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!

  

Baden Baden- Brenner's Park Hotel

Well, we made it on our first drive from Sindelfingen to Baden Baden.  The car handles like a dream.  The engine is so quite and it so spacious on the inside.  I have never spent more than two days in Germany and that was only on a trip from the Czech Republic.  Anyway, the drive through the Black Forest was fantastic.  We spent the night at Brenner's Park Hotel.  The hotel makes you feel like you are on some grand tour of Europe in the 1800s, and in fact that is when it was started.  Although, I am pretty sure I dragged the average age down in the place.  Since we had such a late lunch in Sindelfingen, I wasn't that hungry.  I opted for the Wild Garlic Risotto with tomatoes, pine nuts and whole meal crostini.

The risotto was very good, although I couldn't find the pine nuts in it.  The garlic flavor that might be supposed wasn't really there.  Instead, I found it to be more of an onion taste.  There were actually diced and peeled and mixed in as well.  The crostini were fantastic.

To drink, we had a German sparkling wine called Furst von Metternich.  It had a very nice flavor and was crisp. 

To finish off the meal, we had a little plate of confections, courtesy of the kitchens.  As you can see, there were little macaroons, cookies and chocolate.  All very tasty and very much appreciated.  We looked like some cartoon when we ate all but the three chocolates in the middle and wrapped those in the doily that was provided.  I am sure that the waitstaff thought we were strange.

Finally, I will leave you with a picture from Brenner's Park Hotel on our stroll by the river.