My Philosophy on Food (After a Mediocre Meal)

My Philosophy on Food (After a Mediocre Meal)

Although I will be the first to admit that Stuttgart lacks the same culinary variety as some of the larger German cities, I am consistently amazed by the high quality of the food that I tend to find at some of the smaller establishments in and around Stuttgart. One of those establishments is Patrick's Stop, a Jamaican Imbiss and Take Away in Möhringen. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find Jamaican food even in Berlin, and if you did, Patrick would definitely give any restaurant a run for its money. 

We chose to sit outside as the weather continues to hover around a pleasant 70ºF in Stuttgart. After ordering a bottle of mineral water, I once again chose the käse spätzle while my husband opted for a spinach and feta pasta. So far, so good...

A Taste of Jamaica At Patrick's Stop

A Taste of Jamaica At Patrick's Stop

Although I will be the first to admit that Stuttgart lacks the same culinary variety as some of the larger German cities, I am consistently amazed by the high quality of the food that I tend to find at some of the smaller establishments in and around Stuttgart. One of those establishments is Patrick's Stop, a Jamaican Imbiss and Take Away in Möhringen. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find Jamaican food even in Berlin, and if you did, Patrick would definitely give any restaurant a run for its money. 

I first heard about Patrick's Stop a few months ago from a close friend of mine who raved about their goat curry. She insisted that I had to try it, but that I had to go on a Tuesday when it was served. As my summer vacation is winding down to a close, I figured I'd better go before I return to the classroom, so my husband and I headed out to Patrick's Stop last Saturday to check it out...

Ice Cream And A Stroll Through The Park

Ice Cream And A Stroll Through The Park

The weather has been practically chilly here lately, which is new to me coming from central Virginia where it stayed warm with high humidity through much of October. Even last year it felt like it was warmer this time of year in Stuttgart. This week the thermometer stayed in the mid-sixties for the past four or five days with rain most of the time. So today when the temperature shot up to a sunny 72°F, I decided it was time for another taste of ice cream before the summer slips away. 

My destination today was Killesbergpark where a new business complex opened up about a year or so ago at the Killesberg u-bahn stop. There's a large Aldi, Edeka, and Alnatura there for groceries, a DM for other home and body products, a furniture store, a paper store, a Mediterranean foods store, and a couple of banks. My impression is that the offerings will continue to grow as more people and businesses move into the area...

Walking Off A Large Meal In And Around Stuttgart

Walking Off A Large Meal In And Around Stuttgart

I love going out to eat, and when I do, I tend to splurge a bit and over-order since I don't go out as often as I would like (mostly to save my bank account and my waistline). And so, going out is still very much a treat for me. In order to eat as much as I want without feeling guilty about it later, I like to take a lot of long walks, usually with my husband and Leo (our beagle), to enjoy the fresh air and burn off some calories.

If you're in a similar situation and looking for some nice walks in Stuttgart, then here are my top six walks in Stuttgart (in no particular order)...

Sunny Days at the Stuttgart Sommerfest

Sunny Days at the Stuttgart Sommerfest

Have I mentioned yet how much I love the festivals in Germany? There's always something to celebrate: the spring, the fall, the summer, beer, wine, food, culture, Christmas, Fasching...the list goes on. This past weekend was a celebration of summer at the Sommerfest in downtown Stuttgart in the Schlossplatz.

This is the third year we've gone, and we've enjoyed the festival each time. The celebration is a chance for all the caterers in the area to pitch up make-shift restaurants, cocktail bars, and food stands to show off their wares while local bands play on various stages. The atmosphere is very relaxed with various kinds of food and shows geared towards all age-levels...

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...