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Eating in Berlin, part 2

Guess what?! This time next week I’ll be on my way to Germany. Sebastian and I debated New Year’s Eve plans, but we both decided it would be fun if I went there this year. I can’t wait to be back in Berlin, a city I fall in love with more and more every time I visit.

As I prepare for the trip, I thought it would be fun to share some of the awesome restaurants we tried on my last visit. Please excuse the lack of photos for some locations.

Melbourne Canteen
Pannierstraße 57, 12047 Berlin – Neukölln
+49 030 62731602

If you’re in the mood for a laid back breakfast, this is the place to go. Sebastian often comes here on the weekends for brunch and newspaper reading. When we went together, I ordered scrambled eggs with avocado and toast and some tomato juice, although I should have opted for the Bloody Mary. Next time.

Ständige Vertretung
Schiffbauerdamm 8, 10117 Berlin – Mitte
+49 030 2823965

Located on the Spree, this is a great spot for a cold beer and some people watching. Sebastian says his Dad loves to come here when he visits Berlin.

Fratelli La Bionda
Bergmannstraße 31, 10961 Berlin – Kreuzberg
+49 030 63901770

We went here for date night during my visit. It was the perfect place to sit outside, share a bottle of wine and enjoy some authentic Italian cuisine.

Buchkantine
Dortmunder Strasse 1, 10555 Berlin – Moabit
+49 030 94883728

This bistro is located along the Spree and is actually quite close to Sebastian’s apartment. We went here for a late breakfast one morning. It has a lovely deck that is built around a giant tree. There is also a bookshop inside, but we never checked it out.

Chez Michel
Adalberstraße 83, 10997 Berlin – Kreuzberg
+49 030 20845507

We met our friends Maik and Kristine here for dinner. We sat outside at a tiny table and shared different dishes. It’s a no fuss kind of place – you order at the counter and they bring the food to you. But the food itself is simple and good.

Monsieur Vuong
Alte Schönhauserstraße 46, 10119 Berlin – Mitte
+49 030 99296924

I’ve shared this restaurant before, but I’m doing it again anyway. I love the cozy atmosphere and the amazing Vietnamese food. I know no matter when we visit, we’ll always get a great meal. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

The California Breakfast Slam
Innstraße 47, 12045 Berlin- Neukölln
+49 030 6869624

This is one of those restaurants that feels so European yet so American. I can picture walking into a place like this in Portland or Ohio City, but here it is on the streets of Berlin. If you’re looking for fancy decor, this is not the place for you. The food was fantastic though. Order the pancakes and thank me later.

Gastón Tapas Bar
Weichselstraße 18, 12045 Berlin – Neukölln
+49 162 8199853

I loved this restaurant – it’s probably my favorite out of all the stops on this list. We ended up here on a Friday night with a group of friends, ordering rounds of beer and sharing tapas. If I ever live in Berlin, you’ll find me here often.

Markthalle Neun
Eisenbahnstraße 42/43, 10997 Berlin

There are several market halls like this in Berlin. This one reminds me of the West Side Market in Cleveland except on a smaller scale. You can find anything here from flowers to goat cheese to fresh bread and fish. We went for the meat, specifically Big Stuff Smoked BBQ. I can’t even describe the amazingness, so enjoy the photos below.

P.S. In case you missed it, here is Eating in Berlin, part 1.

Tags: Berlin, food, food and drink, Germany, restaurants

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Categories Food & Drink, Travel

River walking in San Antonio

16 Jan

Whenever I visit Sebastian, we usually meet at or travel to some amazing location. The United States is certainly no Italy or Germany, but for such a young country, we too have a lot to offer. When I found out the bf would be spending the holidays here, I immediately began brainstorming places we could go together. I’m not entirely sure how we landed on Texas, but both of us had never been, and we figured why not. Despite me catching a head cold on vacation, we ended up having a total blast – and really enjoyed being out of freezing Ohio for a while.

We spent three days in San Antonio and one day in Austin. If I’m being completely honest, I would have switched this around if we did it all over again. San Antonio is a cool city, but after visiting quirky Austin I wish we had spent more time there. I can’t completely discount San Antonio; there are definitely some fun things to see and do in the city. If you ever visit, here are some things I would recommend.

—Magnolia Pancake Haus—
Open: 7a.m. – 2p.m.
Address: 606 Embassy Oaks

I unfortunately don’t have any of my own photos from here (mostly because I was feeling like death that day), but it is a delicious place to check out. We luckily had a rental car, which was necessary for visiting restaurants outside of downtown. Sebastian is a huge fan of the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and we made a few stops at some of the featured restaurants during our time in the Lone Star State. Magnolia Pancake Haus was one of those stops and did not disappoint. I had thee best waffle of my life. It was light and fluffy, and I wanted five more. Sebastian tried their hash and was obsessing over it.

—The Alamo—
Open: 9a.m. – 5:30p.m.

I’m being honest again – the Alamo is not what I expected. I was warned, but I still wasn’t prepared for how small and out of place it appears. It’s located right across from a Ripley’s Believe it or Not and down the street from the RiverCenter Mall. The Alamo has a lot of history, and I enjoyed seeing it and spending a little time there. However, in my opinion it is not the highlight of San Antonio.

—River Walk—

This is the highlight of San Antonio – the riverwalk is awesome. It doesn’t come to life until later in the day, but when it does, it is truly alive. There are tons of people walking the paths and plenty of shops and restaurants to keep everyone happy. One morning we got up early and hit the riverwalk before all the crowds came out and the stores opened. It was peaceful strolling along the river when everything was quiet (something I highly recommend). San Antonio has done an awesome job of building up the riverwalk, and beyond all the shops and places to eat, it really is quite beautiful. If you are looking for a place to eat, we had superb seafood at Landry’s, an incredible steak dinner at Saltgrass and Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub was great for people watching.

—Japanese Tea Garden—
Open: Dawn to Dusk
Address: 3853 N. St. Mary’s Street

The Japanese Tea Garden is so, so lovely. We spent an afternoon there enjoying the shaded walkways, stone bridges and ponds filled with Koi. It was chilly outside, but the sun was shining, making it a perfect day for wandering through the gardens. You can also make a stop at the Jingu House Cafe for some tea, which we did. I wish we had made it back again before we left.

—The Cove—
Open: Mon 5p.m.-Midnight; Tue-Thurs 11a.m.-10p.m.; Fri-Sat 11a.m.-11p.m.; Sun 12-6p.m.
Address: 606 West Cypress Street

You’ll need a car to get this place, but get there. This was probably my favorite restaurant we went to in San Antonio (and another Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives stop). Their passion is SOL – sustainable, organic and local – and you could really tell. The food was out of this world, and the atmosphere was so relaxed. I had a tilapia taco with cilantro coleslaw and spicy poblano sauce in a corn tortilla, while Sebastian went for the real burger. We split two sides of fries, one regular and one sweet potato with siracha mayo. The food was beyond delicious. You have to visit if you’re ever in town.

—Spurs Game—

I don’t keep up with professional sports – Sebastian knows more players than I ever could – but I love going to games. The bf isn’t a hardcore basketball fan, but we couldn’t pass up attending a Spurs game while in San Antonio (especially since they’re number one in their division). This was the best ending to our first full day in the city. We ate stadium food, drank beer and cheered like we’d been fans our whole life.

There you have it – San Antonio in a nutshell. If I hadn’t caught a head cold, I would have loved to check out the zoo and aquarium, some of the other missions and maybe a museum. I guess we’ll just have to make it back some day.

PS If you’re looking for a good place to stay, I recommend the TownePlace Suites San Antonio Downtown. It’s reasonably priced, close to the riverwalk, and most rooms have a kitchen (if you’re looking to save money on eating out).

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Tags: restaurants, River Walk, San Antonio, Texas, The Alamo, things to do, Travel

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Categories Food & Drink, Travel

Eating in Berlin

9 Oct

Every time I visit Germany, my friends tell me to eat lots of schnitzel or wurst or sauerkraut. But the truth is, I rarely eat any of those things during my trips. Sure I’ve had amazing schnitzel and delicious currywurst, but not as often as you’d think.

This trip was no different. We dined out at some awesome restaurants (none of them with German cuisine), and I’m already drooling thinking about all the amazing food we ate. The one thing we did keep traditional was breakfast.

A traditional German breakfast consists of a fresh loaf of bread from the local bakery (sometimes croissants and rolls as well), jams, cold cuts and sometimes cheese. The bread is served with butter as a base spread and then a choice of jam, honey or cold cuts for toppings. It’s not a breakfast I was used to, but one I’ve come to love.

And now for the great restaurants in Berlin (in no particular order):

Monsieur Vuong – I seriously heart this restaurant. It’s usually crowded and with good reason – they serve the best Vietnamese food on the planet. The day we ate there it was cold outside, and the fresh chicken soup with rice noodles was exactly what I needed. We also tried the spring rolls, which were beyond good. Another bonus: the menu is in English.

Burgermeister – I didn’t expect to find a good burger in Germany, but I was wrong. A fun place to eat, Burgermeister is located under an S-Bahn track in a former public toilet. What you miss in the comfort of a restaurant, you make up for in a super tasty burger. Yes, you have to stand and eat, but the burger was worth it, and the chili-cheese fries were killer.

Transit – This restaurant is cool because even though it was just Sebastian and me, I could definitely see going there with a large group of friends. The menu offers Thai and Indonesian food served in small bowls (3 euros each) with side orders of rice and noodles (1 euro). The meal was extremely affordable (and delicious), and the dishes have fun names. We tried My Favorite Duck, Crunchy Strips, Smokey Sate, Crispy Pockets and Almost Nude. They also offer the menu in English.

East London – We went here for breakfast one morning, and it did not disappoint. The restaurant’s concept is serving good British food in Berlin – pretty cool. Sebastian had the “Full Monty” and I tried some awesome homemade pancakes. And I have to mention their cappuccino, since it was one of the best I’ve ever had. We’ll definitely be going back next time I visit.

City Chicken – Good God, we ate so much food here it was unreal. And the price was unreal. I think for about 6 euros, you get a half a roasted chicken, salad, french fries, humus, garlic sauce and pita bread. The place has more of a fast food vibe, but the atmosphere didn’t even matter. The food was crazy good.

I don’t have pictures for the last joint, but I have to mention Chapel Bar. For months I’ve heard Sebastian talk about Chapel and this supposedly amazing drink they serve called the Basil Lime Smash. We went there after a concert Friday night and he was right – the drink was amazing and refreshing and delicious. I could seriously go for one right now.

If you’re ever in Berlin, I hope you’ll check out some of these awesome restaurants. And if you feel like it, maybe eat some schnitzel, too!

Tags: Berlin, breakfast, Burgermeister, East London, eating, food, Germany, Monsieur Vuong, restaurants, restaurants in berlin, Travel