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Zum Schiff in Unterjettingen…

It’s becoming customary for Bill and me to go out on Friday nights.  Last night, I was thinking maybe we’d go to the big city, since Bill was home early for Labor Day weekend.  But Bill had noticed a local restaurant was offering a pumpkin soup that sounded good.  It was a restaurant we had not yet visited and is close enough to our house to walk to, so we decided to try it out.

The front door of Zum Schiff, a local Gasthaus…

Nautical theme abounds…

 

We walked into the restaurant and climbed a flight of stairs to the very charming dining room where several gentlemen were already seated at the small bar, enjoying Friday evening beers.  We were invited to sit anywhere, so we chose a table in the corner, away from the bar and offering me the chance to see most everything going on.  The bartender/chef brought us a couple of large beers and we checked out the menu.

 

This was the extent of the food offered, though they did have a couple of specials posted on a chalkboard outside…

 

Bill ended up not ordering the pumpkin soup, even though that was what had attracted him to Zum Schiff in the first place.  Instead, he ordered the Zweibelrostbraten mit Brot und Salat (onion roast beef with bread and salad).  I had the Lachsfilet an Hummer Sauce mit Tagliatelle (salmon filet with lobster sauce and tagliatelle).  My iPhone came in handy, since I didn’t know what a Hummer was… in German, anyway.

The evening proceeded at a leisurely pace and a few more folks showed up.  The female proprietor obviously knew them and was giving them enthusiastic greetings.  I could tell this was a very popular local place.

This bread was excellent, mainly because of the butters served with them.  The one in the square dish was mixed with dill and onion.  Reminded me of sour cream and onion flavoring on potato chips.  The one in the round dish was horseradish and what tasted like cilantro or something similar.  It was very good.

Obligatory shot of Bill.

Salad.  Bill’s looked just like this, only his had some potato salad on the bottom.  He said it was excellent.

The lady running the place brought out salt and what looked like a bottle of wine.  At first, we thought maybe it was an advertisement for a specific bottle.  But then Bill noticed it something different…

You might think we ordered wine…

And we discovered that the wine bottle was actually a pepper grinder…

Then it was time for the main course.  I was pleasantly surprised by how beautifully it was presented…

Wildflowers on the plate… nice touch!

Both dishes were very good.  My salmon was cooked perfectly.  Bill’s beef was very tender and juicy.  I noticed it was somewhat rare.  He did mention that the cut had a little bit of gristle and fat, but tasted fine.  The gravy was especially nice.  They also brought out more bread.  I couldn’t eat all that was offered.

The wine pepper grinder made us decide to have wine for dessert.  I had a Bardolino and Bill had a very rich Sicilian wine called Nero D’avola.  It reminded me of port.

By the time we got our wine, more people were coming in and being greeted by the friendly hostess.  When I saw someone with a piece of cake with a candle in it, I realized it was someone’s birthday.  I noticed a few folks peeking over and Bill and me, probably wondering what two Americans were doing in a little gasthaus in a place like Jettingen.  Finally, the bartender/chef came over to talk to us and asked if we lived in the town.  I guess he figured that would be the only reason we’d be hanging out there.  That was the first English we spoke to the staff all evening.  It was kind of refreshing.

After we ate, we went to Tommi’s for more wine…  I am feeling it today.  Tommi’s is located two doors down from Zum Schiff.

 

Overall, we had a nice evening.  We will definitely go back to Zum Schiff next time we’re in the mood for some very authentic German gasthaus fare.

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A review of Krone gasthaus in Kemnat, Germany…

We had a hell of a time getting dinner last night.  Zane and Arran (our beagles) were more wound up than usual and really needed to burn off some steam, owing to the rainy weather yesterday morning.  Consequently, when Bill and I decided we wanted to go out to eat, they pitched a royal fit.  It took about fifteen minutes to get them to quiet down enough for us to walk up the street to a local gasthaus called Krone.

Krone is in the Ostfildern area and is located maybe 200 meters from the apartment we’re temporarily staying in right now.  I was curious about it, since it looked like it had a lot of charm.  Last night, it was bustling with folks, many of whom appeared to be faithful regulars.  The staff was very cheery as people came and went and the place had a very friendly vibe.

Though Bill spoke German to the waiter who greeted us, it was apparently very obvious to him that we are English speakers and he quickly switched to excellent English as he invited us to choose a table.  The menu was only in German and the waiter apologized about this, though Bill and I have gotten relatively good at deciphering menus that aren’t in English.  In a way, I prefer having a German menu because I find that I try more interesting dishes that way.  That’s definitely what happened last night.  Not knowing everything that is in a dish and not wanting to ask makes me a little braver– though I did make sure there were no mushrooms in my selection.

There were a few items on the menu that were not available and at least one of the specials, a wild boar dish, was sold out by the time we were ready to order.  This restaurant features a lot of meat and game dishes and we were told that in some dishes, they use beef that comes from cows that are shot rather than slaughtered.  Shooting the cow is less stressful to them than slaughtering them, which supposedly results in meat that is more tender.

After an amuse of black olive and tuna tapenade, I started with a typical Schwabish soup called fladlesuppe, which consisted of clear beef broth, chives, and little strips of pancakes.  It was very comforting and tasty and didn’t fill me up for the main course.  I paired my meal with a pint of keller beer, which was of excellent quality, even if it wasn’t the most exciting brew I’ve ever had.

It kind of reminded me a little of won ton soup… only with pancakes instead of won tons…

Next came our main courses.  I had “ochsenbrust” and Bill had “rostbraten”.  Bill’s beef was the beef that came from a cow that was shot rather than slaughtered.  As far as I know, my beef came from a regularly slaughtered cow.

 

Bill’s beef, which came with pfifferlingen mushrooms, gravy, and croquettes…  This dish was 25 euros, which is a lot of money.  However, Bill did enjoy it very much.  I didn’t taste it because I think mushrooms are of the devil…  Apparently mushrooms are a big deal at Krone, particularly the type that Bill enjoyed last night.  I wish I liked them, but I just don’t.  

 

The ochsenbrust turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  The way the waiter described this dish, I was expecting it to be accompanied by regular radishes.  But actually, the sauce was made of horseradish, which made a very good accompaniment to the super tender beef.  It was accompanied by fried potatoes.  The horseradish sauce wasn’t too strong, though my sinuses did clear a couple of times when I got a stronger than usual dose of the stuff.  I was most impressed by the beef, which I could cut with a fork.  This was a very different meal for me and I enjoyed it very much.  It was priced at about 13 euros.

 

We were pretty full after dinner, but I was still wanting something sweet.  So when the waiter asked us about dessert, I found myself saying yes…

 

My dessert consisted of little pancakes served with fresh fruit, jam, and a little scoop of lavender ice cream.  It was absolutely delightful!  I was almost swayed by a dish of ice cream, but the waiter reminded me that I could get ice cream anywhere… and of course, he was right!  Despite being full, I managed to eat the whole thing.  Good thing I skipped lunch yesterday.

Bill had maple ice cream served with an egg liqueur.  He had never had egg liqueur and he said he liked it because it was “interesting”.  I have a feeling this liqueur was house made with raw egg yolks and booze, but I don’t know this for sure.  Both desserts were manageable and delicious, though I know I didn’t need the calories!

 

The total bill came to 62 euros, which was probably more than we needed to spend.  But I have to admit, it was a very good meal and I would not hesitate to go back for another meal there.  I especially enjoyed the creative presentation of the food, which took regular German gasthaus fare to a higher level.  I can see why the locals enjoy this place so much.

Krone also rents rooms, so if you’re too full or too drunk to drive home, you can probably arrange to spend the night!

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Tonight’s food… German!

We went German tonight and visited the gasthaus just across the street from Hotel Flora.  The restaurant was called Lindenhof, and it was attached to the Lindenhof Gasthaus, right on Filderbahnstrasse in Mohringen.  The food offered was typical German gasthaus fare… and it was very good!

I think Bill and I decided to go there because it was quick and easy.  I was also thirsty and wanted some beer.  We were pleasantly surprised by the Lindenhof restaurant.  The food and service were both fine.  At the end of the meal, I wanted dessert, but had another beer instead.  I guess I’d rather drink my calories.

 

The “amuse” they brought out.  It was like potato salad with smoked salmon, cream, a tiny egg (quail perhaps?), caviar, and fresh tomato.  It was very good and kind of impressive, too.  I didn’t expect this at a gasthaus.

 

Bill had jaegerschnitzel, which is basically boneless pork with a mushroom (hunter’s) gravy.  I do not eat mushrooms at all, but these looked pretty appetizing as mushrooms go.  I mean, I’ve been to some places where the hunter’s gravy looks like someone dumped a can of cream of mushroom soup on the pork.  This gravy looked like it was made with care and included quality mushrooms.  I will never eat it, though, because mushrooms come from the devil as far as I’m concerned.   Bill said it was one of the better schnitzels he’s had, and given that this is his third time living in Germany, he’s had a whole lot!

 

I had a rumpsteak with pommes frites and krauterbutter.  I don’t usually go for European beef, but I wanted something different and nothing else really jumped out at me on the menu.  This was a very nice steak– lean and not too gamey.  I ate maybe two-thirds of it.  The waiter at the Lindenhof very graciously packed up the leftover meat, which I had cut up into small pieces.  My dogs, Zane and Arran, had a nice evening snack!

 

I was very tempted to try dessert.  They had a nice looking Black Forest inspired ice cream treat that was calling my name.  But I decided to have another beer instead of ice cream, tempting as it was.  Since it looks like we’ll be in this hotel until at least the 11th, I’m sure we’ll have a chance to go back and try it.  They also had a nice looking apple strudel.

I was impressed by how well-attended this place was.  There were two rather large parties there when we arrived and more came in just before we left.  It wasn’t too busy, yet I could tell that it was a favorite with certain locals.  We liked the food and were very happy that they were able to let us bring our leftover steak back to our dogs.  In fact, the waiter seemed delighted when I mentioned them.  Come to think of it, I’m surprised he didn’t recognize me from the noisy spectacle our dogs made this afternoon right in front of the restaurant.  They have a tendency to go nuts when they see other dogs and today was no exception.  We drew a crowd.

Total check was just under 50 euros.  We don’t have kids ourselves; but for those who need to know, a children’s menu is available.  We’ll probably go back before we settle somewhere further afield.

A picture of the Lindenhof Hotel and Restaurant.

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