Hessen, Sundays

A Sunday steak…

On Saturday afternoon, I got a sudden surge of ambition and told Bill that I wanted to go out and have lunch on Sunday. For some reason, I thought of Casa del Sabor in downtown Wiesbaden, an Argentinian steak house. Bill and I have enjoyed several visits to this place, which is rather popular with Americans. The restaurant is rather small, but it’s well decorated, and offers delicious steaks, burgers, salads, and other dishes. Service is friendly, professional, and delivered in English, if you need it!

Below are some photos from yesterday’s sumptuous repast. Bill and I both had 200 gram Argentinian rib-eyes. They also had Australian entrecotes. I was under the impression that rib-eyes and entrecotes were the same, but that’s not quite true. They are very similar cuts of meat that come from different ribs, though, and nowadays, people tend to use the terms interchangeably. I had baked potatoes as a side, as well as pepper sauce. Bill had rosemary potatoes and pepper sauce. The baked potatoes usually come with sour cream, but I asked them to leave it off. I used the krauterbutter on the potatoes, instead.

As you can see, yesterday’s weather was absolutely beautiful. It was clear and sunny, and lots of people were dining outside. We had a nice booth in the corner, which was very comfortable. At one point, an elderly German lady came in and asked our waiter where the Comeback Restaurant was. I surprised myself by understanding her question, which the waiter couldn’t answer. Bill and I have eaten at the Comeback Restaurant. I did answer in English, but the point is, I understood what she needed… You’d think after ten years, I’d be fluent in German.

The steaks were delicious. I remember when we lived in Germany the first time, we almost never ordered beef because we didn’t like what was available here. Nowadays, the beef is quite good. I don’t need to eat more beef, of course… but when the mood for steak strikes, it’s nice to be able to have a good one in a restaurant.

I wouldn’t have minded taking a walk yesterday, since the weather was so fine. Unfortunately, I’ve still got some lingering fatigue from my recent viral illness, so I told Bill I wanted to go home. We ended up watching Spaceballs, a 1987 Mel Brooks comedy movie that I had never seen before yesterday. I fell asleep about halfway through it. Whatever that sickness is that’s going around is NOT a joke. It took me two full weeks to get out of the active phase. Fortunately, I’m not coughing so much now, and my voice is mostly back.

Yesterday was also Germany’s election for a new chancellor. The CDU candidate, Friedrich Merz, was the winner. People are upset because the far right AFD party came in second place. It marks a rise of far right political ideology in Germany. I know people are upset about the election, but I was glad that the AFD didn’t win… but then, I don’t know much about German politics. I wish I knew less about American politics, which is a true shitshow right now.

Anyway… Bill and I are now tentatively planning to visit Italy next month. We will explore an area we’ve never been to before, and perhaps consider whether or not we want to buy property there. This blog could get very interesting soon.

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Wiesbadener Weihnachtsmarkt 2019

Bill and I were determined to get out of the house today, even though the skies were cloudy. It was a bit warmer today than it was yesterday and we wanted to pick up a few Christmas gifts and get some lunch in town. After a quick walk around the market and the weekly farmer’s market, we stopped by Ristorante Comeback, an Italian place on Wiesbaden’s “restaurant row”. Having tried La Cantinetta, the Italian place next door, we were eager to try a new place.

Ristorante Comeback was pretty busy, and it was warm enough that some people sat outside. We decided to sit inside, although it was pretty crowded in there. The waiter offered us English menus after hearing us speaking our native tongues, but we told him we could manage with the German menus. After five years, we can do that much, right? Here are a few photos from lunch. We both had special pasta dishes that were heavy on foam.

The waiter spoke English well and took good care of us. We rewarded him with a generous tip, for which he offered sincere thanks. I’d go back to Comeback Ristorante, although on a busy day, I think I’d rather sit outside. It was pretty chummy in the dining room. Our bill came to 55 euros and consisted of the pasta dishes, a bottle of San Pellegrino, and two glasses each of red wine. They also brought out hot, homemade bread, which was very nice.

After lunch, we did our shopping, enjoying the festive sights and sounds of Wiesbaden during the holidays. I think I prefer the market up here to the one down in Stuttgart, which was always very crowded and zoo-like. Here are some photos from our visit. We got some gifts for friends, but I saw quite a few things I wanted for myself. We may have to go back next week with more euros.

I’m not usually all that keen on Christmas markets because they’re so crowded and people don’t watch where they’re going. I like Wiesbaden’s market, though, because there’s a big space for it and the crowds aren’t so obnoxious. It’s also very festive and people are upbeat. There were quite a few buskers out, too, including one band that appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. They played “Feliz Navidad” (which Germans seem to love for some reason) and a not quite accurate version of “Jingle Bells”. But what can we say? I don’t think it’s their holiday. I give them mad props for effort and being entertaining. I hope they brought in some euros!

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