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.

Dining near Neuschwanstein

Having been to Neuschwanstein a couple of times, I have already developed a ritual.  Get up the hill, see the castle and then descend by foot, stopping off in the eatery along the way (the only one on the hill path) for a bit of nourishment and relaxation.

View of the castle from the deck of the restaurant.

I had the Spargelcreme soup (Cream of Asparagus- Asparagus is HUGE in this region at this time of year) and sauerkraut.  I chose the sauerkraut for the digestive purpose, but was not a big fan of the sweet style of this dish.  The Cream of Asparagus I enjoyed, but I love almost anything asparagus.  Good thing I'm in an asparagus crazy region.

I previously posted on these as Bavarian Snowballs, after my first (winter) visit to this castle. This time, they were marketed as Frische quarkballen (Fresh cream cheese balls). The cream cheese must be in the batter because when you bite into this little balls all you get is crispy, light outside and a fluffy and yummy interior. 

Wild Garlic Soup Deliciousness

After a full day of exploring the labyrinthian castle/fortress, tucking in for a beer and good meal at the Hotel Goldene Ente restaurant is simply gemütlich.

I had the Bärlauchsuppe, Wild Garlic Soup. A creamy and zangy treat with all the additional health benefits that garlic should provide to ward off all the allergies and changing of the seasons colds that seem to  be going around in the wider region of Bavaria.


Wild Garlic Soup.  Might have to try my hand at it at home. 

Cafe Tomaselli, Salzburg

Cafe Tomaselli by night 

Cafe Tomaselli by day

Tea

Coffee

Wild Garlic Soup

The wild garlic soup (Bärlauchsuppe)

At the restaurant of the Hotel Goldene Ente in Salzburg

The Macaron: A brief introduction

I was first introduced to the macaron via various blogs.  I drooled over the images at first sight.  I wondered about the texture and flavor and, as a simple dessert lover, wondered if my own personal food intuition matched the fantasy I was beginning to develop about the taste of these treats.

I was also curious about the apparent and distinct difference between this treat and the macaroon, a coconut cookie far more familiar to me. After some light google research, I see that my own confusion is not that uncommon.  While sharing the same name origin, the macaron and macaroon are completely different sticky treats. Filled with cream and typically offered in various pastel shades and in flavors ranging from rose or vanilla to chocolate or pistachio, the popularity of the macaron, whose batter typically consists of a mix of sugar, egg whites and crushed almonds, is vast.

Vanilla and almond macaron from Wurzelsepp, Nürnberg

And yes, it tastes as delectable- crisp on the outside, fluffy and creamy on the inside- as I imagined.

Lovely Italian by German Waters

A lovely little Italian restaurant just a jaunt away from the train station in Bamberg.

If I get the names of the dishes right, the above is Tagliatelle con funghi and the below is Tagliatelle con..salmon.  Whatever the correct terminology, it was deliciousness, and a cool, empty terrace to boot.  We reveled in the privacy but I am sure this place booms in business in other times (with an ice cream store with a terrace neighboring how can you go wrong? On top of delicious food).   We dined on a fairly blustery Spring evening but I don't doubt that this terrace sees lots of action come the warmer times.

Pizza with shrimp to go.

 I carted this baby two hours by train home and it was still scrumptious the day after.

Nyhavn fish sampling

Dining at Lilla Torg