I'm not really in a funny mood tonight. I'm watching Anne of Green Gables for the 1000th time, and I stuffed myself full of beans for dinner...that's what happens when the Mister is gone for the evening. So, I'm sitting here, wishing I was on Prince Edward Island with a big bottle of Beano. Forgive me for being less than entertaining (but I'll try to keep it informative).
Il Pirata is an Italian seafood restaurant located in the town of Niedermohr. It's about 7 minutes from our house, maybe 15 minutes from the base. Like so many restaurants around here, it's also a hotel. Most restaurants around here are teeny tiny, but this one is relatively huge. And, it's decorated really nicely (it'd be great for date night).
We've been here twice, now. The first time was around Christmas with a group of friends. I remember that some of our friends got the steamed mussels for an appetizer (one of their specialties). Josh actually tried one, and I couldn't believe it. I figured he would gag on it immediately, but he actually ate it and said it was "ok". I had the bruschetta as an appetizer. (BTW, it's pronounced "brew-SKET-uh" NOT "brew-SHET-uh". You have NO idea how much that irks me.)
Anyway, it was definitely the saltiest bruschetta I've ever had, but it was also definitely the BEST I've ever had. It was salty, but not in a bad way (although, I have a high tolerance for salt. I love it. I'm sure my kidneys will be pickled by the time I'm 80).
For a main course, I had gnocchi in their red sauce. Josh had something in red sauce. I'm not gonna lie, it had a distinct Chef Boyardee flavor. There was just something to it that just wasn't that great. Neither of us really liked it that much.
However, the waitstaff is AMAZING!! Very attentive, and very friendly. I know the owner of the place is Italian, and she was walking around talking to everyone. I bet money she trained all of her waitstaff to have her flair of Italian-ness.
Even though the main dish wasn't that great, the restaurant was awesome, just based on the staff alone.
SOOOOOO, last Friday, we decided to try it again. This time, just the two of us.
Just like in December, the staff was amazing. Compared with typical German restaurants, it could be construed as "annoying". Normally, you would have to wait quite a bit of time for a waitress to come to your table and take your order/bring drinks/bring food/etc. Not at Il Pirata. We actually had our drink order taken, then ANOTHER waiter came a minute later trying to take our drink order. All in all, we had three different waiters that night.
We got the bruschetta again. It was still salty, but still sooooo goood. Too bad I had to share with the Mister. ;)
For our mains, Josh got pork scallopini, and I got ricotta and spinach stuffed gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream sauce.
The gorgonzola sauce was SO GOOD. The gnocchi...just had a strange taste to it...also, a little TOO sweet. It wasn't that awesome. I ate most of them, but....I would have rather just had more bruschetta. They did bring us a basket of bread, so I had a great time eating the gorgonzola sauce with the bread. Until the Mister tasted the gorgonzola sauce, and decided it was so delicious that he had to take half the bread, and use it to eat my sauce.
JOEY DOESN'T SHARE FOOD!!!!
(if you like the show Friends, you'll know what I'm talking about. But I'm kidding, I'll share with Josh...as long as I get my fair share as well. ;) )
He actually liked the gorgonzola better than his wine sauce. He thought his main dish was just..meh.
It's just so disappointing. I love this restaurant. I love the staff, and they have a good choice of drinks. The bruschetta is delicious. The salads are good. I SO WANT the rest of the food to be awesome. Do you know what I'm talking about? Like, there's so much I love about this place, but a lot of the food just doesn't do it for me...
They have so much to offer on the menu, and Italian restaurants normally have great options for vegetarians. Even though we haven't had great luck with our main dishes here, I'll definitely go back. They have to have something that's 100% delicious, right? They HAVE to! Maybe I'll just get two orders of bruschetta & a bowl of gorgonzola sauce next time....
All in all, I'll give the place a B+. Not too shabby, eh? If I were to give the grade JUST on food alone, I'm afraid I'd have to give it a C+. But, on average, I think it's definitely worthy of a B+.
For our date night, I don't remember how many euros we spent, but it was around $55 USD for the two of us. That was with 2 drinks each, one appetizer between the two of us, and two main dishes.
And now, I'm gonna continue with my Anne girl. And try to remember to never eat this many beans in one sitting again.
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Review of Cantina Mexicana in Einsiedlerhof
Josh and I are Tex-mex snobs. We're both from the great state of Texas, and are therefore very proud of most things Texas. The food is perhaps one of the most brag-worthy aspects of the state. Tex-Mex, BBQ, German, baked goods, hippie food, etc. It's all delicious. Well, I guess I can't really talk about BBQ....I vaguely remember stuffing myself silly at a Llano BBQ joint, but, seeing as how I haven't eaten meat (quit making jokes, Mr. Aycock) in 15 years, I can't really vouch for that any more.
But I can talk about the Tex-Mex. God, how I love it.
And miss it. Josh and I haven't lived in Texas for 6 years now. ::tear:: We haven't had good Mexican food since we left. Also, in Texas, we can read Spanish menus. We know exactly what we're getting when we order food anywhere in the state. I can tell you the exact difference between taquitos, flautas, chimichangas, chili con queso, chili con carne, enchiladas, fajitas, etc. etc. etc. etc.
Good heavens, I just drooled on my keyboard....
Now, I know to any of my Texas friends reading this (hi, Mom!), that does not seem that impressive. But trust me, once you exit the Great State (I'll give exception to Arizona & New Mexico - even though they don't have Tex-Mex) people just haven't got a clue. It's rather depressing.
I remember when Josh and I first moved away, in 2006. We moved to the Hampton Roads area of Virginia (southeast). We were so excited to find a local chain of Mexican restaurants there. We crossed our fingers the first time we ate at this establishment. (to remain nameless....alright, alright - Plaza Azteca)
The first thing we did was order an appetizer.
Courtney: Hi, can we get some queso?
Waitress (who, by the way, was Hispanic): Ummmmmmm.....do you mean the cheese dip?
::crickets::
Courtney: ....yes. (she replied, in a completely defeated way)
It was then that we realized we were probably not going to find any good replacement for our favorite restaurants back home.
And, it didn't change when we moved to Ohio in 2008. In fact, it got worse. For some reason, Ohioans are weird (hi, Patti!). Like, really weird. Like, put chocolate & cinnamon in chili, then pour that over spaghetti, then cover it with shredded cheddar weird.
Somehow, their love for cinnamon got into the Mexican food establishments in Dayton. Hell, there was a place near our house (part of a city-wide chain) that was 100% owned and operated by Hispanics, and yet their food was FULL of cinnamon. Why the HELL would I order enchiladas roja, and expect the sauce to be full of it???? Have some pride in your food, people! Don't kowtow to the weird locals!
Just one reason why I am glad I no longer live there. (for those of you who may be offended by my obvious dislike for Dayton....well, I don't care)
Well, y'all have no idea how happy Josh and I were to be able to move to Germany last year. Well, I guess if you read this blog, then you do know how happy we were/are. But, the mister and I just assumed that we'd have to go without Tex-Mex for the next few years.
Which is true. There are no authentic Tex-Mex restaurants in these parts.
But, we've been here for a year now, and our craving for bottomless salty tortilla chips, and super spicy salsa forced us to bite the bullet, and try a local Mexican food restaurant.
A couple weeks ago, we went out to a restaurant called Cantina Mexicana in Einsiedlerhof, right outside of Vogelweh housing.
I think it was about 8:30pm on a Friday night when arrived. Maybe a little later. It was kind of a last minute decision - we didn't have reservations, but we did call ahead (we had a group of 11) and they were able to seat us.
Cantina Mexicana is a pretty big restaurant (HUGE by German standards), and it's VERY close to the Vogelweh gate - it's pretty much a restaurant catering to Americans. Apparently it is/was owned by a Mexican family (but please don't quote me on that...), but all of the waitstaff that helped us were German. Not as if that matters, just giving you all the info.
We had one main waitress, then a bus boy that came around refilling drinks.
Yes, you read that right. They refill drinks at this restaurant. For free. This is pretty much unheard of in European restaurants. I'm not talking about free refills on alcohol, just free refills on water & soda. Sometimes I crave free refills of iced tea (unsweetened, please) so much, that we will go to the Chilis on base just for that reason. So, I was pretty happy to find out that Cantina Mexicana offers this as well.
But, I didn't have soda or water that night. Cantina has a different drink special every night, and this time it was a tequila Caiparinha for €2.55. So, Caiparinhas are NOT a Mexican cocktail, but that's okay, because it was delicious. It's basically like a mojito without the mint. They are typically made with sugar cane rum, but this one was made with tequila - which I NORMALLY don't like the taste of (unless it's in a margarita).
But, man oh man....I will DEFINITELY get one of Cantina's Caiparinhas again. It was strong, and sugary, and tart. Josh got one, as did a friend of ours at our table (hi, Kate!). Neither of them liked it. They said it tasted like salty tequila, but I say they are crazy. I don't mind that they didn't like it, though, because Kate ended up giving me hers. :D
Unfortunately, the chips and salsa were not free at the restaurant. I guess I didn't really expect that. Hell, they aren't even free at some American restaurants (hi, Chilis!). The chips & salsa were bottomless, however, and for €2, I guess that's not bad.
Except they weren't that good. Well...not only are Josh and I Tex-Mex snobs, we're also salsa snobs. We get "our" brand of salsa shipped to us. I will say that Cantina's salsa was way better than mild Pace, so take that as you will. The chips were fine. I dunno...I don't need to get them next time, but it wasn't horrible.
Now on to the food. The menu at Cantina is pretty expansive. Check out the menu on their website\. Heck, they even have "Southern" food - one of our friends ended up ordering ribs & coleslaw.
I ordered the Vegetarian Fajita Quesadilla (€7.25) and Josh ordered a 2-item combination plate (€7.55). With Josh's plate, he picked two items from the a la carte menu, and it came with rice and refried beans. I know one of his items was a tostada, but neither of us can remember the other item. I'm an excellent restaurant reviewer, eh? ;)
It didn't take too long to get our food. Even though it was past 9:00pm at this point, the restaurant was still really busy. But, the wait staff was fairly attentive, so no one went too long without refills on drinks/chips/salsa.
Then the food comes out - jeez louis, the portions were HUGE!! Josh had a huge platter of food placed in front of him, and my quesadilla was about the size of my head. Which is huge. Because of my big ol' brains.
The quesadilla was one huge tortilla folded in half, absolutely filled with charred vegetables and cheese - but waaaay more veggies than cheese. In fact, there was almost no goopy cheese factor, which is actually fine by me. The vegetables were marinated, and sauteed over very high heat. I love crispy charred (but NOT burnt) vegetables, and this was spot on. It was a combo of carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower. The 'dilla also came with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. It was good food, and it actually managed to sate my Mexican hankering - which is no easy task. Josh managed to clean his plate as well.
It wasn't authentic Mexican food. It wasn't authentic Tex-Mex. But I definitely think we'll return when our cravings get to be strong enough. I can honestly say it was WAAAAAYYYYY better than Ohio-style Mexican food. Thanks, Cantina-Mexicana, for a non-horrible Euro-Mex meal.
All-in-all, our bill was €25, including tip. (Josh had one beer at €3 to get rid of the taste of his Caiparinha...that fool).
But I can talk about the Tex-Mex. God, how I love it.
And miss it. Josh and I haven't lived in Texas for 6 years now. ::tear:: We haven't had good Mexican food since we left. Also, in Texas, we can read Spanish menus. We know exactly what we're getting when we order food anywhere in the state. I can tell you the exact difference between taquitos, flautas, chimichangas, chili con queso, chili con carne, enchiladas, fajitas, etc. etc. etc. etc.
Good heavens, I just drooled on my keyboard....
Now, I know to any of my Texas friends reading this (hi, Mom!), that does not seem that impressive. But trust me, once you exit the Great State (I'll give exception to Arizona & New Mexico - even though they don't have Tex-Mex) people just haven't got a clue. It's rather depressing.
I remember when Josh and I first moved away, in 2006. We moved to the Hampton Roads area of Virginia (southeast). We were so excited to find a local chain of Mexican restaurants there. We crossed our fingers the first time we ate at this establishment. (to remain nameless....alright, alright - Plaza Azteca)
The first thing we did was order an appetizer.
Courtney: Hi, can we get some queso?
Waitress (who, by the way, was Hispanic): Ummmmmmm.....do you mean the cheese dip?
::crickets::
Courtney: ....yes. (she replied, in a completely defeated way)
It was then that we realized we were probably not going to find any good replacement for our favorite restaurants back home.
And, it didn't change when we moved to Ohio in 2008. In fact, it got worse. For some reason, Ohioans are weird (hi, Patti!). Like, really weird. Like, put chocolate & cinnamon in chili, then pour that over spaghetti, then cover it with shredded cheddar weird.
Somehow, their love for cinnamon got into the Mexican food establishments in Dayton. Hell, there was a place near our house (part of a city-wide chain) that was 100% owned and operated by Hispanics, and yet their food was FULL of cinnamon. Why the HELL would I order enchiladas roja, and expect the sauce to be full of it???? Have some pride in your food, people! Don't kowtow to the weird locals!
Just one reason why I am glad I no longer live there. (for those of you who may be offended by my obvious dislike for Dayton....well, I don't care)
Well, y'all have no idea how happy Josh and I were to be able to move to Germany last year. Well, I guess if you read this blog, then you do know how happy we were/are. But, the mister and I just assumed that we'd have to go without Tex-Mex for the next few years.
Which is true. There are no authentic Tex-Mex restaurants in these parts.
But, we've been here for a year now, and our craving for bottomless salty tortilla chips, and super spicy salsa forced us to bite the bullet, and try a local Mexican food restaurant.
A couple weeks ago, we went out to a restaurant called Cantina Mexicana in Einsiedlerhof, right outside of Vogelweh housing.
I think it was about 8:30pm on a Friday night when arrived. Maybe a little later. It was kind of a last minute decision - we didn't have reservations, but we did call ahead (we had a group of 11) and they were able to seat us.
Cantina Mexicana is a pretty big restaurant (HUGE by German standards), and it's VERY close to the Vogelweh gate - it's pretty much a restaurant catering to Americans. Apparently it is/was owned by a Mexican family (but please don't quote me on that...), but all of the waitstaff that helped us were German. Not as if that matters, just giving you all the info.
We had one main waitress, then a bus boy that came around refilling drinks.
Yes, you read that right. They refill drinks at this restaurant. For free. This is pretty much unheard of in European restaurants. I'm not talking about free refills on alcohol, just free refills on water & soda. Sometimes I crave free refills of iced tea (unsweetened, please) so much, that we will go to the Chilis on base just for that reason. So, I was pretty happy to find out that Cantina Mexicana offers this as well.
But, I didn't have soda or water that night. Cantina has a different drink special every night, and this time it was a tequila Caiparinha for €2.55. So, Caiparinhas are NOT a Mexican cocktail, but that's okay, because it was delicious. It's basically like a mojito without the mint. They are typically made with sugar cane rum, but this one was made with tequila - which I NORMALLY don't like the taste of (unless it's in a margarita).
But, man oh man....I will DEFINITELY get one of Cantina's Caiparinhas again. It was strong, and sugary, and tart. Josh got one, as did a friend of ours at our table (hi, Kate!). Neither of them liked it. They said it tasted like salty tequila, but I say they are crazy. I don't mind that they didn't like it, though, because Kate ended up giving me hers. :D
Unfortunately, the chips and salsa were not free at the restaurant. I guess I didn't really expect that. Hell, they aren't even free at some American restaurants (hi, Chilis!). The chips & salsa were bottomless, however, and for €2, I guess that's not bad.
Except they weren't that good. Well...not only are Josh and I Tex-Mex snobs, we're also salsa snobs. We get "our" brand of salsa shipped to us. I will say that Cantina's salsa was way better than mild Pace, so take that as you will. The chips were fine. I dunno...I don't need to get them next time, but it wasn't horrible.
Now on to the food. The menu at Cantina is pretty expansive. Check out the menu on their website\. Heck, they even have "Southern" food - one of our friends ended up ordering ribs & coleslaw.
I ordered the Vegetarian Fajita Quesadilla (€7.25) and Josh ordered a 2-item combination plate (€7.55). With Josh's plate, he picked two items from the a la carte menu, and it came with rice and refried beans. I know one of his items was a tostada, but neither of us can remember the other item. I'm an excellent restaurant reviewer, eh? ;)
It didn't take too long to get our food. Even though it was past 9:00pm at this point, the restaurant was still really busy. But, the wait staff was fairly attentive, so no one went too long without refills on drinks/chips/salsa.
Then the food comes out - jeez louis, the portions were HUGE!! Josh had a huge platter of food placed in front of him, and my quesadilla was about the size of my head. Which is huge. Because of my big ol' brains.
The quesadilla was one huge tortilla folded in half, absolutely filled with charred vegetables and cheese - but waaaay more veggies than cheese. In fact, there was almost no goopy cheese factor, which is actually fine by me. The vegetables were marinated, and sauteed over very high heat. I love crispy charred (but NOT burnt) vegetables, and this was spot on. It was a combo of carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower. The 'dilla also came with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. It was good food, and it actually managed to sate my Mexican hankering - which is no easy task. Josh managed to clean his plate as well.
It wasn't authentic Mexican food. It wasn't authentic Tex-Mex. But I definitely think we'll return when our cravings get to be strong enough. I can honestly say it was WAAAAAYYYYY better than Ohio-style Mexican food. Thanks, Cantina-Mexicana, for a non-horrible Euro-Mex meal.
All-in-all, our bill was €25, including tip. (Josh had one beer at €3 to get rid of the taste of his Caiparinha...that fool).
Friday, February 10, 2012
Product Review - Koff'e
Well hello again. Keeping in line with my previous post (the Greek restaurant review), I decided to do a review on something I purchased recently. And, seeing as how it's poker night at my house, I have nothing better to do than to play online on a Friday night (I don't get to play poker with the boys, but I do get to cook their food :/ ).
Disclaimer: I'm pretty awesome, so I tend to like pretty awesome things. You have been warned.
I'm a sucker for a good deal. Now, I'm not a crazy couponer or anything. I'm way too lazy for that. BUT, I do love stuff like Groupon & LivingSocial. A few months ago, I found a site called Groopdealz. It's sort of like a Groupon, but for handmade, artsy-fartsy items (like what you would find on Etsy). Mostly it's jewelry, and other accessories. But, one time I found a deal for a 4-pack of Koff'e Body Treats products.
I had never heard of the company before, but I love trying new beauty products. The 4-pack included a solid lotion bar, a bath melt, a "pure luxury bar" (basically a bar of soap), and "lip butter" (came in a tube like chap stick).
The solid lotion bar was good. I picked the "cocoa mango" scent. The fragrance wasn't too strong, and it does a pretty good job moisturizing. I've had other solid lotion bars before, and honestly, they all do pretty much the same job. I've never thought of any of them as, "OHMYGOD THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING LOTION BAR EVER!!!". But, this brand was good.
The bath melt is the size of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I haven't tried it yet (I guess I should have, before I wrote this review...I just don't take that many baths).
The "Pure Luxury Bar" was AWESOME! Although, I'm just going to refer to it as "soap" from now on. The other name was just too long. I got the "Honey n Oats" scent. It has a layer of oats on the outside, for exfoliation. The thing smelled EXACTLY like an oatmeal cookie. It didn't give a lot of suds, but it was definitely creamy, and soothing (that sounded dirty). I have dry, itchy winter skin, and it really did a good job with moisturizing.
Now, the best part. The lip butter. I got the "Honey Child" flavor. This was seriously the best lip balm I have EVER used. And, I don't even LIKE lip balm. I use lip stain just so I don't have to feel the stickiness of lip stick. This "lip butter" keeps my lips soft & moisturized for what feels like forever. Plus, I've used it at least every other day for maybe two months (if not more) and I've only used maybe 1/4 of the tube. I am totally going to buy this lip butter all the time, now.
Seriously. Go to the Koff'e website, and buy some lip butter. Do it now!!
Disclaimer: I'm pretty awesome, so I tend to like pretty awesome things. You have been warned.
I'm a sucker for a good deal. Now, I'm not a crazy couponer or anything. I'm way too lazy for that. BUT, I do love stuff like Groupon & LivingSocial. A few months ago, I found a site called Groopdealz. It's sort of like a Groupon, but for handmade, artsy-fartsy items (like what you would find on Etsy). Mostly it's jewelry, and other accessories. But, one time I found a deal for a 4-pack of Koff'e Body Treats products.
I had never heard of the company before, but I love trying new beauty products. The 4-pack included a solid lotion bar, a bath melt, a "pure luxury bar" (basically a bar of soap), and "lip butter" (came in a tube like chap stick).
The solid lotion bar was good. I picked the "cocoa mango" scent. The fragrance wasn't too strong, and it does a pretty good job moisturizing. I've had other solid lotion bars before, and honestly, they all do pretty much the same job. I've never thought of any of them as, "OHMYGOD THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING LOTION BAR EVER!!!". But, this brand was good.
The bath melt is the size of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I haven't tried it yet (I guess I should have, before I wrote this review...I just don't take that many baths).
The "Pure Luxury Bar" was AWESOME! Although, I'm just going to refer to it as "soap" from now on. The other name was just too long. I got the "Honey n Oats" scent. It has a layer of oats on the outside, for exfoliation. The thing smelled EXACTLY like an oatmeal cookie. It didn't give a lot of suds, but it was definitely creamy, and soothing (that sounded dirty). I have dry, itchy winter skin, and it really did a good job with moisturizing.
Now, the best part. The lip butter. I got the "Honey Child" flavor. This was seriously the best lip balm I have EVER used. And, I don't even LIKE lip balm. I use lip stain just so I don't have to feel the stickiness of lip stick. This "lip butter" keeps my lips soft & moisturized for what feels like forever. Plus, I've used it at least every other day for maybe two months (if not more) and I've only used maybe 1/4 of the tube. I am totally going to buy this lip butter all the time, now.
Seriously. Go to the Koff'e website, and buy some lip butter. Do it now!!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Metaxa Restaurant in Ramstein
Hello, folks. I have been mulling over the idea to start a new blog - one just for reviews on restaurants, businesses, etc. But, since I have a hard enough time updating this blog, I don't think I'd be very good at managing two blogs. If you haven't noticed, I'm kind of a procrastinator.
But, I do still want to review restaurants, and other places we go while we're here. Businesses around here don't have websites like they do in the States. If they do, it's more like an early 90s Geocities website or something. It ain't pretty. So, you really never no what you're going to get from a restaurant, except by word of mouth. And I have a big mouth that likes to eat, and likes to express strong opinions. So who better to review restaurants, eh? Also, I'm a vegetarian, and the hubby isn't, so I can cover both aspects of the food world.
I know these restaurant reviews don't really help people who don't live here....but, tough. Besides, all two people who read this blog will probably end up visiting us here in the not-too-distant future, and they may want to see what there is to eat around here.
Saturday night, Josh and I decided to go out to eat. I had a hankering for Greek food, so we tried this restaurant called Metaxa, in Ramstein (the town in which the Air Force base is located). I think Josh misread the name of the place, and thought we were going to a Mexican food restaurant. ;)
Anywho, it was a cute, family owned restaurant. I'd say 90% of the customers were Americans, which isn't that surprising, since we were probably 1/4 mile from the base entrance.
It was freezing outside (I think -1F?) so we were so thankful when the waitress seated us right next to the radiator. Soooooo cozy. And we only saw two people working the floor there - one lady who seated us and took our order, and then one guy who was our server.
Now, I love Greek food. I love strong flavors like feta, vinegars, olives, and also fresh veggies like tomatoes & cucumbers. Unfortunately, there weren't a ton of vegetarian choices. They did have pizzas, but who wants pizza from a Greek restaurant? Most of the appetizers were vegetarian, though, and they had a large selection of salads as well.
We ended up ordering tzatziki for an appetizer. I ordered the Greek salad (actually, it was just called the Farmer's Salad, but it was what I think of when I think of a Greek salad), and Josh ended up getting the "spezial" plate. It was basically schnitzel, with fries.
Right after we ordered our food, the waiter came over with two cups of some kind of chicken noodle soup. Josh said it was really good, and he ate both cups. (one, because I don't eat chicken, and two, because I didn't want them to think that I was being rude by not eating what they gave us for free. good thing he was really hungry that night)
After the soup, they brought our tzaziki. It came with a basket of bread slices, and also a cup of some kind of red pepper puree. The puree was just pure red bell pepper - very, very fresh flavor. And the tzaziki came drizzled with olive oil, and garnished with pepperoncini, kalamata olives, and cucumber slices. Oh em gee, it was soooo goooooooooood. Very fresh tasting.
Then, the main dishes. I am always a little worried when I order "just" a salad from a restaurant, because I never know if it's going to be adequate enough for a meal, or if I'm going to leave the restaurant feeling slightly hungry, and slightly cheated. Let me tell ya - this salad was more than adequate. It was chock-full of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, and feta. There were easily two whole tomatoes on this salad - in fact, I didn't even KNOW there was lettuce in the salad until I was 2/3 of the way in. That's my kind of salad. The dressing was some sort of Greek vinaigrette - I LOVED the dressing!! Tangy, highly seasoned, and not heavy at all. It also went well with the tzatziki in which I couldn't keep from dunking my tomatoes. ;) I will say one thing - I normally LOVE feta. I love that sharp, salty tang. However, this was the strongest feta I have ever had. I felt like I had literally licked the sheep that produced the milk. I only had a couple bites, before I just felt a little too...."knowledgeable" about what sheep nipples taste like.
Josh's meal was basically a schnitzel, covered in some kind of sauce, and cheese. It also came with french fries (the really thick-cut fries that are popular around here). He said it was pretty good, but he didn't rave about it. Although, he did eat 90% of the meal. I thought the fries were really good. :) After seeing some of the other, "real" Greek dishes come out of the kitchen, I think that he wished he had gotten something more along those lines.
While we were eating, we kept seeing the waiter go around to every table, taking shots of ouzo with everybody. Sure enough, at the end of the meal, he brought us shots as well. Man, that was some good stuff. It was a real shot, too, not a teeny "freebie" shot. (although, it was free)
The whole meal cost us €38 (almost $50). Now, I know that is kind of pricy, BUT, Josh and I had two drinks each, plus we had an appetizer. So, really, you could definitely eat there for way cheaper.
All in all, we had a really awesome time at Metaxa in Ramstein. The customer service itself was worth going back. Free amuse-bouche (the soup), and free shots of ouzo?!? Yes, please! We will definitely go back.
But, I do still want to review restaurants, and other places we go while we're here. Businesses around here don't have websites like they do in the States. If they do, it's more like an early 90s Geocities website or something. It ain't pretty. So, you really never no what you're going to get from a restaurant, except by word of mouth. And I have a big mouth that likes to eat, and likes to express strong opinions. So who better to review restaurants, eh? Also, I'm a vegetarian, and the hubby isn't, so I can cover both aspects of the food world.
I know these restaurant reviews don't really help people who don't live here....but, tough. Besides, all two people who read this blog will probably end up visiting us here in the not-too-distant future, and they may want to see what there is to eat around here.
Saturday night, Josh and I decided to go out to eat. I had a hankering for Greek food, so we tried this restaurant called Metaxa, in Ramstein (the town in which the Air Force base is located). I think Josh misread the name of the place, and thought we were going to a Mexican food restaurant. ;)
Anywho, it was a cute, family owned restaurant. I'd say 90% of the customers were Americans, which isn't that surprising, since we were probably 1/4 mile from the base entrance.
It was freezing outside (I think -1F?) so we were so thankful when the waitress seated us right next to the radiator. Soooooo cozy. And we only saw two people working the floor there - one lady who seated us and took our order, and then one guy who was our server.
Now, I love Greek food. I love strong flavors like feta, vinegars, olives, and also fresh veggies like tomatoes & cucumbers. Unfortunately, there weren't a ton of vegetarian choices. They did have pizzas, but who wants pizza from a Greek restaurant? Most of the appetizers were vegetarian, though, and they had a large selection of salads as well.
We ended up ordering tzatziki for an appetizer. I ordered the Greek salad (actually, it was just called the Farmer's Salad, but it was what I think of when I think of a Greek salad), and Josh ended up getting the "spezial" plate. It was basically schnitzel, with fries.
Right after we ordered our food, the waiter came over with two cups of some kind of chicken noodle soup. Josh said it was really good, and he ate both cups. (one, because I don't eat chicken, and two, because I didn't want them to think that I was being rude by not eating what they gave us for free. good thing he was really hungry that night)
After the soup, they brought our tzaziki. It came with a basket of bread slices, and also a cup of some kind of red pepper puree. The puree was just pure red bell pepper - very, very fresh flavor. And the tzaziki came drizzled with olive oil, and garnished with pepperoncini, kalamata olives, and cucumber slices. Oh em gee, it was soooo goooooooooood. Very fresh tasting.
Then, the main dishes. I am always a little worried when I order "just" a salad from a restaurant, because I never know if it's going to be adequate enough for a meal, or if I'm going to leave the restaurant feeling slightly hungry, and slightly cheated. Let me tell ya - this salad was more than adequate. It was chock-full of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, and feta. There were easily two whole tomatoes on this salad - in fact, I didn't even KNOW there was lettuce in the salad until I was 2/3 of the way in. That's my kind of salad. The dressing was some sort of Greek vinaigrette - I LOVED the dressing!! Tangy, highly seasoned, and not heavy at all. It also went well with the tzatziki in which I couldn't keep from dunking my tomatoes. ;) I will say one thing - I normally LOVE feta. I love that sharp, salty tang. However, this was the strongest feta I have ever had. I felt like I had literally licked the sheep that produced the milk. I only had a couple bites, before I just felt a little too...."knowledgeable" about what sheep nipples taste like.
Josh's meal was basically a schnitzel, covered in some kind of sauce, and cheese. It also came with french fries (the really thick-cut fries that are popular around here). He said it was pretty good, but he didn't rave about it. Although, he did eat 90% of the meal. I thought the fries were really good. :) After seeing some of the other, "real" Greek dishes come out of the kitchen, I think that he wished he had gotten something more along those lines.
While we were eating, we kept seeing the waiter go around to every table, taking shots of ouzo with everybody. Sure enough, at the end of the meal, he brought us shots as well. Man, that was some good stuff. It was a real shot, too, not a teeny "freebie" shot. (although, it was free)
The whole meal cost us €38 (almost $50). Now, I know that is kind of pricy, BUT, Josh and I had two drinks each, plus we had an appetizer. So, really, you could definitely eat there for way cheaper.
All in all, we had a really awesome time at Metaxa in Ramstein. The customer service itself was worth going back. Free amuse-bouche (the soup), and free shots of ouzo?!? Yes, please! We will definitely go back.
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