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Baden-Württemberg

Now I’ve experienced a German buffet…

So…  Now I can say I’ve been to a German buffet.  Until tonight, I didn’t realize such a thing existed here in Deutschland.  I thought it was strictly an American thing.  But no, if you know where to go, you can eat like a horse for not so many euros.  And now that I’ve done it, I don’t know if I want to do it again.  But I am very happy to share my experiences for the curious.

You may be wondering how Bill and I wound up eating at the Restaurant Waldachtal tonight.  It’s quite simple.  I fell prey to Facebook advertising.  Bill and I currently live in Unterjettingen, which is on the edge of the Black Forest.  I get ads for businesses in this area.  One ad that kept popping up on my timeline was for the Restaurant Waldachtal, which is apparently somehow affiliated with a large hotel in the little town of Waldachtal.  They kept advertising their Brazilian Steakhouse night, which looked exotic and fun.  Incidentally, they do the Brazilian thing on Friday nights.  On Saturday nights, they do the “American Buffet” for 18 euros a person.  That, right there, should have been a big clue… as well as the info for bus tours.  Always remember that German style American food often loses something in the translation.

The sign at the bottom of the hill.

Bill has been in Morocco all week and we needed a night out.  We decided to head to Waldachtal, a town that, as the crow flies, isn’t too far from where we live.  It’s kind of southwest of Unterjettingen, on the way to Freudenstadt.  I realize that many of my more local readers will still think this is a really long way from them.  The fact is, they’d be right.  I’m not all that sure that the vast majority of my local readers will want to bother to visit this place unless they are either big fans of buffets or they are very curious about the Brazilian Steakhouse deal (which I confess Bill and I still are).

Shades of Dirty Dancing…

I made an online reservation last night.  That was ABSOLUTELY the right thing to do.  Evidently the “American Buffet” on Saturday nights is very popular and the place was packed this evening.  Not only was the restaurant hosting a wedding reception, there was also a birthday party and lots of hungry families had congregated for dinner.  And yes, at about 7:30pm, a large busload of tourists showed up.

Just getting to this restaurant was challenging, because the GPS tried to put us on a back road that was closed.  Once we took the long way, which wasn’t actually too far from where we live, we managed to find the large restaurant on the hillside.  It kind of has the look of a resort… because I believe it is a resort.  I was catching Dirty Dancing vibes as I climbed the steps to the door.  When we entered the very busy restaurant, we were met by a middle-aged woman who appeared to be extremely pissed off and completely over her job.

She stopped and asked us what us what we wanted.  Bill told her we had reservations.  She consulted what appeared to be a repurposed flip chart and noticed our name.  Apparently we didn’t have a table assigned to us because we must have been among the last people to reserve.  She turned to Bill, totally exasperated, and said, “Kein Tisch!” (no table) as she made a helpless gesture with her arms.

I am generally very patient with wait staff, because I once waited tables myself, and have felt the pain. Still, the place was a zoo and I was wondering if we really should stay for dinner.  Finally, the lady told a younger woman to take us to a table for six.  We would have to share it with another party.  No biggie.

So we sat down, ordered a couple of weizens from a much cheerier and younger waitress, and I went to get my food while Bill hung out at the table and watched my purse.  In order to get to the food, I walked past a crowded bar area, through a foyer, and down a narrow hall that appeared to be half of a wait station.  Then the room opened into a larger dining area where there were several large, empty tables that were probably intended for the people who were arriving on the bus.

As promised, there were plenty of stations full of food.  I found barbecued chicken, hamburger patties, duck, salmon, grilled shrimp, steaks, spare ribs, soups, salads, and sides.  There was also a large dessert station.  I was surprised by the sheer range of food available.  Most of it was pretty good quality… probably better than what you’d find at a typical American buffet restaurant like Old Country Buffet.  I also noticed it wasn’t populated by a lot of elderly people like American buffets often are.  We saw mostly young and/or large families tonight.

Part of the buffet.  There was more to my right and left and behind me.

They had curry and rice.

Salmon…

 

Spare ribs, which were pretty good, and potatoes that were just a hair underdone.

This was what I came back with.  It was more than I could eat.  The chicken was a hit.  The sauce was kind of spicy… spicier than most things I’ve had in Germany.  They had cheese sticks and onion rings, too.  Actually, there was a whole lot of food to choose from and most of it was pretty good quality.

When I got back to the table, Bill informed me that the other folks who were sitting at our table were three young guys under age 20.  I was immediately amused, because I have seen my fair share of young guys eating at buffets.  I had a feeling these three guys were going to chow down.  I was right.  I was alone for a couple of minutes before the guys showed up and our waitress apologized that we had to share the table.  It was not a problem, really.  The guys were perfect gentlemen and kind of funny.

I told Bill I could see a stiff martini in his future.

 

There was a birthday party going on near our table, so there were a number of kids.  This restaurant is, by the way, very kid friendly.  I think kids, as a rule, love buffets.  Imagine… they don’t have to wait; they can eat whatever and however much they want; and they are guaranteed dessert.  In any case, because there were kids near us, we did have a few who entertained us.  One little boy stopped and stared at us for a couple of minutes.  Maybe he was puzzled because we were speaking English.  Another girl, dressed in a fluffy pink frock with silver sparkles, had an ice cream cone and was entertaining herself and a few peers by holding the cone under a bright lamp and watching the ice cream melt.  We got to hear them sing Happy Birthday in German and watched as the one year old birthday girl blew our her candle.  The older kids enjoyed multiple ice cream cones.

And, of course, there were the young, fit looking lads who were sitting with us.  They knew we were American because Bill warned them.  I watched them each eat a large plate full of food.  Then, they got up and headed back to the buffet.  I said, “Bill, do you think they will come back with more meat or dessert?”

Bill and I both agreed they were going to load up on meat.  Sure enough, that’s what they did.  One of them smiled at me and said, “Round two.” as he dove in to another big plate of food.  I don’t remember ever being able to eat like a young man, but I have watched a few of them put away some food.  It’s almost always really funny, because they are obviously able to burn it off.

One of the young guys was wearing this jacket.  I had to take a picture of the tag, because it was in English and rather amusing…

Bill got me dessert.  I asked for a little tiramisu, but he brought that with a couple of cookies and a small scoop of raspberry ice cream.  Always the provider!  The tiramisu tasted good, but it was a bit heavier than what I’m used to.  I wonder if they used quark instead of mascarpone cheese…

 

As we were eating dessert, the young waitress came back and told the young guys that she had a table open.  They moved to a new spot, so I don’t know if they went back for thirds.  She needn’t have bothered, though, because Bill and I were about done anyway.  We just happened to get there first.  We told the pissy older waitress that we wanted the check and she rolled her eyes, but apparently passed on the message to our younger, pluckier, server.  After about fifteen minutes or so, the cheerier lass showed up with the bill, which came to 43 euros before the tip.  After Bill paid, she gave us a coupon worth five euros off our next visit.  Don’t know when that will be, but it was a nice gesture.

Bill is thrilled.  He had to double check to make sure he didn’t try to pay in dirhams.

 

While we were waiting to settle up, I remarked that the Restaurant Waldachtal reminded me a little of the Marketplace at the Edelweiss Lodge in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.  It sort of has the same ambiance, with murals on the walls, a gazebo, and a “beachy” themed area near the bar.  The food is mostly better than what I remember at the Edelweiss and it’s a bit cheaper, but the ambiance is very much the same.  It’s loud and raucous, like a college dining hall or… perhaps the AAFES food court.  But, I will say, I thought the chicken was good and the spare ribs were decent.  The steak appeared to be of dubious quality.  The burgers were very thin and unimpressive and, if you wanted cheese, it wouldn’t be melted, but you could have as many burgers and steaks as you wanted.

We may try this restaurant again on a Friday night, just to see if their Brazilian Steakhouse experiment is worthwhile.  I doubt we’ll do the American Buffet again, but now at least I can tell people that I’ve been to a German style American Buffet and lived to tell the tale.  And, if you happen to be near the Black Forest and like buffets, maybe it would be worth visiting.  Just make sure you reserve first, especially on a Saturday night.  Tonight, the place was packed and, even though we had a reservation, we wondered for a couple of minutes if we would be seated.  Frankly, my guess is that most of the Americans around here would probably do better to look elsewhere.

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Lunch at Gaststätte Stern and liquor at Vinum!

It’s been yet another exasperating week here in Germany.  It’s a long, irritating story that I won’t get into right now, except to say that I really needed an outing today to remind me why we still live here and rent our residence.  I am 45 years old and always thought I’d own my own house by now, but circumstances have prevented that reality so far.  So here I am, putting up with shit from my landlady, who evidently thinks I’m 12 and need instructions on everything… including how to use the toilet. (I’m serious– she really did this, though it happened a few years ago.  Right now, I’m apparently responsible for acts of God.).

I do love Germany and mostly enjoy Germans, but they do have a different culture here.  Sometimes I need to be reminded why it’s good to live here.  Today, Mr. Bill and I decided to go to Tübingen, a favorite haunt when we lived here the first time, from 07-09.  I had given serious thought to going to Calw and checking out the Fischmarkt, but we were out of wine.  It had been a long time since our last visit to Vinum, our favorite place to buy wine and other delectables.  I was thinking we’d pick up some vino and have lunch.  Since we arrived at just after one o’clock, we thought it would be better to eat first.

The sign outside Stern.

Right next to Vinum, there is an Italian restaurant called Gaststätte Stern.  We had never eaten there before and, as we noticed most of the city’s eateries were full of patrons, we decided to stop in for lunch.  The outdoor tables at the front of Stern were full, so we opted to eat inside, were there were a few open tables.  Stern also has an outdoor courtyard that you have to access through the dining room.  It, too, was full of people.

We sat down and after a few minutes, a waitress brought us a menu highlighting today’s specials, as well as a wine list.  A couple of items were sold out, which was no big deal.  Service was a bit slow, mainly because the restaurant was very busy.  However, though the service was slow, the wait staff was friendly and professional.  I wasn’t hangry, so it was okay to chill with wine and fizzy water.  Here are a few photos from today’s lunch adventure.

Bill checks out the cool looking art on the wall…

Like this… it had a price tag of 28 euros.  I liked it.

 

I saw a few things on the menu I liked.  One was the avocado salad pictured below.  I asked the waitress if it was large and she said it was “vorspeisen”.  She brought out two plates so we could share it.  I was glad she did that…

This was a beautiful salad, but it was good that we shared it.  It was a special today, running a little over eight euros.  This salad was avocados, tomatoes, onions, basil, capers, and a little olive oil.  I don’t usually like raw tomatoes that much, but these were very flavorful and went well with the avocados.  The capers really set off the dish with their mild mustard flavor.

 

There was a rather lengthy wait for our main courses.  For that reason, it was good that we had a salad first, coupled with bread.  There were three or four women covering the whole restaurant and they were very busy.  While we were waiting, a middle aged lady scooted into the table next to ours.  At first, I thought she and her husband, who joined her later, were Italians.  Indeed, it looked like a few Italians were dining at Stern today.  But then she started talking and it became clear that they were Spanish.  And they had arrived at the end of the lunch rush, so several of the specials were sold out.

Bill scored one of the dishes that sold out… it had rigatoni, tomatoes, basil, and eggplant, as well as a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

I went with spaghetti with fruits of the sea.  My dish had octopus, calamari (squid), shrimp, mussels, and tomatoes.  It was drizzled with a little olive oil.  I could not finish this dish, but it was delicious.  I especially enjoyed it washed down with a little reserve Chianti.

A look at the bar area and courtyard during a lull in service.

All told, our lunch ran us about 60 euros before the tip.  That was for two entrees, a salad, three glasses of nice wine, sparkling water, and bread.  After lunch, we went next door to Vinum, which we knew would be closing at four o’clock.  After tasting a few of the wines being featured, we picked out a couple of featured bottles…

Vinum also has wines on tap.  Buy or bring a bottle and you can score a bargain.  I was also told yesterday that Vinum will accept VAT forms.  We don’t use them that often ourselves, but some American readers with SOFA status may be interested in saving the tax.

 

I found a nice reserve Lemberger wine from here in BW.  Then I found Bill, who was very excited…

Vinum had a couple of bottles of Georgian wine!  I used to live in Armenia, which is just south of Georgia and also has good wines.  Bill went TDY to Georgia and learned just how excellent Georgian wines are.  It was exciting to find them here in Germany!

 

I had to tell the Asian saleslady about why we were excited to find Georgian wine.  I also told her about Armenian brandy and that if Vinum carried it, we’d be buying it.  Right now, I order it from Master of Malt out of England.  We bought 110 euros worth of vino… then headed out of the shop, where a guy was preaching to the masses in English.

He was right by the church.

Lots of people were up in the tower, looking out over the city.

I have never seen anyone preaching in English here before.

 

We headed to the main square and I realized I heard a bagpiper.  Sure enough, there was a guy there playing the pipes.  I was rather tickled, since we just left Scotland ten days ago.

Then I spotted a Vom Fass!

 

I was pretty excited to find Vom Fass in Tübingen.  Although we’ve been to the city a few times this year, for some reason, I never noticed it before today.  I asked the saleslady how long they’d been there and she said one year and four months.  We bought three liqueurs for the next time I have PMS.  And we promised the saleslady we’ll be back!

You can buy one of these bottles or bring your own and fill up for a bargain.  Or you can buy pre-bottled stuff, like we did.  They have oils, vinegars, wines, and spirits.

After we left Vom Fass, we ran into a guy blowing big bubbles…

But not before we walked down a quaint alley.

Bubbly!

 

Probably the best bubble pic I got.

Here he was, playing for the folks eating Italian and/or doner kebab.

We passed this vegetable stand on the way to Die Kelter, where we stopped for one last pee break and a round.  

Here’s a sign reminding people not to cross the street unless they see the green man.  Remember, children are watching!

We managed to get all the way home before the rain started coming down.  I am now sitting here thinking we’ll have to enjoy some of that vino we picked up today.  I love visiting Tübingen.  It always reminds me why I like living in Germany.

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Tipping is tacky…

It really is. That being said, I understand tipping is the way it is in the United States. If you work in the service industry in America, tipping can make or break you. Unfortunately, in the United States, it has become customary for customers to fortify low wages. And… just as unfortunately, many Americans assume tipping is customary everywhere and try to force that practice on other cultures.

Today’s blog post is inspired by a comment I read on a Facebook page I follow called Bitchy Waiter. I follow that page because I was once myself a waitress in the United States. Although I haven’t worked as a waitress since 2002, I still occasionally have nightmares about waiting tables. Believe me, I am very sympathetic to wait staff, especially in the United States. I always tip generously when I’m home. However, while tips are often appreciated in other countries, they aren’t always necessary. Sometimes they are even offensive.

This was a post I read today on Bitchy Waiter…

A little voice inside my head told me I shouldn’t read the comments. Unfortunately, I ignored it…

Person after person wrote something along the lines of “20%! Same as I do in America!” or “No idea!” One person even wrote “A deodorant stick.” I usually don’t comment on this kind of stuff because it’s generally a waste of time. But today, I felt like I had to leave a comment for one person who seemed especially hellbent on being an “ugly American”. Have a look.

The original poster insists that he should tip 20% because “he’s a good tipper” and not tipping at least 20% would be “insulting”…


While many servers in European countries appreciate tips, tipping is not as important in Europe as it is in America. Many servers in Europe actually go to school to learn how to wait tables. It’s a real profession… which isn’t to say that waiting tables isn’t a profession in the United States, as much as it is to remind people that many Europeans take pride in hospitality. They are also paid a living wage.

As most Americans know, while there are many professional servers in the United States, it’s not something that everybody goes to school to learn how to do. It’s also not necessarily a job that most people grow up wanting to do, even if there are some folks who get into the profession and stay in it their whole lives.

Unfortunately, many people in the United States look down on servers, though I can personally attest to how difficult the job is. Many people think servers are “unskilled”. Because so many places in the States don’t even pay their servers as little as minimum wage, servers in the States are forced to rely on tips to make money. But that is NOT the case everywhere and Americans should not assume that it is.

I have been to Italy several times. I’m now at a point at which I couldn’t tell you exactly how many times I’ve visited. I have learned that tipping in restaurants is NOT a thing in Italy, although it is becoming more common thanks to Americans who insist on engaging in the practice. In Italy, you are typically charged a servizio, which is the service charge. You may also pay the coperto, which is the cover charge. That’s for the tablecloth, silverware, etc. If you received good service and you want to round up the bill, fine. But even then, in Italy, you’d typically pay a cashier and not your server. So even if you wanted to tip, it would be awkward. It’s not common to leave money on the table in Europe and, if you do, staffers might think you left it there accidentally. Or worse, they might think you are pitying them.

I guess what set me off about the comments above is that the original poster was concerned about not insulting servers in Italy, so he’s gonna tip the way he would in his country. However, in his bid not to feel like he’s being insulting, he’s forgotten that he doesn’t get to determine whether or not he’s coming across as insulting. Just like beauty, rude behavior is in the eye of the beholder. You don’t get to determine whether or not your behavior is offensive to someone else. Sadly, I think a lot of Americans have no clue that our culture is not the end all be all. It’s not the benchmark of “normal” for the whole world. In fact, many Europeans seem to think American culture is actually pretty weird. And when an American comes to another country and presumes to foist US customs on the locals, it is insulting, offensive, and potentially very damaging.

Getting back to my title for this post. To be honest, excessive tipping truly is, in my opinion, very tacky. I can remember waiting tables in a nice restaurant, getting paid $2.13 an hour by my employer, but actually making about $12 an hour or more due to tips. Honestly, making money was my focus in those days, as it was for most of my colleagues. We were not really that concerned with seeing that our guests enjoyed their meals and the luxurious experience of dining out as much as we were with getting them in and out of the restaurant so we could make bank. And customers, likewise, use tips as a way to demean or punish the servers.

I remember one evening, a gentleman sat at one of my tables and said, “If you take care of us, we’ll take care of you.”  By the time I ran into this guy, I already knew that if someone was graceless enough to let me know from the get go that he expected me to kiss his ass and was dangling cash in front of me like a person would tease a pet, it was going to be a tough night. And, sure enough, I don’t remember that guy being particularly generous. I do remember he was very demanding, though… and very tacky. He assumed he needed to get me to do my job by promising cash instead of expecting me to do it because I had some pride in my work.

Here’s another example. Bill and I have cruised with SeaDream Yacht Club three times. It’s considered a “luxury” cruiseline. Tipping is “not expected”. Those who choose to offer money to the crew are requested to donate to the crew fund so the money goes to everyone. Although this is the stated policy in SeaDream’s literature, I know for a fact that there are a lot of people who tip anyway. I have seen them on the last day, surreptitiously passing envelopes full of cash to crew members. The tippers probably don’t see anything wrong with this practice; but in my mind, it makes it harder for crew members to pay equal attention to everyone. It’s also not fair to those crew members who don’t have the good fortune to impress a generous passenger with deep pockets.

By contrast, next week, Bill and I will be boarding Hebridean Princess, a luxury vessel owned by Hebridean Island Cruises. Hebridean operates a strict “no tipping” policy. They don’t even have a crew fund that I am aware of. Instead of demanding tips from their guests, Hebridean Island Cruises simply price their voyages high enough that they can properly pay their staff. When passengers get on board, they are truly guests. There is no pressure to spend money because you’ve already spent a mint to get on the ship. And although many people see tips as truly “to insure prompt service”, I have yet to be disappointed by the service on Hebridean Princess. Everyone is uniformly service oriented to each passenger. They do their jobs professionally, and passengers simply enjoy what they’ve paid for ahead of time. Although I can’t find the exact wording of why Hebridean outlaws tipping, I do remember that it was basically because the management considered tipping to be awkward and potentially embarrassing. Frankly, I think they’re correct.

It’s hard to be graceful about tipping, although there are a few tricks (palming a bill and shaking hands is one). Tips are “gratuities”, which means they are gifts given for a job well done. But in the United States, service people expect gratuities regardless. That promotes an attitude of entitlement, which is hardly gracious or hospitable. Therefore, the wait staff focuses on turning tables instead of seeing that their guests enjoy the experience of dining out. If you don’t believe me, visit any Olive Garden or Outback Steakhouse and let me know if you’re allowed to simply enjoy your food without being prompted to either order more or GTFO. No wonder there are so many overweight Americans.

Indeed, on the Facebook post I referenced here asking what one should tip in Italy, one guy wrote this.

Nothing. They tip like shit when they are here. And stay too long. Lol.

You know why the Italians “tip like shit”? Because they are doing what they do in their own country. Tipping isn’t as much of a thing in Europe and they expect that servers in a place like the United States will actually get paid by their employers. And they “stay too long” because dining out is supposed to be a pleasant experience in Europe. You’re out to enjoy yourself and enjoy food, not pay a server a living wage. Contrast that attitude to the United States, where people are sensitive about staying too long in a restaurant because they know servers need to turn their tables.

On that Facebook thread, I read so many comments from Americans, most of whom have probably never been abroad, either complaining about foreigners not tipping well or insisting that they need to tip 20% or more to servers in other countries. You know what? If you are an American server and you expect your foreign customers to know American tipping customs, perhaps you should do the same when you visit another country. Learn a little about what is expected and behave accordingly. Contrary to popular belief, America is not necessarily the greatest place in the whole world. Sometimes, we Americans could learn a little something from other cultures.

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Ten great date night restaurants in or near Stuttgart, volume 2!

Although this blog was originally intended to be about travel, I have found myself posting a whole lot of restaurant reviews for the Stuttgart area.  It seems my restaurant and local attraction reviews have become more popular than my travel posts ever were.  A few months ago, I posted a list of ten great date night restaurants my husband Bill and I have found since we moved back to the Stuttgart area in 2014.  Since that first post was so popular and we have since been to more good restaurants, I figure it’s time for another list.

As before, I am not ranking these restaurants in any particular order.  I like them all and for different reasons.  All of these restaurants have been reviewed on this blog.  Some restaurants have been reviewed more than once, so if you want to read more, you should check the tags for other reviews.  Many of these places are best booked ahead of time.  In most cases, you can find them listed on OpenTable.  Here goes.

10.  Finch – Degerloch

 

Finch is the restaurant for the Waldhotel, which is a lovely hotel in the Degerloch area of Stuttgart.  Although it’s a bit pricey, the food and service at Finch are excellent.  Bill and I dined there in late March of this year because we were staying at the hotel for easy access to the Porsche Arena.  Finch offers a menu that includes everything from German schnitzel to venison, as well as a few vegetarian and vegan options.  I highly recommend making reservations if you plan to dine at Finch; the venue is small.  I especially recommend this restaurant if you’re also staying in the very nice hotel.

I loved this shrimp tempura appetizer.

9.  Alte Post -Nagold (unfortunately, Alte Post is now closed.)

The Alte Post is the fancy upstairs dining room at Luz Bistro in Nagold.  I have written about Luz Bistro before and, indeed, it was one of the ten restaurants I recommended on my first “date night” post.  The Alte Post is run by the same people, but it’s a much different experience.  The Alte Post restaurant is only open from Wednesday to Sunday and it’s a bit more formal (and much more expensive) than Luz Bistro is.  However, although we dropped a whole lot of euros at Alte Post, it remains a memorable place for a date night.  You can order between three and and seven courses and spend a luxurious evening enjoying all manner of exotic dishes.  Each course is set; you don’t get a choice, except in the number of courses you order.  Reservations are a must, but it truly is an amazing experience for foodies.  Be careful, though.  You could find yourself eating something you never thought you would.

This was a raw lamb course marinated in tomatoes, garlic, and basil.  I don’t usually like lamb, but this was excellent.  

8.  Grüner Baum -Tailfingen

Grüner Baum is a casual French restaurant in a little town called Tailfingen, which is not far from Nagold, Bondorf, or Herrenberg.  Bill and I dined there last fall and I was blown away by the experience.  We sat outside in the charming yard, which is a good bet for a nice day.  There’s also a pleasant dining room for days when the weather is not so good.  I have never not seen this restaurant busy and parking can be scarce, but it’s well worth the effort to get to if only to try it once.  I love this place for the fact that it’s a change of pace and offers something besides Swabian, Italian, or Greek food.  This place specializes in crepes, but there are also plenty of other French delights on the menu. We need to get back there soon!

A little charcuterie…  

 

And a crepe!

 

7.  Ristorante da Maurizio -Stuttgart (this restaurant has changed names; it’s now called Aria)

Here’s a nice Italian entry, located on Calwer Strasse in downtown Stuttgart.  Ristorante da Maurizio is billed as a wine bar, but we were there for the food.  Last summer, Bill and I enjoyed a very pleasant evening repast outside.  It was a prime area for people (and pigeon) watching, but I was very impressed by the food and wine.  And, with a little planning, it would probably make for a nice place for a date.

Sinful burrata appetizer!  

 

Fried perch with peaches and mint!

 
 

6. Zum Reussenstein -Böblingen

I probably don’t need to write too much about this popular Swabian eatery in Böblingen.  I understand this restaurant is already well-known among Americans, especially those who live near Panzer Kaserne.  Bill and I dined at Zum Reussenstein last year having wisely made reservations beforehand.  This restaurant features beautifully prepared Swabian delectables at a fair price.  I’m told the place is owned by a famous German TV chef.

Fantastic ham and asparagus with Hollandaise sauce…

 

5.  Reiskorn -Stuttgart

I am including Reiskorn in this list for those who are dining with vegetarians, vegans, or people who are on gluten free diets.  Reiskorn is an adorable little eatery in downtown Stuttgart.  Its menu caters to those who prefer to eat meat free, although it’s not a meat free restaurant.  Although Reiskorn’s atmosphere is a bit hectic due to its small size, the food is phenomenal and it really offers a nice change of pace, especially for those who have special dietary needs.  Reservations are highly recommended because the inside dining room is very small and it does get busy and crowded.

Vegan, gluten free falafel!  It was delicious!

4.  Buffalo Grill and Bar -Gärtringen (this restaurant is now closed)

Looking for a more casual place to take your honey?  Like burgers and steaks?  You might want to visit Buffalo Grill and Bar in Gärtringen.  Bill and I visited in April to try their burgers, which are, to date, the best I’ve had in these parts.  We enjoyed the restaurant so much that we went back the next day to try their steaks.  To be honest, I liked my burger better than the steak I had.  There’s plenty of parking and a nice outdoor area.  It’s also pretty kid friendly, in case you can’t find a sitter for your date night.  Prices are very fair and reservations are not needed.

Well, it’s not your traditional date night location, but not everyone wants fancy food on a date!

 

As of July 31, 2018, Buffalo Grill and Bar is closed.  🙁

 

3.  Die Kelter -Tübingen

Die Kelter is a really cool restaurant in Tübingen.  It offers a nice biergarten area, a bar, and an awesome indoor dining room.  Although it’s a pretty casual place, especially at lunchtime, there are some interesting options available during the dinner hour.  Vegan and vegetarian options are available, as well as choices for people with more carnivorous palates.  I like to go to Die Kelter for cocktails; they have several creative ones available in their bar.  Above all, I love the atmosphere in this restaurant, along with the way it always smells… delicious!  If you visit on a weekend night, you may want to make reservations.  Die Kelter does get crowded sometimes.

Pastrami and salad at lunchtime.  We have also been for dinner, but unfortunately, I have no pictures!

 

An example of one of Die Kelter’s awesome cocktails!

2.  Restaurant Rosenau -Tübingen

This is another Tübingen restaurant, located on the outskirts of town not far from the hospital.  The dining room is pleasant and service is very competent.  The food could be described as upscale Swabian-French.  On the night we visited, the atmosphere was subdued and very relaxing.  We are definitely due for another visit.

Duck cooked to perfection with Dauphine potatoes.

 

1.  Der Zauberlehrling -Stuttgart

We’ve actually dined at Stuttgart’s Der Zauberlehrling twice.  The first time we ate there, it was 2008 and I didn’t have my camera.  Last time we went was in April of this year and we had a marvelous time.  One thing to know about Der Zauberlehrling is that on Saturday nights, they have “candelight theme nights”.  On those nights, a multi-course set menu with an optional wine pairing is offered and everyone shows up at the same time and gets the same thing.  The food is very good and the service is outstanding.  Also, the restaurant is connected to a quirky hotel, so you can stay the night if you want to.  A la carte dining is offered on other nights, although be aware that this restaurant is not open on Sundays.  If you’re dining on Saturday night, you should definitely make reservations.

Chilled gazpacho with basil ice cream!  This was literally very cool!

 

So there you have it… ten more places to try in the Stuttgart environs.  I am now reminded that Bill and I need to go out to dinner more often and expand our horizons!

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Sundays

You can be a big kid in Freudenstadt!

Some days, I really wish I had kids to entertain.  I am myself a bit a of a big kid, so having a kid to play with would give me a good excuse to visit kid friendly museums and attractions.  Bill and I didn’t actually plan to do anything kid friendly today.  We stumbled across our fun, just like we always do.  And now I’m going to pass along our good fortune to readers who have kids and enjoy science.

We had absolutely perfect weather today.  Bill wanted to know what we should do today.  We went looking for a fest.  I remembered that next weekend, Freudenstadt would be hosting a fish market.  Then I remembered that next weekend is the weekend before my birthday and we’ll probably be out of town.  I’ve always been intrigued by Freudenstadt.  It’s a decent sized city not too far from where I live, in Unterjettingen.  We always drive through it when we go to France.  One time, we stopped and had lunch at the Turmbrau.  I remembered that lunch with fondness, so we decided to visit there today and wander around…

It turns out Freudenstadt is undergoing a lot of major road work.

 

It’s a bit of a mess in some parts of the city.

I noticed the name of this store and it made me laugh.  “To Crazy”, huh?  I think they meant “Too Crazy.”  But that’s no worse than Der Wienerschnitzel in the United States, which is also incorrect.

There is an art fair and flea market going on today and tomorrow.

And someone was getting married.  I took this right after withdrawing money from an ATM.  While I was doing that, a couple was changing their baby next to the machine.  I guess the baby left a deposit.

We didn’t linger too long at the market.  We wanted food and beer.

Bill checks the menu.

We enjoyed housemade beers.  Bill had a Maibock and I had a Hefeweizen.

For lunch, I had Schweinshaxe, which I couldn’t finish.  It wasn’t as big as some I’ve had.  At the Turmbrau, this dish comes with sauerkraut.  I have to be careful with that or else it’ll be a very windy night at my house.  

Bill had roasted pork with fried potatoes.  This was served with a beer gravy that was very good.  The pork was also tender and flavorful.  I think I liked Bill’s dish better than mine.  My pork knuckle was a trifle overdone.

But it did come with beer bread.

Turmbrau has live entertainment, too.

 

And a really excellent looking Biergarten.  We probably should have sat out there, since I wore plenty of sunscreen.

Brewing!

 

This is a great place for lunch.  Both times we’ve been, it’s been busy.  Service is friendly and efficient and prices are fair.  We had a couple of weizens for dessert.  With the extra round of beer, the bill came to just under 35 euros.  We made the waitress smile when we topped it up to 40.  

Because Bill didn’t want to drive so soon after our second round, he wanted to walk around Freudenstadt.  I had a better idea.  On the way into town, I noticed a sign for a museum.  After looking up the word “Erlebnis”, I determined a visit to Experimenta might be a fun way to sober up… even if it was kind of a kid oriented place.  Like I said, despite last week’s fun, I really am a big kid.  Experimenta turned out to be a no frills kind of science museum, but it was surprisingly fun for us!  We did, however, get curious looks from other visitors.

Experimenta is open daily from 10-6.  Tickets cost 6 euros for adults and 5 euros for kids.  A young guy was manning the desk.  It looked like the building was once a music school.  

The first exhibit was about time zones.  I noticed the signage was all in German, but with a little effort, I could understand a lot of it.  A lot of the exhibits are very intuitive anyway.

Here’s an exhibit about size perception.

Bill has fun with balls.  That silver thing was blowing air

I never did figure this out… it involved a marble.  Edited to add, my German friend Susanne says there is a bigger Experimenta in Heilbronn and she shared a picture that shows how this activity works.  I want to also mention that a lot of the activities had step stools for little ones.  

Spyrograph.

This was the room I really got into.  Bill and I built a bridge.

And we learned how holes affect the speed of cylinders.

I brushed up on my terrible geometry skills.

 
 

Bill loved this activity…

Pictured above is a logic activity involving a man who has to move a goat, a wolf, and food across a river.  He only has room on the boat to move one at a time.  Bill really got into telling me how the man could move each.  I giggled at him because it was fun watching him turn into a little boy, much like the young kids who were enjoying the activities.

Next, we made a bridge out of magnets.  This was a very interesting exhibit because it forced us to learn the logistics of building a bridge and what you have to do to make it work.  I am still a confirmed former English major, though, and couldn’t explain this if my life depended on it.

Next, I saw how water can propel a boat…

I learned about human organs.

And bones.

And the tongue!  

 

I think my favorite room was the last one we entered.  On the main floor, there’s an exhibit about electricity…

I played with these for a long time…

And then I discovered the black light.  Sorry for the ugly photos but…

You can’t see it in this picture, but in person, it was really obvious which of my teeth is an implant.  Hard to believe I’ve had it for a year now!

I may never have teeth this white again.

 

I made a short video of our fun today…  It offers an example of what you can expect at Experimenta!

 

Like I said, I wish I’d managed to have kids.  We live in an area that’s really great for kid friendly activities.  If I had a kid, I’d make of a day out of Freudenstadt and its environs.  You can stop at the awesome Barefoot Park in Dornstetten, which is on the way.  After that, head to Freudenstadt and have a good lunch at one of the many restaurants in the town.  Then visit the science museum.  By the time you’re done, you’ve killed a few hours.  And… as you can see below, the countryside is BEAUTIFUL!  God bless Germany!

Look closely and you can see a glider…

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Drool worthy burgers in Gärtringen

Bill and I had kind of a big day today and hit two different places.  Since our two outings in one day weren’t really relatable, I’m going to write two blog posts.  My first post is one I think will get a lot of attention from my regular readers because it concerns burgers.  The second one is for people who love their wine.  Of course, I hope everyone will read them both, but I have a feeling more people will want to know about the Buffalo Grill and Bar in Gärtringen.  It’s now become my new favorite haunt for burgers in these parts.  Edited to add: this restaurant is now closed.

I have my good friend Brendan to thank for pointing out this oasis of beefy goodness last week.  He and his wife went there, took some pictures, posted them in a group, and I realized Bill and I would have to go there.  After all, Gärtringen is not far at all from where we live.

Those of you who have been reading my blog may already know that I’m a big fan of a certain steak house in Jettingen, where I live.  I like it because there’s good food there and it’s close enough to walk to.  However, Gärtringen is not far at all from us and Buffalo Grill and Bar offers more liberal hours as well as a larger menu.  Buffalo Grill and Bar opens at noon and runs until late in the evening.  You can get burgers there, as well as steaks from Argentina, the USA, and Australia.  They also offer some very American friendly appetizers like fried mozzarella, chicken wings, and onion rings.

Bill and I arrived at the restaurant at high noon.  We were very pleased to find plenty of parking outside.  The door was wide open, but no one was dining.  In fact, I got the sense that the waitress wasn’t quite expecting people to be there right at noon.  But she offered us any seat we wanted.  Because the weather was so nice, we sat outside.

Look at all the parking spots!  Awesome!

They were offering burgers to go for five euros…

Door was wide open…. inside dining room was very inviting and nice.  Outside was also nice.

Pictures of all of the things you can enjoy at the Buffalo Grill and Bar.  I want to go back for the combo plate of appetizers.

 

We had a good look at the menu.  I took pictures of some of the pages because they offered treats that many Americans are missing.  Bill and I only had burgers today, but I could totally go back for a steak… or maybe just some of the awesome appetizers.  I love me some fried cheese.

I am dying to try the “Combi Buffalo”.

They have meat from many sources.

And salads for you non meat eating types.

Bill and I were still somewhat full from breakfast, so we both had cheeseburgers.  I had a plain cheeseburger and Bill had a “spicy” cheeseburger, which came with jalapeno peppers and a spicy sauce.  All of the burgers at the Buffalo Grill and Bar are 100% beef and they all come with steakhouse pommes.  They offer a “lady’s” size at 150 grams and a “man’s” size at 300 grams.  Bill and I both ordered the small size and it was plenty for both of us.

Bill makes a choice.

I had an Urtyp export and Bill had his usual weizen.

The burgers arrived, and boy were they excellent!  The buns were very fresh and homemade.  The beef was cooked thoroughly, but still juicy and fresh.  The patties were thick and satisfying and the toppings were flavorful and crisp.  All of the burgers were priced the same; they had several to choose from and they came in two sizes– small and large.  We had “small” burgers.

 

Folks, I’ll be honest.  There haven’t been too many burgers I’ve had in Germany that have thrilled me. I enjoyed eating at Triple B’s last year, but the experience was somewhat dampened by how crowded it was and how hard it was to find parking.  I believe Triple B’s has since relocated, but we haven’t been back yet.  What I love about Buffalo Grill and Bar is that not only is it very close to where we live and not only does it have plenty of parking… the burgers are also fantastic.  Our waitress was also very nice and seemed very concerned about the quality of the food.  I think they’d love it if some more Americans paid them a visit.  It seemed to be a kid friendly place, too.

I don’t know how long this place has been running (ETA: My German friend Susanne says they opened in July 2016).  It was our first visit to Gärtringen.  I get the sense that the proprietors are hoping for business, so I’m only too happy to offer this review.  If you’re nearby, I highly recommend stopping in for a visit.  And if you’re not nearby, it may be worth your time to visit if you’re looking for a good burger.  As it stands now, Bill and I will definitely be back again to try the steaks.

After we had our lunch, which was only 23 euros, we decided to see if we could find a beer tasting that was supposed to be going on today.  When it became clear the beer tasting wasn’t that close to the restaurant, we decided to head to Weil der Stadt, where a wine tasting was going on.  That will be the subject of my next post.  Stay tuned.  (I think the beer tasting is also going on tomorrow, too, so we will probably be back for that.)

I think it’s cool that there are places where you can charge your electric car and surf the Internet in Gärtringen.  We will have to visit this town again for more burgers… and/or more culinary experiences.

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Another lunch at Luz Bistro and a trip to Media Markt…

ETA in 2025: Luz Bistro is now closed.

Our microwave gave up the ghost a few days ago.  We have no idea how old it is; we bought it from the people who lived in our house before us.  It was a basic model though, probably readily accessible at AAFES.  I use the microwave a lot during the week when I heat up leftovers for lunch, so it was a real bummer that the thing died on us.

Fortunately, we recently discovered that the nearby town of Nagold has a Media Markt.  Media Markt is basically like a European version of Best Buy.  Rather than trying to fix our used microwave, we decided to buy a new one.  An added bonus is that Nagold is one of our favorite little towns and boasts some nice restaurants, including Luz Bistro at the Alte Post.

I have blogged about Luz Bistro several times.  We’ve been there probably half a dozen times and we’ve never been disappointed with the food or the service.  I also like it because it’s rarely crowded, probably because the food isn’t cheap.  Although Luz Bistro doesn’t offer cheap eats, I have never felt we paid more than we should have.

Nagold was busy today because the market was going on.  I was a little sorry we didn’t make time to pick up some fresh goodies.  Maybe next weekend we’ll go.

We arrived at Luz at a little bit past noon.  A very charming and delightful waitress greeted us and invited us to sit where we wanted.  We selected a two top near the window, which seems to be where we always end up sitting when we’re not outside on the terrace.  When the waitress discovered we were English speakers, she offered us menus in English.  We told her German menus were fine.  The truth is, I probably ought to take the English menus more often!  However, I did manage to pick a great lunch today, despite having to clarify that I was ordering fish and not something I wouldn’t like.

Bill and I decided to have beer today instead of our usual wine…  

My lunch was delicious!  It was skrei, which is a lovely mild white fish from Norway.  It reminds me a bit of turbot or flounder.  The chef paired it with sinfully buttery mashed potatoes, foam, and topped with greens and scallions.  I really enjoyed it, although I had to cry uncle on the mashed potatoes.  They were so good, but a bit rich. 

Bill went with bratwurst and potato salad, accompanied by mustard.  He liked his lunch, too.  He said it reminded him of the wurst he enjoyed in Bavaria during his first Germany tour in the 1980s (before my time, obviously).  He couldn’t finish the potato salad.

For dessert, Bill had espresso.

I had “a bowl full of chocolate”.  Seriously, that’s what it was called in the menu.  It was basically very cold chocolate mousse and whipped cream served in what looked like a mixing bowl.  The whipped cream dollops had little madeleines on them.  The dessert was very light, which I appreciated.

 

After we finished lunch, we made reservations to eat at the Alte Post’s formal restaurant for next weekend.  As nice as Luz Bistro is, the Alte Post also has a more formal eatery which offers up to seven courses.  I look forward to returning and reporting after we try it.  It will be our first time.

Then, after we made reservations for next week’s Saturday dinner, we went to the Bauhaus/Media Markt in Nagold.  We lived here for over a year before we knew it existed!  But this shopping area actually has a lot of stores, including an Aldi, Deichmann’s, and a Kaufland, as well as a McDonald’s.

After searching briefly, we found the microwaves and ended up coming home with one that is a combination convection oven and grill.  I’m hoping I like it.  It’s bound to be a step up from our basic microwave that just bit the dust.  Bill is also going to try out his new toy, the Anova Precision Cooker.  I got it for him for Christmas, but it only just arrived.  And tomorrow, he will be brewing beer for the first time since we left Texas.  Should be a happy time!

This place was a madhouse today!

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Alsace and Burgundy… Another trip to Cluny and having “coffee” in a wine store. pt. 8

On Saturday afternoon, we decided to go back to Cluny and try another restaurant.  Sophie, the gite hostess, had recommended a place, but we had trouble finding it.  We stopped at a different restaurant instead.  Again, I chose it after following my nose.

Au Bon Point is obviously very much a local dive.  The dining room was full when we got there and everyone looked like they knew the place and its owners.

 

The menu is on the wall.  This time, I was the adventurous one and Bill had a steak and fries.

 

We meat to have a bigger bottle of wine than this.  We did rectify the situation with a great bottle from the South of France.

 

Bill enjoys his “faux filet”.  The frites on his dish were outstanding… probably the best out of the entire trip.

 

I had shrimp in creamy risotto, with peas, carrots, and tiny pieces of jambon blanc (boiled ham).  This was a very tasty dish, but it was also super messy!  Bill laughed at me as I peeled the shrimp and got creamy risotto everywhere.

 

This was a delightful red from southern France, with lots of berries.  I hope we can find it in these parts.

 

Bill had the cake of the day for dessert.  It was apple, of course.

 

And I had a chocolate macaron, which basically ended up being a glorified lava cake.  I’m not a big fan of lava cakes, but I suppose I have to have one on every trip.  I think the chocolate sauce might have been Hershey’s syrup!

 

Because of all the wine, we capped off lunch with espresso.

 

Again, no one spoke English and we got a fine meal at a good price.  I think we spent about seventy euros on this lunch and left fairly satisfied.  I would go back again, although it wasn’t my favorite of all the places we tried.  I think that honor goes to Caveau Heuhaus.

After lunch, we stopped into a winestore because Bill wanted to buy a bottle of locally produced “grappa”.  Au Plaisir Dit Vin was an interesting stop, if only because the guy working there was definitely a salesman.  We picked up a couple of packs of beer from Burgundy and Bill asked about the digestive he wanted.  The man spoke English and helped him pick a bottle.  As we were paying with a credit card, I spotted a bottle of wine I wanted, so we bought that in a separate transaction in cash.

A good liquor store.

The guy then asked us if we had time for a cup of coffee.  Bill seemed reluctant, but I said yes.  So the sales dude brought out two glasses of white wine.  He explained that in France, if it’s four o’clock, a host will sometimes offer coffee and bring out wine.  That way, it’s more socially acceptable to drink before five o’clock, I guess.

As we were trying the wine, I said I tasted lime and, of all things, shortbread.  The sales guy asked me if I was Scottish.  I laughed and said, “No, I am American, but many of my ancestors were Scots.”

The salesman then asked what we were doing in the area.  He guessed maybe we were skiers, but he clearly didn’t get a good look at my ample physique.   I haven’t been on skis since I was a teenager.  We told him we’d just decided to see the area on a lark.  When we said we were staying in Saint Marcelin-de-Cray, he said, “Ah… that is the REAL France!”  Having been to a lot of France’s best known cities, I have to agree.

I am sure that if we hadn’t been interrupted by the next customers, an enthusiastic Russian couple who spoke English, we probably would have left that store with a lot more booze.  I could tell the sales guy was looking to make some money.

 

After walking around a bit more so Bill’s head could clear, we went back to the farm, where I took more pictures and drank more wine.

The sky was ever changing and ever beautiful.

 

We climbed up the tower one more time so Bill could take a look at the sunset.

Our very gracious hostess told us that she didn’t have any bookings yesterday, so we could stay as late as we wanted to.  I would have liked to have stayed longer yesterday, but we knew we had a six hour drive ahead of us.  So after a good breakfast, we packed up and cleared out by 10:00am.  We left our gite in fine spirits, as Sophie told us we’d be welcome back any time.  I promised her I’d spread the word about her lovely accommodations to all of my friends.  So I am doing that with these posts and I hope I can convince a couple of readers to take a journey into rural Burgundy and see “the real France”.

Not only is Burgundy beautiful and brimming with wonderful wines, it’s also a place where there is great hospitality.  Once again, as we said goodbye to Sophie yesterday, we felt like we’d made new friends.  That is the best part of a good trip.

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Alsace and Burgundy… Eguisheim and Riquewihr! pt. 4

On Tuesday, Bill got up and went to the bakery, where he picked up an Alsatian delicacy.  The Kugelhopf, also served in western Germany, is a light, yeasty marble cake.  I noticed it the last time we visited Ribeauville, but we never got a chance to try it then.  This time, Bill made a special effort to score one for us.

It’s light and not very sweet, despite the optional powdered sugar on top.  There were raisins on the bottom and almonds studded the top.

Bill and I decided to go to Eguisheim, mainly because my Facebook friend Sarah, who left Germany last year, had posted a picture that made it look like a great place to visit.  Eguisheim is just a little bit south of Colmar, but it’s worlds apart in terms of the mood.  The town is positively medieval, with its concentric circles and old timbered homes.  We didn’t really have an agenda in going there, other than to take in the atmosphere and have a good lunch.  We managed to do both.

Right before lunch, we watched more storks.  They were everywhere in Eguisheim!

There were helpful signs all around the town in French, German, and English offering information.

The houses in Eguisheim have coats of arms on them depicting what the person who lived there did for a living.  If you click the photo above this one, you can read about the coat of arms pictured above.

An impressive church.

A couple announcing their marriage.

And a very dramatic work of art.

After we walked around Eguisheim, we found ourselves at a gay friendly restaurant called Caveau Heuhaus.  I only mention the fact that the restaurant is gay friendly because it had a very prominent rainbow flag on the menu posted outside.  I chose the restaurant because it smelled really good and so far, my nose has never let me down.

We walked into the place and I immediately thought the decor reminded me of a yard sale gone amok.  But it was all arranged in a very endearing way.  The restaurant was not full when we sat down, but it was full by the time we got our meals.  Our waitress was extremely charming and didn’t speak much English, but she did speak German!  So that was a bit of a help, although my German is still terrible.

Bill checks out the menu.

This was a special wine of the day.  It was about 20 euros and delicious.

Should have brought some home with us!

I ended up with an entrecote.  It came with frites and garlic butter.  It was perfectly cooked, by far the best steak we had all week.

Bill went with a big plate of meat.  There were two different sausages, three types of bacon, and sauerkraut done French style, along with boiled potatoes.  We also had excellent bread.

For dessert, I had creme brulee.  This restaurant has a very impressive way of serving it.  The waitress brought it to me and lit it at the table.

The flame died down at just the right time!  Bill had coffee because he was too full from his big plate of sausages.

If you come to Eguisheim and are looking for good food, Caveau du Heuhaus is a good bet!  We really enjoyed our meal there.

After we finished lunch, we drove to Riquewihr, which is just a few kilometers from Ribeauville.  I wanted to stop there and pick up some macarons and madeleines, as well as more wine.

On the way into Riquewihr, we were treated to a glorious rainbow over the grapevines.

We visited Riquewihr in July of last year.  It was still somewhat busy in February, but not nearly as much as it was in the summer.  A lot of restaurants and shops were closed.  It was okay.  We still managed to get what we wanted.

We stopped into the Hugel wine shop, where we tasted several lovely local wines.

We happened to be there at the same time as four generations of the Hugel family.  They are pictured outside, as they were posing for a publicity photo.

And I took note of the sign showing how many Facebook likes the Hugel winery has right now.

 

For dinner on our last night in Ribeauville, we stopped at a small wine/beer bar.  I think we got off on the wrong foot with the proprietor because Bill said “Bon jour” instead of “Bon soir.”

Still, I took note of the provocative sign for the local brew and ordered it.

Sans culottes…  the beer caused us to have an interesting conversation about how I was on a forum for fundamentalist Christians and they were looking for culottes.  Someone warned not to searched for them online, since apparently culottes are pornographic in some circles.  As for “sans culottes”, it is apparently a statement about the poor versus the rich.  Poor people did not wear culottes (silk britches) because they couldn’t afford them.  They were for the wealthy.

I wasn’t very hungry, so I had what is known as a flammkuechen here in Germany…  onions, bacon, and cream on a very thin crust.  

Bill had chicken and salad.

 

The proprietor’s attitude toward us seemed to brighten when we praised his cute little granddaughter, who was learning the tricks of the trade at about five years of age (or maybe younger).  She was super charming!

Wednesday morning, we woke up bright and early and packed up for our trip to Burgundy.  Checking out of our gite was super easy.  We just put the key back in the little code operated lockbox by the door.  Later, Yannick sent me a text thanking us for staying with him and wishing us a good trip.  I think we made a new friend in Alsace.

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Alsace and Burgundy… Ribeauville again! pt. 2

Our host in Ribeauville, Yannick, knew we already knew how to access our gite, since we rented from him in January.  We parked in the same free parking lot we did last time we visited, punched in the code for the box that held our key, and let ourselves in.  It was Sunday, so things were kind of quiet.  Yannick asked if we minded if he saw us the second night.  We were fine with it.

The Riesling gite was nice and warm when we arrived, a contrast to how it was in January, when the weather was colder.  We took a quick tour of the apartment, marveling at how much room we had to roam this time.  The apartment has a rather steep stairway that the dogs had to learn how to negotiate safely.  At one point, my dog Arran came close to crashing.  Zane caught on to the steps quickly and enjoyed sneaking up them to take a nap in one of the spare rooms.

Zane gives Bill a kiss in the living room.

The guest room we used was on the main floor.  You have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the apartment, then there are two levels to the Riesling apartment itself.  This apartment has two king beds and two twin sized beds.

Another shot of the living room.  There’s a TV, but we really only used it to distract the dogs while we were out.

Eat in kitchen, complete with full sized fridge, dishwasher, oven, and range.  The door leads to a bathroom with a rainfall shower.

Bathroom #2 on the other side of the kitchen has a bathtub.

Twin beds.

King bed #2 on the second level.

Rainfall shower.

And a welcome bottle of wine!

 

I don’t know what Yannick’s summer rates are, but both of the well-equipped apartments we stayed in were very reasonably priced.  In fact, the Riesling apartment was really not much more expensive than the smaller Pinot Noir apartment we stayed in for MLK weekend.  And again, these apartments are right in the thick of Ribeauville’s action.  It’s a three minute walk to the main drag.  The two new apartments are even closer than that.  There’s also a small grocery store maybe five minutes walk from the apartments, as well as several excellent bakeries.

Since Yannick was going to see us on our second night, we decided to go out to dinner.  We stopped at a place called Restaurant L’Arbalete.  It was fairly empty when we got there, but was packed by the time we left.

Bill checks out the menu.

Our first bottle of wine in Ribeauville (this time).

I went with grilled ham, potatoes, carrots, sauerkraut, and a little salad.  I managed maybe half and took the rest back to the apartment, where it became dinner our second night.

Bill had a gratin made with Munster cheese, bacon, and potatoes.  He loved it, although the cheese was a little strong smelling for my tastes.  I did taste it, though, and it tasted less assertive than it smelled.

We had no room whatsoever for dessert!

 

We enjoyed this restaurant, with its charming little dining room and many local patrons.  We did hear one rather loud American group in there, but they were probably the only ones we’ve run into all week.

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