill said 53 euros, when it was 35. Anyway, after that little cultural exchange, we were feeling ready to go home to the peace and quiet of our backyard. Noyzi did reasonably well, although he’s still pretty nervous in public. Every time we take him out, though, he gets a little bit better. Plus, he’s a great ice breaker.

We would love to go back to that Biergarten some other time, or maybe eat in the restaurant, which looked pretty charming. Next time, we’ll make a reservation, though, if the weather is fine.

Here are some photos from our brief excursion… A couple were taken in the pretty countryside near our house. We don’t have nearly as much pretty country where we are now, but there’s a little bit to satisfy the part of me that really misses horses. There are also some really cute little villages to drive through, but they are so congested!

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A German and Italian inspired outing in Mainz-Kastel…

We have beautiful weather in Wiesbaden today. It was so pretty that Bill decided that he wanted to try out a Biergarten in nearby Mainz-Kastel. Mainz-Kastel is not the prettiest or most picturesque place I’ve ever seen, but it does have a nice Italian supermarket. Bill wanted to stop by there, too, and see if we could score some Italian goodies. We fired up the Mini, which badly needs to be driven, and headed off to our first stop, the Brauhaus-Castel Brewery (or Brauhaus, if you prefer). This restaurant offers hearty German (Bavarian) fare and lots of housemade beers. The kitchen stays open all day, so there are no worries about pauses. They have a nice sized parking lot with free parking, which even has a spot for charging your electric vehicle. There’s also a playground for your kids and a children’s menu!

Here are a few photos from our lunch, which was pretty good. I suspect Bill will be regular for the next few days, thanks to his barley covered schnitzel.

  • Catering truck…
  • E-car outlet!
  • Wonder if these were making me sneeze.
  • Plenty of parking and kid friendly!
  • Welcome! Get drunk if you wanna.
  • Blurry bar shot… I took this before drinking. The inside of the restaurant is very nice. A few people were eating indoors.
  • Goofy Bill reacts to my jokes.
  • The Biergarten is spacious and there’s plenty of shade, which I appreciated. Inside is also really nice.
  • I had a half chicken with fries. This was okay, although the chicken was a little dry.
  • Bill had a Brew Master’s Schnitzel with roasted potatoes. The schnitzel was covered with barley. He’ll be dumping a lot tonight.
  • I was puzzled by this dispenser in the ladies room…
  • But I guess after eating Biergarten food, maybe a person needs more hygiene help. They don’t have bidets, so maybe this is the next best thing? Or so I assume…
  • They helpfully remind you to wash your hands well, especially if you swabbed your ass.
  • And even show you how.
  • Afterwards, you can buy some condoms for later on… I like that they’re so focused on hygiene and safety.
  • The back door…
  • Another view of the spacious terrace and children’s play area.
  • Coming events. You can’t see it well, but there’s brewing equipment on display, too.
  • And they even have a Maypole!

Service was friendly and kind. Our server was indulgent at my pitiful attempts to speak German. I know, after seven years, I should be fluent. Shame on me. For those who don’t want to try to speak German, this place does seem to be very American friendly. I think the server spoke English, although he spoke German to us. I know he knew we were Auslanders, though.

All told, we spent 40 euros on food and beer… two half liter beers each for us. Bill had a Dunkel and an alcohol free Weizen. I had two Weizens. They also had other drinks and, of course, there was plenty of wine! It was a good time. We would go back. I’d like to go back just so I can get pictures of the huge sex shop next door. It has a slogan in English that says, “Sex up your life!” That’s something you probably wouldn’t necessarily see in most parts of the USA. On the other hand, I do remember passing Cafe Risque many times on the way through North Carolina as I traveled on I-95 from Virginia to South Carolina, and vice versa.

After lunch, we headed for the Celpro Italian market. That place was a real treat, and it was DEFINITELY very Italian. There’s also plenty of parking there, as well as lots of high quality Italian goodies.

  • I think this was supposed to keep too many people from coming inside… but it never did change from red, so we just went in.
  • My favorite Italian tuna. Italian and Spanish tuna, by the way, is DELICIOUS. It ain’t no Chicken of the Sea.
  • Naturally, there are many sauces and jellies…
  • Cheeses and sausages. We got a big block of mozzarella.
  • The deli counter is beautiful, with lots of Italian delicacies.
  • And there are cookies and treats galore.
  • Cakes and coffee…
  • And we came home with wines and limencello.
  • This is also a HUGE selling point. Parking is free and, at least today, there was plenty available.

It’s not a big supermarket and we didn’t linger long, because after being at the Biergarten, I really needed to pee. Alas, the supermarket doesn’t have a public restroom and secluded bushes are scarce. I did see a guy cleaning the parking lot, though. Very impressive! I am sure we’ll back for more. It’s not far from where we live. I love all the ethnic markets here in Germany. There’s always a sure bet you’ll find something fun and interesting in them, although maybe they aren’t as fun as the Mix Markts with the Russian and Eastern European products.

It’s nice to get out again, even though COVID cases are on the rise, even here. Mask mandates never went away here, though… Seriously, it’s nice to be in Germany during these weird times.

I don’t know what we’ll do tomorrow, but I would be up for another trip to both of our spots today. Not tomorrow, of course, but maybe sometime soon… before the weather turns back into shit.

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Lunch at Wirtshaus Hotel und Garbe…

Last week, after fruitlessly trying to get the pet smells out of our cheap AAFES rugs, I told Bill that I wanted to go to Robinson Barracks to see if we could find new ones to replace them.  We were unsuccessful on our trip to RB.  Since it was after 2:00pm and we were hungry, we needed to find a place for lunch with a kitchen that was open all day.  Bill told me about Wirthaus Garbe, a biergarten very close to Kelley Barracks where he and his colleagues have had lunch.

We parked in a private lot near at a business college near the hotel/restaurant.  I’m not sure if we were technically allowed to park there, but we had no issues.  The sun was trying to peek through the clouds, though it was a bit chilly.  It’s hard to believe I was running our air conditioner yesterday.

The Wirtshaus Garbe has a very nice biergarten with large tables, benches, and plenty of trees.  They offer beer on tap and typical local delights like Schweinebraten, Wiener Schnitzel, Flammkuchen (which are huge), and plenty of salads.  I was definitely ready for something hearty.

Bill checks out the menu.  You order your food from a server and get your drinks from a stand.

Bill got me a mas krug of the Kaiser keller beer.  He had a half liter of Paulaner Dunkelweiss.  You pay for your drinks when you order them and pay the wait staff separately for food.

 

The proprietors of the biergarten had brought out a large TV so people could watch football over beer and food.  I had my back to the TV, but could hear the game between Ireland and France.  Bill and I decided to split a Wiener Schnitzel and a Schweinebraten.  Both dishes came with cold potato salad and were priced at 12,90 euros.

Bill heads back to our table from the loo.

A picture of the food, which was very good!  We ended up splitting these dishes, so I can say with authority that both were just what I needed after our disappointing shopping excursion.  The menu is simple and includes items for children, too.  

The biergarten even has a fountain.  It’s a nice place to enjoy a beer or two or a good lunch.  

A picture of the front.  Indoor dining is also available, most likely when the weather is bad or during regular lunch and dinner hours.

 

Bill says this establishment is popular on weekends, though there were plenty of tables open this afternoon.  It made for a good stop on our way to Panzer, where we did end up buying three new rugs from the Turkish guy outside of the PX.  I think we may have been his only sale in days, so he was pretty happy after we left.  And I finally got to remove the stinky cheap rugs from the house.  Hopefully, my dogs will be gentle with our new rugs.

My German friend Susanne says this restaurant is near a park as well as a museum (free entry).

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Sundays

A beautiful day for wandering and drinking beer!

The weather here in Jettingen is finally fine.  This morning, I decided I wanted to visit the Naturpark Schönbuch with Bill and the dogs.  I noticed the park last month, as we were on our way to Waldenbuch for dinner.  The drive to the park from our house is really pretty and I was hoping to get some good photos.  We set out at about 10:00am and enjoyed a lovely walk through a different forest than the one right behind our house.  Thankfully, I remembered to apply sunscreen and insect repellant.  Bill didn’t and I have a feeling he got some sun today.

I always get a little nervous when I take walks in the forests around here.  Although the paths are well marked and I have an excellent sense of direction, I’m always afraid I might get lost.  But there were a lot of folks enjoying the park today with their dogs, on their bikes, or jogging.  I suppose if we’d really gotten hopelessly lost, we could have just asked someone.

We check out the huge map.  When we lived here last time, we lived close to the southern end of this park, but we never visited.  I’m glad this time, we’re making a point of getting out and seeing local sights.  Parking at the nature park is free and plentiful.  

The first of many street signs.  This was near the cemetery, where many people were paying their respects to the dead.  We didn’t visit the graveyard because dogs aren’t allowed.

Teepees in the woods?  Who knows?

Fenced in deer.

They were not bothered by us at all.

 

The boys were mostly oblivious at first.

As we walked further down the road, I could tell Zane was getting thirsty.  A stream ran to our right and he kept acting like he wanted to go to it.  There was no handy spot for him to reach it, though…

And then we happened upon this…  It’s probably not for drinking, but Zane was able to enjoy a few sips.

Around this point, I was getting nervous.  I just let my instincts do the navigating…

We walked up a long hill that about kicked my ass…

Passed what looked like a lumber yard… and I started to hear cars in the distance.

I was very relieved to see this.  This is the sign for the parking lot where our car was.  Right across the street is a gasthaus.  It wasn’t quite ready for business when we finished our walk at about 11:00am.

We went a short way down another trail heading toward Herrenberg.  I wanted to try to get a photo of the view overlooking the valley.

This was about the best I could do…  I bet it would be a lot better in the winter, though the colors aren’t as pretty then.

After our walk, we took the dogs home.  I changed shirts and shoes and we went to Nagold for lunch.  It was packed there today because there was a garden festival going on.  We finally found parking over near the pool area.

I can’t resist water fowl…

There were lots of people in Nagold… including a fire eater.

And if you wanted to, you could have escargot for lunch.  It actually smelled really good, but snails are not my thing.

A pretty shot of the church in Nagold.  Love this town.  It’s super cute and very close to where we live.

 

I was starting to get discouraged as we searched for a place to eat lunch.  Nagold was brimming with crowds.  But then we spotted an empty table at the Alte Post.  We sat down and enjoyed a much deserved beer.

This was so refreshing after our long walk…

Alte Post has an asparagus menu right now, but I decided to have salmon with mashed potatoes, chives, and beurre blanc sauce.  This was absolutely delicious and easy to finish!

Bill went vegetarian and had herbed noodles with a salad and a little sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

The salad was loaded with peppers.

 

We could have spent all afternoon in Nagold, but we needed to get to the Real to exchange a rack of beer and pick up some water and wine.  Also, we have dinner reservations for tonight.

Besides, Nagold was packed…

More water fowl…

I had to take a picture of some tulips growing in our garden.  One of them is half red and half yellow. I hadn’t noticed until Bill pointed it out.

 

I’m so happy the weather has finally warmed up and the sun is shining.  I am definitely ready to put the top down on my Mini and hang out at some biergartens.  We’ve decided that this year, maybe we’ll even see if we can bring our dogs with us.  After an hour of walking, they may be tired enough not to raise hell.  We will have to go back to Naturpark Schönbuch sometime soon.  There are miles of trails to be explored there.

I will have a new restaurant review up today or tomorrow.  Tonight, we venture to Holzgerlingen for the first time.

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A beautiful Sunday afternoon at Gastronomiewelt Glemstal in Leonberg

Last week, as Bill was getting to know Senegal, I was languishing here in Germany.  Then someone posted a link to a biergarten offering barbecue from a smoker.  Just one picture of their delectable delights from the grill made my mouth water.  I tagged Bill in a Facebook post about the place, Gastronomiewelt Glemstal, located in Leonberg.

The sign on the way in…

Bill got back from Africa yesterday and I was itching for an outing.  I told him I wanted to try out the Gastronomiewelt Glemstal today, mainly because the weather was beautiful.  Bill demurred, since he had a big project due for a class he’s taking.  After 12 years of marriage, I’ve learned that it doesn’t take much to convince Bill to give in to my whims.  This time was no exception, even though Leonberg is about a 45 minute to 1 hour drive north from Jettingen.  We’d never been there before, even though we lived in the Stuttgart area for two years before moving back last August.

It didn’t take long before we were in the car, headed for Leonberg.  We got to Gastronomiewelt just in time for a large group of active senior citizens to arrive for a lunch date.  We parked in the ample parking lot, which wasn’t heavily populated.  I think it was because most everyone visiting the restaurant came on foot or bike.  The restaurant is attached to a sportshalle and it looked like it was a post workout stop for those who had been enjoying the beautiful weather today.  I noticed an interesting looking Greek restaurant on the way to the sports complex.  We may have to make another trip back to try out that place, too.

After you park, the first stop you come to as you approach the restaurant is a snack area, where a couple of guys cook meats on the smoker.  If all you want is beer and light food, this is where you want to sit.  It’s self service.  If you want a more substantial meal, keep walking to the “terrace” area or venture inside, where there is a well equipped dining room.  I noticed that was where the elderly guests were headed.

The sign for the snack area.

 

The smoker…

 

We kept walking to the terrace, where we were greeted by a friendly young woman and her equally charming male colleague.  He had a happy face tattooed on his leg.  It made me smile.

 

The menu… I paid close attention to the offerings from the smoker…

 

Kicking things off with a couple of Weihenstephans, a decent hefeweizen from Munich… These were okay, but we liked the Saison Aktionsbiers better.  They change regularly.  

We opted to take a table overlooking a soccer field.  It wasn’t the most picturesque biergarten I’ve ever seen, but we didn’t go there for the view.  We were there for something from the smoker.  Bill wanted pulled pork and I wanted spareribs.  Sadly, those dishes are not offered every weekend.  Bill started off speaking German, but the waitress soon recognized his telltale American accent and switched to impeccable English.  She asked if we were from the “base” in Stuttgart.  We laughed.  It’s obvious.

I noticed a sign that indicated that spareribs will be available next weekend and the weekend after it.  They didn’t have them today, though.  Bill and I had smoked salmon and a smoked Argentinian filet with a green pepper sauce that reminded me of brisket.  We washed it all down with a couple of excellent beers.  Other dishes are available— everything from typical Schwabish fare to hamburgers and salads.  They also had what appeared to be “fancy” bottled fruit sodas that I noticed quite a few people were ordering.  ETA: My German friend says the sodas are from here…

Smoked salmon with roasted potatoes and rosemary…   The salmon was good.

 

Delicious pickle salad that came with my salmon… obviously fresh.  It was surprisingly good.

Bill’s smoked beef with steak fries…

Obligatory shot of Bill looking amused.

 

Beer makes everything better.

Nice lunch!

 

The view from where we were sitting.

We really liked these “Aktion Saison biers”… They were hoppier and more interesting than the Weihenstephaners.  I learned that a Russ is beer mixed with 7-Up.  I prefer my suds unadulterated, thanks!

It’s a great place to watch walkers, bikers, and football players…

 

We enjoyed a very nice couple of hours on the terrace, enjoying good food, good beers, and friendly service.  The place really filled up as we were eating, too.  I noticed a couple of folks watching football on a television outside.  The restaurant shows games for those who are interested.  I also noticed a couple of folks with well-behaved dogs and a woman wearing bike shorts that had profanity in English printed on them.  The shorts made me laugh.  If I were more athletic and less self-conscious, I might invest in a pair for myself.  They made quite a statement.

As we were settling up our tab with the young man with the smiley faced tattoo, he asked if we were “from the base”.  We said we were.  He said we were the third group of Americans today.  Evidently, I wasn’t the only one enticed by the picture of sizzling pork on Stuttgart Friends last week.  We will definitely go back to try the pork.  I liked the salmon and steak fine, but I have a feeling the pork is really where it’s at at this restaurant and my curiosity won’t be satisfied until I try it.  They also offer smoked trout some weekends.  I recommend checking out their Facebook page for more information as to when each specialty is offered.  That way, you won’t be left hankering for pork when none is available.

On the way home, we put the top down on the Mini.  I started feeling like I needed a trip to the bathroom.  Bill and I stopped by the Sindelfingen truck stop.  They kind of remind me of the travel plazas one finds in northeastern states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  The beer was running through my system and I felt certain I would endure a very uncomfortable ride to Jettingen if we didn’t stop.

Home of the Whopper…

It costs 70 cents to use the toilet at the truck stop if you don’t have a voucher…

But for your 70 cents, you get a self cleaning toilet well stocked with paper…

And the chance to stock up on sexual aids…

All in all, it was a very enjoyable afternoon.  Bill said he was glad I talked him into it.  I think we will venture to Leonberg again soon.

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Dining inside at Anno 1897 in Möhringen…

Bill and I needed to wash my car today, so we decided to go to Kelley Barracks.  I had only been there once before today since last time we lived here, Bill worked at Patch.  Before heading to the car wash, we decided to have lunch.  Bill remembered Anno 1897, which is a restaurant and biergarten very close to where we stayed in a hotel when we first got here in August 2014.

We hadn’t been back to Anno 1897 since we moved into our house in September, but I did remember liking the food and atmosphere.  The biergarten isn’t open yet, but if today’s lovely weather is any indication that winter is over, we will be dining outside very soon.

The nice thing about Anno 1897 is that they have a small parking lot.  It was a little tricky parallel parking, especially since the lot is on a hill.  We managed to do it, even though Bill had to climb over the passenger seat to get out of the car.  He was too close to the bushes!

Entering the restaurant, it’s likely you will immediately encounter cigarette smoke.  You have to walk through the bar to get to the dining room, where people don’t smoke and there’s a glass partition to keep the smoke out of the room.  The same friendly guy who waited on us the last two times we visited was there today.  I don’t think he recognized us as he handed us menus with everything from gyros to flammkuchen to Wiener schnitzel on offer.

I decided to have gyros, even though I had them last night for dinner.  Bill had a Greek flammkuchen, which was surprisingly good.  Next time we go, I may opt for that, though the gyros are also outstanding.  We washed our lunch down with excellent beers.  I had a Zwickl Keller Bier and Bill had a Dunkelweizen.  I noticed that Anno 1897 has some interesting German craft beers available, including an enticing looking chocolate bock and what they call “Indian Beer”, which is probably like an IPA.

My lunch came with a tasty salad.  I shared it with Bill because he likes cabbage more than I do.

This is a really nice kellerbier.  I have only seen it at Anno 1897, though I’m sure it’s offered elsewhere.  I love the stone mug.

Excellent gyros.  The t’zatziki is to die for.  And I could only eat half, so I guess I’ll be having this for dinner, too.  Talk about pork overload!

I really enjoyed tasting Bill’s flammkuchen.  I don’t usually like fresh tomatoes that much, but they were great on this dish.  The sweet, mild peppers added a nice touch, as did the feta, gyros pieces, and black olives.

Our Bill came to about 25 euros.  I noticed near the coat rack, there was a small basket of books and toys for kids.  I’m sure a lot of parents and kids appreciate that, especially since Anno 1897 looks like the kind of place where people linger.  Lots of folks were enjoying the bar today.  When the biergarten opens up again, look out!  It was also nice to be back in the neighborhood we were in during our first week back to Germany.

We did manage to wash my car for the first time since we got here.  It looks a lot better.  And we stopped by Panzer for various odds and ends, including a pitch fork so we can turn our compost heap and make some new dirt.

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A lovely day at Neckarmüller

Yesterday, while we were visiting Tübingen, we decided it was time for lunch.  One of our favorite places to eat and drink in Tübingen is Neckarmüller, an awesome brewpub, restaurant, and biergarten.  Neckarmüller is blessed with a great location, right next to the Neckar River.  Although we have eaten lunch inside, when Bill and I go there, we usually sit outside in the biergarten, where there is a limited menu, lots of good beer food, and lots of smoking.

This photo doesn’t look too interesting… I was trying to get a closeup of the swan in the background, who was enjoying a snack.

See that guy standing in the middle of the boat?  He’s in drag…

He was putting on quite a show…

He also came very close to falling into the water.

 

Last time we lived here, we used to love watching the people on the boats.  There was a guy who worked the boats who had a great dog who used to jump into the boat and perch himself on the bow.  We didn’t see him yesterday.  I hope he’s still around.  I loved watching them.

Simple beer food… The potato salad was delicious!  The Bavarian weiss sausage was very fresh and had a delicate flavor.  I was partial to the beer brats.  The pretzel was excellent.  Very fresh and soft and went great with the mustards.  We had sweet and regular.  There’s a more substantial menu inside the restaurant.  You can get a table outside or inside, with views overlooking the river.

The Neckarmüller was very well-attended yesterday.  

I wish we’d had a little more time yesterday.  I would have liked to stroll along the Neckar River.  We had great weather for it!

Line up for beer and food!  I think the Neckarmüller must have undergone some renovations.  Seems like last time we were here, the biergarten vendors were in a separate building that faced the river.  They added on a WC that was much closer and more convenient than the old one was.

 

All in all, we had a nice time.  As for the beer, it was pretty good.  I have had more interesting beers elsewhere, but Neckarmüller’s offerings are solid and delicious.  We’ll definitely be back again and again.  It’s also one of our favorite places to bring guests.

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Biergarten lunch at Anno 1897!

We enjoyed a very nice lunch at the same biergarten where we went to drink beer the other night.  It was attached to the same restaurant where we hoped to eat, but ended up leaving because all the service was outside.  I’m glad we gave them another chance.  The place is called the Anno 1897, I think, because that was the year their restaurant was built.

When we sat down, we were immediately recognized by a young man who helped served us a couple of nights ago.  He remembered that we are Americans and offered us a menu in English.  We said we were okay with a German menu, but he brought an English one anyway.

Fortunately, there was nothing on the menu that confounded me, despite never having studied German.  I easily picked out gyros and a beer, while Bill had a turkey dish inspired by Indian food.  He paired his dish with a Radler, while I had a beer.

Both dishes were delicious and filling!  I finished mine with ouzo.  Bill skipped the ouzo because he has to drive to a couple of places this afternoon.

A shot of the tree-lined biergarten entrance… this is a very nice place to sit and eat… and of course, drink beer.  I notice it’s very busy during the week at lunch time.  

Our bill was about 26 euros and well worth the cost.  I love biergartens, though…  it’s one thing I missed most about living in Germany.  This particular restaurant has a full bar and a broad variety of dishes, everything from Greek food to Italian food, as well as the Indian style dish Bill had.  The wait staff is friendly and charming and they speak excellent English, too… though if you want them to, they’ll speak German.

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