Traditional Turkish at Sultan Saray

Traditional Turkish at Sultan Saray

My first exposure to Turkish food was when I studied abroad in France as a college student. There was a kebab shop in the center of Montpellier that we went to a few times for the cheap, but delicious kebap sandwiches. From then on, kebabs were my mental model for "Turkish food", and while the prevalence of kebab shops around Stuttgart doesn't do much to dispell this myth to the casual tourist, I've since come to appreciate the variety of Turkish food (or at least German Turkish food) thanks to Sultan Saray. 

I'm been to Sultan Saray on two occasions now and had a delicious meal both times. The rest of Stuttgart must agree with my tastes, because despite the fact that Sultan Saray has three different locations, I've found each one packed on most nights for dinner...

Our Hunt for an American Burger Continues at Woody's Restaurant

Our Hunt for an American Burger Continues at Woody's Restaurant

Our hunt for an American burger in Stuttgart began just a few months after our arrival. Sure, we can make our own, but nothing quite beats the delicious, mile-high burgers that we were used to in Charlottesville.

Our first stop was Block House, an American-style steakhouse with two locations in Stuttgart. While I rather enjoy their affordable steaks and baked potatoes, their burger was a mediocre, pressed (possibly frozen?) patty. The same is true of my favorite after-work happy hour location, Pier 51, which admittedly has a better flavor thanks to the homemade barbecue sauce, though again, the patty is still pressed. Last year we also tried 87 in Bad Cannstatt, which served some tasty combinations, like their "Chutney Burger" with an apple-ginger chutney, pear slices, and cheese. However, once again, the patties are pressed...

Bloggers Lunch at Hüftengold

Bloggers Lunch at Hüftengold

Since I've started blogging, I've been thrilled to find lots of other great blogs and bloggers who share similar interests as mine. And while the blogging sphere in Stuttgart is still rather small, I'm not alone. This past week, in fact, I got a message from the lovely M over at Kaffee und Kuchen. We'd known each other for several months now through blog posts and comments, and she asked if I'd be interested in a face-to-face meeting. I was happy to agree. 

Being both foodies, I offered up a list of lunch places that I'd been wanting to try, and we quickly settled on Hüftengold. I'm actually a bit ashamed to admit that although I've lived two blocks from this tiny café for over two years, I've been to sit down. That said, I have tried their delicious shrimp curry and homemade caramel-stracciatella ice cream at the Bohnenviertelfest this past summer. I was excited to go back "for real" this time...

Recap: A Wintery Day in Zurich

Recap: A Wintery Day in Zurich

With so many guests in town over the holidays, we naturally had to schedule a few events to keep us all occupied and to give our family the chance to get the most out of their time in Europe. One place that they all wanted to visit was Zurich in Switzerland, and since we'd never been before, we gladly agreed to go for a quick day trip.

The day was especially eventful as it began to snow as soon as we left our house, making for a lovely train ride south. The train system in Europe really is superb. From Stuttgart it only takes about three hours to get to Zurich. And since we were traveling with six or more guests (Leo, our beagle, included), we got Deutsche Bahn's special rate at only 40 euros per person round trip. Sadly, upon our arrival, the snow quickly turned to a slushy snow-rain mixture. Despite the setback, after changing some of our euros into Swiss Francs at the train station, we made our way down Bahnhofstraße to explore the city.

The day was especially eventful as it began to snow as soon as we left our house, making for a lovely train ride south...

Upcoming Festivals and Events in January/February 2015

Upcoming Festivals and Events in January/February 2015

To continue my series about events in and around Stuttgart, here's my next installment on the upcoming culinary happenings in the area during January and February. 

After the build-up to Christmas with the many Weihnachtsmärkte and the craziness of New Years Eve, it seems like the city makes a New Year's resolution to take it easy for a while. Either that, or the cold, grey weather forces everyone indoors. Whatever the reason, in my experience not a lot goes on in January and February. There is, however, one event to look forward to...

A Family Meal at Injeera

A Family Meal at Injeera

With family in town over the holidays, we were looking for a place that could comfortably feed all six of us, especially one that might be new for our guests. After some thought, we decided to take everyone to Injeera, one of several African restaurants in our area. I've been to Injeera on a couple of occasions now, and always love trying their sampler platters at the Bohnenviertelfest that's held every summer in the neighborhood.

Though there's more variety at some of the other African restaurants, I really like the Ethiopian focus and quality of the sauces at Injeera. And though the menu might be a bit less varied, they do what they do really well...

Girls' Lunch at Academie der Schönsten Künste

Girls' Lunch at Academie der Schönsten Künste

There are a few places around our neighborhood that I can rely on for a delicious meal, like QQ Sushi, Shabu Shabu, La Bruschetta, and Nur. Another of these places is Academie der schönsten künste. And so on the day after Christmas, with three family members sick at home and with me not feeling much like cooking after our Christmas Eve snacks and large roast dinner on Christmas day, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I decided to have a ladies lunch. 

Even though businesses shut down by law between the 24th and the 26th, restaurants are allowed to stay open. As such, Academie was packed. Still we were able to squeeze in for a table...

A Welcoming Atmosphere at Ochs'n Willi

A Welcoming Atmosphere at Ochs'n Willi

The first week that we had family in town, we didn't make a reservation on a Tuesday night thinking that it wouldn't be a problem to get a table last minute for dinner in Stuttgart. We first tried Schönbuch, then the new brewery, but no luck at 7:00 pm. We hadn't anticipated that every business in Stuttgart would be booking tables in the larger beer halls for their company Christmas parties. Our third choice did the charm, and we sat down at a table for four in the still very busy Ochs'n Willi. 

I had been to Ochs'n Willi once before about a week prior. A former coworker of mine was in town for a visit, and a group of us went there after some gluhwein to get out of the cold and continue our visit. I was charmed by the dark, cozy interior which warmed us up right away...

Recap: Three Days in Paris

Recap: Three Days in Paris

The past two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind for me what with traveling and family visits for the holidays. Though I wish I'd have had more time to write, the good news is that we visited several restaurants for which I'm drafting blog posts. We also made a couple of trips including...Paris! 

We decided to take make a three-day trip to Paris by request of my mother-in-law, who wanted to visit the D-Day beaches in Normandy. Paris was both a great hub for her visit to the north, and an easy trip for us to make from Stuttgart on the train at just 3-1/2 hours...

An Afternoon Food Tour in Herrenberg

An Afternoon Food Tour in Herrenberg

This past weekend a close friend who lives in Herrenberg invited us out for lunch and a short food tour of her favorite places in town. Having never been before, we were excited to take her up on her offer and spend some time exploring a new place. 

Herrenberg is a rather small town just to the south of Stuttgart. It's very easy to get to via the S1 from the Hauptbahnhof, though we've never been because it is about 40 minutes away. That said, the view from the train pulling into the city was stunning, as the town is nestled in a little valley, framed by the onion-domed Stiftskirche (church) in the background. I only wish I'd have had enough sense to take a picture...