Working dinner with an administrator from GU last evening that just happened to be at Vini da Sabatini, a place I enjoyed previoiusly and a short walk from the main GU campus.
We shared an antipasta mista, papardelle with a venison ragu, and a sole filet (meant for 2, we shared it 3 ways and it was ample). Simply grilled and served with a small assortment of grilled vegetables. Sometimes cuisine is when things taste like themselves, to borrow a phrase. Very well done.
The GU campus is rather striking in a restrained way. The focal point is the former Farber headquarters, which ultimately became the Allied headquarters in Germany - Eisenhower signed a famous document there. After the US pulled back the building was donated to the university. Clad in Travertine, it’s huge but not “massive”. Linked modules are aligned along a slight curved axis. The scale (height) of newer buldings on campus reflect the Farber building, and are also clad in Travertine. There is a beer garden .
I was served at least 3 ounces of mustard with the rye bread at Mutter Ernst and it really worked well with the soup and rye bread.
I had a great meal of pea soup then Green Souße, potatoes and eggs. Sounded odd at first but the sauce really makes the meal.
My first dinner in Frankfurt was a good one!
Looks like good Grüne Soße. I’ve been told if it’s too green it’s a sign they used a blender. Hand chopped herbs give a lighter color. The spouse of my host uses half and half.
It was rather good! It was my first time eating that dish so i am not a good judge of its quality vs. other restaurants, but i liked it enough to definitely order it again.
A few updates. Sunday evening we picked up a visitor from the US and dined at MainNizza, a modern resturant on the River Main. A sleek interior, all taupe and brown, with leather banquets. Dominated by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river and two massive flower arrangements. Mostly decent but not particularly memorable renditions of Frankfurter classics. One new to us was handkäse, “hand cheese”. Roughly the texture of cheese curds, but ripe. Really good!
Monday/Tuesday: quick trip to Munich for some Bavarian classics. Monday lunch leberkäse (literally “liver cheese”), neither liver nor cheese, a mixtrure of ground pork and ground beef made into a smooth-textured meatloaf. A thick slice served on a bun with the (recommended) sweet mustard. Monday night schnitzel coated with a pretzel-crumb crust, served with mustard. Lunch Tuesday pork roast in a beer sauce, served with a giant dumpling. Washed down with a very decent nonalcoholic weiß beer.
Attending a conference in Frankfurt this week (“Digital Twins in Cellular Structural Biology”) two collaborators and I skipped out on the conference dinner. One is from Frankfurt and recommended Dorade am Main, a fish restaurant near the river not far from the Stadel museum. Apparently owned by a Greek family, and the influences showed. We pretty much put our trust in the waiter, who chose a selection of apps (a Greek salad, grilled octupus, and carpaccio). The octopus was parboiled and grilled to perfection, lovely texture. He left the choice of fish up to us, after a first-hand look. We went with a large sea bass more than sufficient for the three of us, baked in salt and flambéed tableside with ouzo. A crisp grauburgunder complemented the fish nicely. Waiters choice of deserts included baklava, a fruit pastry, and what appeared to be chocolate ice cream that turned out to hide a vanilla nougat. A lovely meal and another place I’ll return to.
Final conference dinner held at a traditional Apfelwein restaurant, Das Gemalte Haus. We were led through a warren of old rooms to a room at the very back, and seated at long tables with benches. Apfelwein was served in big ceramic pitchers, but I noticed that one of the meeting organizers opted for a glass of grauburgunder instead, and I gladly followed suit. They served all the usual suspects - Frankfurter schnitzel, etc. I had Nuremberger Bratwurst - smaller than typical bratwurst , and a bit more flavorful - with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and of course mustard. Heaven!
I had a brat at the Saturday afternoon market in Frankfurt and the only condiments in the dispensers were mayo and ketchup. No mustard or kraut. Maybe you have to ask for mustard? Or i looked right past it.
I ate it with no accompaniment and it was rather good.
Looking closer at the picture, i think i see jars where a talkative couple was standing when i got my brat.
I wonder if those are mustards and i left just before the couple did…
I tend to be unobservant so i think the problem was me, not the brat vendor.
It was good without but a light slather of mustard would have made it even better.
I wanted to try the currywurst but failed to do so.
Weekend trip to Berlin, my first visit. A weekend is not enough, but you can quickly grasp that Berlin is pulsing with energy. The architecture is stunning, the scenes (Berlin wall, the Stelenfeld, or Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas) moving. Good friends took the full day Saturday walking the city to try to get a sense of the scope. We were too late to book entry to the dome of the Reichstag, but the exterior view is impressive. Brandberg Gate evoked scenes from movies and news. The East Side Gallery was a buzz of activity and Instagram bait. We Panoramapunkt at the top of the Kollhof Tower near Potsdamer Platz was a great way to orient. Our timing was right for a nice snack in the cafe at the top, enjoying a nice mohnkuche (my SO) and currywurst (me; served with potato salad rather than the typical fries).
A shout out to our hotel, the Berlin Hilton, for one of best breakfasts we’ve encountered in Europe - the de rigueur mimosas and omelette station, but also a Bloody Mary bar.
Late afternoon we retreated to our hotel to share a nice chardonnay sekt with our friends before heading to Acht und Dreissig (38), just the kind of place we enjoy – a young chef making modern riffs on (German) classics. Interesting that even these places have a schnitzel on the menu – I guess the equivalent of a burger in the US. Crispy shrimp was a highlight. I enjoyed my pike with pumpkin puree and broccolini.
The Regierungsviertel, Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz, etc. are perfectly located to check them all off on one day. We’ve taken many a visitor on a trek from Potsdamer Platz all the way up Unter den Linden to Alexanderplatz / the TV tower.
Funny, our HK buddy and his bride pronounced acht&dreissig their favorite German meal during their visit in '22.
And German hotel breakfasts are legendary. Sounds like you had a fab time in my favorite city
You need to come back. Lots more to see, eat, drink & experience.
Indeed, we will be back. We walked roughly 10 miles. Great for seeing the layout but we need to visit some museums, opera, …. The only museum we ventured into was Nikolaikirche.
Lavish breakfast may be common in Berlin, but the Hilton still has my heart. Booked a standard room with points, they upgraded to a king overlooking the dome before arrival, and by the time we arrived that was upgraded to a corner suite, with dining area, living room, kitchen, study, bath and 1/2 plus two balconies overlooking the dome.
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