21. Budapest.

Images from 21 restaurant on the Buda side of Budapest.  A final culinary farewell to the city on our 1st visit to Budapest.....

We found lovely outdoor seating and it was apparent that we had come before the dinner rush.  We enjoyed a leisurely few drinks and a meal while watching the competent and genial staff at 21, as picture below.

We had the Chicken Crepes as an appetizer.  

Like all the other meals we had in Budapest, the dishes were not too "exotic" to our palatte, 

but often new nonetheless and beautifully balanced with an assortment of herbs.

Above, the Entrecote steak with duck liver, roasted potatoes and dill-paprika sauce.

And my choice for the evening above.  

The Chicken paprikash with home made dumplings. 

When I ordered it, the server frowned in disagreement, explaining that the flavors were too similar to the Chicken Crepe appetizer we had. 

I said I didn't mind a repeat of the flavors. 

It was that good.

Some of the staff of Pierrot, 21's sister restaurant across the street. 

Baldaszti's in Buda

Basil Lemonade & Sauska Rose Wine (amazing Rose wine)

The hubbie's order- A Hungarian sample tray

Salmon Tartar with Crème fraiche

In the scrumptious basement shop of Baldaszti's.  I think I spent an exorbitant amount on some Solnec sea salt and other items, but sometimes these things happen.  And Budapest was relatively affordable in all other situations....

Művész Kávézó

Late summer lunch at Művész Kávézó in Pest

Steamers from above providing a cool mist for diner, plants and passer by'ers alike...

Order of the Chicken Catalan.  While perhaps not a traditional local dish, the features of fresh vegetables and a pleasant and light mix of various herbs seemed to be a feature in all our meals in Budapest.

A sip of Unicum

A sip of the traditional Hungarian bitter, Unicum, at Soul Cafe on Ráday utca.  I was only able to manage a small sip before turning it over to a fellow diner.  I should have perhaps waited until after the meal to appreciate the drink's "digestif" qualities....

Interlude & Entertainment at Cafe Im Zeug Haus

Taking a break from Museum Island explorations in Berlin, we happened upon Cafe Im Zeug Haus in Mitte which provided a delicious meal, perfect people watching and, by happenstance, sidewalk comedy.

Having a glass of Saale Unstrut vintage white wine and a Tarte Flambeé with shrimps, dried tomatoes, stuffed hot peppers and rocket salad.

The sidewalk comedy provided by the man with the red nose was a riot.  I spent my lunch laughing and tracking this guy's mimic act back and forth on the sidewalk.  More pictures here.

Spargel mit Hollandaise

Upon learning that the pub chosen as our meeting point had closed down or relocated, my Berlin native friend directed us to arrive at Cafe Zosch, getting off at the S Bahnhof Oranienburger Str. stop.  We had spent the afternoon wandering around, enjoying the urbanity and as our meeting time approached, a relaxing session of good food and some brews at a Berlin establishment was welcome.

 

So tucked away on leafy Tucholskystr., amidst a quiet buzz of other cafes and bars, we found outdoor bench seating at Cafe Zosch.

Scenes from the sidewalk seating

I only captured shots of my plate (which one of my fellow diners had a few good nibbles off of as well), but everyone's dishes looked lovely.  My fare was simple, hearty, fresh and light: Lax with potatoes and the everpresent seasonal dish of asparagus (spargel) with Hollandaise sauce.  The table beside us was full of a cheerful crowd of Frenchmen & women. We toasted, ate well and enjoyed a couple of hours of dialogue.  A straightforward and lovely Berlin moment.

Lunch, Dinner & Breakfast at Pestana Tiergarten

Our recent stay in the Embassy District of Berlin had us enjoying the recently opened Pestana Tiergarten hotel, directly across from the Nordic Embassies.  

 Creamy potato and smoked salmon soup

(Kartoffel suppe mit Räucher Lachs)

Later on, sampling the Portugese fish soup 

(Portugiesischer Fischeintopf mit Knoblauch und Gemüse)...

And the beautifully presented Stir Fired Scallops with tomato and garlic 

(Jacobsmuschelen an Kirschtomaten ragout mit Knoblauch)

And rounding off the weekend with breakfast.  The hotel does breakfast beautifully, with a wide selection of Granini juices, silver carafes of coffee on every table, goat yogurt with fruit in glass jars, smoked salmon, rolls and chives and more... 

Hotel Ludwig, Füssen

Kartoffelkrustelen

Potato pockets filled with cheese and mushroom cream and with a mixed salad

Luckily, the food and rooms at Hotel Ludwig in Füssen were pretty agreeable, because the service itself was a bit surly and odd (in my opinion).  

Then again, I have been warned a few times over, both personally and in reading about Bavaria, that customer service is not quite the same as in the USA.  I am not looking for someone to refill my water glass every two minutes (in fact, you might as well forget about this ever happening in this neck of the woods), but I do like service with a smile.  Tipping is already included in the price here but good, friendly service will even have me tipping on top of that.  Not in this case.  Here is a case of  good and straightforward Bavarian meals. Smiling service not included. 

Spätzle

Next day, trying out the lunch.  Now, dining here for us includes side jokes about the service because, well, it continues to be weird. This place pulls in lovely business due to straightforward and comfortable rooms in a very central location and a good restaurant to boot.  Apparently though, they don't feel that service with a smile will at all improve their business.  Probably will never stay there again but it was nice to give it a test run.