At the wochenmarkt last Friday signs indicated Deutscher Spargel.
Woohoo!
One last outing, I joined my host at Villa Merton for lunch. Set in a gracious mansion on a corner lot in an otherwise residential neighborhood a block or so from the botanical garden. An amuse of a savory bite of salmon with micro greens started things off, with 3 types of bread, cultured butter, and an herbed cream cheese. I started with a garlic soup (bright in both senses of the word, green and fresh), my scientific host had a small green salad. Mains were a piece of broiled pike (perfectly crispy skin) centered in a ring of mashed potatoes and an onion confit, with a light cream sauce (me) and a classic schnitzel for my host. We finished with mimollet cheese with fruit accompaniment.
A bottle of Pinot blanc from Gut Hermannsberg was an indulgence but a nice way to celebrate a successful 9-week visit. A 0.1 liter pour of a Rosso di Montalcino graced the cheese. A single espresso then a 30-minute stroll through the botanical garden provided a memorable benediction to the visit.
Incidentally Villa Merton was the only Michelin star collected on the trip. Looking forward to our next visit. I hadnât realized until last weekend just how close the Rhine wine district is. A short cruise on the Rhine gave us a great perspective on the vineyards.
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Wild garlic / ramps is pretty popular around this time of year.
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PS: Itâs called the Rhein/Main area for a reason 
We managed to draw out our experience just a bit. My dear beloved Signifcant Other got up early on departure day to make us sandwiches. Freshly baked seeded rolls, Shwarzwald schenke, red pepper, pickled white spargel, greens and hard cheese from the Wochenmarkt farmers, and a light schmear of senf. We saved them until we boarded in AMS (in transit). Heaven. Donât know when I enjoyed a sandwich more.
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No surprise. Deutschland hat das beste Brot.
Gute Reise to you and your SO nach Hause!
One of our take-home lessons was that EVERY restaurant we visited has good bread.
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Such great variety, too. The bread is probably one of the foods I miss the most here.
Oh, and she brought mohnkuchen from the bakery for desert on board. The flight attendants were jealous.
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Thatâs cuz sheâs wicked smaht.
Safe travels home. I hope to hear about Bah Humbug (thatâs how I perceived your subject line every single time) in-person in the near future.
Or Bad Hamburger. Which is how I read the exit signs.
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It was fun. And I find myself looking back through the thread as an aide-mémoire.
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aka â sorry, also known as âGedĂ€chtnisstĂŒtzeâ in German.
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