Happy Boxing Day, everybody. Bill has gone off to work today, and I’m sitting here tying up loose ends from our Christmas celebration. It was actually a pretty good day for us. The weather was appropriately bitterly cold, so we got to light a fire, which we kept going for most of the day. We got lots of cool stuff, mostly for the kitchen. I got a new banjo, which was a bucket list item for me, ever since I was a child. Bill says there’s more stuff coming; unfortunately, he ordered from a place that is shipping from China. 😬
Our morning started off with Eggs Benedict, excellent Peet’s Big Bang coffee, and orange juice…
Yum! Or… at least I think so!
Then, after I started our fire going and turned on some Christmas music, we sat down to open the presents. As usual, I bought most of them, so Bill did most of the unwrapping. I got lots of photos of that…
We got some cool Italian designed kitchen and dining gadgets, several new cookbooks featuring cuisine from Turkey, the Baltic countries, and the Caucasus countries, a new coffeemaker and a new blender, tarot cards, glasses and glass drinking straws, and a couple of Jungian books for Bill… I got him two new Alpa sweaters from Finland, and sweater soap, a new pen and Moleskine writing pad, a new bread knife, Chemex carafe, and mixing bowls, bags for the sous vide, food storage containers, and ginger jam… Charlie was there to supervise, while Noyzi stayed in his “room” upstairs.
This is a really interesting looking book about our favorite chocolatier!
And then came the most exciting gift of all…
Bill ordered a bluegrass banjo from Ireland. It came from McNeela, the same company that made the bodhran drum Bill got me last year at Christmas. I am very impressed with the quality. It was a lot heavier than I was expecting it to be, which is why Bill is holding it in the photo! I’ve always been fascinated by banjos, and have always wanted to learn how to play one… So we’ll see how it goes. I’m still working on my guitar(s), after all!
I had to do a little rearranging of my “studio” to accommodate the new banjo. And now I have space for two more instruments!
Below are a couple more photos of noteworthy Christmas gifts. I was particularly amused by the Eggsecutor, a handy device used to open boiled eggs. I loved the witty description of it on the box! Bill said it was kind of like a guillotine for eggs!
An amusing read!I bought a set of these tumblers and glass straws from a German company.
All in all, it was a pleasant holiday celebration for us… and I managed to capture a few moments on video…
My laugh is annoying… sorry! Maybe my mother-in-law will watch this.
And then for dinner, Bill cooked duck legs, roasted potatoes, and green beans, fresh baked bread, Italian red wine, and brownies and ice cream for dessert…
Man… how did I get so lucky? My husband is an absolute KEEPER. He’s a great cook and bartender, and a wonderful lover and friend!
Below is a photo of this morning’s breakfast. Bill made the bread, and “eggsecuted” the egg with our new gadget! At the end of the above video, you can see how it works!
We’ve got one more week to go before this annus horribilus is finally over… But I am grateful that I get to spend this time with my dearest friend and husband, Bill, who always makes me smile and lets me live life in high style. 😘
I hope those of you who have taken the time to read this also had a great holiday! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
On Thursday afternoon, Bill finally got home from his latest TDY trip. I was delighted to see him, especially since he was sporting a white beard. He said he’d quit shaving while he was working the nightshift in Bavaria. I think Bill is adorable when he has a beard, but I don’t enjoy kissing it, and he doesn’t like the upkeep. So, within a few minutes of his arrival home, he shaved. Then we started talking about future food and travel endeavors… 😉
I showed Bill a few places I found for a potential long weekend. We’re overdue for a trip outside of Germany. He said he’d see what he could do for time off, not to include the two days he’s taking to recover from sixteen days straight of non-stop work. I’ve mentioned before, Bill is not a night person, and he’s no longer a spring buck. He gets things accomplished, but it comes at a price when the job is done. I like this, because it means I can plan elaborate short trips, which often turn out to be our most memorable.
Before we make any serious plans for a long weekend, Bill wanted to go out to dinner. There was a time not so long ago when we used to go out to eat all the time. Nowadays, we’ve kind of lost the desire to get dressed up and go out to a restaurant. I think it’s a combination of us getting older and the pandemic, which got us used to hanging out at home all the time. Also, today happens to be the one year anniversary of the death of our beloved beagle-coonhound mix, Arran. While we wanted to celebrate him, we also miss him a lot.
Now… about Pizarro Fine Dining in Groß-Gerau…
At the time Bill proposed a night out, I was all for it. He went on OpenTable.de and found a new restaurant in the nearby hamlet of Groß-Gerau, which the GPS tells us is about sixteen miles from where we live.
Bill started reading about Pizarro Fine Dining on OpenTable, and then Googled the restaurant. He noted the solid five star ratings people on Google had given the place. He also noticed that the restaurant was mentioned by The Michelin Guide in 2023.
Pizarro Fine Dining has kind of a unique concept. Instead of having people come in and order what they want a la carte, they offer a set “Nuna Inka” menu, which is a tasting menu of different fish dishes coupled with healing herbs. They also offer “kitchen parties” and “daytime champagne matinees” every other week. Additionally, they have wine events, and are available to be booked for business events or parties. The next wine event, according to Pizarro’s Web site, will be held on May 10, 2024.
Last night’s fully booked dinner was the Nuna Inka menu. For 125 euros per person, patrons are welcomed into the restaurant at 6:30 PM, given snacks and an aperitif, and then at around 7:15, the first course arrives. Diners are welcome to pair the tasting menu with wine– alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Bill really liked the fact that there was a non-alcoholic wine pairing, which made it possible for him to fully enjoy the experience without worrying about drunk driving. Additionally, patrons are welcome to purchase a glass or a bottle of wine, and stick with that instead of having the pairings. And, of course, there’s always still or sparkling water. Pizarro has a whole beverage menu with all of the choices.
Yesterday afternoon, I was feeling kind of tired and didn’t feel like getting dressed up and putting on makeup. Nevertheless, I made myself go, because I’ve been cooped up alone at home for weeks. Besides, this blog needed some fresh content… and boy did we get “fresh” in spades last night!
Probably the Rathaus. We will have to go back and explore.A shot of Pizarro Fine Dining restaurant…Handy parking lot… You can even recharge your EV here, and there’s also a public toilet.
Five hours of food…
We arrived at Pizarro Fine Dining at 6:30 PM, parking our car at the handy public lot right across the street from the restaurant. We were greeted personally by Chef Julio Pizarro, and his friendly and capable waiter, who impressed us so much last night by speaking almost perfect English. It’s not that we’re surprised he spoke English so much as that our language is so pervasive in Europe now, and we don’t even have to ask people to do it. To be honest, it kind of puts us Americans to shame. There were only a couple of times when the English word for something escaped the waiter’s memory. Fortunately, ten years of living in Germany this time has made us both pretty proficient in restaurant German.
We had a seat at a table in the corner. My back was to what appeared to be a wine library. I took note of the music, which was a delightfully eclectic combination of jazz, world music, and 70s era pop. I found myself repeatedly “Shazaming”, when it was quiet enough in the restaurant. I’ll be adding more to my personal playlist, thanks to our visit to Pizzaro’s! Aside from the music, I also enjoyed the lighting, which became colorful after the round of snacks. With each new course, the lights changed, which added to the unusual ambiance.
Feast your eyes on the parade of very fresh food we ate last night… As you can see, it was very heavy on fish, which I enjoyed very much. In fact, I commented to Chef Pizzaro that it was a real pleasure to have such different cuisine in Germany.
Ready for action!Non-alcoholic pairing…Alcoholic pairing…Forelle (Trout) with Togarashi and Jamaica BlüteAmaebi (Shrimp) with Hecht Kaviar and HuancainaButtermakrele (Mackeral) with Bottarga and Hierba LuisaBread service– this was sourdough bread Parisian style with butter infused with algae.Tuna Toro with Edamame and SojaBasking in the blue lighting…The main event required colors to go with all the flavors!Hamachi with Alge and Leche de TigreIt required chopsticks and a special spoon from Peru…The non-alcoholic pairing for Bill for the next course…Jackobsmuschel (Scallop) with rice and Chupe SauceSteinköhler (Pollock or Cod) with Loche and Aal (eel)Special 2001 wine that went with the optional Wagyu beef course.For 25 euros a person, you can have the most delicious Japanese beef…I had mine plain, because I don’t eat mushrooms. It was absolutely sinful.Mascarpone with Manjar Blanco and Maca…Shiso with Bergamotte and Mango.Optional petit fours with coffee for 10 euros per person.And of course, the obligatory Williams schnapps as a digestive.
This meal was– no lie– one of the best I’ve ever had in my life… and I have had a lot of good food. Every course practically exploded with different flavors and textures. There wasn’t a single course that offended me, and the only time I needed any kind of change was with the optional Wagyu course (25 euros per person). I don’t eat mushrooms or truffles, and that course had both. Bill enjoyed his the way Chef Pizzaro created it, while I just tasted the plain beef. Oh my GOD… that beef practically melted. It was so tender and flavorful!
While this was a long evening with lots of food and wine, I was neither stuffed nor drunk when we left there at about 11:30 PM. In fact, I remarked to Bill as we were eating that I was feeling markedly better, physically, than I was when we came into the place.
Remember when I mentioned that I was feeling kind of tired and not wanting to venture out anywhere? Well… I think there really were some healing qualities to the herbs in those dishes. Because after I had the first dish, following the three rounds of “snacks”, I literally started feeling better, physically. It was kind of cool. And I didn’t know the dishes had any healing herbs in them when I made that comment, as I didn’t read up on Pizzaro Fine Dining before we went on this culinary journey.
On our drive home, Bill and I kept talking about how amazed we were by the food and wine experience we’d just had… and how we’re definitely going to have to go back another time. But– word to the wise– this experience is not cheap. When all was said and done last night, we’d spent almost 500 euros, before the tip!
We’ve dined in some pricey establishments before, but this one was probably the most expensive of them all. But that included nine courses served at a leisurely pace, wine pairings, two bottles of water, the Wagyu supplement, a glass of 2001 Pauillac to go with the beef (16 euros), coffee and petit fours. The only option we didn’t add on is a cheese course (15 euros). We could have spent significantly less if we’d wanted to do that. But we were having such a good time, I just wanted Chef Pizarro to take our money.
Thanks to the relaxed pacing of last night’s dinner, we had the chance to chat with the chef, who personally brought out some of the food. After immediately pegging Bill as an American guy who works for the Army, Chef Pizarro told us he’d gone to college in Michigan. He landed in Groß-Gerau because his wife is German. What a gift it is for those of us lucky enough to live close to his restaurant! As we were leaving, we thanked him profusely once again, and promised we’d be back for another visit. And now, I’m spreading the word to others, in case anyone else wants to meet Chef Pizarro. Just be sure to make a reservation and bring your credit card or lots of euros!
I would not call Pizarro Fine Dining a child friendly restaurant, although there was a table with two well-behaved children in attendance last night. Dress is casual elegant, although I did see people in jeans. Chef Pizarro doesn’t do substitutions, except for pescatarian, which must be requested at least 24 hours in advance. Vegetarian options are also not available. If you have allergies or intolerances, you can let the chef know and he will make adjustments for that reason. My advice, though, is to just let Chef Pizarro take the wheel. He really is a wizard!
We’ll have to visit Groß-Gerau again and check out this town…
The featured photo is another shot of the Hamachi ceviche, which was my favorite of the courses… although that beef was certainly a contender!
Bill and I just got back from our latest jaunt to Stuttgart. We usually go down there to see our dentist, Dr. Blair, who is the best dentist either of us have ever had. We missed seeing him in October because our appointment was originally made on a holiday, and there was a miscommunication. We went down there and found no one in the office. After that, Bill got busy and/or could never get the receptionist on the phone.
We finally got an appointment for noon today. Ordinarily, we’d stay for a couple of days and do a few fun things down in our old stomping grounds. Unfortunately, Bill is currently very busy with a work project. He also just took last week off work while his mom was here. So, instead of staying for a couple of days, like we normally would, we just went down for a night and came back late this afternoon.
Although our trip was short, it was very productive and a lot of fun! It began with a stay at the Wald Hotel, which is our favorite Stuttgart area lodging so far. I had actually considered booking a different hotel, as I thought maybe Bill would want to take the train instead of driving. There are a couple of hotels that are near the Hauptbahnhof that I thought we might try.
The Wald Hotel is not close to the main train station, but is somewhat close to the U-bahn. However, getting to the hotel from the station requires a walk, which is not fun while toting a bag. Bill ultimately decided he’d rather drive, because we’d have to check out of the hotel and then do something with our bags. We knew we’d be walking around Stuttgart while waiting for our appointments. Once Bill decided to drive, I booked the Wald Hotel, since I knew it would offer everything we’d need.
Instead of booking fancy suites, like I have the last two times we’ve been there, I booked one of the comfort rooms in the new part of the hotel. That was a mistake, mainly because the shower in our cheaper room– unlike the ones on the ground floor– was just an ordinary shower, rather than one of the awesome spa showers that are in the more expensive rooms. In my opinion, the extra money for the bigger room is worth it, mainly because of the spa shower! On the other hand, it has been a few years since I last stayed in one of those rooms. Maybe they took them out.
This art is horrifying to me. I am a mycophobe.This show always seems to be on in Stuttgart. It’s about dating.
We had a pretty easy late afternoon drive down to the Degerloch area of Stuttgart last night, and were rewarded with a fairly empty parking lot at the hotel. We easily found a spot right by the entrance, went in, and picked up our key cards and a voucher for a free round of drinks.
Once we dropped off our bags, we headed down to the bar, where we were greeted by lovely Cosima, who took care of us when we visited Wald Hotel last spring! She remembered us, and was delighted when I said I remembered that she’d told me her name is Italian. Cosima said she was only working in the bar by chance, as she was filling in for a sick colleague. She is in a training program, so she’s been working all over the hotel in different capacities. I thought that was pretty great, since she’s becoming proficient in all jobs required in a German hotel.
Cosima made us a couple of rounds of drinks, and was kind enough to book us a table at Finch, which is the gourmet restaurant at Wald Hotel. We’ve eaten at Finch several times, but last night’s dinner was the best we’ve had there yet. I had a wonderful lamb’s lettuce salad with orange slices, croutons, and hazelnut dressing and crispy duck with Savoy cabbage, and bread dumplings. Bill had a leek soup with duxelles, and wild boar with mashed potatoes and mushrooms. We also enjoyed dessert– white chocolate mousse with blood oranges for me, and a banana almond cheesecake for him. And we had lovely wine from France, as well as a digestive, hazelnut for Bill, and pear for me…
Salmon tartar amuseLeek soupLamb’s lettuce salad with oranges and hazelnut dressing… delicious!Dining roomCrispy duckWild boarWhite chocolate mousseBanana and almond cheesecake with banana ice cream and caramel…
My only complaint about our stay at Wald Hotel is that the mattress on the bed was too firm for my liking. It felt a bit like sleeping on a sidewalk. I remember last year, the mattress was also too firm for me. However, I don’t remember having that problem on previous stays.
After a nice Eggs Benedict breakfast in the hotel restaurant, we went back to the room, packed up, and processed a bit. Breakfast is not included in the room rate and could be considered expensive– but aside from a generous buffet, they also offer hot selections that are prepared to order and included in the price. We both had Eggs Benedict, but we could have chosen from a number of different items.
Eggs BenedictView from our window.
Then we went to downtown Stuttgart to wait for our appointments with Dr. Blair. It was kind of a special day, since there was Fasching going on. Lots of people were dressed in costumes and there was music. Some businesses were also closed, including the Markthalle, which is a great food and wine market. We were lucky enough to have sunny and somewhat warm weather, for February, anyway. I took some photos…
Looks like they knocked down a building and exposed an old sign.Evangelical churchClosed for Fasching!I loved this tie. The shop wasn’t open, but I will be looking online.
Dr. Blair was glad to see us. Bill broke the news to him about his broken tooth, and the dental implant process in process with a Wiesbaden area dentist. Dr. Blair was very understanding, and wanted to know about the type of implant used and the process the other dentist used for the sinus lift Bill needed. He had good things to say about my teeth, which were thoroughly cleaned… (gums are sore tonight). He gave me an Implant Pass, which shows the type of implant I got in 2016. He wanted me to show it to Bill, so he could get the information about his implant. That way, if it breaks, the next dentist will have the information.
We made appointments for August, then headed out for lunch at Abacco’s Steakhouse, a steak joint where you get your steak served on a hot stone. I hadn’t wanted to eat there, but there was a big Fasching party going on at the Paulaner Bar next door. I wanted to get photos!
Sizzling steak and sizzling dancers!
We both had small rib-eyes with house fries. Bill’s was from Uruguay, and mine was from Argentina. It wasn’t that easy to eat steak after our cleanings. Maybe we should have had pasta or soup instead… but at least I’m still not hungry many hours later. We each had a beer, then went to buy some Berliners, which we had noticed being set up just before we went to see the dentist.
Steak!Lots of building going on downtown…
Below are some photos of the Berliner or Krapfen (Pfannkuchen– doughnuts) and other associated doughnuts. Tis the season to get them!
Our drive back to Wiesbaden was very easy, with no traffic whatsoever, and no building projects. The only drawback was the less than beautiful weather. But at least we got some sunshine while we were down in our old stomping grounds! And now, Noyzi is back home, too!
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