We tried out a new Georgian restaurant near us… Kinto!

After yet another boring Saturday spent holed up in our house, Bill said he wanted us to go out to a restaurant. I agreed that we needed to go somewhere, simply so I could write something for this blog! Originally, he suggested that we go out to lunch on Saturday, but I just didn’t feel like it. So then he said, “Here’s a new Georgian restaurant over near the Globus. It gets good reviews.”

The Globus is very close to where we live– not even a fifteen minute drive. And we like Georgian food, especially when it’s coupled with wine. Bill noticed that the restaurant got good ratings, not just on OpenTable, but also on Google. So, he decided to make reservations for 6:30 PM last night.

The restaurant’s listing on OpenTable mentioned that the suggested dress code is business casual. Now that we’ve been to Kinto, I would say emphatically that this is a casual place. No need to break out your glad rags to eat there. According to the restaurant’s official Web site, it was founded by young David Shalikashvili, who is just 18 years old! Or, so I assume… Bill says the restaurant hasn’t been open for long, and it’s located in a rather industrial area. Kinto is also the first and only authentic Georgian restaurant in Wiesbaden.

It was already dark when we arrived at Kinto last night. The clocks just changed in Germany this past weekend. Bill found a parking spot on the street, as the restaurant doesn’t have its own lot. When we approached, a woman immediately greeted us and welcomed us to the dining room, which is separated from where the food comes out.

I was kind of intrigued by the dining room, which reminded me a bit of a large industrial shed, but with glass panes around it. The panes let in light, but don’t allow for easy viewing of the grilling area, which I could just make out from where I was sitting. It was not a chilly night, so I left my wrap in the car. In retrospect, I should have brought it with me, because although there were flame heaters in the dining room, it was just slightly chilly in there.

We sat down and waited several minutes before a server approached. She spoke German, but seemed slightly uncomfortable with the language. I got the sense that she probably comes from Georgia or perhaps Ukraine. I’m not criticizing her language skills, by the way. Her German is much better than mine is! I’m just saying that the staff seems very authentic! There was a man who was also serving, and we definitely got the impression that he isn’t German. Ditto to the clientele, as the people sitting next to us spoke Russian, and I think a young family on the other side of the restaurant might have been speaking Georgian. I think it’s great! I love that a greater variety of cuisine is becoming more available in Wiesbaden!

The menu at Kinto offers some familiar cuisine from Georgia, to include khinkali, khachapuri, and kebab, and other dishes made with pork, chicken, veal, and lamb. They also have soup and salads, and plenty of lovely Georgian wines.

Bill seemed to upset the apple cart when he asked for a bottle of Mukuzani, a delightful red wine from Georgia. I got the sense that maybe they don’t get a lot of people ordering bottles of wine at the restaurant. The server said that the wine wasn’t in the database. She left us for a moment to ask for assistance, and finally came out with the wine a bottle of sparkling water we ordered.

For dinner, Bill ordered the Georgischer Kebab, which was ground lamb served with lavash, tomato, onion, pepper, and a side of fries. Actually, when Bill asked about the sides, he assumed he would get fries, and the server said it would be rice. But then the dish came with fries. It wasn’t a problem, but it did seem like maybe she wasn’t quite sure of what we’d be getting.

I ordered the Mtsvadi, which was basically grilled pieces of pork on a strip of lavash, with the same vegetables and fries. Both dishes came with housemade Georgian sauce– tomato sauce with cilantro, onions, and peppers.

The menu was in German, but had an English description, as well. We didn’t try to speak English with the staff, but I almost think maybe that would have been easier than German. I don’t speak Russian, but I do speak some Armenian. Armenia is south of Georgia, but from what I can tell, it’s not a similar language… except some of the words for the food were the same. For instance, the word “badrijan” was on the menu. In Armenian, that means eggplant. It was the same on the menu. The word “lobi” was also used– beans– which is the same in Armenian.

We enjoyed some bread and some of the Georgian sauce while we waited for our food. It came out quickly. The food was very good, and a nice change of pace! I noticed the couple next to us had what looked like pork ribs, which they ate with much gusto. They even used their fingers to eat it, rather than the usual knife and fork. I’m teasing about this. Germans seem less inclined to eat things with their hands than Americans do! But the couple next to us were not from Germany… If I had to guess, I’d say they were Russian or Ukrainian.

Below are some photos from our visit:

We inquired about dessert. Although it was listed on their menu, there wasn’t any dessert available. So, they brought out a small plate of French macarons for us… and didn’t charge for it. The bill came to about 66 euros. Bill gave them 80 euros and told them to keep the change. Yes, it’s a big tip for Germany… but he wanted to keep it simple!

In spite of the few hiccups last night, we really enjoyed dining at Kinto. I think we’ll be back soon. Bravo to David Shalikashvili for bringing new flavors to the suburbs of Wiesbaden! It’s very impressive that he’s opened his own restaurant at such a young age! In America, he wouldn’t even be old enough to drink the wine he’s selling! I wish him the best of luck, and I hope we can help him succeed with our repeat business. If you’re in the Wiesbaden area, I highly recommend checking out Kinto!

Sundays

Charlie and Noyzi take their first “family walk” together…

Bill and I talked about going to Mainz yesterday for a food truck fest. But then I got hooked by a book I was reading, and I wanted to finish it. Thursday, we leave for Iceland, and I wanted to have a review of the book up before then. The book is brand new and kind of a “hot topic” right now. There are other books I want to read, and God knows, lately I need more discipline in finishing my reading materials. The book I finished yesterday is The Well-Trained Wife, by Tia Levings. You can read my review here.

By the time I was done reading and reviewing Levings’ book, it was already about 2:00 PM. The fest was going on until 6, but by mid afternoon, I didn’t feel like going anymore. Bill and I decided to take Noyzi and Charlie on a second walk, instead. We wanted to take advantage of the lovely sunny weather we had, along with the comfortable temperature. Also, I physically feel better when I take walks, even if I don’t always have much motivation for them.

So off we went… the familiar two mile route there and back, to the woodsy area just outside of our little town. I don’t have much to report about the walk, except I noticed the lonely pony we met last time was no longer wearing a fly mask. Her paddock had been mowed, and there was a sign up that looked like it asked passers by not to feed her, as she has food sensitivities. I don’t feed other people’s livestock, because I know from personal experience what can happen. I used to have a pony of my own. 😉

It was nice to see the pony, who was as friendly as ever. She didn’t seem quite as starved for companionship yesterday. Maybe it was because there were a lot of people out walking, either with each other, or with their dogs. I also noticed a lot of bikers, as well as a guy who drove his pickup truck (too fast, I might add).

We walked to the second bench, which is just over a mile from our house on Am Rathaus, had a brief pause to look south at the fields and mountains, then walked home. The dogs enjoyed their second walk, with new sights and smells. I think they especially enjoyed being with both of us on a walk! We used to take more walks together. Maybe we need to get back into the habit.

Once we got home, Bill fired up the grill, cooked burgers, and we drank our usual beers. The apple tree in our neighbor’s backyard is heavily laden with ripe fruit, which has been dropping all over our yard. When we find apples in good shape, Bill turns them into delicious apple-carrot juice with our juicer. I had to go into the house and put on a nightie with long sleeves. It’s starting to get chilly here.

On Saturday, we tried a new restaurant in Mainz. It was a Georgian place that apparently only does takeout or delivery. Bill ordered off of Lieferando (food delivery service like Uber Eats) and we enjoyed a very nice and unusual meal. Mainz isn’t that close, though, so it took some time to get to us. I’d order from them again… but I have to be reminded what the name of the place is! Below are a few photos… Unfortunately, I couldn’t eat the Khachapuri because the cheese was too strong/musty for me. Bill enjoyed it, though. I can’t eat most strong cheeses, because they make me sick.

All in all, we had a boring but pleasant weekend. I look forward to packing a bag soon, so we can have a new adventure, and I can share some new photos! Stay tuned!

Uncategorized

Sweet false hopes… but BrewDog saved the afternoon!

A few days ago, The New York Times ran an article about Khachapuri, a popular dish made of fresh bread, cheese, and egg, in Transcaucasian countries, to include Georgia and Armenia. I lived in Armenia for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and while I can’t say I ate a lot of Khachapuri when I lived there, I’ve come to appreciate the milder versions offered outside of the country. When I lived in Armenia, the dish was made with stinky cheese, which I could not abide. When it’s made with milder cheese, it’s more delicious to me.

Anyway, when I saw the article in The New York Times, I was reminded of the times Bill and I have enjoyed Georgian food. We went to Georgian restaurants in Stuttgart and Frankfurt, as well as several in Wroclaw, Poland. The Frankfurt restaurant was a bit of a disappointment, but the ones in Stuttgart and Poland were awesome. I did a Google search and learned that much to my shock, Wiesbaden has an Armenian restaurant unsurprisingly called Ararat. I looked them up, and it appeared that they were open today. So Bill and I ventured out there to see if it was a good place to eat.

The restaurant is located in an area of Wiesbaden that is known for its Eastern European population. That’s where one can visit the Mix Markt for eastern goodies. It’s in a residential area, and probably gets lots of locals as visitors. It also looks like they host a lot of parties and such, with live music.

We approached, and the door was open. There was a young guy on the phone and a young woman. The proprietor came out and said they were closed on Sundays, even though Google and their sign said they were supposed to be open every day.

I couldn’t resist, and asked in Armenian if they were from Armenia (Hayastan), since the place also advertises Russian food. Their faces lit up as they answered yes, in Armenian, and asked if I was Armenian, too. I actually answered “no” in German, then explained in Armenian that I know some Armenian. Then I said in English “I used to live there.” What can I say? It’s been 25 years since I last had to speak Armenian on a daily basis. Anyway, I could hear them commenting and chuckling as we walked away. We’ll have to call and find out when they have regular hours. I’d love to try their horovats… or shashlik, if they prefer.

We went back to Wiesbaden and parked at the Kurhaus, then walked into town. It didn’t look like anything exciting was happening, so we headed to BrewDog, where we ate a couple of months ago. I knew they’d be open, because they don’t take a pause. It was almost 2:00pm.

We drank a couple of beers and each tried something different from the last time we visited. I had a “Cluck Norris” sandwich, which was fried chicken breast with avocado, red onion, cajun mayo, and coriander with a side of fries. Bill had a roasted chicken sourdough bowl, which was basically a big salad with pieces of chicken and a piece of toasted sourdough bread. His dish also included chilli, chia seeds, and avocado.

We enjoyed the music, and I took a few new selfies, because I was wearing makeup and the lighting was good. Plus, since it wasn’t super hot outside, I wore something besides a t-shirt and shorts. While we were sitting there, a waifish blonde girl came in and dropped off a keychain with a note. She was quick as a flash, and we watched her go in and out in a matter of a minute or so, before she went across the street and did the same at a cafe. This isn’t the first time this has happened to us. I’m not sure where she was from, but I would guess it’s an eastern nation, and this is their way of collecting money. They try to sell little trinkets to sympathetic people who are trying to eat. I don’t think she had any luck.

Below are a few photos. I didn’t manage to get any of Ararat, although I’m sure we’ll try to visit again when they’re open– after we’ve called to verify. The owner had a very kind face and seemed super friendly. But I don’t mind that we went to BrewDog, either. That’s a fun place!

I really do hope we can try Ararat. I love finding new restaurants, especially when they offer different food than what is available everywhere! And I have missed Armenia… and Armenian people!

Uncategorized

Big business in Poland, part eight

Wednesday was a rather uncomfortable day. I had excruciating back pain, so I didn’t make a big effort to do a lot. However, I did have one thing on the brain all morning, and that was having another lunch at U Gruzina. I am definitely a fan of Georgian food. I also decided to be brave and order that Khatchapouri, which is also an Armenian favorite. I never ate it when I lived in Armenia because their cheese is so stinky and rank. I can’t eat stinky cheeses.

I visited U Gruzina at noon, and was their very first customer of the day. I ordered the classic khatchapouri, which is basically just fresh bread stuffed with mild cheese. It looks kind of like a white pizza. I gave some thought to getting the kind with an egg in it, but as it was, I couldn’t even finish the classic. I washed it down with a couple of glasses of marvelous Georgian wine– Mukuzhani and Saperavi, and some mineral water. Then I went back to the room to take some painkillers, read more of Elton John’s book, and take a nap.

Damn… this was delicious! I was really enjoying the music, too.

They say that walking around is the best thing for back pain, but it really hurts to walk when my back is like this. The pain radiates to my hip, which makes every step difficult. It really sucks to get older, but then, maybe if I weren’t such a hedonist, I’d be in better shape.

Later, when Bill was finished with his work for the day, we had dinner at a really cool restaurant called Konspira. I had noticed it earlier in the week and it looked like a cozy place. I had no idea that it was a kitschy place dedicated to Poland’s years under the influence of the Soviet Union. The place was pretty busy, but we managed to score a tiny table near the bar area. I got a kick out of the murals on the walls, along with all of the communist era relics, and the funny “magazine” like menu with communist themed Polish dishes and information about those years.

At one point, we had a bit of a “waiter taste the soup” moment. The young, cheerful, energetic waitresses brought us two huge bowls of soup. The soup wasn’t for us, but even if it had been, we couldn’t eat it. Why?

“Aha!”

Anyway, we had a good time at Konspira, and I see based on TripAdvisor, it’s one of Wroclaw’s best/most popular restaurants. To be honest, while I thought the food was good for what it was, it’s basically pretty heavy Polish food. And Polish food reminds me a lot of traditional German food. I like both, but they’re basically heavy cuisines meant for hardworking people in cold climates. Lots of meats, cabbage salads/krauts, and potatoes, as well as other root vegetables. I loved the restaurant’s theme, though, because I find the communist era of the Eastern Bloc and former Soviet Union fascinating. I would have liked to walk around the restaurant and check out all of the cool stuff they had on display.

We skipped the nightcap and went to bed early, since Thursday was to be our last full day in Wroclaw. As we were walking back to the hotel, I noticed an art gallery that offered free entry and determined that I’d be checking it out on Thursday. That’s exactly what I did, too. Stay tuned for the next post!

Uncategorized

Big business in Poland, part five

Monday morning, they were still registering people for the conference. The buses taking participants to the conference location weren’t scheduled to leave until 11:00am. We enjoyed a late breakfast with many, many American soldiers, government employees, and contractors like Bill. It seemed a little like organized chaos as the Sofitel’s staff handled all of the people trying to get breakfast at the same time. The staff didn’t have me in the system, so Bill had to fix that issue. We then took advantage of the late start by taking a walk to the nearest Zabka.

Zabka is a kind of mini market. They are ubiquitous in Wroclaw. I saw at least one, sometimes two, on every street. We used the one that was right on the square, which was just a block from our hotel; however, if we’d wanted to, we could have used one even closer than that! It reminded me of the time Bill and I went to Seattle back in 2005 and saw two Starbucks within spitting distance of each other.

*All kinds of drinks… from juice and soda to booze…*

We went into the Zabka because I thought I needed feminine hygiene supplies. I thought we’d need to go to an Apoteka (Apotheke/drug store) but it turned out the tiny Zabka store has a little bit of everything. There were just two aisles in the store on the square, yet they had fresh fruits, cat food, and liquor for sale, as well as the sanitary napkins I needed. Regarding those napkins– they had a couple of choices. I could have purchased the familiar Always pads, but I opted for a Polish brand. This morning, when I finally needed them for real, I noticed this description on the label.

Apparently, the Polish like their sanitary pads to have the healing properties of Tilia flowers. Fortunately, I don’t itch or burn “down there”.

We also bought a bottle of genuine Zubrovka (zoo-broov-ka)– “bison grass vodka” at the Zabka. The bison vodka available outside of Poland is usually artificially flavored, but this is the “real stuff” with a blade of grass in it. The grass is sourced from the Białowieża Forest, hand-picked and dried under natural conditions.

This vodka has an unusual flavor, but the real version with a blade of bison grass in it is illegal to sell in Germany and the United States, because the grass contains coumarin, a blood thinner. You’d have to drink many liters of the vodka before coumarin would affect you, but that doesn’t stop bureaucrats from outlawing it. They know what’s best for us…

Anyway, Zubrovka is available with grass or artificially flavored without grass. The artificially flavored kind is what I have seen sold in the US and Germany. The Zabka had both varieties, so we bought some “mit Gras”. The shopkeeper didn’t speak English and reverted to German when we requested the booze. Much to my amazement, I understood him before Bill did! We bought genuine bison grass vodka for the first time in November 2008, which was the last time we were in Poland. I could probably take it or leave it, but we like the real stuff whenever we can access it. People often chill it and drink it mixed with apple juice.

Monday was the first day of my individual quest for eating establishments. I ended up going for Georgian food again, but this time at a place called Chinkalnia. Like U Gruzina, this is yet another Georgian food restaurant chain in Poland. It was a bit different than U Gruzina. Located in the middle of the main square, the outlet I went to had more of an old school decor. Wines by the glass were not available; instead, those who wanted wine had to buy it by the bottle. I probably could have drunk the whole bottle on Monday, given how chilly and rainy Monday’s weather was. Instead, I opted for beer. I tried a Ukrainian draft beer that was pretty unimpressive, and then moved on to the Georgian beers they had, a lager and a dark beer. Both were much better than the draft beer and surprisingly decent.

I also had a pork stew called chanakhi. It was served in a small clay pot and topped with garlic. I had never had it before and mostly enjoyed it, although it tasted like they might have microwaved it. Some parts of the stew were hotter than others. I noticed other guests enjoying chinkali and khatchapouri and kind of wished I’d gone for the khatchapouri, although the pork stew, with its potatoes, carrots, and Georgian spices was filling and tasty. I also enjoyed the friendly Polish waiter, who said he’d been to Georgia on vacation.

Obolon, a Ukrainian brew that was pretty boring…

This was a pretty reasonably priced lunch. I think I spent about 60 Zloty before the tip. Then I walked back to the hotel in the rain and took a nice nap. The weather was perfect for it.

For dinner, Bill and I had Italian food at a place called O Sole Mio. We hadn’t planned to eat Italian food, but we kind of got roped in by the lady standing at the door, inviting people inside. Bill had lasagne, which was very good. I had grilled salmon and two sides– huge portions of spinach with Parmesan cheese and baked potatoes. I was picturing one or two potatoes, but they brought out a whole trough of them!

Our waitress was very young and cute, and just like every other server and cab driver we ran into during this trip, she spoke excellent English. Really, I am very impressed by how proficient most everyone was with English. I think they may even have the Germans beat in that department. It’s a stark contrast to 11 years ago, when most of the Polish people we met didn’t speak any English at all. But then, we were in the countryside, rather than a charming, tourist friendly city like Wroclaw. Older Polish people don’t speak English as much as the younger ones do, but they do tend to speak German. Since Bill can speak some German and I can understand it and speak a few words, that’s also helpful.

On Monday, I also got some photos from the inside of St. Elizabeth’s Church and many of the 600 gnomes scattered around Wroclaw. I will write about that in the next post!

Uncategorized

Big business in Poland, part three

We landed in Wroclaw a little bit late on Sunday afternoon. Our flight was delayed by about a half hour. I was feeling grouchy because, once again, we didn’t eat before we traveled and I wasn’t wanting the cheese sandwich being passed out on the plane. Fortunately, getting out of the local airport was a breeze. Wroclaw has a small but very modern airport, and it was super quick getting out of there. The cab driver spoke English and whisked us to the Sofitel Wroclaw, which was one of the hotels authorized for this trip.

As we drove into town, Bill and I marveled at how much more upscale things are looking in Poland. We knew they were coming up in the world during our last visit in 2008, but we were especially impressed by how clean and modern things are looking in 2019. It’s hard to believe that when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1995-97, Poland was a Peace Corps country. I could have easily spent two years in Poland teaching English which, by the way, just about everyone seems to speak almost fluently! We did not have that experience in Poland even in Wroclaw back in 2008. In fact, Bill and I still laugh about how, while visiting Jelena Gora in 2008, we stopped at a McDonald’s and no one there spoke any English. We had to use a picture menu to get what we wanted. This time, I have yet to encounter anyone in this town who doesn’t speak English as well as I do. Here’s a link to a story by an older Peace Corps Volunteer who served as an English teacher at the end of the Peace Corps’ time in Poland. I must admit, I could relate to his experiences, even though I was in Armenia and quite a bit younger.

Another thing I noticed, besides the excellent English skills, is that this town is full of Americans. I’m not sure if all of them are here at the same conference Bill is, but I have heard plenty of folks speaking English with an American accent. In fact, a lot of them were on the same flight we were on Sunday afternoon.

A Polish soldier was sitting at a table checking people in to the conference, so Bill approached her after he checked us into the hotel. Our room this week isn’t nearly as luxurious as the Jumeirah Hotel was, but it’s also not nearly as expensive.

After we dropped off our bags, we headed across the street for food. Wroclaw has several Georgian restaurants, including one called U Gruzina, which is supposedly fast food. I adore Georgian food, so Bill and I went in there for some substantial eats. The place was packed, so we sat at a low level table in the corner, ordered a bottle of Saperavi, and some Georgian specialties. I had Chinkali, which are basically sack shaped dumplings filled with spiced meat or cheese. They’re also very popular in Armenia, as is Khatchapouri, which is what Bill had. They had several varieties at U Gruzina. He chose one stuffed with cheese, potatoes, and bacon. I am a little shy when it comes to cheeses from Transcaucasia, since a lot of them are strong. The cheese at U Gruzina was mild… almost a bit like mozzarella.

They had the usual stuff, minus my favorite Shashlik… (BBQ)

Dinner was surprisingly economical I think we spent 125 Zloty before the tip, which is about $32. Tips are appreciated here. Most folks give at least ten percent for good service.

We walked around the big square after dinner, where preparations for the Christmas markets have been going on all week. They’re just about finished setting up as of today. Too bad we’re going to miss it. I did get some pictures on Sunday night, as well as a street performer who was eating and breathing fire most impressively. When I am back at my big computer at home, I’ll make a video and share part of his performance here.

The museum in the distance is a very striking sight here. Unfortunately, it’s been closed all week.

After we walked around a bit, we stopped by a bar called Literatka. They seem to specialize in coffee, cocktails, and vaping. Fortunately, the vaping and smoking went on behind a glass wall. We had a few cocktails and listened to 80s era music. For some reason, they seemed to enjoy using passion fruit in their drinks. They were okay, but I was more impressed by the heavily pierced and tatted out waitresses, as well as the rather disappointing toilet. Ah well, it was a nice welcome to Wroclaw. The bartender spoke English and was very cute and elfin looking. She probably makes good tips.

Georgian treats at Pirosmani in Frankfurt…

Bill and I didn’t go out yesterday because we were waiting for my contact lenses to be delivered. The driver didn’t get to us until late afternoon. When he did, one of the lenses was the wrong prescription. It’s very convenient to be able to order my lenses from Amazon.de without having to mess with eye exams, but sometimes there’s still human error when it comes to ordering them online.

Bill ended up making roasted red pepper and Brie soup with fresh, homemade bread. We paired it with a lovely white wine from Italy. Here are a few photos…

*Arran is enjoying all the attention he gets as the only dog.*

Although the weather is pretty crappy today, we decided to venture into Frankfurt to try a Georgian restaurant called Pirosmani. Regular readers might remember that last year, before we moved to Wiesbaden, we tried an excellent Georgian restaurant in Stuttgart called Tshito Gwrito. We were bowled over by the food at the Georgian restaurant in Stuttgart and hoped to be similarly impressed by Pirosmani. This restaurant is near the Frankfurt Zoo, as well as a large parking garage, so getting there and parking is super easy. Making reservations is also easy, since they are on OpenTable.

*I always get a kick out of this tower…*

I lived in Armenia for two years. Armenia is just south of Georgia and the cuisine is kind of similar. I haven’t found any Armenian restaurants in Germany yet, but Georgian food is somewhat accessible. Frankfurt has at least two restaurants featuring cuisine from this country in the Caucasus. Edited to add, my German friend Susanne has done her best to find Armenian restaurants for me. They do exist here, but some of them are German or Russian hybrids.

We arrived about twenty minutes early for our 1:00pm reservation. Although the place opened for lunch at 11:30am, there wasn’t a soul in there. We had to climb stairs to get to the dining room. On the first floor, there is a cigar bar, nicely decorated with Georgian bric a brac. Georgian wines are wonderful and, I’m sure if I liked to smoke cigars, they would go very well with tobacco.

We waited in the empty dining room for a few minutes and Bill stuck his head in the kitchen to alert the staff that we were there. A small, black haired woman came out and snapped at Bill in German that she’d be right with us and not to come behind the bar. I must admit, I was a bit put off by her abrupt attitude, particularly since Bill had been friendly and we were waiting for several minutes to be acknowledged. She seemed kind of bitchy, which only invites me to respond in kind. But she ordered us to hang our jackets on the coat racks in the back of the dining room and take a seat at a two top next to a window.

I could hear Russian pop music, along with some music that could have been Armenian, Georgian, or Turkish– I couldn’t hear the lyrics closely enough to tell. I just felt like I was back in Yerevan. The dining room is very formal looking, but the music is definitely casual. Bill wanted to order a bottle of wine, but they didn’t have any that was dry. We settled on a “halb-trocken” (semi sweet) red from Georgia. Our surly waitress brought out some insanely delicious bread and butter and we ordered our first two courses.

I started with Sazivi, a cold dish of fried corn fed chicken served with a sauce made of crushed walnuts and saffron. The chicken was basically cut up, complete with bones. I liked the walnut sauce, which was a bit rich, but had sort of a spicy kick to it. I had to watch how much I ate, though, since I followed up with pork “shashlik”, basically marinated pieces of pork served with roasted and pickled vegetables. Bill had tschichirtma, a hearty chicken soup that had a whole piece of chicken in it, complete with bones. He followed it with tschaqapuli, a lamb stew in tarragon white wine brew, refined with fresh herbs.

While we were waiting, another party showed up. There were four of them, and they sat in a corner. There was another party of two at the back of the restaurant. I noticed the waitress seemed to relax a bit and warm up once she saw us enjoying the food, pictured below.

*Empty room. I loved the tile floor, though.*

We really did enjoy the food and the atmosphere, which was kind of classy except for the table full of linens in front of our table. The waitress was rolling them into napkins. The service could have been better. The waitress didn’t replace soiled silverware, nor did she have a particularly friendly attitude. I totally understand being surly when you’re waiting tables, but I was puzzled by her lack of warmth. In my experience, Georgians are warm, like Armenians are. Oh well… maybe the yucky weather put her off.

We spent 102 euros on lunch. It was a bit pricey, particularly since it wasn’t dinner, but we had plenty to eat and the food was mostly good and a nice change of pace. The dining room seems fancier than the overall atmosphere is. I would probably go back again, although I hope for a somewhat nicer waitress. I notice they offer a business lunch deal, as well as three hours of free parking. We didn’t take them up on the free parking, although we probably should have. Maybe we’ll try Old Tiflis next time. It’s Frankfurt’s other Georgian restaurant.

Uncategorized

Wonderful Georgian food at Tshito-Gwrito in Stuttgart!

Today’s post is brought to you courtesy of Stacy, a member of Stuttgart food and wine lovers, a Facebook group for English speakers in the Stuttgart area. A few days ago, Stacy posted about Tshito-Gwrito, a Georgian restaurant she and her husband discovered. She remembered that I posted about how much I love Georgian wines and wondered if I’d tried this restaurant. I must confess that prior to her post, I had no idea the place existed. However, it took very little convincing before I was ready to drive the hour to the city to try it. Earlier today, their official Web site was working, but right now, it appears to be down. You can also check out their Facebook page.

I was excited to try Tshito-Gwrito, mainly because I used to live in the Republic of Armenia, which is the country south of Georgia. Both Armenia and Georgia are Christian countries that were once part of the former Soviet Union. Wine was pretty much born in Georgia and Armenia, although during the Soviet era, Georgia focused on winemaking while Armenia focused on producing exquisite brandy. When I looked at the restaurant’s menu, I saw a few selections I remembered from my time in Armenia. Their cuisines are somewhat similar. I already knew about Georgia’s wonderful wines, which I have talked up a lot in Stuttgart food and wine lovers. I had a feeling the food would be a most welcome change of pace.

From our home, Tshito-Gwrito is about an hour away by car. It was a bit of a pain to navigate Stuttgart traffic and then find a place to park. However, I am happy to report that the effort was well worth it. We had a wonderful time at Tshito-Gwrito and we will definitely make an effort to go back. I saw a few things on the menu I still want to try.

A couple of shots of the outside. In warmer months, they have a Biergarten.

On weekends, Tshito-Gwrito opens at 3:00pm and stays open until midnight. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Tuesday through Friday, Tshito-Gwrito opens at 5:00pm and closes at midnight; they will be open tomorrow for Easter. Our waitress, a lovely lady who eventually confessed to us that she’s half German, half Irish, said that tomorrow they will have Georgians and Armenians having their Easter meal there. I suspect there will be a lot of happy drunk people there giving super long toasts. Drinking and toasting are two other things the Georgians and Armenians have in common. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was also music and dancing.

A shot of the interior. The dining room we were in was rather small, though they appeared to have another room to the left as we walked in. We took a seat in a corner. We had plenty of room, since we arrived at just after 3:00pm. Two other parties were there with us.

Bill checks out the menu.

Our waitress spoke perfect English. She seemed slightly relieved when I told her I used to live in Armenia and, therefore, knew about food from the region. I’m not sure if they’ve had issues with people who don’t get the concept of food from the Caucasus region. Personally, I thought today’s food was outstanding… in fact, I don’t remember enjoying anything as much when I actually lived in the region. But then, that was was also the mid 1990s, which definitely wasn’t the best time to be in that area. Things have improved dramatically over the past 20 years or so.

We ordered a bottle of Mukuzani, which is a spicy, dry, red wine made from Saperavi grapes in Mukuzani, Kakheti. Mukuzani is aged in oak casks for at least three years longer than similar wines, which gives it a different flavor profile. This wine was delicious, especially after it had some time to open. The restaurant also offers Georgian wines by the glass and a range of beers and other beverages. They have “cha cha” too, which is basically Georgia’s version of grappa. I steer clear of it because it’s very strong stuff… reminds me of jet fuel.

The waitress explained that the restaurant prefers to serve the meals family style, which is also how it’s often done in the Caucasus. That worked fine for Bill and me, since we like to try different things. I hesitated when she recommended the Khachapuri, which is flat bread baked with cheese and other fillings. I remembered the super strong cheese it was served with in Armenia. The waitress set my mind at ease when she said the cheese they used was mozzarella mixed with a Georgian cheese. I resolved to try it, reasoning that Bill loves strong cheese and would finish it if I didn’t like it. We also ordered the spinach, which was basically like a spread made with walnuts, spinach, onions, pomegranate seeds, and Georgian spices.

Oh my word… I am SO glad we had the Khachapuri. It was delicious. It came out hot from the oven, with mild cheese that was not at all offensive to my sensitive palate. And that spinach was also amazing. Bill said my eyes lit up as I tasted it.

When you look at the menu at Tshito-Gwrito, in the back, you will notice a separate section called Vorbestellung. Basically, those are dishes you can order ahead of time. Today, they had several dishes from that part of the menu available. One of the dishes they had was Ostri, pictured below.

Basically, the Ostri was like a tomato based beef stew. The beef reminded me of very tender pot roast cut into chunks and mixed with the mildly spiced tomato ragu. It was served with slices of bread that could be used to sop up the stew. They also had a chicken stew.

And we also had Shashlik– marinated pork grilled on a spit and served with onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and fried potatoes. The shashlik came with a cold tomato sauce on the side.

When I lived in Armenia, one of my favorite treats was xhorovatz (Armenian barbecue). It was basically meat on a stick cooked over a fire and served with vegetables and lavash. Shashlik was a lot like xhorovatz, minus the lavash. It was delicious! I will admit that getting through the last course was a challenge. I was getting full!

We took some time to finish our wine and water after we finished the shashlik, listening to the pop music and chatting with the friendly waitress, who confessed that the Georgians who own the restaurant are wonderful people. I am not surprised. That part of the world is renowned for its hospitality. I am hoping we can plan a trip to Georgia and Armenia before we have to leave Europe. I am dying to show Bill my old stomping grounds, meet up with people I know over there, and enjoy the amazing food and wine.

We finished up by splitting a Napoleon, which is basically a very light, crispy pastry filled with custard and covered with powdered sugar. We also had espresso, which came with a little glass of sparkling water. Napoleons are widely found in the Caucasus region and in Russia and France.

When we were finally finished after almost three hours, we owed about 81 euros. This was a wonderful meal and worth every Euro cent. We definitely plan to go back sometime, even though getting there isn’t that easy. The food is outstanding and the service was charming and friendly. Honestly, in a place where there are so many Greek, German, and Italian restaurants, it’s such a nice change of pace to have a meal in a place that serves something different. We didn’t have a single item today that we didn’t really enjoy.

If you’re in the mood for something different, I would highly recommend making the trip to Tshito-Gwrito. Many thanks, once again, to Stacy in the food and wine group! One of the reasons I started that group was so that we might all make new culinary discoveries! Today’s restaurant definitely counts as one of those! And now I can steer people to Russian food AND Georgian food in the Stuttgart area.

I think this is my new WTF look.

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: Georgian food

We tried out a new Georgian restaurant near us… Kinto!

Charlie and Noyzi take their first “family walk” together…

Sweet false hopes… but BrewDog saved the afternoon!

Big business in Poland, part eight

Big business in Poland, part five

Big business in Poland, part three

Georgian treats at Pirosmani in Frankfurt…

Wonderful Georgian food at Tshito-Gwrito in Stuttgart!