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...

Experiencing Christmas Past at the Esslingen Mittelaltermarkt

Experiencing Christmas Past at the Esslingen Mittelaltermarkt

Apart from the Stuttgart Weihnachtsmarkt, my second favorite Christmas market in the region is in Esslingen. The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, after a while I find that most Christmas markets that I've been to are pretty similar: they all have Glühwein and most of the same arts and crafts. Secondly, Esslingen takes a fun spin on the theme by featuring a Mittelaltermarkt or Middle Ages market. 

And so in order to share with you the Middle Aged magic of the market, we headed out to Esslingen this past weekend to take in all the sights and sounds of the season...

Christmastime is Here at the Stuttgart Weihnachtsmarkt

Christmastime is Here at the Stuttgart Weihnachtsmarkt

I'm really excited to write this post, because the Stuttgart Christmas Market is my favorite Christmas market in the area. Yes, I know I'm a little biased because I live here, but of the handful that we've been to over the past three years, Stuttgart still stands out in my mind as the best, and for good reason. According to the market's website, Stuttgart has had a Christmas market for over 300 years, beginning officially in 1692 (and probably earlier that than, just not on record). Today the market has grown to over 280 stands with over 3.5 million visitors each season...

Traditional German Fare at Calwer-Eck Brauhaus

Traditional German Fare at Calwer-Eck Brauhaus

Do you have that one restaurant where you always take visitors to experience your local food? For us, that's Calwer-Eck Brauhaus. This tiny pub serves up some of the best traditional Swabian dishes that I've tasted and just so happens to be Stuttgart's first and smallest local brewery. 

Located along Calwer Straße, this tiny pub doesn't look like much from the street. In fact, you'd probably walk right past it if you didn't know where to look. But once you walk in the front door and up the marble stairs, you're welcomed into a traditional pub-style atmosphere with wooden tables and chairs and even wood-paneled walls. However, the most interesting feature of Calwer-Eck are the art nouveau touches in the lamps and window panels, making it all the more attractive as a local beer and dinner destination...

Onkel Otto: The Best Schnitzel in Stuttgart?

Onkel Otto: The Best Schnitzel in Stuttgart?

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to go out by some friends to try the Schnitzel at Onkel Otto in Marienplatz. We'd never been before, but heard great things about it, so we decided to check it out. 

Our evening started after work in Degerloch where we decided to walk down to Marienplatz. The walk down was lovely and took us through the vineyards where Degerloch hosts a Weinwanderung (wine walk) every fall. Though I've yet to try the wine, the views of Stuttgart are beautiful as you can see by my photo. This time of year the trees and vines were all turning colors, which though not as vibrant as in Virginia, were still lovely...

Seasonal Dining at Grand Café Planie

Seasonal Dining at Grand Café Planie

The big celebration of our five year anniversary was our trip to Barcelona a couple of weeks ago. However, we weren't able to go on the actual day because we were limited by my school's calendar breaks. And so to celebrate on the actual day, we decided to head over to Grand Café Planie for dinner after work. 

I like Grand Café Planie because they have lovely seasonal menus. I love all things related to the fall and to pumpkins, which is why we chose the fall season for our wedding. In fact, we even had a custom-made pumpkin-spice cake with a buttercream frosting. Grand Café Planie also has a delicious pumpkin menu that we tried last fall, so it seemed like the most appropriate place to go...