Easter lunch at Villa Im Tal 2026…

I’m a few days late writing this post about our Easter lunch. I’ve been preoccupied with writing about our trip to Belgium and France. I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of my series with a post about lunch in a restaurant we’ve enjoyed many times.

We decided to have lunch at Villa Im Tal, kind of on a whim. Bill was talking about what he wanted to cook for Easter and I suggested that maybe we should go out to eat, like we did last year. Looking back on my posts, I see that we had Easter lunch at Villa Im Tal in 2024, too. What can I say? We really like this lovely restaurant on the outskirts of Wiesbaden, in its lovely bucolic setting by the woods.

I put on a dress and we made our way to the restaurant for our 1:00 reservation. I noticed no one was hanging around at the natural spring. Usually, a group of swarthy looking men stay there, as if they own the spring. I guess they took Easter off. Villa Im Tal is a casual place, but I felt like putting on a dress… and squeezing into a pair of tights!

*The Easter Bunny came all the way from Belgium…*

When we walked into the restaurant, one of the waiters immediately recognized us, but I think he forgot our surname. But then the lovely female waitress who always greets us by name came into the bar area with a big smile. When her colleague couldn’t find our name, she said “I got this!” and found us listed.

*It was a bit cloudy on Easter this year.*

We sat at a table on the edge of the dining room and had a look at the set menu, which is usually what they do for holidays. We’re heading into asparagus season, so I wasn’t surprised to see asparagus on the menu! They had a meat, fish, and vegetarian option for the main course. The rest of the courses were offered to everyone.

I usually go for the fish dishes when we go to Villa Im Tal, but this time, I decided to have the roast beef. First, I made sure the vegetable side was going to be mushroom free. Bill had the saibling (char) filet, which came with barley risotto, basil coulis, and garlic. Both dishes were appealing to me, but I was very happy with the beef, which was more like prime rib than what I think of as roast beef.

Bill ordered a nice bottle of red wine, which was decanted in the novel “snake” decanter. Of course, we also had the house aperitif, too– booze free for Bill. The salad was so pretty, I took two pictures of it! Looking at the vegetarian/vegan offering, I think I would have been pleased with that, too. Of course, we also had the usual bread, with butter and a festive pink spread that tasted of chickpeas.

*The roast beef came with what I think of as scalloped potatoes.*

After we finished our main courses, we spent a few minutes resting, then had dessert… Red fruits, white chocolate mousse, walnuts, and ice cream, with a white chocolate topping.

We were very pleased with this lovely lunch. The food was excellent, as always, and the service was friendly, professional, and familiar. We left there feeling very satisfied and blessed, and of course we were also done eating for the day! I’m glad we went to Villa Im Tal for Easter this year. This weekend, we have plans to visit an Armenian/Georgian restaurant in Wiesbaden called La Boheme. It will be our first time there, so the review should be interesting.

*Villa Im Tal is always a pleasure to visit, no matter what season it is.*

Hessen, Sundays

Post election lunch at Villa Im Tal…

Happy Sunday, folks. It’s been a truly crazy and shocking week, and like a lot of Americans, I am pretty horrified at what happened back home on Tuesday.

Anyway… we do still have a short while before the chaos starts. Yesterday, Bill asked me if I’d like to go out to lunch today. I said I would, and he told me that Villa Im Tal was offering a goose menu. Now is the time of year when Germans eat goose. I don’t often eat it myself. I got traumatized years ago when one of my aunts served it at Thanksgiving and it was very gamey. But here in Germany, goose is a lovely dish. We decided to make a 1:00 PM reservation and take advantage of it.

*The weather today is cold, dark, and dreary…*

It was chilly and foggy today, and I almost regretted making that appointment for lunch. But then I remembered I had a knit dress that I bought last year and hadn’t had a chance to wear yet. I also bought some new Dansko dress shoes that needed a maiden voyage on the town. I got dressed, put on some makeup, curled my hair, and we headed off to the beautiful restaurant that was once a “Forest House” on the outskirts of Wiesbaden. The whole way there, Bill and I were talking about the election.

As we approached Villa Am Tal’s familiar facade, the tension melted away. It’s a beautiful place in the forest that looks like a castle. When we walked through the door, the hostess smiled at us and welcomed us by name. We’ve been there enough times that they know us. And she apologized, because she hadn’t had a chance to translate the menu. We laughed and said it was okay, since we’ve been here a long time and can speak restaurant German.

As we were headed to our table, we chatted a little about life in Germany, and she made a remark about how maybe we prefer it here, under the circumstances. We nodded and said, “Yes… we definitely appreciate Germany.”

Silly selfies…

We sat down, and our excellent waiter poured hot water on the tiny rolled up towels for our hands, warning us not to eat them. LOL… we had long ago learned that lesson and laughed, as he said he’d had guests who had tried to eat the towels. He asked us if we’d like aperitifs. We went for the house cocktails– non-alcoholic for Bill, and fully loaded for me. It was made with white wine, Sekt, lime, and mint. Bill’s version had non-alcoholic wine. I think I liked his drink even better.

While we were looking at the menu and wine list, they brought out the usual bread. It had goose spread (rillette) and Spundekäs, a local cheese spread.

*I love the bread… I have to try not to eat too much of it because it takes up too much room!*

Ultimately, Bill decided to go for the goose menu, while I went for the Saibling menu (Arctic char fish). These are three course meals, but of course, one can also order a la carte. Villa Im Tal has vegetarian options as well as offerings for meat eaters.

The wine Bill selected wasn’t available, so the waiter brought him a sample of the house Primitivo. We liked that, so we ordered a bottle of it, along with our usual sparkling water.

My menu came with a pumpkin and muscat soup with a Parmesan cheese wafer. Bill’s goose dish had a field salad with wurst. Then we had our main courses. I was pleased with my fish with cous cous, pea and mint puree, and pumpkin. Bill’s goose had a potato knoedel, red cabbage, and roasted chestnuts. I tasted the goose and it was delicious! I also loved my fish, which was cooked perfectly and not dry at all. I finished the fish, but had to bring home the cous cous and peas. Bill brought home some of his goose. We’ll enjoy it later, as we prepare to go to Belgium tomorrow.

After we finished our main courses, we took a brief pause to talk and enjoy our wine. Then it was time for dessert… white chocolate mousse for Bill, and dark chocolate mousse for me. My dessert was paired with cherry sorbet and amarena cherries, crumble, fruit, and white chocolate. His came with mango sorbet, meringue, fruits, and white chocolate.

After we finished dessert, a very nice waitress came over to speak to us. She had recognized us by name back in March, when we last visited the restaurant. We had a brief chat about Villa Im Tal’s history and I quipped that it’s one of our favorite places to dine. We will keep coming for as long as we’re able… as long as we don’t get deported, anyway. 😉

There’s an event going on at Villa Im Tal right now, to raise money for sick children. Art was displayed in the dining room and down by the restrooms. This was an effort to make life a bit sweeter for unfortunate children suffering.

We stayed a bit after the kitchen closed, but no one rushed us. In fact, as we were leaving, the restaurant was still pretty full. The bill came to about 247 euros. It wasn’t cheap, but it did offer a pleasant afternoon for us… and a break from the doom and gloom of this week’s dreadful news. Sorry… I know some people are delighted, but I feel pretty sick to my stomach about the results.

On our way out, I noticed the trees and a very decorated car…

I probably should spend more time walking in the woods. Maybe it will bring me some peace. The area around Villa Im Tal is a good place to do that. Maybe I could lose enough weight to ride horses again. But then, maybe not… if I keep eating at Villa Im Tal!

Today was time and money well spent. I’m glad we went. Tomorrow, we will head to Belgium for a few days. Bill will work, and I will wander around, take photos, and probably drink a lot of beer. Stay tuned!

Champagne Bucket trips

Shopping and lunch at Martino Kitchen in Wiesbaden

In a couple of weeks, Bill and I will be going on yet another exciting trip. It’s one I’ve been eagerly anticipating for years. We’re going to Yerevan, Armenia, where I spent 27 months in my 20s as a Peace Corps Volunteer, teaching English as a foreign language to Armenian kids. One of my former pupils got a job as a assistant director with Peace Corps/Armenia. He’s been bugging me to visit my old stomping grounds for years.

The last time we did a Champagne Bucket drawing, Armenia won. So, on November 10th, we’ll begin our journey, arriving in the wee hours of November 11th. I don’t know why, but in the thirty years Armenia has been a part of my life, they’ve never managed to schedule flights that come and go at reasonable times.

*A really cute souvenir shop in Wiesbaden, with the “biggest cuckoo clock in the world”. I thought that was in Triberg!*

Bill and I will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary, and my former student will be celebrating a birthday. I decided I wanted to bring a gift to Yerevan, so we went to Wiesbaden and finally visited a cute souvenir shop I’ve passed dozens of times in the almost five years we’ve lived in this area. It has a big cuckoo clock out front that people gather around to watch. I didn’t go there for a cuckoo clock, but I did manage to find something to bring with me to Armenia, with help from one of the employees, who was attentive from the minute we walked into the place. I like to browse unbothered when I go into a business. But anyway, she was nice, and we managed to find a couple of things to help my former student remember me forever. 😉

As we were paying, the proprietor, an older man (probably Julius Stern himself), asked if Bill works for the military. Bill answered affirmatively, so he told us we could bring in a VAT (value added tax exemption) form and get the sales tax back, if we wanted. I doubt Bill will bother, since the VAT forms cost money, and the amount we’d get back wouldn’t really be worth the trouble. They seemed kind of charmed that Bill could speak some German, and asked if we liked living in Germany. We said we love it here, and we’ll stay as long as we don’t get kicked out. And the guy said, “I doubt that will happen.” Isn’t it amazing, the difference in attitudes regarding foreigners? Here, people are mostly welcoming. In the United States, we hear lots of talk about “illegals”. Of course, Bill and I are here legally, and we like to spend money… as the shopkeeper noted.

It was lunchtime, so we decided to drop by Martino Kitchen, a really nice restaurant we hadn’t been to since before the pandemic. We were warmly welcomed by a very handsome young Black man who spoke perfect, unaccented English (or, more precisely, he sounded like a very cultured American). We took a table near the front window, which I preferred to the chef’s table in the back. I like watching the chef working, but there are also a bunch of mirrors back there. I don’t like looking at myself when I’m eating… or really, even when I’m not eating.

Bill and I both decided to have pasta dishes– carbonara for me, and truffle pasta for him. The pasta came with excellent, fresh, brown bread, and we both had wine and a glass of sparkling water. I had a glass of primitivo, while Bill had a delightful cuvee, and I liked his wine so much that I had a glass of that with dessert– a kind of cheesecake for me, and a trio of sorbet/ice cream for Bill. The cuvee tasted like strawberries when I drank it straight, but when I combined it with the plums that came with the cheesecake, it tasted like a really nice fruit punch.

After our lunch at Martino Kitchen, we went next door to Trüffel Feinkost, a really nice little gourmet shop. Bill found a couple of wines, while I snuck some photos of the shop’s interior. I love these little gourmet places in Europe.

We walked back to the parking garage, stopping to watch tourists watch the “biggest cuckoo clock in the world” chime on the hour. You can see in the photo, Wiesbaden is very gay friendly, too.

Next, we headed on post to the Shoppette, where Bill fueled up the Volvo with gas, and then the commissary, where we bought provisions for me. I experienced a slight case of culture shock as I mingled among fellow Americans. I don’t remember the last time I was in the commissary before yesterday. It’s not a place I love visiting.

Bill is leaving for Bavaria again this afternoon, and he’ll be gone until November 8th. It’s going to suck, but I think I’m going to try to make good use of the time. Perhaps I’ll make some more music videos, get some reading and writing done, and get on the proverbial wagon, so I don’t end up needing medical services in Yerevan. 😉

We were going to carve jack o’lanterns yesterday, but the weather sucked too much, and it was getting dark. I didn’t want to do them inside because of the mess. I thought maybe we’d do them today, but it’s still raining. So, I’ll probably carve both of them tomorrow, if we don’t do them before Bill leaves this afternoon.

This isn’t the most exciting post, but in a couple of weeks, I expect I’ll have a lot to write about. I know I have a few readers who will be interested, because they were in Armenia with me, back in the day. So stay tuned… and wish me luck over the next ten days or so.

Uncategorized

A late winter lunch date at Restaurant L’Opera in Hofheim…

The weather has gotten markedly nicer over the past few days. Once we got rid of the Saharan dust cloud that affected much of Europe last week, the temperatures went up and the sun came out. It’s been a little windy, and that has brought a chill, but overall, the weather is definitely improving. Bill decided he wanted to go out, and I agreed. I suggested going to Hofheim, because someone in the local Facebook group posted that there was going to be a cake sale to help refugees in Ukraine. Other options included visiting a new Hofladen (farm) near us, and going to an open house hosted by a guy who sells wine and wine barrel furniture.

We never did find the cake sale in Hofheim, but we did stop by a little Italian place called Restaurant L’Opera. I remember we dined there early in the pandemic. It was probably in 2020. I also remember we sat outside that time. I think the same guy who waited on us that day, took care of us today.

I decided i wanted to go to Restaurant L’Opera because someone else in the Hofheim Facebook group had written a post gushing about the food. I remember liking it the first time we went, but what I had that time wasn’t particularly high end fare. Today, we sat inside and enjoyed two excellent dishes.

Before we visited the restaurant, we stopped by the restroom at the nearby mall, where it costs 50 euro cents to pee. That’s no big deal, since I have a whole, huge bag of euro cents that need to be spent. It would have been nice if the door on the stall I used would have locked. Some lady almost barged in on me.

I took a few photos around the town, where a lively market was happening. They were shutting down a couple of hours later, as we were heading back to the car to go home…

Bill and I spent about 80 euros on our lunches– two glasses of really excellent red wine, a large bottle of San Pellegrino, Tagliata for me, and Spaghettini with salmon and zucchini for him. Then, a creme brûlée for dessert for Bill, and a dreaded lava cake for me. I’m kidding about the “dreaded” part. The cake was very good, but everybody does lava cakes. It’s gotten to the point at which a regular layer cake is a novelty!

It was so nice to get out today. Pretty soon, some of the COVID rules will be going away. The waiter reminded us that as of tomorrow, the 2G rules will expire. I suspect the masks will go at some point. I hate the FFP2 masks so much. They are uncomfortable and suffocating… like a quilt over the face. I hope to do away with them soon. Especially since people are still spreading COVID. But I can stand them for a minute or two as I go to a table. It’s harder going up and down stairs with them.

Uncategorized

A glorious fall lunch at Villa im Tal…

I have to admit, I was kind of inclined not to do anything today. Bill and I started binge watching Squid Game on Netflix yesterday and we were kind of wanting to watch the last few episodes. But today’s weather is absolutely glorious, with agreeable temperatures and lots of sunshine. It would have been a crime not to get out of the house for a couple of hours. It had been awhile since our last visit to Villa im Tal, a wonderful restaurant in the woods on the outskirts of Wiesbaden. We’ve been several times, and have enjoyed every meal we’ve had there, but thanks to the pandemic, it had been over a year since we last dined there in person.

We decided to make a 2:30pm reservation at Villa im Tal, which was the tail end of lunch service, mainly because we weren’t ready to go out until about 1:45pm. Traffic through Wiesbaden was a real pain, especially for a Sunday, but then we turned onto the country road with limited access that leads to the historic building where Villa im Tal is… Every time I go out there, I miss country living, and having a horse. There’s a riding stable right next door, and many people go out there to ride horses, bikes or take luxurious hikes. The setting really makes me miss living next to a nature park, like we did in Jettingen.

Anyway, below are some photos from today’s visit… And as I share them, I realize that we really need to take a Saturday and do something besides eating in a restaurant. It’s time we went to a museum or climbed up to a Berg or something…

A lovely peek at the restaurant… Some horses were also passing. Made me wistful.

Service was very kind and professional, and our waiter was so gracious and friendly. He spoke excellent English and went out of his way to see that we had a nice lunch. I suspect we’re done eating for the day, but what a nice way to finish off one’s calories! I wish I could live out where the restaurant is… it’s just so beautiful and rustic, and it makes one forget that the city is not even two miles away.

Dog lovers will be glad to know that dogs are warmly welcomed and accommodated at Villa im Tal. We saw two canines enjoying lunch with their people at the restaurant. Our dogs aren’t quite well mannered enough to visit Villa im Tal, but I always enjoy the ones we see when we eat there.

We dined inside today, but there’s also have a really beautiful patio available. I saw some folks enjoying the outside area this afternoon.

This wasn’t a cheap lunch. With a generous Trinkgeld (tip) added, we spent 220 euros. Fortunately, credit cards are accepted. But it was well worth the money, and we left there smiling and happy. I hope we can visit again sooner. As long as the pandemic stays somewhat controlled, I don’t see why we wouldn’t. In fact, we need to go out more… and I need to get back to conjuring up our next trip, which I hope will happen within the next few weeks.

Uncategorized

Nagold’s Fall Fest and another lunch at Osteria da Gino’s!

Today was one of those days when I am really very thankful to live in Europe, and Germany in particular. Most days are like that for me, but some days I’m even more grateful than others. Today was one of those days. It was just glorious. I’m writing this post, not just for myself and for those who already live here, but also for those who are planning to move to the Stuttgart area or even somewhere in Europe. I hope it will excite a few readers, especially those who have never lived in Europe.

It started with an enchanting sunrise… One thing I will miss about where we live. I hope our next house has such a view.

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about the Mix-Markt chain, which is a European grocery store that specializes in goods from countries in the former Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union. We visited the one in Böblingen, mainly because I figured that location was most convenient for a lot of my local readers. Today, we tried to visit the one in Nagold, but unfortunately, the parking lot behind the store was absolutely jammed, as was our usual parking lot that is close to the store. We ended up parking on the other side of town, which would have made hauling a large booty of groceries an exercise in difficulty. So, instead of visiting the Mix-Markt and picking up some more eastern European wines, we decided to check out Nagold’s Fall Fest which is happening today and tomorrow. Tomorrow is a shopping day in Nagold, so not only will this fest be going on with lots of food and music, there will also be shopping.

Lots of pretty fashions were on sale.

Damn. I knew I forgot something. Should have gotten some quarkinis for tomorrow! They smelled heavenly!

Alsatian pizza anyone?

Fun for kids. I would have liked this when I was a youngster. Looks like it’s akin to bungie jumping.

Before we went shopping, we stopped by another one of our favorite local restaurants, Osteria da Gino, and had a sumptuous lunch. Gino was there today, just as jovial and hilarious as always. He shook Bill’s hand and delivered his trademark warm and friendly service.

We started with a lovely Primitivo, chosen by Gino’s second banana… who also happens to speak English. That’s handy, because Gino isn’t an English speaker, but he still manages to be very entertaining.

We split this absolutely heavenly Vitello Tonnato– veal with tuna-caper sauce. I usually try to stay away from veal, but I made a rare exception today. This is truly delicious. It sounds like it wouldn’t be, but it is…

A pause before the pasta arrived.

We both had homemade pasta and tomato sauce with meatballs and Parmesan cheese. I saved half of mine for later, because I wanted dessert…

Yet another piece of Gino’s wonderful tiramisu, which we shared.

I know I gush a lot about the restaurants in Nagold, but they truly are delightful. I’m going to miss this town for all it offers. I hope we find a similarly lovely town near Wiesbaden. Total for lunch, which lasted about two hours, was just under 90 euros.

After we ate, we visited the bustling market. I took some photos. As you can see, the produce was well loved by other shoppers.

Chestnuts are a big hit. There are several trees near where I live and I often see people picking up the ones that are on the ground.

I was attracted to this beautiful display of heirloom tomatoes. I love all the colors.

Bill laughs as I swoon to the musical stylings of an accordion player…

He was really helping the mood.

At this point, I noticed a woman selling chocolate. She spoke Spanish, German, and English. It turned out she’s from Ecuador and lives in Calw and she operates her own chocolatier that uses less sugar. We ended up talking to her for a few minutes and bought some of her truffles and chocolate shavings. I found myself getting a little sad, realizing that we’re going to be leaving this town and the area around it. It’s really been a pleasure to live out here in BFE.

After we bought the chocolate, I spotted a “Nette Toilette” sign. I have written about this program before. It basically allows people to use the restrooms in public facilities, free of charge. Gino’s is a designated Nette Toilette, as is the municipal building I found on the way back to the car. If you spot a red sign that says “Nette Toilette”, it means the business is getting money from the city to allow people to use its restrooms. That’s pretty handy to know. It definitely came in handy today.

Next, we stopped at a stand where a man was very animatedly telling a couple about his olive oil. He was also selling wine, so we stopped in… I ended up tasting two wines. He gave me a piece of very strong cheese to try with the wine, which I passed to Bill, who is much more of a cheese person than I am. I told the guy that Bill eats cheese and I drink. All of the English speakers cracked up. Then the guy gave me ham and sausage to try with the wine. I don’t think I’ll need dinner tonight.

German gin. We didn’t buy any… but I was tempted.

A moose passed while the guy was telling us about his 1000 year old olive tree in Italy. It just occurs to me that the women who are passing look a little pissed… Wonder if they were giving me the stink eye.

Bill makes a decision about the oil while I look on…

The overall mood of this fest was very “festive” and convivial. Everyone was enjoying themselves… lots of people were eating, drinking, being friendly, and loving their community. I will really miss Nagold. I have come to love it.

If you’re looking for something to do tomorrow, I recommend visiting Nagold and checking out this festival. Gino’s will not be open tomorrow because Sunday is his Ruhetag, but there will still be food, shopping, live music, and kids’ activities. As for Bill and me, I think we we finally visit the Cannstatter Fest so I can get some use out of my dirndl and he can try out his new kilt. Hopefully, no one will throw up. Just kidding. I intend to do more observing than drinking.

Uncategorized

Another Nagold restaurant I’m really going to miss…

I am truly going to miss this place.

Last night, Bill and I decided to go back to Nagold for dinner. We had visited Nagold last weekend, hoping to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Luz Bistro at the Alte Post, but they were hosting an event. Last night, they were open. In fact, when we approached the menu posted on the front door, Marina Hentsch, the proprietor came out and enthusiastically greeted us! There was a couple sitting on the terrace having drinks, so she invited us to sit inside or out. We opted for outside, knowing that soon it will be way too cold to eat al fresco. This is also kind of the sweet time of year when you can enjoy the last of the good weather without battling the bugs!

Obligatory shot of Bill looking at the menu.

We really enjoyed this lovely primitivo from Italy…

Bill got a kick out of the “math problem” on the back of the bottle.

We may have to have this again!

Before we move to Wiesbaden, I wish we could dine once again at the Alte Post’s more formal restaurant, which is on the second floor. We had the privilege of eating there twice and we dropped a whole lot of euros, but of all of the places I’ve had fine meals in Germany, I think I might have enjoyed the Alte post best. Unfortunately, last I heard, Alte Post was suffering from the same problem a lot of local restaurants are… lack of qualified help. I know of at least one other decent eatery that had to close because there wasn’t enough wait staff. The upshot is that the Alte Post is now open for events only and isn’t offering the more formal multi-course menus on the weekends.

Fortunately, the more casual Luz Bistro is still very nice. There’s a server who speaks English and has been working there for as long as we’ve been patrons. She recognized us last night and delivered great service with an excellent attitude, even though everyone else decided to eat inside. It was a pleasant evening, at least until the sun dropped and it started to get chilly.

I went with braised beef and spatzle. The beef was topped with sauteed onions and the spatzle was very fresh and delicious. I don’t usually like spatzle a lot, but I really liked the Luz Bistro’s version, with its creamy, cheesy sauce. It really complemented the tender beef, served with a very savory gravy.

Bill had the “cordon bleu”, with was a breaded pork filet stuffed with feta cheese and ham and served with t’zatzki and loads of pommes. This was also a nice choice, although I try to avoid schnitzel if I can. It’s not that I don’t like it– it’s more that it’s easy to get it when I don’t want to be adventurous.

We decided to have dessert. I had to Google “Affogato”, which is the Italian word for drowned. It consists of a scoop of vanilla ice cream “drowned” in hot espresso.

We got to watch a bunch of local kids playing in the square while we enjoyed the fall evening.

I love Nagold so much. It’s such a nice little town.

Our waitress lit candles for us.

Bill had the Affogato, which was just the right size.

I went with the parfait. It was light and creamy, with bits of rich chocolate ganache and meringues. It was a nice way to end the evening. I hope we can squeeze in one more visit before we move.

Total bill for last night’s dinner was about 98 euros. We really enjoyed ourselves, as usual, and I will probably pine for Luz Bistro when we can no longer access it so easily. Ah well… I’m sure we’ll find good places near the Rhein, too.

Baden-Württemberg

Big news on a little move… old favorite restaurants for old time’s sake…

Our very first lunch at Osteria da Gino in Nagold… and another visit to see “The Mad Scientist”.

It’s been a big week here in Unterjettingen. The biggest thing that has happened is that my husband was unofficially offered a new position in Wiesbaden. That means that unless something really crazy happens, we will be packing up and moving about 100 miles north in a couple of months.

I have mixed feelings about the move. First off, I HATE moving with a fiery passion. We’ve done it many times over our sixteen years of marriage and, now that Bill is retired, it’s been nice to stay in one place for awhile. As of this month, we’ve lived in our current house for four years, and the Stuttgart area for a total of six years. That is the longest we have ever lived in one place. I like the area where we live. It’s far from the drama of the city and being close to the military posts, yet close to a lot of great places in the Black Forest. We’re also near several really cute towns. Nagold happens to be my favorite of all of them and it’s the closest to Unterjettingen.

On the other hand, I look forward to new experiences, new scenery, and a newer toilet that doesn’t take multiple flushes to empty. I look forward to a much larger kitchen with a real refrigerator instead of a dorm sized one. I can’t wait for my husband not to have to take marathon flights to Africa for business trips. There’s even the attractive prospect of my getting to join him on some of his journeys.

Most of all, I am grateful that Bill is going to remain employed in a country I’ve come to love. I have a feeling we will enjoy the Wiesbaden area as much as we’ve loved having lived in Stuttgart for two stints. I also think there’s a good possibility that we’ll come back to Stuttgart, mainly because of what Bill does. It could be as soon as two years from now. On the other hand, there’s no telling what might happen in two years.

Anyway… since we know we’re probably going to be out of here by December, we decided to visit a couple of our favorite restaurants. Hopefully, we haven’t visited them for the last time, but I did want to make sure we got at least one more visit in with each. Both Agais in Entringen and Osteria da Gino in Nagold are special haunts for us, mainly because we’ve always managed to have a great time there. The proprietors of both restaurants are excellent hosts and have given us a lot of great memories. I thought today, I’d write up our latest experiences at both places, even though I’ve written about them several times already. Here goes…

Agais on a Friday night

Agais in Entringen has the distinction of being the one restaurant still in business where Bill and I used to dine frequently during our first tour. From 2007-09, we lived in a little town called Pfäffingen, which is in Ammerbuch. Two kilometers from our old town is a little hamlet called Entringen. We used to pass through Entringen to get to and from A81. On the main drag is a Greek restaurant called Agais.

When we lived in Germany the first time, we used to eat at Agais all the time. The owner is a very friendly Greek man who worked in Canada for many years as an engineer. When we were here the first time, he spoke perfect English. I think while we were gone, he must have had a stroke, because his ability to speak English diminished significantly. Nevertheless, when we visited him again in 2014 after having been gone for five years, he still remembered us. His English has come back somewhat over the past few years.

Last night, we decided to pay him a visit, mainly because neither of us felt like cooking. Agais is now probably about a twenty minute drive from where we live, but the weather was nice…

I got a kick out of this sign reminding people to use condoms. Such a quaint old building for such an important PSA… I see there are several versions of this, including one for gay men.

When we walked into the familiar eatery, the couple who own it were waiting for customers to arrive. I think we were their first. The wife, who is German, does the cooking and her husband, whom we’ve nicknamed “The Mad Scientist”, waits tables. They lit up when we walked in and welcomed us. Bill ordered our usual Nemea dry Greek red, which has the essence of sour cherries, and we had our usual sparkling water.

We also ordered the flatbread, which comes piping hot and drizzled with olive oil and garlic salt. I love this, even if it’s very simple.

We both had the gyros platter, which comes with either fries or oven baked potatoes. Bill had the baked potatoes and I had pommes. I also had a green salad instead of the kraut salad that usually comes with this dish.

I cracked a filthy joke to make Bill smile… and our old friend smiled, too.

While we were eating, a couple came in with their son and the family dog. They asked the proprietor if it was okay to bring the dog in. I remember from our first tour that the proprietor isn’t a big dog fan, but I think he needed the business. So he granted permission and they brought in their very sweet border collie who behaved like a perfect lady. After a lovely dinner, which cost 51 euros, and a couple of glasses of wine for me, we enjoyed a house shot of ouzo and were on our way. I hope we can stop in again before we move. Last time we were here, we didn’t get to say goodbye when the time came.

Lunch at Osteria da Gino for the first (and possibly the last) time…

This morning, we were rewarded with wonderful late summer weather. Although Nagold is having a Street Food Fiesta right now, we decided to have lunch at Osteria da Gino. We have eaten there several times, but until today, we have always gone for dinner. Osteria da Gino is kind of a special place for us. Gino is kind of an Italian version of The Mad Scientist, with more upscale food. Also, Gino doesn’t speak English and neither does his adorable wife, who waits tables. The wife helped us today when we showed up at around noon, sans reservations for once. We had a fantastic meal.

Goofy Bill as we wait for white wine. We just told them dry white and that’s what they brought us… good stuff.

Antipasti! Grilled vegetables, orange and fennel salad, prosciutto with cheese, bread, and octopus… You’d think this would be enough…

But we also decided on the pasta dish, too. I had spaghetti with clams. These were very fresh and lightly seasoned with cilantro, red pepper, and onions. As the waitress put it down, she said, “Hier, keine Käse!” (No cheese here!) I guess it’s not kosher to use Parmesan cheese on your clams! I saw another couple enjoying mussels. Gino does have a menu, but we have never once used it. We just take what they recommend.

Bill had fettuccini with Steinpilze and a fresh tomato sauce. I hate mushrooms, so I didn’t try his, but he said the pasta tasted homemade.

When we come for dinner, we often have a main course, which is usually either fish or meat. Since the pasta and antipasti filled us up, we decided to take a brief pause and then have dessert.

Which today, was delicious tiramisu and cups of espresso…

I’d say we spent about two hours enjoying the food and each other’s company, as well as the other diners who love Gino’s brand of hospitality. This is one place where your four legged friends are also welcome. A well behaved Golden Retriever was lying under a nearby table with a bowl of water. I didn’t see Gino today, but I know he loves dogs. He also likes children, although I wouldn’t necessarily call his restaurant “kid friendly”, per se. Kids are definitely welcome there, but in the cold months, everybody eats in the tiny dining room and sometimes you have to share a table. If you have young ones, it might be best to go when the weather is good so you can have more room outside. Total cost for today’s meal was about 95 euros, which isn’t cheap, but I’ve never once been disappointed at Osteria da Gino. I will truly miss it when we go. A bonus is that you can buy a bottle of wine to take home with you if you want to.

After lunch, we took a walk around Nagold, which is a really lovely little town. It’s been such a pleasure living so close to it for the past four years. I will miss it.

Osteria da Gino is not open on Sundays, so if this review has tempted you, make plans to visit on a different day. If you’re coming at dinner time, you may want to make reservations.

Tomorrow, Nagold’s Street Food Fiesta continues, which we will probably attend. There will also be a Grill Off, where you can enjoy steaks by self proclaimed grillmeisters. And… if you have a dog who loves to swim, you may wish to bring them to Nagold for the last day the pool will be open. They are going to let dogs swim tomorrow. There’s also the river, where dogs are always allowed to swim.

I don’t look forward to the painful process of moving, but I do think my blog will get more love, since I will be exploring a brand new area (to me) right in the middle of wine country! If I have to move, it’s not a bad thing to move from the Black Forest to the Rhein River! Last time we moved from Germany, it was to Atlanta, which started off a string of moves to three states before Bill retired. At least this time, we can drive to where we’re going and we can always come back to visit our old stomping grounds down here…

And again, I think we could be be back at some point. We’ll see…

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: favorite restaurants

Easter lunch at Villa Im Tal 2026…

Post election lunch at Villa Im Tal…

Shopping and lunch at Martino Kitchen in Wiesbaden

A late winter lunch date at Restaurant L’Opera in Hofheim…

A glorious fall lunch at Villa im Tal…

Nagold’s Fall Fest and another lunch at Osteria da Gino’s!

Another Nagold restaurant I’m really going to miss…

Big news on a little move… old favorite restaurants for old time’s sake…