People Watching in Petit-Champlain

Halloween is tomorrow, so I’ve been thinking about costumed trick-or-treaters, and that reminded me of sitting in an outdoor café called La Fin du Monde in the lower city of Quebec. Called the Petit-Champlain district, the narrow streets are filled with shops, restaurants, and cafés, as well as costumed street performers.

While sampling a local microbrew called Blanche de Chambly, I saw an Indian Chief playing the harp, an angel mime holding a globe, a blue man, and dozens of characters in Victorian dress strolling around the square at Place Royale.

My beer was excellent, a medium-bodied amber, and was perfect company for a relaxing afternoon in this eclectic city.

Celebrating Quebec Cuisine

With its 400th Anniversary kicking off on New Year’s Eve, Quebec will be party central during 2008, with loads of special events, exhibits on loan from prestigious museums like the Louvre, and incredible multimedia shows at the exhibit area in the Old Port called Espace 400.

So there’s no better time to share some insider picks for this fabulous French city’s cuisine. On a recent visit, I had a gourmet lunch at Gambrinus, a lovely restaurant located on Rue du Fort near the Place D’Armes Park and Quebec’s most famous hotel, the Chateau Frontenac.

Billed as “the businessman’s lunch”, the $10.95 prix fixe meal including a choice of soup or salad, an entrée, dessert, and coffee. I started with an incredible curried zucchini and apple soup, followed by beef medallions with baby vegetables and potatoes. I absolutely had to choose the decadent chocolate mousse for my dessert (“My name is Ginger and I’m a chocaholic!), although it was a tough choice with options like Quebec’s traditional Maple Syrup Pie and Maple Crème Brulée in competition.

Although I myself am not a gourmand, foodies will love entrees like deer-stuffed pasta medallions and caribou filet with cherries and maple syrup. www.gambrinus.restoquebec.com

Don't Let Your Meat Loaf

Childhood is all about comfort food, and silly little sayings like “Whatcha got on? Your mind?” I just made a pot roast a couple of days ago, and have been enjoying the leftovers ever since. Meatloaf leftovers are another favorite of mine…there’s nothing like a good meatloaf sandwich on rye!

Comfort food translates to all cultures. The French have cassoulet , the Brits have bangers (sausages) and mash (mashed potatoes), and everyone has a great stew of some sort for these cool, fall days full of harvest vegetables.

Pub grub is, by its very nature, comfort food with a capital C. Homemade soups, fresh bread, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and piled-high sandwiches are just a few of the hearty and simple dishes you’ll find in any Irish, Scottish, or English establishment.

Add a rich Guinness or a tart cider and you’ll fall in love with fall all over again!

Craving Comfort Food in the Fall

“I know the look of an apple that is roasting and sizzling on the hearth on a winter’s evening, and I know the comfort that comes of eating it hot, along with some sugar and a drench of cream.” Mark Twain

This is one of my favorite times of the year, when the weather turns a little crisp, the leaves are golden, and the sky is cerulean blue. My brother, sister, and I always drive up to the Shenandoah Mountains to visit my aunt and pick up several pints of the scrumptious apple butter that she and the ladies of Lebanon Baptist Church put up every fall.

The small towns around Winchester, Virginia used to once solely exist on the prolific apple orchards in the region, and still today, celebrate apple harvest with festivals, apple candy, apple butter, and bushels of the delectable orbs at every road-side stand.

My home state of Virginia is blessed with a perfect climate for apple orchards, and the rich soil yields 11 different varieties throughout the summer and fall.

Pick your own apples at Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville or Wood’s Orchard in Hampton. You pay by the pound (prices vary with the variety), and both orchards also sell a wide array of jams, jellies, and cider.

CARTER MOUNTAIN ORCHARD HARVEST FESTIVAL
1435 Carters Mountain Trail
Charlottesville, VA
(434) 977-1833 or see www.cartermountainorchard.com for details and directions


WOOD’S ORCHARDS
Pick your own year round from 9-6 Monday-Friday or 9-5 on Saturday
183 E. Mercury Blvd.
Hampton, VA 23669
(757) 722-2873

http://www.visitwinchesterva.com/

Photo courtesy of the Winchester-Frederick County CVB

Swimming in Swabian Noodles

The Alte Kanzlei is one of the hippest restaurants and wine bars in Stuttgart. I started my evening there at the bar, sampling great beers and wines from the Baden Wuerttemberg region. My waiter, Carsten, recommended the Fellbacher Riesling to accompany my starter of giant Swabian ravioli called Maultashchen. These come with all kinds of fillings, but mine had meat and spinach with sautéed onions on top and I could have made a meal of those alone.

However, Carsten told me that one of the best dishes on the menu was the Filet platter so I had to try it. Beef and pork filets in a creamy mushroom sauce are served with a huge helping of my other favorite Swabian noodles, Spaetzle. I absolutely stuffed myself and the Riesling was perfect with both dishes, so I didn’t have room for one of the scrumptious desserts, like Coconut parfait with mangos or Tiramisu with fresh berries and raspberry sauce.

I ate at Alte Kanzlei on a Friday night, and the place was packed so reservations are a must for the busy weekend nights. Prices run from about 9 Euros (about $12.80 US) for a Swabian noodle dish to 20 Euros (about $28 US) for the top entrees, and the huge selection of wines are reasonably priced by the glass and bottle. The service was excellent at both the wine bar and in the dining room, and my waiter’s recommendations were honest and spot-on.

Alte Kanzlei is located right on the Schillerplatz (Tel: 0049 711-294457) so it’s an easy walk from anywhere in the city center or hop off the train at the Schlossplatz stop.

Sample some "studly" wine in Stuttgart

The German city of Stuttgart was once a stud farm. In fact, Stuttgart means “garden of the mares”, and the black horse on the city’s logo represents this equine history. The old palace was once the headquarters of the horse business, and that same black horse also appears on its local wines, made in vineyards on the outskirts of the city.

While you may think of beer gardens when you think of Germany, wine taverns are also popular, especially during local festivals. The white wines, especially the Reislings, are crisp and much more full-bodied than those produced in the U.S., and the reds are hearty enough to pair well with the spiciest sausage or a perfectly cooked slice of pork.

Stuttgart is also home to the only optical shop in Germany that is also a wine store. Swabians are known for being thrifty and practical, so when the regional wine distributor realized that there was a retail shop on the lower floor of their office building, they arranged for the shop to sell their wares. At Optik Oster, you can get your eyes examined, buy a new pair of glasses, and sample some of the region’s best vintages, although you should probably taste and buy the wine after your eye exam!

Salami for Breakfast Anyone?

In Germany, almost all hotels include breakfast in your room rate, even small Gasthofs along the back roads. These are usually served buffet-style and include a wide variety of cereals, fresh fruit, even fresher yogurt, pastries, rolls, and a big deli tray with hams, salami, bologna, and cheeses. I can't quite get into salami at breakfast, but I confess that I often snagged some of the spicy meat, along with some cheese and a crusty roll, for a snack later in the day.

The Kronen Hotel in Stuttgart had a killer breakfast spread that included tasty crepes, quiche, new potatoes with chunks of ham, the requisite cheese and meat tray, cereals, etc. and a huge pastry table with coffee cakes, pastries, rolls, croissants, and other tempting bakery goods.

I also had not only a great breakfast, but a really excellent dinner at my hotel in Triberg in the Black Forest, the Schwarzwald Residenz Inn. This is something that Germany is fairly consistent about...hotel food is fairly priced, fairly portioned, and cooked well. I had a really good wiener schnitzel with fries, a nice Reisling, and a huge Black Forest ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce, cherries, and whipped cream.

The other thing I noticed was the mini-bar prices for a beer or soda in the room were the same as they were in the dining room, and while they were higher than if you went to a market and bought them, they weren't ridiculously expensive like in some U.S. hotels.

Overall, I think the Germans take great pride in their hospitality and have always found that accommodations in every price range are clean and comfortable, with a hearty breakfast to start the day.

www.kronenhotel-stuttgart.de
www.residenz-triberg.bestwestern.de

What Do Cars and Cuisine Have in Common?

At first glance, you would say nothing. But, on my recent visit to the Mercedes Museum in Bad Cannstatt, Germany, I discovered that the makers of the most popular luxury cars for the past century are no slouches when it comes to feeding their visitors.

Good food in a museum, especially one with an automotive theme, sounds like an oxymoron. The full service restaurant at the Mercedes Museum, however, treats all of its diners as if they could afford to drive their most expensive model.

The dining room tables are set with crisp, white linen and adorned with fresh flowers, and the service was excellent from start to finish. I started with the clear soup filled with Swabian ravioli and thin strips of pancakes, followed by a perfectly cooked sirloin smothered in fried onions and a red wine sauce, and accompanied by my favorite of the Swabian noodle family, Spätzle. I had a lovely local red wine that is grown in a vineyard near the museum (you can actually see the fields from one of the higher floors), and then decided to take my coffee and dessert on the terrace to enjoy the gorgeous day.

The crème brulee was garnished with fresh fruit and a generous scoop of raspberry sorbet, but I was almost sorry I had chosen it when I saw the gigantic ice cream sundaes other diners were enjoying.

Prices are extremely reasonable for the quality of the food and service, with a light lunch of Swabian Ravioli and salad running around $8 and a three-course prix fixe menu of soup, filet of beef with dumplings, dessert, and coffee for about $32. I must say, after seeing all of the fabulous cars and stuffing myself with incredible Swabian food, I could easily learn to love life in the Mercedes lane. (www.mercedes-benz.com/museum

BEER SPOTTING AND FISH PIZZA

First there was train spotting, and now I’ve invented beer spotting. It’s Oktoberfest in Germany and I caught this Lowenbrau riding the train illegally from Bad Canstatt to Stuttgart. Of course, although ticket collectors do come around on the trains, it’s more or less an honor system, and you always see young guys moving from car to car who are probably hitching a free ride.

The Germans would vehemently agree that beer is food, especially at this time of year. On my recent trip, I fell into the habit of having a tall pilsner of Dunkel every afternoon at an outdoor café, in lieu of a snack. I’m not personally crazy about Wiess (wheat) beer, but I love the dark beers and lagers.

One afternoon in Triberg, I had several good German beers with my new friends from Wisconsin that I met earlier at the train station. We met up at the Tick-Tack-Stube on the Hauptstrasse and grabbed a table with an umbrella out front so we could people watch. The Packers’ fans wanted to find a place to watch the Sunday game ( next to impossible in the Black Forest) so we headed down the street to a local pizza joint to see if they had satellite TV. No luck on the sports, but we did decide to have a pizza as everyone was missing the good ole U.S.A. at that point.

Tim made the grave mistake of ordering number 19…a pizza that had never been ordered before in the history of this restaurant…and when it was delivered, we immediately knew why. It reeked of fish and rotten eggs, two of the main ingredients. Tim insisted on eating it (a true macho move), but shortly after our meal, he retired to the hotel. If he gets his own Packers jersey, we think he should have the number 19 put on the back in honor of his manly epicurean adventure.

GETTING HIGH ON BLACK FOREST CAKE

I just had my first piece of authentic Black Forest Cake at Café Schafer in Triberg, Germany, and I’m here to tell you that it packs a wallop. Drenched in a cherry liqueur called kirsch, you should be carded when you order a slice of the decadent chocolate cake layered with cherries and whipped cream, and you definitely don’t want to light a match near it or you’ll risk turning your dessert into a flambé.

Triberg is a village in the Black Forest, and the home of generations of cuckoo clock makers. I asked fifth generation clock maker Reinhard Herr, of the Hubert Herr company, where I could get a slice of authentic Black Forest cake and he walked me over to Café Schafer. The pink building with white awnings houses one of the oldest conditerei in the village, and serves the original recipe that was invented by Josef Keller.

It turns out that August Schafer was an apprentice of Keller’s, and Keller generously gave him the recipe for the decadent cake to use at his own café when he returned to Triberg in 1929.

This is not a dessert for children, as there is a very strong alcohol taste from the kirsch, but for grown-ups, it sure beats an after dinner brandy. ( 2.6 Euros a slice or about $3.70 US)