Tag Archives: German food

Baden-Württemberg

Eating like a linebacker at Funzel in Sindelfingen…

Sindelfingen is an area near the Stuttgart military community.  It’s also home to Mercedes Benz, Breuningerland, and Erospark.  In 2007, Bill and I stayed one night at the Sindelfingen Marriott Hotel.  Other than that, we haven’t spent a lot of time in Sindelfingen.  Today, we needed to go to Patch Barracks to run some errands.  Bill said he wanted to go out for lunch.  He also wanted to try someplace new.

I had heard a lot of good things about Funzel, which is a German restaurant in the old part of Sindelfingen.  Since we never go to Sindelfingen, we decided to venture there today and check out things.  It was no problem finding Funzel, which is right in the middle of Sindelfingen’s surprisingly cute old town.  It did take us time to find a parking spot.  We finally settled for parking at the enormous Stern Center, which is just a short walk from the old town.

Pretty soon, those tables outside will be packed with people enjoying spring weather.

 

When we arrived at Funzel at about 12:45pm, the place was pretty much packed.  I sensed that most of the clientele were Germans, but I also noticed some Americans there.  I liked the way the inside of the restaurant looked, with its cozy tables, rustic decor, and wooded walls.  A guy in lederhosen invited us to sit at a pub table near the bar.  He and a lady in a dirndl appeared to be the only ones taking care of the entire restaurant.  Consequently, it took awhile to get served.  Fortunately, we were in no hurry.

The food at Funzel appears to be very typically German.  Here’s where you can get your schweinebraten, schnitzel, and schweinshaxe.  I noticed they had several kinds of schnitzel and was actually tempted to order that.  But then I remembered that the last time I had schnitzel, it lasted three meals.  I never did finish it, either.  I was also tempted by the schweinshaxe, but again– way too much food!  And when I saw them coming out of the kitchen, I realized I made a good choice when I decided to have zander filet.  Bill went with the “spicy goulash”.

Bill checks out the menu.  I quipped that it looked like someone had taken a bath while reading them.  The pages were a bit water warped.  But I was pleased to see reasonably priced food and a broad variety of local favorites.

I had a lovely hefeweizen.  Bill had a dunkel.  Both beers were excellent, of course.  It’s hard to have a bad beer in this country.

Bill’s goulash came with a nice salad.  This came out well before our main dishes did.  Bill inhaled it and said it was very good.  Then we waited quite a bit longer for the rest of the food.

My zander filet was very tasty.  I enjoyed the light breading on the mild fish, the riesling sauce, and the fact that it wasn’t humongous.  The potatoes were plain, boiled, and parsley covered.  I also got plenty of greens.  I didn’t eat too many greens because I don’t have a problem with constipation.  

We thought it was funny that the goulash was supposed to be “spicy”.  It was as mild as morning milk.  But it tasted good and went well with the spaetzle.  If you’re looking for truly spicy goulash, though, you might be disappointed.

I got a kick out of this sign, which was hanging in the bathroom.  Hand washing is very important for so many reasons.  But, if anything, consider that you have to hand your money to people who are serving food.  In the interest of not spreading germs, you should wash your hands.  In the interest of not being gross, you should remember where your hands tend to be when you use the restroom.  Brought to you by a lady who has an unused master’s degree in public health and still got norovirus last year at this time.  😉

 

Lunch at Funzel was very low key, despite the number of people enjoying lunch there today.  I didn’t see anyone particularly rushed or stressed, which as a former waitress, I found rather refreshing.  I enjoyed the 70s and 80s music playing and the fact that a well-behaved dog was charming a little boy on his way back from the bathroom.

Because the restaurant was so busy today, service was a bit on the slow side.  But the food tasted good and was reasonably priced.  Today’s lunch was 36 euros before the tip.  I thought that was fair.  It also appeared to be a very kid/family friendly place.  The kitchen stays open all day, with no pause.  That’s a definite plus when you’re coming to Sindelfingen from places south.  Another bonus is that parking at the Stern Center on a Sunday is dirt cheap.  We paid fifty cents to park for two hours.

Looking around old town Sindelfingen, I see we’re going to have to come back and do some more exploring there.  If anything, I need to add to my Good Eats restaurant guide.

After lunch, we visited the commissary and stopped by the Shoppette, where we managed to load up on some nice craft beers we’ve been missing lately.  In the States, I have a spare refrigerator I bought because we rented a house that didn’t have a fridge in it.  I now use it as a beer fridge and call it the “fridge of sin”.  We’re missing the fridge of sin here in Germany…  

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Drinking at a fake German beach and eating at a real German restaurant…

Several months ago, Bill and I were in the charming city of Nagold when I noticed what looked like a fake German beach.  It had sand, beach chairs, umbrellas, tables, and a large bar area.  Summer was coming and obviously this was meant to resemble a beach bar for landlocked beach loving southern Germans.  At the time I noticed it, I made a mental note to come back and try the fake beach bar.  We finally made it to Anker Beach yesterday afternoon.  It happened to be Anker Beach’s last day of operation.  From what I could tell on their Facebook page, though Anker Beach has been in Nagold for four summers, it will not be back next year.

Before we visited the “beach”, I used the ladies room at the nearby Edeka and noticed that the soap dispenser has handy instructions on how a person might properly wash his or her hands.  I wonder how many people have actually paid attention to these directions helpfully laid out in diagrams. 

 

It was kind of an overcast afternoon and the temperatures were a bit cooler than they have been recently.  Bill and I took a seat on cushionless outdoor couches and started enjoying the last day of the Anker Beach Bar in Nagold…

As you can see, it wasn’t flooded with people right away…

There were lots of dirty ashtrays, too.

But we still enjoyed ourselves.

 

This was the drink menu.  I don’t think they had everything available.  You could order whole bottles of vodka or gin if you wanted, albeit at steep prices.

After some time, more people started showing up.

I finally tried an Aperol spritz.  It reminded me of fizzy orange Kool-Aid.

This next drink was very good… and very, very potent.  I’m pretty sure the bartender was unloading the last of his booze.  

All in all, though, the strandbar was a bit sad yesterday.  

We finally left as the sun was starting to sink.

 

Apparently, “beach bars” are a thing in Germany during the summer.  There’s also one in Sindelfingen at Breuningerland.

We thought about having dinner at our old friend Gino’s restaurant, but Gino wasn’t open last night.  So we went to a different restaurant instead, one we hadn’t tried before.  It was called Burg.  The food turned out to be very good.

Bill checks out the menu…  He had salmon and I had trout.

My trout came with this salad, which was very fresh and delicious.  Bill and I shared it.

This trout was sinfully delicious.  It tasted like it had come straight from the river and was cooked in butter.  The potatoes were also excellent.  I couldn’t finish all of this, but I wanted to.  I love fresh fish!

Bill was happy with his Scottish salmon, though I think he liked my trout better.  The salmon came with rice and simply prepared vegetables…

And naturally, we paired our fish with a lovely Pinot Grigio from the wine list.

This was dessert…  It was a digestive that tasted of earth after a good spring rain.  However, I probably should have had plain water.  Yesterday was a very boozy day for me.

And this was Bill’s dessert, the creamy sabayon of the house.  Sabayon is a light Italian mousse/custard.   It was delicious.

The menu outside.

I could see they had a nice looking biergarten, though it wasn’t open yesterday.

Nagold is such a pretty town, even at night.

The lady who waited on us was very friendly and offered excellent service.  We felt very welcome at Burg and would happily go back, especially now that the weather is cooling down.  The food at Burg is traditionally German, so it will stick to your ribs.  I also liked the charming interior of Burg.  There are lots of adorable eckbank groups in there.

Perhaps today, I will enjoy the rain and bum around as the weather turns into fall.

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Our Thanksgiving meal and other delights…

As I wrote earlier today, we decided to go out to a restaurant for our Thanksgiving meal.  Although I know I could have found a place that offered really good and somewhat Thanksgiving appropriate food for our celebration, I ended up choosing to dine at Herrenberg’s Gasthaus Lamm Inh. Wolfgang Mezger.  I chose this place because on Trip Advisor, it is listed as Herrenberg’s number one restaurant.  I figured that since it was a gasthaus, it would have the hearty fare I was craving.  I had visions of Stuttgart traffic and decided we should stick closer to home.

Earlier today, I also had the idea that I would like to go to the SI Suites near Kelley and visit the Schwabenquellen spa, but when Bill found out it was textile free, he was having none of it.  We compromised and decided that later we’d visit the Mineraltherme Boeblingen.  I even gave some thought to visiting the textile free area by myself.

Before we went out to dinner, though, I had some household chores to do.  Since I don’t have a job that pays me big bucks, I like to earn my keep.  So on Thursdays, I vacuum the house and typically do laundry.  This morning, the weather was absolutely shitty.  Bill took the dogs for a walk and I did my vacuuming.

**Skip this part if you have a weak stomach.  I’ll let you know when to read again…**

About an hour after they returned from their walk, I heard the sound most dog owners dread.  Arran had vomited up something extremely foul all over my ugly hallway rug.  It was so nasty and vile smelling that I almost sympathy hurled.  Bill grabbed one end of the 5X8 rug and I grabbed another.  We took it outside, where the weather was misty and cold.  I brought Bill lots of hot water with vinegar and baking soda while he kindly cleaned the rank smelling rug for me.  It’s still sitting outside deputrifying.

Arran’s puking episode made me nervous, since when you look up “dog’s vomit that smells like poop” on Google, most sites tell you it’s a veterinary emergency because your dog has surely got a bowel obstruction.  However, Bill had seen Arran eat some kind of feces while they were walking in the field behind our house.  I know Arran well enough to know that he fancies himself a poop hunter while on walks…  but he doesn’t have the iron constitution of his predecessor, MacGregor, who was a true connoisseur of all things crappy.  Arran usually throws up when he eats shit; that’s why I tend to keep him on a short leash behind our house.  Since Bill was walking him today, he had a little more freedom to get into trouble.  Anyway, fortunately after his one extremely disgusting vomit fest, Arran was fine.

**Nasty part is done… weak stomached readers can read again…**

So off we went to the Mineraltherme.   I was drying clothes before we left and had the dryer running.  Bill was nervous about it, so we went back and turned the dryer off.

I was a little hungry when we got to the spa.  We first stopped in their restaurant and I had a glass of Riesling and a nice bowl of carrot and ginger soup.  It was served with a somewhat soggy piece of bread covered with melted mozzarella cheese.  Bill had a ham and cheese panini and a beer.  They served us a house shot of soup, which I didn’t eat because it was made with mushrooms.  I don’t ever eat mushrooms, but even if I had liked them a little, I was still a little grossed out by Arran.  The earthy mushroom aroma was doing nothing for my stomach or my nerves.

My carrot ginger soup.  It was okay, though probably could have used a little salt… or maybe more ginger.

 

Bill’s panini.  He declared it “substantial”.  He also enjoyed the wild mushroom soup shots.  

We spent the next couple of hours enjoying the pools at the Mineraltherme.  Although Bill is generally reluctant to go there, he’s always relaxed when we leave and never regrets going.  We did have a good time, despite getting a few peevish looks from a couple of older gentlemen.  I didn’t go down to the textile free area today because we didn’t have time.  One of these days, I will disrobe and enjoy the freedom of being naked in front of complete strangers.  I may need more Riesling to do it, though.

We got home at about 5:30 or so, took the dogs out for a wee, and I washed our swimsuits and such on a short cycle.  I put them in the dryer.  Then we left for our dinner at the Gasthaus Lamm.  On the way there, I started feeling nervous about the dryer.  I went as far as to look up on the web to see if we were taking a big risk by letting it run while we were out.  I had visions of coming home to an obliterated house and two dead dogs.  At the same time, the rational side of me told me I was being ridiculous.  I now know that leaving major appliances running when you aren’t home is probably not worth the risk or my neurotic worrying.

Bill parked the car and we headed for the adorable Gasthaus Lamm.  Although the restaurant is clearly popular with locals and we used to visit Herrenberg all the time when we lived here the first time, we had not been there before.  When we entered the building, we were immediately charmed by how cozy and quaint it is.  Make no mistake, the Gasthaus Lamm in Herrenberg is a very small venue.  You may wish to make reservations before going for dinner.

Herrenberg at Christmastime… sehr cute.

We were warned that we would be sharing a table.  Sure enough, we joined a German couple at a rather private little four top tucked away in a corner.  We had a good view of the bar, where the young, attractive waitresses were slinging beers.  The place was pretty much packed and it was all Germans, having a good time on a Thursday night.

Outside of the restaurant.

 

It was a little like being home at Granny’s house in the restaurant, since we were sitting at a table with a couple of people we didn’t know and the place was wall to wall people.  Those who went to Longwood with me in the 90s may remember Macado’s restaurant during that era.  The ambiance was much more authentically charming at Gasthaus Lamm, but the space constraints were very similar…  Those who don’t know what I’m writing about can just imagine themselves in a really cute but tiny, cozy restaurant.

We started with Schimpf Christmas beers…  These were nice, though somewhat pedestrian.  They did chase away my thirst, though.

Bill ordered the special wild boar being offered tonight with spatzle and red cabbage slaw.  It came with a little pot of gravy to go with that already on the meat.

I had a cordon blue schnitzel with fries…  I awarded points when the waitress asked if I wanted ketchup or mayo to go with my fries.  That rarely happens!

This was what our plates looked like when we finally quit eating.  The food was very good.  Bill’s boar was especially good.  But it’s for people who have huge stomachs!  

For dessert, we both had hefeweizens.  This was very good.  Reminded me a bit of Franziskaner.  I had never before had either of the beers offered at Gasthaus Lamm, but I liked them both.  I especially enjoyed the Berg Ulrich Bier.

Obligatory Bill shot, after our German stranger dinner companions departed.  It was a little odd sitting with them, because it seemed like both couples were trying to pretend the other couple wasn’t there.  The table was rather intimate, rather than the long table I was expecting.  Also, I know people think I look dumb when I photograph food for this blog.  I did like the little alcove, though.  It was nice and private, otherwise.  The other couple was nice enough, too.  Anyway, breaking bread with strangers and family is what Thanksgiving is all about, right?

A shot of the bar from where I was sitting.  Other people were sitting on the other sides.

 

As I was sitting on the cute little bench, I noticed my buns were warm.  It reminded me of our old house, which had a masonry heater.  When we used it, the bench would heat up and I’d have a nice warm butt…  warmer than sitting on the dryer or getting a good spanking.  But actually, last night I was just sitting over a heating vent.  What a thrill it was having my buns toasted in a restaurant!

A shot of the other side of the table from where I was sitting, again after the other couple left.

Wall art.  They had a lot of cool stuff on the walls.  We also tried that beer…

A message on the bottom of my glass… Is it German or Schwabish?  Who knows?  It’s backwards as well as in a language other than my mother tongue.

Anyone want to translate?

 

Our total bill came to 44,60.  That was for two very substantial and tasty meals and four beers between us.  Service was pleasant, friendly, and competent.  Our servers seemed to take pride in speaking English to us, even though when it comes to restaurants, we can sort of get by in German.  The lady who took our reservation also spoke English.  The food was very good, though the portions were huge.  It seemed like more of a bar atmosphere than a restaurant, but clearly the locals love it.  We will definitely be back…  In fact, we need to get back into the habit of visiting Herrenberg.  I had forgotten how cute it is, especially at this time of year!

We came home and happily found our house still intact, despite my decision to run the dryer while we were out.  The dogs were glad to see us and are now blissfully sleeping on my new sheets.  I am about to join them.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Stay tuned, because we will make up for last week’s lack of restaurant outings this weekend!

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Dinner at Hotel Adler in Nagold…

Although the terrorist events in Paris that happened last night kind of put a damper on our spirits today, Bill and I decided we wanted to go out to dinner.  Originally, we hoped to try a nice restaurant in Wildberg that gets great reviews and has a Michelin Star.  But they were fully booked tonight.  So then we went to Nagold and tried to walk in to Il Due, an Italian place we keep meaning to try.  But they, too, were entirely booked.  So we went to Hotel Adler, where we had dined once at lunchtime back in July.

I was eager to try Hotel Adler again, because they offer good German/Swabish food and they have a really lovely dining room.  Since it’s November, we knew it wouldn’t be hot and nasty in their restaurant like it was when we were there in July.  Of course, the intense July heat wasn’t their fault, but I’d be lying if I said I fully enjoyed our first experience there.  I have memories of sweating a lot.

They also looked pretty full tonight, but we were in luck because they had a two top table available for us.  It was in their breakfast area.  I noticed that aside from the full main dining room, the breakfast area also had a bunch of tables with reserved signs on them.

I catch Bill smiling after a kind waitress lit our candle.  This was right before a whole bunch of people showed up for dinner.  There was only one other party in the dining room when I took this picture.  Minutes later, the place filled up.

 

Since I had fish the last time we visited, I decided to try the Hotel Adler’s Argentinian rumpsteak.  Bill had a wild game plate.  I think he said it was venison he was enjoying, but he didn’t seem entirely sure. We also ordered wine and water, as usual.  Tonight’s wine was a nice Bordeaux that went well with our meat dishes.

Bill started with a salad.  My dish did not come with a salad, but that was okay… I’m not that into salads, anyway.

Bill’s wild game.  He said this was a bit dry, though it came with a gravy that seemed to help.  There was also a dish of cranberry sauce that I think was supposed to go with my steak, but he used it on his meat, too.  

 

And, of course he had spatzle, too…

 

I really enjoyed this steak.  I ordered it medium, but it was really more medium rare.  It came with a side of house made croquettes… basically, deep fried mashed potatoes.  Yum! I liked the gravy that came with the meat; it complimented it well.  Also, I noticed this steak was good quality and didn’t have the weird aftertaste I notice sometimes with German beef.  Seeing as though this was supposed  to be Argentinian, I kind of expected that it wouldn’t taste German.

 

The wait staff were all pretty women dressed in dirndls.  They were very professional, even when one of them dropped a plate that made a big crash.  No one was stressed or rushed, though service was probably slower than what many Americans might expect.  I have come to appreciate the way dining is in Europe, though.  I didn’t mind waiting and digesting while chatting with Bill.

We were tempted by dessert.  Bill had vanilla ice cream with hot raspberry sauce.

I had chocolate mousse… white chocolate and milk, with a scoop of ice cream and a cookie.

 

Our check came to 78 euros.  I thought it was worth the cost.  I like Hotel Adler, especially when the weather is cooler.  It’s a nice place to have a traditional meal.  Their main dining room is classy, with its traditional wood paneling.  Since our 13th wedding anniversary is Monday, we will probably try to go to a special restaurant.  I am not sure where that will be yet…

This cake is an example of why Bill and I have been married so happily for so long…  He went to the Real today and they had Black Forest cake.  They almost never do.  He knows I like it, so he bought a couple of pieces.  This was also really nice.  Not too sweet or heavy and a lovely surprise…  I probably shouldn’t have had dessert at Hotel Adler since I ate this earlier today.  But, what the hell…  

 

On a personal note, it does my heart good to see so many good restaurants in Nagold… and see them full of people enjoying their evening instead of being cowed by terrorism.  I’m going to make a point of continuing to go out and enjoying myself… and living my life as well as I can.  I hope others will, too.

 

 
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Best laid plans…

Bill and I had planned to go to Rocktoberfest last night, but we got to Tommi’s about forty minutes too early– they weren’t opening until 8:00.  We did know this, but weren’t sure if that meant they weren’t doing their usual dinner service.  Since we wanted to have dinner, we decided to go somewhere else and maybe kill some time before Tommi’s was ready to receive us.

So we went two doors down to Zum Schiff and had dinner.  We ordered a round of beer and listened to Bruce Springsteen over the sound system, which I thought was pretty cool.  It wasn’t very loud, though, so once a few more people showed up, I couldn’t hear the music anymore.

I didn’t take any pictures because I had the same thing last night that I did the first time we visited.  Bill had something different.  I think it was sauerbraten with red cabbage and a big dumpling.  Both dishes came with salads and bread.

I wasn’t as happy with the bread this time, because instead of butter, they served it with some kind of quark spread.  The one I tried had chives, but tasted a little musty, like bleu cheese.  Bill caught the look on my face and laughed as I carefully removed the bread from my mouth.  I have a hard time with cheese.  It has to be very mild and melted.  Bill tried the spread and liked it.  They had another spread that he said was Italian flavored, with basil, tomato, and other spices.  I didn’t try it, though, because I seriously will gag if I’m not careful with very strongly flavored foods.

Anyway, we were enjoying our meal and several other folks showed up.  We were the only non Germans in the place and Bill remarked that he thought the proprietor must be local because it sounded like she was speaking the local dialect.  I couldn’t help but notice that a lot of the people who came seemed to know her well and she gave most of them warm hugs.  I take that as a good sign.

Another couple came in and sat at a corner table.  No one had turned on the light.  They were there a few minutes before another woman working noticed them and alerted the proprietor, who said “Oh hallo!”  She turned on the light for them and they laughed.

I commented to Bill about how I’ve come to enjoy German food.  Then, realizing how many gasthauses there are here, I said “I guess I’d better like it, huh?”

About halfway through dinner, a guy sitting at the table two down from us held up the wine bottle peppermill that we noticed the last time we visited.  He said in English, “German humor!  It’s a peppermill!”

I remarked that we noticed that the first time we visited.  Pretty soon, we realized that most everyone dining at the same time we were spoke very good English.  The lone exception was the proprietor, who, if she spoke English, did not let on.  I enjoyed the mood in the restaurant, though, because it almost felt like we were mingling among friends, even though I didn’t actually meet anyone.  Everyone was very friendly and convivial and it wasn’t nearly as loud as I was sure Tommi’s was.

Finally, the folks that showed us the wine bottle peppermill got up to leave and the male half said, “Enjoy your holiday!”

I laughed and said, “We live here.  It’s a two year holiday!”

Another round of laughter.  Jettingen is sure a fun town.

It was about 9:30 when we left Zum Schiff, so we decided to go home instead of hanging out at Tommi’s.  I doubt anyone missed us.

These were taken the first time we visited about a month ago.

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The Haslacher Hof…

So many times over the past year, I have passed the Sporthalle Gastatte Haslacher Hof.  This is a German restaurant in a sportsplatz, which is a very common thing around here.  I noticed that the parking lot for this restaurant is always pretty full, which usually means the food is good.  I wasn’t in the mood for our third Hello Fresh meal this week, so I told Bill we should try this restaurant, which we had been meaning to do for months.

Nice shot of the outside.  Parking is free and plentiful.

We arrived at about 6:00 or so.  A few tables were set, along with what appeared to be a table for a large party.  We got a few curious glances as we came in.  I got the sense the staff at this restaurant is used to regulars and as first timers, we attracted attention.  The food served at the Haslacher Hof is distinctly German and the beer they serve is Hochdorf.

Given my mycophobic nature, I was a little horrified by the mushroom art.  They were otherwise decorated for Halloween.

 

I settled on the schweineschnitzel rather quickly.  It came with a side salad and a side dish.  I chose pommes, but there were several sides offered.  Bill went with the gypsy schnitzel.  As we waited for our food, I looked around and was kind of reminded of a fellowship hall at a church.  The dining room was very functional, complete with folding room dividers, views of the surrounding countryside, and music from a local pop radio station.

This salad was interesting.  There were little mounds of vegetables within it.  A mound of potato salad.  A mound of minced carrots.  A mound of radishes and cabbage and green beans.  I didn’t care for the dressing, which was a little too yogurty for me.  I’m not a fan of milk and if I’m not careful, the taste of it will turn my stomach.  Bill loves milk, so he liked it.  And if I had wanted to, I could have taken what was left of my salad to go.  That was a favor offered, not requested.  Loved the cucumbers cut like waffle fries.

My schnitzel.  It tasted very good and was a manageable size.  The pommes were also good.  

Bill loved his dish, the Ziguenerschnitzel, which he chose over a turkey schnitzel.

This particular restaurant apparently specializes in cakes.  I didn’t see any slices offered on the menu, but you can order them whole.  Though neither Bill nor I needs any calories from cakes, we might just have to do that sometime because the pictures on their Web site look good.  A children’s menu is also available.

We left as the party was cranking up.  Looked like people were going to have a good time and I could tell that this restaurant enjoys a regular clientele who visit frequently.  Our bill was 37 euros.  Bill bumped it up to 40 and now we’re home, enjoying what is left of our Saturday.  I’m thinking about going to bed early.

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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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anecdotes

Our Easter outing…

Like a lot of Americans, I was wondering what we’d be doing for Easter.  Easter is a big weekend in Germany and a lot of places shut down on Good Friday and Easter Monday.  Easter is always on Sunday anyway, so a lot of places would be closed regardless.

We didn’t go anywhere yesterday because the weather sucked.  I didn’t even manage to get dressed and I spent most of the day drinking cocktails and playing Facebook games.  I was determined to make up for that today.  First off, I had Bill make reservations at the Waldheim Restaurant, since one of the family members who runs it was kind enough to tell us they’d be open on Easter and they were advertising asparagus, which is now in season.  Next, I decided we needed to visit the Mineraltherme Boeblingen.

We had one o’clock reservations, so I got all gussied up…

I decided to look at the sun while I took the photo…  Beats my usual pseudo-sexual look, right?  Maybe not.

After beagle proofing the house, we headed toward Boeblingen.  The Waldheim was doing a brisk business.  We were seated in a small dining room with two other tables of Americans.

It was a little like sitting at the kids’ table at Thanksgiving, but we didn’t mind…

Bill sure looks spiffy in his new sweater.  I may have to steal that from him.

We both had Weizenbocks…  at first the waitress didn’t understand what Bill wanted, but soon all was clear.

The Waldheim Restaurant was offering a special menu for Easter and an asparagus menu, along with their regular fare.  I had been jonesing for asparagus earlier this week, so I ordered it with pork medallions.  It came with lots of Hollandaise Sauce and parsley potatoes.

One bite of this and Bill could tell I was loving it.  The asparagus was really excellent.  Last time we were here, we didn’t get into asparagus, but we did enjoy it on a Space A trip to Germany and Austria in May 2012.  

Bill had the special wild boar with spatzle, red cabbage, and some kind of berry sauce.  The wild boar was succulent and excellent, but I think I liked my dish a little better.  Cabbage does a number of me and makes me unpleasant to be around.

I catch Bill enjoying his meal…

 

We decided to order dessert.  After careful consideration, I chose the Waldheim Eis, which was chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, and Eierlikor (egg liqueur).  As you can see, Germans take their ice cream seriously and it was delivered with much fanfare.

This was very yummy, though… and the waitress said it is her favorite dessert…

The folks at the table next to us saw the desserts and noticed as I took a photo.  When the waitress came back, one man at the table got all excited.  He told the waitress he’d have what I was having.  Unfortunately, he didn’t realize the ice cream had alcohol in it and was apparently sensitive to it for medical reasons.  I watched him cringe as he tasted it.  I felt kind of bad for him.  He asked me what the liquor was and I told him.  The waitress confirmed it.  Maybe I should have warned him, but since we didn’t know each other, I figured it wasn’t my place.

Bill had the warm Vienna style apple strudel.  It came with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.  

 

The guy who had accidentally ingested alcohol came over to chat with us when it became obvious Bill knew some of the same people he did.  He was very nice to talk to.  Turns out he’s a chaplain and has only been in the area for a few months.  He and his wife seemed to be enjoying themselves, though, along with several folks who appeared to be good friends.  That’s one thing I love about living abroad.  You often end up meeting more people because many Americans are here for the same reason and know a lot of the same people.  You recognize people who are from where you’re from and you kind of bond.

I doubt what happened today would have happened in a place like San Antonio.  I still know folks from my Peace Corps years in Armenia that I doubt I would have met if I hadn’t lived abroad at the same time they did.  We just wouldn’t have run in the same circles.

Our total bill was 61 euros.   That included two excellent lunches, three beers between us, and two desserts.  The Waldheim Restaurant will be in Boeblingen until May 25th; then it will close until July as the owners relocate to a new place in Renningen.

The parking lot had mostly cleared out by the time we left.  We even saw some snowflakes as we ate.

After lunch, we went to the Mineraltherme.  Last time we visited was in 2007, when we were here last time.  Bill and I really enjoyed going there during our first Germany tour, but never managed to go back after we found a house.  I had been wanting to go back there for a long time, so Bill finally relented.  Parking is free and plentiful.  You should bring a towel and shower shoes if you want them.

On the way to the Mineraltherme…

For obvious reasons, I didn’t take a camera into the pool area.  For 11 euros per adult, you get 2.5 hours in the Mineraltherme, which has several heated and unheated saltwater pools, a sauna, and a solarium.  For the uninitiated, it can be a little tricky visiting for the first time.  The signs are all in German, after all, as one would expect them to be.  But they give you a watch-like disc that you wear on your wrist and that serves as a time keeper and lets you buy food and beverages without a wallet.

Bill always has a good time when we go anywhere there’s water, but he’s shy about his body.  Of course, in Europe most people aren’t too shy about baring themselves.  If I may be candid, I would also add that Bill’s body is definitely nothing out of the ordinary or anything to be ashamed of, especially compared to some of the people I saw today.  We Americans should take a lesson from Germans and not be so shy and embarrassed about nudity.  They honestly don’t care what you look like and frankly, it’s very liberating.  One of these days, I’m going to brave public nudity… or at least try a textile free sauna!

We spent our whole time in the pools, watching people make out and a few brave souls getting into the cold water plunge pool.  We saw one poor kid with a prodigiously bleeding nose.  I felt very sorry for him, but at least he had someone helping him.  I’m not really sure what happened, but I’m guessing it involved horseplay.

After a couple of hours of fun in the Mineraltherme, we emerged feeling very relaxed. It was a little tricky figuring out how to exit, but with help from a staffer, we were able to turn in the wrist bands and make our way home.  I now feel like taking a nice long nap.

I have decided I need to go to the Mineraltherme much more often, even if it means I go by myself.  I love that place.  I need to book a massage, too.  Germans really know how to relax.  I just try not to think about how many people might have peed in the water.

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Baden-Württemberg, Tübingen

Restaurant Rosenau in Tübingen

I thought Bill and I were going to be going out for French food last night.  A couple of months ago, I had done an Internet search of French restaurants and somehow the Rosenau ended up at the top of my search string.  I looked over the menu and thought it was interesting, but kind of pricey.  I eventually forgot about the place.

Then on Friday night, we went to Tommi’s Bistro and had a wonderful steak dinner.  I decided yesterday afternoon, I wanted to try another restaurant I had never been to before.  That’s when I thought of Rosenau again.  I convinced Bill we needed a real date night and he made an online reservation through their Web site.  It turned out he didn’t have to do that, but not knowing anything about the restaurant, we decided to be safe.

I was going to wear a dress, but ended up changing into pants because it was chilly!

Getting to the Restaurant Rosenau turned out to be an interesting experience.  Though we already knew how to get to Tübingen, our GPS system decided to take us a shorter way, which involved driving on narrow roads and through quaint little towns while being tailgated by impatient locals.  We ended up driving right past Pfäffingen, which is the town we lived in the first time we were in Germany.  I’m always happy to drive through that area, since that’s where I learned to enjoy living in Germany.  It’s also a delightfully pretty town.

We got to the Rosenau restaurant just in time for our 7:00 reservation.  The parking lot was somewhat full of cars.  That’s when I realized that the restaurant is also a very nice looking gasthaus, though I couldn’t tell if the gasthaus side of it was running.  It was a bit cloudy and misty last night and it was getting very dark by the time we parked, but I could see that the restaurant and hotel are in sort of a picturesque rural area that made me think of a farm.  I bet when the sun is out, it’s beautiful.  The parking lot was next to a meadow and I could see charming timbered buildings that have probably been there for centuries.

The outside of the restaurant…

A very friendly waitress who bore a slight resemblance to Celine Dion greeted us warmly as we entered the dining room.  We were invited to choose a table.  I picked one out near the fireplace, which wasn’t operating last night.  The waitress apologized for not having menus in English.  That was okay, though, since Bill and I both need to practice our German.  We can navigate German menus pretty well most of the time, anyway.

Bill looking handsome in clothes I picked out for him.  😉

Bill chose a Bordeaux from the wine list as I realized that the restaurant’s cuisine was more high class Schwabish-French food than straight French.  They had a number of nice selections, though, and even offered a degustation menu.  Our server spoke English and had a really pleasant personality, smiling more often than the average German does.  I’m kidding, of course.  Although she really did smile a lot and was very warm and engaging.  She lit a candle for us as I admired the fresh flowers on the table and left us to decide what we wanted for dinner.

We enjoyed very fresh baguettes with butter and an herbal spread that was a little sour.  There was a simple white baguette and one that had different seeds in it.  Both were delicious and I was tempted to eat a lot of it, but knew I needed to save room.

An amuse.  This was what tasted like some kind of fish croquette with carrot and herbal creme.  It was good!

 

I started with onion soup.  It consisted of caramelized onions with homemade Parmesan croutons, and a clear broth.  This was a nice starter, since it wasn’t too heavy.  Our server poured the soup out of a small kettle into the bowl.

Bill had a nice salad with venison.  I did taste the venison, which was very fresh.

 

I had duck with what could best be described as potato croquettes but were actually called Dauphine potatoes.  They were pretty sinful.  My duck was cooked to medium and served with a cream sauce and what tasted like a red wine sauce.  I managed to finish most of this, though I was saving room for dessert…   

Bill had sauerbraten.  The beef was literally tender enough that you could cut it with a spoon!  They were served with pretzel dumplings and red cabbage.

Our wine…

 

I was determined to have dessert, even though I find that the older I get, the less food I can eat at one sitting.  That declining ability to eat food has had no effect on my waistline.  That’s the only reason why I left a few bites on my plate.

I ordered what turned out to be sort of a panoply of desserts.  There was panna cotta, chocolate mousse, a tiny almond cookie, grapes, blueberry sorbet, and I’m not sure what the little orange slivers up by the panna cotta were.  I’d guess they were another panna cotta, but they were very mild and had sort of an orange flavor.

Bill had a similar dessert, except his included a banana cake (in the cup), chocolate ice cream, and banana ice cream with pistachios.  In the little shot glass was a type of creme which I didn’t try…

We ended with a round of espresso, which was served with tiny Ritter Sports and a small plate of cookies.  We noticed another couple choosing digestives from a cart that a server wheeled over to them.

I had to sneak a photo of the beautiful stained glass lighting in the middle of the dining room.  I wonder what they have to do when a light bulb burns out.

Outside menu…

Service at Rosenau was mostly impeccable.  Our charming server was extremely professional and practiced excellent table maintenance.  She was very poised and when she couldn’t think of the English word for the sorbet, even went to the kitchen and Googled it for me.  She did sort of disappear at the end of the meal, but her colleague brought us our check.  The total bill for this meal was 138 euros before the tip.  It was well worth what we spent.

The atmosphere at Rosenau seemed to be geared toward older people, though we did notice one group of younger folks who appeared to be celebrating a birthday.  Most people were dressed in what we’d call “business casual” attire, though there were a couple of people in jeans.

One thing to note is that all of the chairs in the dining room have arms on them.  I wouldn’t mention this, except that I used to wait tables and observed that some people have trouble sitting in chairs with arms.

I think Restaurant Rosenau would make a good date night restaurant.  It looked like they had a really nice garden area for al fresco dining.  As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, we may have to venture back.  The surrounding area is just lovely.  An added convenience is the ample and free parking… not something you can always find in Germany!

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Uncategorized

Our visit to Brauhaus Schoenbuch Boeblingen….

Apparently, the Brauhaus Schoenbuch Boeblingen is a local landmark.  My husband, Bill, had been there more than once for an office party or a hail and farewell.  Somehow, I missed visiting there last time we lived in the Stuttgart area.

Some ladies in a local Facebook group said they wanted us all to visit there for a lunch.  I had never been there and am extremely neurotic about driving, especially in Germany.  I have no reason to be neurotic.  To date, I have gotten exactly one speeding ticket in my lifetime.  I just don’t like driving, even though I’m pretty good at it.  I hesitated agreeing to go and, in fact, told Bill that we needed to visit there this weekend so I’d at least have an idea of where the place is.

So we went to Panzer today so I could pick a new ugly rug for our living room, we could drop off some empty bottles at the Shoppette/Military Clothing Sales, and I could see this mythical brauhaus for myself.

We arrived at the place at almost three o’clock…

As you can see, the parking lot was packed…

We sat at the one empty table, which was cleaned up after we took our seats.

The place was busy… but I had to get a shot of the brewery equipment…

The menu is in German and English and has plenty of choices.  The beer in the photo is the current “strong beer” being offered.  It’s very good, and I say this as a committed beer lover.  

 

I was pretty hungry when we went into the place.  Brunch was still in full swing… at about 25 euros a person, that was a bit steep for Bill and me, especially since we never eat that much food.  I was kind of wanting wurst, but ended up ordering a Schweinhaxe.  Bill had the lentils and sausage plate.  The waiter took pains to tell me that my dish would be huge.  I asked if we could take it with us.  He said yes, so I told him to bring it to me…

Bill’s dish came with lentils, “German wieners”, and spatzle.  

Our waiter was not lying when he said the pork knee was “huge”…  It really was!  You will need the sharp knife, too.  Those “cracklin’s” are tough!

But seriously, this was less than 11 euros…  I ordered the Farmer’s bread to go with it.  For maybe a euro more, you could get a dumpling…  The potato salad is excellent!

 

The food was very hearty.  Our waiter was right to tell me it was a lot of food.  I managed less than a third of that pork knee, even with Bill’s help.  So I asked him to bring me something so I could take it to go.  I could tell he was annoyed by the request, though he should have anticipated it.  He brought me foil and a plastic bag…

So I made a swan!  I have to admit, that made the waiter smile.  Glad to know I haven’t lost my touch since the days when I used to wait tables…  I think my leftovers will last at least two meals.  

 

We stayed a bit longer for a round of the very delightful and very fresh “strong beer” they have going right now.  Bill enjoyed a Naturtrüb and I had a hefeweizen.  For our two lunches and the five beers we enjoyed between us, we paid just under 40 euros.  An added bonus, the place is within walking distance of Panzer; but it also has plenty of parking for those of us not in the neighborhood and neurotic about driving in Germany.  There are also plenty of reasonably clean toilets!  That may mean nothing to people who aren’t beer drinkers, but it means everything to me.

One last shot… after the lunch crowd left, the bar was in full, glorious view…

So Bill and I had a great time.  I hope to be back at the Schoenbuch Brauhaus soon… maybe even tomorrow if I don’t chicken out.

I almost wish I’d had room for dessert.  It looked like they had some good choices.  I saw a lot of coffee drinkers at the very least, a cute little Jack Russell Terrier, and one couple who walked out on their check.  🙁

Prost!

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