Tag Archives: Mohringen

Uncategorized

Dining inside at Anno 1897 in Möhringen…

Bill and I needed to wash my car today, so we decided to go to Kelley Barracks.  I had only been there once before today since last time we lived here, Bill worked at Patch.  Before heading to the car wash, we decided to have lunch.  Bill remembered Anno 1897, which is a restaurant and biergarten very close to where we stayed in a hotel when we first got here in August 2014.

We hadn’t been back to Anno 1897 since we moved into our house in September, but I did remember liking the food and atmosphere.  The biergarten isn’t open yet, but if today’s lovely weather is any indication that winter is over, we will be dining outside very soon.

The nice thing about Anno 1897 is that they have a small parking lot.  It was a little tricky parallel parking, especially since the lot is on a hill.  We managed to do it, even though Bill had to climb over the passenger seat to get out of the car.  He was too close to the bushes!

Entering the restaurant, it’s likely you will immediately encounter cigarette smoke.  You have to walk through the bar to get to the dining room, where people don’t smoke and there’s a glass partition to keep the smoke out of the room.  The same friendly guy who waited on us the last two times we visited was there today.  I don’t think he recognized us as he handed us menus with everything from gyros to flammkuchen to Wiener schnitzel on offer.

I decided to have gyros, even though I had them last night for dinner.  Bill had a Greek flammkuchen, which was surprisingly good.  Next time we go, I may opt for that, though the gyros are also outstanding.  We washed our lunch down with excellent beers.  I had a Zwickl Keller Bier and Bill had a Dunkelweizen.  I noticed that Anno 1897 has some interesting German craft beers available, including an enticing looking chocolate bock and what they call “Indian Beer”, which is probably like an IPA.

My lunch came with a tasty salad.  I shared it with Bill because he likes cabbage more than I do.

This is a really nice kellerbier.  I have only seen it at Anno 1897, though I’m sure it’s offered elsewhere.  I love the stone mug.

Excellent gyros.  The t’zatziki is to die for.  And I could only eat half, so I guess I’ll be having this for dinner, too.  Talk about pork overload!

I really enjoyed tasting Bill’s flammkuchen.  I don’t usually like fresh tomatoes that much, but they were great on this dish.  The sweet, mild peppers added a nice touch, as did the feta, gyros pieces, and black olives.

Our Bill came to about 25 euros.  I noticed near the coat rack, there was a small basket of books and toys for kids.  I’m sure a lot of parents and kids appreciate that, especially since Anno 1897 looks like the kind of place where people linger.  Lots of folks were enjoying the bar today.  When the biergarten opens up again, look out!  It was also nice to be back in the neighborhood we were in during our first week back to Germany.

We did manage to wash my car for the first time since we got here.  It looks a lot better.  And we stopped by Panzer for various odds and ends, including a pitch fork so we can turn our compost heap and make some new dirt.

Standard
Uncategorized

Review of Hotel Flora in Stuttgart-Mohringen…

Bill and I spent a week at Hotel Flora, which is on Filderbahnstrasse in Mohringen.  I chose this hotel when we were in Texas because we needed a place that was pet friendly and not too far from Kelley Barracks, which is where Bill is working.  I typed “pet friendly hotels Mohringen” and Hotel Flora was the first place that came up.  It got good reviews on Trip Advisor and had availability, so we went with it.

We arrived at the hotel exhausted on August 3, 2014.  The night before, we were on an overnight flight from Houston, Texas to Frankfurt.  After two hours in the airport collecting our bags, our dogs, and our rental car, we spent another couple of hours on the autobahn and were pretty wiped out by the time we checked into the hotel.

The lady at the front desk didn’t speak any English; fortunately, Bill speaks some German and understands it pretty well.  She gave me a look when our dogs pulled me outside and peed on the immaculate lawn.  I was sorry about that, but the poor things had been stuck in carriers for hours and though we gave them a pit stop on the way to Mohringen, they were still adjusting.  I had grabbed a couple of plastic bottles and absent-mindedly placed them on the counter as Bill was checking us in.  I almost forgot to take them until she called my attention to them.

Our room was #29.  It was in a building separate from the main one and we were no doubt assigned it because our of our hounds.  It was a fairly comfortable room; somewhat large with a little patio to its back, a minibar, free WiFi, a couch, and plenty of storage.  The bathroom was pretty tiny– the shower especially so.  But it was very clean, basically pleasant, and very traditionally German.  We had a TV in the room, but Bill never did get it to work.  It looked like it lacked a power cord, though it was hooked up to cable.  No matter… we aren’t into German TV anyway.

I promptly got into bed and fell asleep, only to be awakened a few hours later by the people living in the house next door.  They were enjoying a Sunday game of football.  Ordinarily, that wouldn’t bother me, but since I was tired, I was a bit cranky.  There’s also a lot of traffic noise because the hotel is situated between two major roads and near churches that ring bells a lot, especially on Sundays.

There are plenty of restaurants near this hotel and we had the chance to try several of them.  You can read my reviews on this blog.  Hotel Flora also offers a very generous breakfast, which is included in the room rate.  The breakfast is basically a large buffet with breads, cold cuts, cheeses, cereals, yogurts, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, juices, tea, and coffee.  One other note– the mini bar was well stocked and reasonably priced.  They even had appropriate glassware for the beers in the fridge.  You may not be able to find an extra pillow in the cabinets, but by God, you’ll have the right glass for your hefeweizen.

Housekeeping is pretty good, though they weren’t consistent as to when they’d show up.  Since we had dogs, that was kind of inconvenient.  Some days they’d come at 10:00am; sometimes, they’d show up at 3:00pm.  I never knew when they needed to clean the room, so I’d end up waiting for them so I could take the dogs out.  I will say, though, that the staff is very nice and helpful.

Parking is available in an underground garage connected to the hotel.  It costs six euros a day.  Reception closes at 2:30 on Sundays, but if you need to check in, you can go to the hotel’s sister property.  I don’t know where that is, but a number is posted on the front door.  Smoking is allowed in some rooms; if you are sensitive to smoke, you should request a non smoking room.  If you want to smoke, you can request a room that allows it.

Hotel Flora is very close to an S-bahn stop, which was nice for Bill.  There’s also a bus stop close to the hotel.

We spent about $1000 for our week at Hotel Flora.  We are now in an apartment, which is a lot cheaper than the hotel was.  We have found a house, but won’t be moving in until September 1.  All in all, this move is going more smoothly than our first one here went.  Someday when I’m bored, I will write about our six weeks at the Vaihinger Hof, which was a crazy but fun place to be.  ðŸ˜‰

Overall, I would recommend Hotel Flora, though it may not be the most conducive place for military folks to be long-term.  It worked out fine for us, though, and they were very nice about our dogs… but then, we paid an extra 20 euros (10 per dog) per day to allow them to stay there.  Had we not had dogs or a car, our rate would have been 83 euros a night.

Standard
Uncategorized

Biergarten lunch at Anno 1897!

We enjoyed a very nice lunch at the same biergarten where we went to drink beer the other night.  It was attached to the same restaurant where we hoped to eat, but ended up leaving because all the service was outside.  I’m glad we gave them another chance.  The place is called the Anno 1897, I think, because that was the year their restaurant was built.

When we sat down, we were immediately recognized by a young man who helped served us a couple of nights ago.  He remembered that we are Americans and offered us a menu in English.  We said we were okay with a German menu, but he brought an English one anyway.

Fortunately, there was nothing on the menu that confounded me, despite never having studied German.  I easily picked out gyros and a beer, while Bill had a turkey dish inspired by Indian food.  He paired his dish with a Radler, while I had a beer.

Both dishes were delicious and filling!  I finished mine with ouzo.  Bill skipped the ouzo because he has to drive to a couple of places this afternoon.

A shot of the tree-lined biergarten entrance… this is a very nice place to sit and eat… and of course, drink beer.  I notice it’s very busy during the week at lunch time.  

Our bill was about 26 euros and well worth the cost.  I love biergartens, though…  it’s one thing I missed most about living in Germany.  This particular restaurant has a full bar and a broad variety of dishes, everything from Greek food to Italian food, as well as the Indian style dish Bill had.  The wait staff is friendly and charming and they speak excellent English, too… though if you want them to, they’ll speak German.

Standard
Uncategorized

More good Italian food in Mohringen…

After coming back to and cleaning up Arran’s chocolate disaster last night, Bill and I decided to venture out for dinner.  We could have gone to an Asian restaurant, which had food that smelled good and probably would have been a nice change of pace.  But I really wanted Italian style pasta, which I had missed on our last two visits to Italian restaurants.  We stopped by Ristorante La Piazzetta, which is on Filderbahnstrasse and just around the corner from Il Cappuccino Feinkost.

One very hard working guy was handling all the tables outside.  I heard the voices of our American countrymen and noticed that the place was humming with business.  It also smelled like a good place to eat.  We sat down and the waiter took our order after a few minutes.  We each had a glass of Chianti and some San Pellegrino.

Maybe after 45 minutes, a woman who was obviously a member of the wait staff showed up.  She helped her colleague, who was handling the crowd admirably.  The couple sitting near us were obviously regulars and the new waitress stopped and chatted affectionately with them for awhile.

Dinner…  I had a very satisfying oven baked rigatoni with meat sauce and cheese.  Bill had fettuccine with basil pesto.  His dish was vegetarian and very refreshing.  The basil had sort of a cooling effect on the dish.  My dish was very much comfort food, which was what I was going for last night.  I only managed about half of it, though.  I think both of these went for about about 7 euros.

Bill enjoys the rising moon. 

 

And there it is, competing with the streetlights.  Last night’s moon was gorgeous.  I got a better shot with my digital camera.

We ended the evening with glasses of Montepulciano.  The check was about 33 euros.  I noticed a couple of cute little girls sitting near us, well-behaved and enjoying the food.  I think there are plenty of good menu options for kids.

Like most European restaurants, smoking is allowed at the outside tables and a few people were taking full advantage.  If you are sensitive to smoke, it may be advisable to eat inside.  I noticed a lot of people doing that, too.

We noticed one car was parked crookedly in the lot next to the restaurant and I told Bill I bet that was the work of the Americans who were sitting in the corner.  Sure enough, I was right!

Standard
anecdotes

My kingdom for a Midol…

Tonight, Bill and I decided to venture out to another Italian restaurant.  This one was on the corner of Vaihingen and Balinger Strasses.  It looked like a very popular place, based on my observations since our arrival last Sunday.  I decided tonight would be the night to try it out.

The restaurant is called Osteria Tra-Noi.  It serves Italian fare–  pasta, salads, and grilled stuff.  I was really in the mood for some pasta, but I didn’t see anything on the menu that really appealed to me, other than carbonara, which my middle-aged ass doesn’t need right now.  I ended up ordering grilled salmon, which was advertised as cooked on a lava stone and served with a small green salad.  Bill had spaghetti with mushrooms and shrimp in a garlic cream sauce.  It had an actual name, but it’s not ringing a bell right now, probably because I enjoyed beer at a local biergarten before we got back to the hotel.

Anyway, we paired our entrees with San Pellegrino, which we learned tonight comes from Bergamo (a place where we once got trapped after dinner, which I ended losing after one too many switchbacks in the Alps).  The company itself is owned by Nestle.  Way to take the romance out of sparkling water!  We also had two glasses (one each) of some very overpriced red wine for which we paid the US equivalent of about $21.  It definitely wasn’t worth it.

We were served by two people.  One was a very outgoing waiter who was quite extroverted and friendly.  The other was a woman who seemed to be in a terminally bad mood.  I get that, really.  I used to wait tables myself, so I know how it is.  But she was pretty crabby and didn’t seem too excited about bringing us our dinner.  I got the feeling she was covering the whole inside of the restaurant, along with her much friendlier male colleague.  I wouldn’t say she was terrible at her job; indeed, she handled everything in a competent manner.  She just seemed like she’d rather be somewhere else, which I can certainly understand.  Her crankiness made me a little uncomfortable, though… and I didn’t really feel like sticking around for dessert.

Bill being pensive as he tells me about medical and dental coverage for contractors in Germany…

 

Bill’s pasta and my grilled salmon.  I can’t speak for Bill’s dish, since I don’t eat mushrooms.  Mine was pretty good, but I was more impressed by what we had at Il Cappuccino Feinkost two nights ago.  The service was better at Il Cappuccino Feinkost, too.

Nice little salad.  We did finish up with a round of espressso.

Signs of the place…

Bill ended up chasing down someone in the restaurant to pay the bill because we were keen to get out of there.

I thought I wanted ice cream, but decided I’d rather have beer in the biergarten near our hotel.  We enjoyed a couple of rounds at this place, just steps away from the train station off Filderbahnstrasse in Mohringen.

I told a dirty joke to get Bill to laugh.

This is the face he makes when I need a good talking to about something…

This was a very nice brew served in a steinkrug…  

We followed it with a hefeweizen, which was very good.  Not too heavy on the banana.

 

Bill started out speaking German but gave up with the waitress answered him in perfect English.  The four beers we enjoyed at the biergarten cost less than the two glasses of mediocre wine we had at Osteria Tra-Noi.

Osteria Tra-Noi restaurant is obviously popular because I’ve seen it packed a few times since we’ve been here.  But honestly, the food was not really impressive to me.  And our waitress, God bless her, seemed to be in dire need of a Midol.  Anyone can have an “off” night and I really don’t know if she was having one or if this was her usual mode.  I just know that tonight’s meal was less impressive and less satisfying.  I might give them another chance, though, depending on how long we’re in Mohringen.  The food was okay and the other server was in a good mood.  The check came to 45 euros, which was kind of pricey…. but really, it was the wine that was overpriced, not the food.

Standard
Uncategorized

Tonight’s food… German!

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

A picture of the Lindenhof Hotel and Restaurant.

Standard
Uncategorized

It’s amazing how restorative good food can be…

Because the hotel was pretty full yesterday, I didn’t end up having lunch.  That’s because I was waiting for the housekeepers to clean the room so I could get the dogs out.  They didn’t show up until just before 3:00, which was kind of too late for eating.  I figured Bill would be back soon enough.  He didn’t get back until about 6:30pm.  By then, I was really hungry and decidedly irritable.

We left the hotel room and the dogs immediately started howling.  Bill went back and faked them out by sticking his key in the lock.  That shut them up for some reason.  Then we went to the first of four restaurants, hoping to have dinner.  We sat down in the bar area of this place and were ignored.  Actually, I think the staff’s attention was entirely focused on the very busy biergarten.  I would have liked to have sat out there too, but it was crowded and smokey.

We went to an Italian place, but it appeared to be really packed and I didn’t want to wait for a table.  Then we went to a German gasthaus, but nothing on the menu appealed to me.  What I really wanted was a nice glass of red wine and some fresh Italian food.  Fortunately, Il Cappuccino Feinkost on Filderbahnstrasse in Mohringen was ready to deliver, because by the time Bill and I sat down, I was near tears from stress, frustration, and hunger.

Really nice Napoli wine…  

The wait staff at this restaurant was wonderful.  We sat down and looked at the menu and the waiter helped Bill pick out an excellent and reasonably priced bottle of wine from Naples.  We enjoyed our wine and some bread as we decided what to order.  I originally asked for swordfish, but because the restaurant is about to close for holidays (typical in August among restaurant owners in Germany), they didn’t have it.  I got grilled shrimp and a salad instead.

Delightful shrimp!

And a tasty, colorful salad… I felt good about eating this.

Bill ordered a salmon and pasta dish.  I’m not sure if the pasta was homemade, but it was definitely excellent and it tasted homemade.  The grilled shrimp dish was also good, but I was especially impressed by the huge salad made with greens, ruby red tomatoes, corn, and kidney beans.  I don’t usually like salad that much, but I ate most of it, and not just because I was really hungry.  I loved that the food was served with style and pride, too.  I could tell the staff was enthusiastic about their product.

By the time we were finished with dinner, my mood was vastly improved and I felt much better.  We had dessert– Bill had lemon sorbet and I had a tartufo, which was basically two balls of chocolate and vanilla ice cream dusted with cocoa.  Then we had espresso and grappa.  As we enjoyed dessert, I realized how happy I am to be back in Germany and why I need to focus on what it’ll be like when we have our own space again.

Dessert!

All told, the bill was 88 euros.  Bill gave 100, which made the very kind and attentive staff happy.  I should mention that that was a very generous tip; in Europe, wait staff gets paid a living wage and, in general, they don’t expect such extravagance.  But they really did me a solid yesterday because I really needed a good meal and some excellent wine.

If you need a good Italian place in Mohringen, I would definitely recommend Il Cappuccino Feinkost.  I hope we’ll get to go there again sometime soon.  They also have a small deli in the restaurant.

Standard