A few days ago, Bill asked me if I’d like to go out for lunch on Easter. I agreed, so he found us a 12:45 reservation at Die Scheuer, a Michelin Guide mentioned restaurant in Hofheim am Taunus, a gorgeous town near where we currently live. Yesterday’s visit to Die Scheuer was our third. I think, if not for the pandemic, we would have been more regular patrons at this restaurant. It has a lot going for it. The food is excellent; the service is professional and kind; and the ambiance is very charming. Die Scheuer used to be a barn, hence its Swabian name. Now, it’s a very cozy and comfortable place for a leisurely meal.
Technically, our home is in Wiesbaden, but we only live about two kilometers from the Hofheim border. Likewise, when we lived in Jettingen, we were just near the border of Calw– maybe about two kilometers. Still, it’s a short drive to get to the center of Hofheim. Bill usually goes on the Autobahn, but I wish he’d take the back road. It reminds me that this part of Germany is also pretty, even if it doesn’t quite match the mesmerizing landscape of our previous stomping grounds.
We had beautiful weather on Easter morning, so after our usual morning routine, we headed to Hofheim. We were a little early for our appointment, so we walked around Hofheim. I got a few photos.
Die Scheuer
When we walked into the restaurant, the proprietor seemed to know who we were and greeted us by name. It could be we were the last of the people on her list, or maybe she remembered us from Thanksgiving. I assume we were the last ones she was expecting, although it’s not unheard of for us to become regulars at some places. For instance, when we go to Villa im Tal, we usually get greeted by name! We were seated upstairs, at a nice table next to a window. I really liked the bench seat. In fact, I was admiring the tables and chairs in the restaurant, which were very heavy duty wood tables, chairs, and benches. I told Bill I’d like to replace our Eckbank Gruppe with one of better quality. Maybe we’ll have the chance to shop for one soon.
I looked down at my napkin and saw that there was a colorful boiled egg nestled there. Bill also had one. His was pink, and mine was blue, and matched my dress. It was especially funny to see the eggs, since I just wrote a blog post on my main blog and made a video about how the Rewe Grocery Store was giving them out on Saturday. That gave me a laugh, since eggs are so precious in America right now.
The four course Easter menu was special; there was only a choice of the main course– lamb, chicken, or cod. Bill surprised me by ordering the fish, instead of the lamb. I had chicken, although I thought about getting the fish. We were both pleased with our choices. Below is a screenshot of the menu, all of which was agreeable to me. Bill was surprise, because I can be kind of picky sometimes.
I don’t usually eat veal, but I will make exceptions sometimes.
Below are some photos from the lunch. It was definitely hearty, but was presented at such a leisurely pace that we didn’t get too full. Bill ordered a bottle of Weissburgunder (pinot blanc) and sparkling water, and we both had aperitifs– a non-alcoholic ginger beer and mint concoction for him, and champagne for me.
Veal with green sauce, quail egg, and wild greensLobster medallion with snow peas, lobster butter, and miso foamBill’s cod with green asparagus, and champagne risottoMy black feather chicken breast with white asparagus, and nut potatoes.Rhubarb and strawberries with white chocolate mousse.
Lunch lasted about two hours or so… and it was very nice. As we were eating, I told Bill that I feel so fortunate that we’ve been able to dine in so many excellent restaurants. We have been blessed with a wonderful European sojourn so far… And now, I think we’re trying to savor it even more, given what’s been happening in our country.
The bill came to a bit over 200 euros, which I don’t think was out of line for the quality and quantity of what we enjoyed. One thing I will mention is that the restroom at Die Scheuer is in the basement, which could be a challenge for anyone with mobility issues. I saw more than a couple of older folks being very careful going up and down the stairs. I also noticed some things for sale displayed by the restrooms…
I thanked the chef and his staff as we left the restaurant. They were gathered on the terrace for their well-deserved pause. I thought we were going to enjoy a beautiful afternoon at home, on our own terrace, with sunshine, warm temperatures, music playing, and wine flowing. Unfortunately, the weather turned crappy not long after we got home. We did manage to walk the dogs again. They were super happy to get two walks in one day, and I was glad to burn off some of that lunch!
For dinner, we enjoyed the eggs and some crackers we picked up on our trip to Italy. We really didn’t need much to tide us over after that delightful meal at Die Scheuer.
These are so pretty. And yet, they are available year round in German grocery stores. They look like Easter eggs, but they’re dyed so we know they’ve been cooked.
And then, as we were enjoying the evening music and wine, the sun came out during a rain storm, and we were rewarded with a very intense and beautiful rainbow… He is risen, indeed!
Easter was beautiful this year, in spite of everything… I am reminded of how very lucky we are, on so many levels. Charlie got to show Bill some love, too…
I took this on Saturday, but it was too cute not to share…
Bill and I are now mostly over our sicknesses. I hadn’t been out of the house in ages. I asked Bill if he’d like to go have lunch at La Fonte, an Italian restaurant in Breckenheim that is in the local Sportshalle and right next to the town’s brand new school. We’ve been to La Fonte a few times. It’s notable for its covered terrace with the retractable roof, smoking area, and very dog friendly dining rooms.
Bill had band pasta with Gorgonzola sauce. I had black tortelloni with lobster sauce, scallops, shrimps, and sugar snap peas. We also enjoyed chilled Pinot Grigio and San Pellegrino. The only thing that marred our lunch was the smell of cigarettes from the smoking area. For some reason, they left the door to the smoking area open. Oh well. Once you’ve lived in Germany awhile, you get used to smoking… even though I am allergic to cigarette smoke. Service was, as usual, friendly and competent. We should visit more often.
Below are a few photos:
Breckenheim’s new schoolComplimentary chilled Limoncello after we paid the check.Bill’s pasta with Gorgonzola sauce…My black tortelloni…My sweet Bill…
La Fonte is a nice neighborhood restaurant. On a nice day, we could easily walk there. It wasn’t that nice yesterday, weather wise, although the temperatures are coming up, slowly but surely. Days are getting longer.
Today is Election Day in Germany. I hope like hell that Germans don’t vote for the far right AFD party. It’s scary how the world has changed in the last month.
On another note… Valentine’s Day, I got a very small bouquet of sweetheart roses. It lasted just two days before I needed to toss it. On that same day, the florist sent Bill an email claiming they sent the wrong bouquet, and I’d be getting a new bouquet this week. Personally, I think they probably ran out of flowers, because it took a week. But anyway, the real bouquet was much nicer…
They bring cheer… I’m trying to keep the faith.
Today, we’re going to Wiesbaden to have lunch downtown. I’ll probably write about it later today or maybe tomorrow…
At seven o’clock, Friday evening, Bill and I presented ourselves at Alchemist Basel, an unusual restaurant just around the corner from Les Trois Rois. This place, which is very casual and innovative, focuses on unique, experimental, interesting dishes and drinks. Bill discovered the restaurant before we left Germany and made a reservation for us.
The front door at Alchemist…
We were immediately shown to a two top table, right next to the open kitchen. Our server, who spoke perfect English without much of a distinctive accent, greeted us and invited us to have a look at the menu. We immediately wanted to try the Spirituum Et Circenses, which is a novel way to order a cocktail. The server brought out a little box that had a dreidel, miniature tarot cards, and a four sided die (triangular). The drink would be prepared according to the results of the spin, toss, and card drawing. I ended up with a rum based cocktail topped with cotton candy. Bill’s drink was whiskey based with dry ice. Both were tasty. Of course, if we’d wanted something more conventional, or even wanted the surprise cocktail without alcohol, we could have done that, too. Below is a video I made…
Our dinner included small cocktails, again presented in novel ways. The video shows them.
For dinner, we had a five course “surprise” dinner, which included dishes on the menu, along with novelly prepared cocktails put in laboratory equipment. We had things in beakers, test tubes, and jars, with chemical sleights of hand all over the place. The dishes were mostly vegetarian and vegan friendly, although since we’re meat eaters, there were also a couple of courses that included meat. One dish had chickpeas in it. I was amazed by the array of different flavors, some of which I probably never would have thought to try at home.
Below are some photos… I thought the magnifying glass was pretty inspired, given how dark it was in the restaurant, and how small the print on the menus was for some of us…
Tarot cards helped make my cocktail…My cocktail had cotton candy…Bill’s had dry ice…A “bamboo steamer” with fried kale.Tweezers instead of a knife!The kale roll was very spicy!A true unisex bathroom.Interesting course with chickpeas and lentils.I liked the chicken and frites!One drink was wine, served in a beaker.I liked this cocktail with almond milk and rice crisp.
I think Bill really enjoyed Alchemist. He likes to try new and different foods. I didn’t mind it, and would go back another time, but my tastes in food are a bit more pedestrian than his are. I also found the restaurant kind of noisy and crowded, which isn’t much to my liking. However, the menu concepts are fresh, innovative, and fun, and I loved the surprise cocktails made by chance. It was exciting to watch other patrons getting cocktails that were presented with different gimmicks. Sometimes, the gimmicks didn’t work as intended.
Don’t know if Carl’s Jr. will end up in Germany, too…
After dinner, we walked back to the hotel, noticing that across the street was one of Switzerland’s three Carl’s Jr. outlets. Carl’s Jr., in case you don’t know, is a fast food outlet that is based in California. The company bought Hardee’s, which is a fast food chain popular in the southern and midwestern states. I used to like Hardee’s when I was younger, but I haven’t eaten at one in years. I thought maybe we’d try Carl’s Jr., since I’ve never been to one. But we never got around to getting our fast food fix. It’s just as well… I need fast food like I need a second asshole. 😀
When we returned to our room, we found that the housekeeper had been by to do turn down service for us. That was the only night we got turn down, because we’re not really night people anymore. We went to bed, and unfortunately, neither of us slept very well. The mattress was a little too firm for us. But that seems to be the case in most of the hotels we’ve stayed in lately.
In the morning, we decided to go across the street to Bachmann’s Confiserie for breakfast. This is a Basel based chain store that offers a light cafe menu, breakfast, and chocolates for sale. Since breakfast at the hotel was 55 Swiss francs per person, and we knew we were going to be dining at the Cheval Blanc for lunch, we decided the cafe was a better place for a light breakfast. I see from my search that there’s another Bachmann’s Confiserie in Switzerland, but it appears to be owned by different people and is located in Lucerne.
I really enjoyed the breakfast at Bachmann’s Confiserie of Basel. For 16,50 CHF, you can get a breakfast with a hot drink, fresh orange juice, a bun, a croissant, jelly, and butter. I fell in love with the bread rolls, which were slightly sweet, soft, and yeasty. The gipfeli (croissant) was also excellent… not crispy or crumbly, but soft and flaky. And I loved the fresh squeezed orange juice. The service was also friendly and professional.
I loved the roll… I want to find a recipe!
After breakfast, we walked around the Rathaus and explored downtown Basel before our much anticipated lunch at Cheval Blanc. I will write more about that in the next post.
A couple of nights ago, when we were sitting at our most recent wine stand, Bill asked me if I’d like to go out to dinner. I said that would be fine, so Bill went on OpenTable and searched for a restaurant. He ended up choosing Isoletta Steak und Pasta, a restaurant in a part of Wiesbaden where we rarely wander. We had never been to this particular restaurant, so I was kind of excited to go there. We had a 7:00 PM reservation.
The restaurant is casual, so we dressed accordingly. We parked at the Kurhaus parking garage and walked about ten minutes until we reached the restaurant. The weather was nice, so a lot of people were dining outside.
Those ladies eventually came inside and sat at a table near us, where they had dessert. I guess they got too chilly.
The first thing I noticed about Isoletta Steak und Pasta is that the dining room is very beautiful and elegant. It has the look of an old style Wiesbaden home. The next thing I noticed was that the dining room is pretty small and the tables are all close together. Even checking off our names in the reservation book was a little awkward, as the stand is right by the door, and people were coming and going.
We took a two-top table next to steps leading up to the bar. That was a bit awkward, since we had to move the table so that I could sit down. The steps were blocking ingress to the couch. Once we were seated, I was pretty comfortable. A waiter brought us bread, green olives, and some kind of sweet garlic spread that resembled mayo and tasted like heaven. Seriously, that spread was probably my favorite part of the meal besides the wine.
The interior of the restaurant is nice.Bill watches the action…
The third thing I noticed was that the waiters, all of whom appeared to be Italian, were very busy and could have used one more set of hands. The charming waiter who took care of us looked a little like the American actor, Matthew McConaughey. He spoke German, Italian, and English. I could barely hear him tell us the specials and he left before we had a chance to ask for sparkling water. I got a little perturbed watching the staff flit in and out of the restaurant, just under the threshold of overwhelmed. I’m sure this restaurant, like so many others in Germany, is having trouble finding help. A lot of good restaurants have closed because of a lack of waitstaff.
After several minutes of waiting, the waiter came back and we gave him our orders. I was tempted by the burger they offered, since I was kind of craving a cheeseburger. But I ended up ordering a 200 gram rib-eye (the smaller one) and roasted potatoes. I asked for it to be cooked medium. Bill ordered tuna with a wasabi crust and a side of roasted vegetables. Both dishes came with salads.
Nice salad.Bill loved the tuna, which was cooked rare and had a subtle wasabi crust. I liked it, too. I think it was better than my steak.The 200 gram steak.Roasted potatoes.
To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the steak as much as I’d hoped I would. I had asked for it to be cooked medium, but it came to me rare. It was so dark in the restaurant that I couldn’t really tell until I started eating it. I’m not totally grossed out by rare meat, so I was able to eat it. But rare is not how I ordered it. The potatoes were a bit starchy, dry, and bland… but then I put a little of that garlic spread on them and they were improved! I’m glad they didn’t take that away like they did the bread.
The lighting in the restaurant was very dim, so it was kind of hard to read the menu, even though there was still daylight when we arrived. I noticed other people had to use the lights on their phones to be able to see what was offered. And yet, even though it was dark and cozy in the restaurant, I wouldn’t call the mood romantic. It was a bit crowded. They also played pleasant jazzy music that was maybe a little too loud.
One nice thing about how busy they were was that we were able to relax and enjoy our wine. That’s precisely what we did. We might have ordered dessert, but they didn’t seem too interested in selling it to us, and by the time we finished dinner and our wine, I was kind of ready to go home. Bill asked for the check in Italian, which totally charmed our waiter. He brought us a round of limoncello while Bill paid the bill.
Bill commented that after our time in Iceland, where most everything is very expensive, last night’s dinner seemed like a bargain. I think the check was about 120 euros.
Wiesbaden is so pretty…Even at night…Glad to see this implant doctor has good teeth.This sign and the next one…are within mere yards of each other…
We walked back to the Volvo, and I marveled again at how beautiful Wiesbaden is. It really is a very gracious city, with lovely architecture. We should spend more time there. As for Isoletta Steak und Pasta, I might give them another chance. Maybe I’d try the burger or their pasta, which is reportedly homemade. But last night’s dinner was kind of a disappointment for me. I’d give it three stars out of five.
We did have a nice evening, though, and we came home and had a little bit of ice cream while we listened to music. We noticed a Moroccan restaurant across the street. Maybe we’ll try that place next. Stay tuned!
Happy Presidents Day. It marks the end of our current long weekend. The sun came out briefly, prompting Bill to invite me out to lunch at L’Osteria, a pizza restaurant chain here in Germany. I’ve seen several of these outlets in our recent travels, and I guess Bill was curious about them, too. We had never been to one before today, although they seem to be everywhere we’ve been lately.
The local L’Osteria opens at 11:30 AM for lunch. The door was wide open as we approached and the outside was set up for those who preferred to eat outside. It’s February, but unusually warm– about 54 degrees or so– so eating outdoors isn’t out of the question. Especially for Germans, who are big believers in bundling up for the weather.
As I approached the door, I caught a whiff of a local sewer, which wasn’t the greatest first impression… but they can’t help it if they’re near a sewer, I guess. We walked in and were welcomed to sit anywhere we wanted. I chose a spot near the impressive bar. There were menus on the table, so I started looking. It was very quickly apparent that this chain is all about pizza, although they do offer salads, appetizers, and pasta dishes.
I like pizza, but not so much the kind one finds in Germany. For one thing, sometimes it doesn’t taste like they use mozzarella cheese. For another, they seem to make them for one person, even though they’re always way too big for one person to eat. I opted for tortellini with ham, while Bill had a pizza with prosciutto. We shared a half carafe of Montepulciano and a big bottle of San Pellegrino. More people started to come in for lunch while we waited…
Did I lie about the pizza? It’s very thin crusted, though.The tortellini was good, and there wasn’t too much of it. I did kind of struggle to finish, but Bill ate two of them for me.
We enjoyed the wine and conversation over the food. I noticed another couple sat near us and shared one pizza, which, frankly, I’ve never seen before in a German pizza place. The barman/waiter had cut it in half and put it on separate plates. I think if I had to do it again, I would have liked to have shared a pizza with Bill. He brought half of his pizza home with him.
The food at L’Osteria was good. The restaurant’s ambiance was not too fancy, and very family friendly, with pop music playing. I noticed the Uber Eats guy came in several times while we were eating. He was doing a brisk lunch business.
I was feeling pretty good about our visit, but then I visited the ladies room… and just as I was about to relieve myself of some processed wine and water, I realized there was no toilet paper in the stall. I went to the other stall, where there was an almost empty roll. There was just enough for me and maybe one more person, if all they needed to do was pee. So, after Bill used the restroom, he asked if I was ready to go, as he’d already paid our tab. I told him we needed to let the barman know that they ladies room needed a restock of toilet paper. The guy had disappeared into the kitchen, so Bill popped his head in and informed him that the restroom needed attention.
Other than that, I enjoyed our visit to L’Osteria. I would go back, although I probably would prefer a restaurant that isn’t part of a chain. Still, it did the job of filling us up and was convenient and reasonably priced. Most everything on the menu was priced between 12 and 16 euros. And now my curiosity is satisfied. Next time, maybe I’ll brave ordering a pizza.
The restaurant, by the way, also appears dog friendly. I noticed a doggie bowl in the foyer as we were exiting.
After the tough week I endured, Bill decided that we needed a nice Sunday lunch. He decided to book us a 1:30 PM reservation at Landhaus Diedert, which has become one of our favorite fine dining restaurants in Wiesbaden. We have been there a few times now, and we have never been disappointed any time we’ve dined there. It’s become a favorite place for Sunday lunches, although we have a few other go to establishments we frequent.
Full parking lot!
We arrived a few minutes before our reservation to find their main parking lot full. I got out and waited for Bill to find a place to park, which turned out to be on the other side of the Biergarten/park area for kids. The weather was perfect today, so everyone ate outside under the massive oak trees. And what a divine lunch we had… feast your eyes!
I started with a glass of Sekt. Bill had a non-alcoholic sparkling drink made with cranberry juice. We had a round of their wonderful bread, with salted and unsalted butter, and a red pepper hummus.
For our first courses, I had burrata, which was very fresh mozzarella and cream with candy sweet cherry tomatoes and basil pesto. Bill had a colorful green salad with bacon and fried Pfifferlingen mushrooms. I normally get a little freakout out eating cheese and fresh tomatoes, but burrata is different. German cherry tomatoes are so beautiful and flavorful. They married perfectly with the basil pesto.
For our main courses, I had roasted Barberie duck breast with Asian inspired vegetables and Dim Sum. The vegetables were carrots, beans, and edamame. Bill had shrimp served in a sizzling Le Creuset frying pan, with olive oil and peppers. We washed it down with a locally produced Pinot Noir.
Me in my Finnish scarf!A local Pinot Noir…
I got a video of the shrimp sizzling away… I almost got the shrimp myself, since it was clear they had no mushrooms. But I ended up with the duck, which was also a very good choice.
Living in Germany doesn’t suck… most of the time, anyway.
Naturally, we had dessert. I had a cherry filled chocolate eclair with chocolate mousse, cherry sorbet, and sliced cherries. Bill had warm lemon cobbler with sour cream ice cream and citrus fruits. Since he takes medicine for his high blood pressure, I ate the grapefruit.
Dessert was wonderful!
And a few final photos…
We definitely love dining at Landhaus Diedert, which has a long and storied history in Wiesbaden. It’s definitely a great restaurant to visit if you need some culinary style pampering!
The drive to and from there isn’t too shabby, either… Wiesbaden is a very beautiful city.
Total damage before tip was about 200 euros. Yes, it’s a lot, but it was so worth it after this week. I definitely want to bring Bill’s mom there sometime. I think she’d love it as much as we do!
Hello, folks. We arrived in Norway yesterday afternoon after a brief delay in Frankfurt. We’re in a hotel in a residential area that seems deceptively quiet, but wasn’t last night. It was light out again at 3:00 AM, too. But, I did manage to get some pretty photos as we were flying into the airport yesterday. We also had a very expensive, but delicious dinner at a French restaurant, where we found a new wine that we both love. So, so far, it’s been nice… albeit very expensive.
Today, I think we’ll walk down to the water… maybe see if we can arrange a short cruise around the local fjords. Or maybe we’ll just do a lot of people watching. I don’t remember Oslo being so busy, last time we were here. It’s also very warm here. Thank God I threw a couple of extra pairs of shorts in my luggage. But it’s not a given that the weather will be warm in June. Last time we came here, we had to buy warmer clothes. That was a June visit, too.
Below are some photos from yesterday… I’m already crafting the story in my head.
Noyzi was delighted to go to the Hundepension.My husband is a geek, but I love him.Lufthansa welcomes us!One of the perks of flying business class.Norway sure is pretty!I have heard Oslo’s duty free shop is the largest in Europe.The train into Oslo is convenient.This was the wrong wine. Bill ordered a cheaper one. Naturally, we loved it.Even if it did cost $119…The calm before the storm… a very loud group of women sat here.Entrecote for me.Pork for Bill.Profiteroles for me.Lemon tart for Bill.Good restaurantA familiar sight.
We had dinner at a very cute French place called Brasserie Blanche. There was a large group of very loud women sitting near us. They seemed to be very friendly co-workers, throwing a party for a departing friend. I felt like I was back in the U.S., listening to them talk. They were so noisy! But they were having a good time, and again, we did have an excellent bottle of wine to help ease the pain.
Bill says dinner was about $229. Youch!
Of course, when we are home again in early July, I will write a more detailed accounting of this saga… if I still remember everything!
A few days ago, I asked Bill if he might like to go out to dinner on Saturday night. He was agreeable to my suggestion, so we went on OpenTable.de to see what restaurants were available. One of the very first suggestions was Riesling Stuben in nearby Hochheim, an adorable wine town located about twenty minutes’ drive from Breckenheim.
When I mentioned the restaurant to Bill, he said he’d seen that place recommended a bunch of times. However, we haven’t gone to Hochheim very often, because parking in the town can be a challenge. The first time we visited there was at Christmas time in 2018, just after we moved from the Stuttgart area to Wiesbaden. Bill’s former boss, who had lived in Hochheim, had arranged for a wine tasting and company Christmas party at a hotel literally steps away from his rental home. I remember thinking the town was absolutely adorable, but we had a terrible time finding a place to park. We never did get around to visiting the town again the following summer.
Then came the pandemic, which kept us pretty close to home for a couple of years. Hochheim is close to where we live, but we didn’t have enough experience with it to just go there to look around. We didn’t actually do that until last August, when we randomly showed up there on a summer day and stumbled across a wine stand. We had a couple of glasses and walked around. Once again, I wondered where Hochheim had been all of my life and why we weren’t hanging out there more often.
Last night, Bill was a little worried about parking, but it turned out to be a non-issue. There’s at least one lot where it’s free of charge to park. It’s on the edge of town, and maybe a five or ten minute walk from where we were going. The weather was gorgeous last night, so it wasn’t a hardship to stroll through the quaint village. We passed Bill’s ex boss’s former home, past the hotel where we had our Christmas party, and the winery where we had our tasting, and soon easily found Riesling Stuben. We were about twenty minutes early for our 7:00pm reservation, but decided to show up anyway, since I was hungry.
Below are some photos from our walk around before we got to the restaurant. As you can see, this is a place where German wines are produced and sold. It’s also very stylish, with lots of beautiful homes owned by people with money. I don’t think I would have been sad to find a home in Hochheim when we were looking!
We ran into a couple getting wedding photos done.If not for the nearby sound of the Autobahn, I might think we were in Heaven.
When we got to Riesling Stuben, we noticed a couple sitting in the adorable courtyard. A large chalkboard with the word “Cheers!” greeted us, along with grape vines, and a string of lights. I easily spotted our table, as there was a sign with our name on it and the time of our reservation.
Bill went looking for someone in charge, but the proprietor found me before he saw Bill. I told him we had a reservation and pointed at the table. We sat down, noticing that there were faux fur outdoor blankets on each chair. We sure didn’t need those last night, although maybe they were provided to make the metal and plastic chairs slightly more comfortable.
It looked like the restaurant had a lot of reservations, as I took note of the signs on the tables. Not everyone seemed to show up, though. The 6:45pm table near us was never occupied.
On OpenTable, it said the suggested dress at Riesling Stuben was casual. Bill wore jeans and a t-shirt. I wore shorts and a t-shirt. We noticed the couple near us was similarly dressed. However, we noticed an upper deck, where more people were sitting. Some of those folks were dressed with a bit more flair. I mention the dress because the food turned out to be fancier, and frankly much better, than I was expecting it to be!
I read that the Riesling Stuben used to have different owners and its reputation had slipped somewhat since new people took over a few years ago. I once worked at a rather famous restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia whose chef owner was very well-known and liked. When that restaurant was sold, but the new owners kept the old name, a lot of people complained about how the quality had slipped and everything had changed. It looked like Riesling Stuben might have had the same issue; people who had been used to the old owners hadn’t liked the way the restaurant had changed with new people running it. But, since Bill and I had never been to Riesling Stuben before last night, we had no preconceived notions. And, as it turned out, we had a wonderful evening. I’m glad I didn’t read about the restaurant’s old reputation before we actually visited.
A young and sweet looking server greeted us and took Bill’s order of our standard sparkling water and a bottle of locally produced Riesling. Then, when she came back with our water and wine, we were ready to order food. I don’t often bother with starters nowadays, since I usually don’t have room and I don’t need the extra calories, anyway. However, I couldn’t resist the cold apple-cucumber soup, which sounded perfect and refreshing for a warm evening. And, since it’s now the tail end of “Spargel” season, Bill had the asparagus soup.
For our main courses, I ordered the smoked pork cheeks with herbed risotto, strawberries, and balsamic vinaigrette. Bill went with Parmesan encrusted corn fed chicken breasts, served with Romaine salad, smoked tomatoes, and tarragon “Schmand” (sour cream). While we waited for our food, we enjoyed bread with butter and Spundekäs, a locally produced cheese spread usually served with pretzels.
The server didn’t do a formal wine presentation. Instead, she just brought the wine out, opened it, and served me first. She looked like a teenager, so my guess is that she doesn’t yet drink wine herself. She might not yet know to offer guests the opportunity to taste the wine before it gets served. However, in spite of her youth, I thought she was very charming and did a very good job serving everyone.
A few minutes after she brought us our wine, the proprietor came out and checked out which wine we ordered. He spoke English to us, which was much appreciated, and apologized that he didn’t have menus in English. We didn’t need English menus anyway, thanks to years of dining out in Germany, and the availability of smartphones with Google Translate! Besides, although my ability to speak German is extremely limited, I do understand a fair amount of it when I’m paying attention. Bill can speak basic conversational German with confidence.
Here are some photos of the food… It was a real hit with us!
Cheers!Spundekäs! Chilled apple and cucumber soup! I loved it.Asparagus soup, complete with strawberries.Parmesan chicken with Romaine salad, smoked tomatoes, and tarragon sour cream.Smoked pork cheeks with herbed risotto, strawberries, and Parmesan crackers.
We both really enjoyed our dinners. I hadn’t been expecting the food to be as good as it was. Since the restaurant was called Riesling Stuben and the dress was casual, I was expecting more traditional, stereotypical German fare. I was pleasantly surprised, both by the originality of the dishes and the way they were presented. They tasted good, too, although I think some of the reason we enjoyed everything so much had to do with the weather and the cool “cocktail” music they were playing– think old school jazz, from people like Desi Arnaz, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra. Yes, I did a lot of “Shazaming”. In fact, I even downloaded an album while we were eating.
As you can see from the second set of photos, we did get some clouds, and a few raindrops. One party moved into the restaurant. Another paid up and left. We waited out the very short rain spell, along with the couple who was there before us. They were drinking a lot, and it was soon pretty obvious that they were friends of the owners, who even joined them for a couple of rounds. I felt like we were watching a dinner party.
After we were finished with dinner, we decided to order dessert, but told the proprietor that we would finish the wine before it was time for the Nachtisch (dessert). He took our order and left us to enjoy the rest of the Riesling. About ten or fifteen minutes later, we were finished with the wine. The waiter came out with what looked like dessert for us, but then he walked out of the courtyard to– I’m not sure where!
This was where dinner became a little strange, as the service went off the rails. We sat in the courtyard for a long time, with no sign of anyone in charge. I didn’t mind it at first, because the weather was nice, and the music was entertaining. But, after awhile, it did get a little bit awkward and weird. I was wondering what was going on. Finally, the guy came back and asked us if we were okay. We reminded him about dessert, and he smacked his head. He had forgotten! And he had noticed me noticing him with the desserts he carried out of the courtyard, but it didn’t occur to him that we were waiting for ours.
He gave us a round of dessert wine for our troubles, which was much appreciated. The dessert wine went well with my chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce, and Bill’s apple “Kuchle”, which was basically slices of apples dipped in batter, fried, and dusted with sugar and cinnamon, then served with vanilla ice cream.
I have had better chocolate mousse, but I really liked Bill’s dessert. The mousse would have been improved with less raspberry sauce, which overwhelmed the chocolate somewhat. I didn’t even taste the chocolate at first, until I got past the intense raspberry. I noticed that raspberry was a prominent ingredient at this place. All three of my courses had elements of it. I think if we went back, I’d have what Bill had. Unless, of course, they have the lemon tart listed on the menu available again.
I visited the ladies room while Bill handled the check. It gave me a chance to take a couple of photos on the interior, which is very cute and cozy! I got a kick out of the ladies room. I will warn that getting to the restrooms could be a challenge for those who have limited mobility. They are located up a creaky staircase.
A toilet seat for winos.I wonder what prompted them to put this on the wall.Cool effect!One of several cute dining rooms.
We enjoyed an on the house round of wine liqueur as Bill paid the 112 euro check with his credit card. As we were about to leave, the people at the next table asked if we were on vacation. I said, “No, we live in Breckenheim. And we’ll be back!” They laughed and wished us a pleasant evening. We really enjoyed ourselves, in spite of the wait for our desserts. The waiter handled that situation with grace. Fortunately, we weren’t in a hurry, and the weather and charm of the place made waiting less irritating.
On the way back to the car, we passed a wine stand being held at one of Hochheim’s many Weinguts. I got a kick out of the vending machine, which sold wines and wine glasses. Sadly, though, one needs a German “Ausweis” (ID card) to make a purchase. I guess that machine is only for true locals! Oh well.
We were raving about the evening all the way back home, promising to spend more time in Hochheim, not just for dinner at the Riesling Stuben, but also to try other restaurants in the town and, of course, buy some wine!
The liqueur softens the blow of the check.Cute restaurant!Hochheim is charming!Every neighborhood needs one.We’ll have to try out this wine stand sometime.No ID, no service!
Well… I can’t say our dinner at Riesling Stuben was perfect, but we did have a wonderful time. And it is a very unique and cute eatery. Atmosphere and presentation count for a lot. I do think the weather helped a lot to make last night so special. Regardless, we left Hochheim smiling, and promising ourselves to return sooner, rather than later.
I’m not sure Bill was remembering what today is, when he decided he wanted to go out for lunch. It’s Mother’s Day in Germany, just as it is in the USA. Having been a waitress in a prior life, I knew what that could mean for those who wanted to go out to eat. But Bill was gone for eight nights, and we were hankering for a date somewhere, so he decided to book us lunch at Rocco’s Italian Grill & Bar in Bad Soden.
We’ve been to this restaurant a few times, having discovered it, and the wonderful spa town it’s in, a few years ago on OpenTable.de. We love the bar in this restaurant, and when it’s nice outside, it’s pleasant to sit outdoors and people watch. Today, because of the clouds, I determined that I wanted to sit inside. I figured it would be packed… and it was very busy, but not fully booked.
Parking in Bad Soden is generally difficult. We made a few passes before Bill finally let me out so he could find a spot. He remembered where the relatively hidden parkdeck was. That was a blessing, as there were several spots open there. Lots of other people were trying to park at the same time we were and having no success. Bill said he saw a sign indicating that the parkdeck would be closed starting tomorrow through July. Guess we won’t be back to Bad Soden for awhile! 😉 We made today count, anyway…
We decided to eat indoors, mainly because I didn’t want it to rain on my new wool dress. Bill got dressed up, which meant I had to dress up, too. He wanted to see how his injured foot would do in dress shoes, since he’s going back to the office tomorrow. He seemed to do fine in his business casual attire.
As I mentioned up post, the restaurant was busy, but not totally full. Lots of families were out with their kids. A table near us was loaded with kids and a dog who protested a few times from under the table. At another table near us, I watched the young girl go to the bathroom about a half dozen times within the span of an hour. A couple of times, she took her mom with her. I won’t lie. That made me a little nervous, but it turns out there was no need. As usual, the food was top notch.
I had a 300 gram U.S. Prime Rib-Eye steak with a side of mashed potatoes. It was cooked to a perfect medium, and topped with rosemary. Bill went with veal spare ribs, which came with barbecue sauce and fries. We had a lovely Malbec and a bottle of sparkling water to help wash things down. Before we got out main courses, we had wonderful, hot, fresh olive bread with aioli and huge green olives with peppers.
If we’d wanted to, we could have had pizza or pasta, fish, burgers, or something vegan or vegetarian. But Rocco’s really seems to specialize in steaks and ribs. On prior visits, we’ve had other choices of ribs and steaks. They’re always outstanding.
I got some photos of our lunch, which culminated in delightful desserts. I had a red velvet lava cake with cream cheese frosting. Bill had an almond and cherry ice cream parfait. I normally don’t like lava cakes, but this one was different, as it wasn’t the usual chocolate.
Someone pulled the shirt up on the mannequin at Jeans Boss.Sweet bearded Bill…He looks like a shrink…An unexpectedly nice photo of me.That bread was insanely good.The wine… it was different than what Bill had ordered. They were out of his choice.My steak was perfect. I brought home leftovers.The potatoes were also good.Bill loved the spare ribs. I might have liked them, too, but they were veal and I try not to eat that.My Red Velvet Lava Cake…I was surprised when I cut it.Bill’s parfait. It was very nice with the almond cookies.Lots of people were at Rocco’s!In Bad Soden, you can literally take the waters…There’s something very “Melrose Place” about Bad Soden.I wonder if the neighbors hang out…A very nice spa town.
I’d like to spend more time in Bad Soden. It’s a beautiful town, with nice restaurants and a lovely park. Parking can be quite a pain there, though, as we were reminded of again today.
I think lunch ran about 200 euros or so. We paid with a card. It was pretty noisy, mainly because of the young children who were dining. When the families near us left, the decibel level went down by about half. But everybody seemed to be having a very nice time. As usual, I can only recommend Rocco’s, although there are some other restaurants in Bad Soden I’m hoping to try.
Last night, Bill and I had another outing! I know– it’s quite a shocker after our homebody winter. Arran did well on Friday night, so we decided to join Bill’s old Army pals from the 1980s at Brauhaus Castel, a popular Biergarten-Brauhaus in Mainz-Kastel. Bill and I had been to this particular brewpub before. I remembered liking it, plus I like Bill’s Army buddy and his wife. They’ve reunited and work together; we spent Thanksgiving at his house. Every time I’ve seen this particular buddy of Bill’s, it involves hanging out with other guys Bill knew in the 80s, when I was in high school, and he was a young lieutenant. They are unusually bonded.
There was actually an occasion for this gathering, other than having dinner with Bill’s colleague. A large group of wrestlers from the Army post in Vicenza and Aviano Air Force Base in Italy had come up to Wiesbaden for a high school wrestling tournament. One of Bill’s other pals from the 80s was there with his wife and their son, who is a high school junior and avid wrestler. So, besides Bill’s Army buddies of yore, there was also a large group of high school kids– mostly boys and a few girls– and their chaperones and parents who came up for the tournament.
I don’t always enjoy work related events I attend with Bill. To be very frank, I’m the kind of person people tend to love or hate. Sometimes people are taken aback because I have a tendency to be blunt. For instance, Friday night, Bill and I attended a work party that included a trivia game. It was getting late, so we decided not to participate.
The organizers of the game asked us to move to one of the big long tables, as we were sitting a small side table. I blurted out, “We’re not playing.” The hostess answered in kind of a dismayed way, like I was being a party pooper. But we needed to get home to Arran, plus Bill has a hard time staying awake beyond 9:30 or so. He is a morning person. So, rather than take part in the game and get stuck there until midnight, I said we were not playing. Maybe it made me look curt or bitchy or something… but I figure that’s better than being stuck. Besides, I don’t work for Bill’s employer, so it’s safer for me to be assertive.
Last night was thankfully a lower key affair. It was just old friends hanging out. I also enjoyed the food. I had a half chicken with fries and my beloved Hefeweizen. Bill had Dunkelweizen and Frankfurter Schnitzel, with green sauce, a local delicacy. Most everybody else went with the dreaded Jaeger Schnitzel (breaded pork cutlets with mushroom gravy). I know people love their mushrooms… they can have mine.
I always get a kick out of watching teenagers, especially boys, in restaurants. And wrestlers have to make weight, so they don’t eat as much as they might want to during wrestling season. Last night marked the end of the season, so there was quite a chowing down going on. It was pretty funny to watch!
We like the Brauhaus Castel, as the inside of it is very quaint; the food tastes good and is reasonably priced; service is professional; and they are very friendly to the military community, as evidenced in the photos below. The only thing that isn’t so good is the parking, which is only a problem because it’s a popular place. But they do have their own lot and parking is free of charge. I have definitely encountered worse! We need to go there more often than we do.
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