Baden Baden and Salzburg, Austria

I know I am really behind on blog posts.  Wi-fi has been an issue, but we finally have it sorted out.  I am currently in Italy right now, but I need (and want) to finish talking about our trip through Austria and Germany.

On April 17, we walked around Baden Baden.  We ended up eating lunch at Leo's.  It wasn't much.  They had a lunch special for 10 euros that got you a main course and a cup of coffee/cappuccino/tea afterwards.  Not a bad deal in a town that is pretty pricey.  I got the cordon bleu.  It wasn't the best thing that I have ever eaten.  You know the meals I mean...the ones that after you have eaten them, you think to yourself, "Well, at least now I won't be starving later."  It was one of those.  The chicken wasn't dry, which is always a blessing.  It was difficult to find the cheese in it though.  It did need more salt.  The fries that it was served with were good though and of course they were from frozen.  Can't have it all for 10 euros can you?

The drive to Salzburg took us about 4 hours.  We stayed at the Hotel Schloss Monchstein and got in just in time to have drinks and dinner.  There weren't a lot of people staying in the hotel and as such, we were the only ones there for dinner that night.  The dinning room is small and has a great view of the mountains as well as part of the city.  It was so peaceful and quite there.  To start with, we had what amounts to Tuna Canneloni with asparagus cream.

Delicious is the only way to describe what came out of the kitchen.  The tuna was topped with more asparagus cream.  This was courtesy of the kitchen.  We followed this up with an asparagus salad.  Lynn and I split it.  Let me just say that I have eaten more asparagus this trip then I have in the past month.  And I haven't even been in Europe for a week.  I guess we can thank the fact it is asparagus season here for that.  Let me just say that I have never tasted asparagus that is this good in so many different preparations.

It was an asparagus salad with white asparagus served with Parmesan and soured milk (the circle things with purple on top).  As you can see, the presentation was fantastic.  I don't know what the purple stuff was.  However, the soured milk was salty and not all that good in combination with the salad.  The asparagus puree underneath was just another layer of flavor.  My main course was Pike Perch with Parmesan sauce and balsamic vinegar (and more asparagus).

Again, a beautiful presentation.  The fish was nice and moist.  The sauce didn't overpower the fish as can sometimes happen.  The sauce was so delicate.  And the balsamic vinegar just added to everything that it touched.  Finely, we ended with chocolates from the kitchen.

The chocolates were presented on a bed of ground cocoa nibs.  Let me just say that there are very few things that I want with my chocolate.  Booze, nuts and fruit are really not high on the list.  There were only two chocolates that fit that bill on the plate.  Thankfully, Lynn and I found them, but only after eating some filled with booze, nuts and fruit.

After this delicious meal, it was time to head back to our room and try to get some sleep.  Stay tuned to find out about my meal at the oldest restaurant in the world!