Exploring Frankfurt: A Food Tour And More

Exploring Frankfurt: A Food Tour And More

Frankfurt (am Main) is a little over an hour from Stuttgart by train, which makes it an excellent location to visit for a day or for the weekend. We've been twice now to check out the city, and while it certainly has a more metropolitan feel than Stuttgart, we very much appreciate the historic charm of the old city and more international character of the food.

The first time we visited for a day trip on our own. The city is very walkable, and we enjoyed exploring and discovering new restaurants and shops. On our second trip this past weekend, we went with the intention of visiting our very good friends who recently moved to Oberursel, just 20 minutes by S-bahn north of the inner city...

Lunch Date at QQ Sushi

Lunch Date at QQ Sushi

This past week I wanted to catch up with a friend of mine at lunch. She really likes sushi, but doesn't often go out for it, so we decided to remedy that situation. There are a good handful of sushi restaurants in Stuttgart, including Kicho (which specializes in Japanese food in general), and your choice of restaurant mostly depends on how much you want to pay for quality. Since Stuttgart is about 700 km (about 440 miles) from the nearest ocean, it isn't exactly easy to get fresh fish here. If you want really fresh sushi (and a variety of rolls) then you have to pay for it. 

When I have a craving for good sushi at a moderate price, then I like to go to QQ Sushi Lounge. QQ has two locations. The first and original location is on Kanalstraße just off of the Charlottenplatz u-bahn stop. They have a small indoor seating area with some dozen or so odd tables, but the real reason I come here is for the nice outside patio space during the warmer months. Since the restaurant is located on a side street, it's a bit of a quiet oasis in the middle of the city complete with red hanging lanterns, winding green plants, and gorgeously panted wall murals...

Shopping for Asian Groceries in Stuttgart

Shopping for Asian Groceries in Stuttgart

Despite my love of dining out, I often cook at home. Not only do I enjoy cooking, sometimes it's the only way to get some authentic dishes from home (like American pork lo mien, Mexican  fajitas and tacos, New Orleans gumbo, and Texas chili) and some dishes that you can never find in a restaurant (like my mom's spaghetti). Lately I've been making an effort to try more Japanese dishes like the ones we ate on our trip to Japan. I've found a great Japanese-American blogger from the San Francisco bay area who writes on Just One Cookbook. So far, I've made tsukemen, soba noodles, and ochasuke, and I recently tried katsu curry (see some pictures at the end of this post). 

These recipes often require ingredients that can't be found in my neighborhood grocery store. The Edeka where I shop does have a small Asian aisle, but most products are from the standard Bamboo Garden brand (although Edeka recently started stocking panko breadcrumbs and miso paste -- I was impressed!). When I need more exotic ingredients, like real ramen noodles, soba noodles, chili bean paste, dried bonito flakes, mentsuyu (a soup base), and narutomaki (a kind of fish paste), then I head to the Asian market...

Sunday Treat at Eis-Bistro Pinguin

Sunday Treat at Eis-Bistro Pinguin

I still remember that feeling of being a child on hot summer days when I heard the faint jingle of the ice cream truck down the street. No matter what I was doing, I'd stop immediately and run to my mother or to my piggy bank (which were often one and the same) and get the few coins needed for my favorite ice cream bar: either a strawberry push-pop or a Mickey Mouse bar with chocolate-covered ears. If I was lucky, the truck would be driving slow that day, or my neighbors will have gotten to it first, and I'd be able to catch the truck before it made the loop out of our street. 

The ice cream truck seems to be unique to my memory of America, and in light of it, I still can't decide who loves ice cream more: Americans or Europeans. I suppose it's a comedic difference in that in America the ice cream comes to you, whereas in Europe, you go to the ice cream. Then again, that could also be part of my experience living in a city versus in a spacious suburban neighborhood. 

No matter what the explanation, these days I go the ice cream parlor, jingle or not, when the weather is hot and the season demands it...

Hungry on the Go

Hungry on the Go

I've found that Germany isn't big into fast food in quite the same way as the States. I remember when I was little, if we had a busy day running errands, we'd often stop at Wendy's or Burger King for a quick bite. When I moved to Virginia, our choices switched to Chic-fil-a and Raising Cane's. And of course there was the ever ubiquitous McDonald's. It was easy: you simply drove down the highway or main road into town, and it seemed that there were at least five or six fast food options along the way. 

Not so in Germany. Sure, there are a couple of McDonald's locations on Konigstraße and one Burger King location. But if you want to find KFC, then you have to go out of your way. And Taco Bell? Only if you have access to one of the American military bases. Otherwise, that's it. And while I see lots of young kids at the McDonald's, fast food joints just really aren't a big deal here. 

So what do Germans do when they are hungry on the go? Well one option is a döner kebab. I've blogged about it before. They're cheap and delicious, and make for great drunk or hangover food. But what if you don't want a kebab? Then where do you go? To the bakery, of course...

Small Plates, Big Taste at Pincho

Small Plates, Big Taste at Pincho

I wanted to write about PIncho last week when I went there for the first time. Unfortunately, the food was so delicious that I started eating and forgot to take all but a single picture, and didn't have enough for a post. Luckily, after I raved about the food to a friend of mine at the Bohnenviertelfest, she asked if I wanted to go back again this week. The food was just as delicious as the first time, and I snagged enough photos to be able to give you a better overview of one of my new favorite restaurants in Stuttgart. 

Pincho is a new offering in Degerloch just to the south of the city center. I remember being really excited a few months ago when I saw the window dressings go up announcing that Pincho would serve wine and tapas. I've been to a couple of the Spanish tapas restaurants in Stuttgart and I've been disappointed in both. It's not that I'm a great connoisseur of Spanish food, it's just that I feel like I was quite spoiled when we lived in Charlottesville and used to frequent Mas Tapas. It may sound ironic that we found amazing tapas in central Virginia, but I should explain that the restaurant was owned by a Spanish expat chef who returns to Spain every year to find fresh ingredients and ideas for his restaurant. If you're ever in Charlottesville, it's one of the restaurants that you should not miss. 

Post-run Beer in the Castle Garden

Post-run Beer in the Castle Garden

On Sunday Matt and I joined a few of our friends and ran in the Stuttgart Color Run. It was a 5K run/walk/dance through the Neckarpark, and it was awesome! Part run, part Holi -- it was a very unique experience. We had tons of fun being goofy, healthy, and throwing colored powder at each other. When the race was over, we were tired and covered in colored powder, which is hardly the condition you want to be in to go out for lunch. Still, it was past 1:30 pm and we were all hungry. After some thought, we decided to go to the Biergarten im Schlossgarten. 

I've been to this biergarten several times. It's conveniently located in the middle of Stuttgart's 600-year-old green band that stretches from the Neues Schloss (new palace) all the way to the Neckarpar. Walkers, runners, and families frequently stop here for a beer or meal while out in the park or to enjoy the calming atmosphere surrounded by trees and green fields. For us, it was the perfect location because they have tons of outdoor, bench-style seating, meaning we wouldn't be out of place (or too messy) with our color-splashed appearance. 

German Block Party at the Bohnenviertelfest

German Block Party at the Bohnenviertelfest

For three days every July, the Bohnenviertel (meaning "bean quarter") in Stuttgart comes alive with music, food, and late-night shopping during the Bohnenviertelfest. It's a bit like a giant block party, and I love the celebratory atmosphere. The best thing about the Bohnenviertelfest is that many of the restaurants set up stalls and offer bites from their menu, so you can easily try several different kinds of food form the neighborhood's restaurants. 

The Bohnenviertel is one of the oldest areas in Stuttgart and covers about ten small blocks. It gets its name from the staple food of the area's population, which grew beans as a way to supplement their diet. The gardens have since been replaced by houses, but you can still stroll through the cobblestone streets of the Bohnenviertel and admire the quarter's old-time charm. We live right next to the area, and it's filled with secondhand bookstores, antique shops, private art galleries, jewelry stores, craft stores, and lots of cafés and restaurants. 

Recap: Beautiful, International Berlin

Recap: Beautiful, International Berlin

I've been to Berlin a few times now both for school trips and for pleasure. It remains one of my favorite cities that I've thus far visited, and I'd love to live there some day. The atmosphere is one of contrast between old and new, past and present, clean and rough. There's always something going on.

Its unique history post-WWII has allowed Berlin to reinvent itself in ways uncommon to other cites that are overwhelmed by their image. It has become a hotspot for the young, for artists, for immigrants, for foodies, for politicians, and for techies alike.

Lunch With a View at the Teehaus

Lunch With a View at the Teehaus

With the temperatures climbing here in southern Germany and the general lack of in-home air-conditioning, it can be a challenge to find a cool spot in which to relax. So when it came time to choose a spot for lunch yesterday, my good friend and I opted for the Teehaus (German for "tea house") at the top of Weißenburgpark. 

Stuttgart is shaped a bit like a bowl. The downtown area is located in the bottom of the bowl, while the rest of the city slopes upward from it. That means that while it might be boiling in the center of the city, it can often be a few degrees cooler along the edges. Weißenburgpark is on the rim of the bowl in Stuttgart Süd, so not only is it a bit cooler, but the added elevation often means it has a lovely breeze to help with the heat.