Germany - Post 21

From Munich...

Crepe mit zucker = Crepe with butter, sugar and cinnamon

Inoteca

is located at 98 Rivington Street in NYC's Lower East Side.

This rustic, cozy Italian restaurant serves small dishes which are easy to share. They also have a nice wine bar.

"T" and I shared the following:

- Mortada Affetati (mortadella which is like really good Italian bologna) $8 and served with toasted bread

- Mozzerella & Tapenade (crustless sandwich of fresh mozzarella and olive tapenade spread) $7

- Gamberone (fried giant prawns) $18

- Truffled Egg Toast with Borgatta (thick slices of bread topped with truffle butter and an egg with caviar) $12

- Costole Brevi (short ribs with broccoli rable and pan roasted potatoes) $18

- Budino di zucca (pumpkin pudding with whipped cream) $6

"T" had a glass of Schiava (very light red wine) $9 and I had a glass of Prosecco $8.

Everything was very good except we were disappointed with dessert because we could barely taste the pumpkin. Also, the choice of music played in the dining areas was, at times, too loud and hard core - not very conducive to enjoying talking and eating.

Germany - Post 20

From Munich...

Currywurst = grilled and sliced sausage served with curry and spices, covered in gravy; served with a hard roll

Germany - Post 19

From Salzburg...

Apfel strudel mit vanille sauce = apple streudel with vanilla sauce

Heiss shokolade = hot chocolate

Celsius

is the name of a temporary 2 story restaurant/lounge in NYC's Bryant Park overlooking The Pond - the free ice skating rink.

"J" and I went there for a mid week lunch and sat downstairs in the bar/lounge. There was a 25 minute wait to sit upstairs in the restaurant area. And no wait to sit outside on the patio (even with the individual heat lamps at each table it was 36F outside and a bit too chilly for us.

"J" had the skirt steak sandwich with fries and horseradish sauce for $17. I had the chicken pot pie (stuffed with only chicken and not the usual potatoes and carrots) for $15. I also had a Hot Chocolate Storm - hot chocolate topped with mini marshmallows, whipped cream and chocolate chips for $5. There were so many marshmallows that I had to poke through them to get to the hot chocolate portion.

"J" and I shared a warm apple tart ala mode for dessert $9.

Germany - Post 18

From Salburg, Austria...

Bosna = 2 grilled sausages with curry and onions in a hard roll

Financier

(aka more macarons)...was walking by the new Finanicer patisserie outpost in NYC's Grand Central Station and noticed they had macarons so I had to try one. For $2.25 this large macaron was tasty and worth the price. I tried the hazelnut which had pieces of hazelnuts in the cookie and a very flavorful filling. I will return to try the other flavors.

Diner's Deck

Thanks "L" for my fun Christmas gift - The Diner's Deck. This contains 52 cards - each worth a $10 gift certificate to various restaurants.

What a fun way to try out new restaurants and save money! I can't wait to start using my cards.

Germany - Post 17

From Munich...

At the Tollwood Holiday Fair...

Apfel Kuchel = fried apple donuts

If they covered them with powdered sugar it would have been perfection!

Foodie Flicks

Dinner Rush was a small indie film that was actually shot in the director's father's real NYC Tribeca restaurant. We were so inspired by the movie that we dined at the actual restaurant 2 weeks later.

Rolf's

Located in NYC's Gramercy Park area at 281 Third Avenue this restaurant screams "Happy Holidays"! There are thousands of lights and ornaments hung on fake tree branches everywhere inside the entire place.

Rolf's serves traditional German fare. For the holidays they add Gluwhein to their drink menu - this is a warm, mulled, spiced red wine.

"A" and I shared the potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream for an appetizer ($11). "A" had the Schniztel Holstein (with a fried egg and anchovies) and I had the traditional Weiner Schnitzel (both $24.95 and served with string beans and spaetzel). We shared a bottle of Reisling ($32) and apple streudel with whipped cream for dessert ($8).

The potato pancakes were thick and not as crispy as I would have liked. The schnitzel was paper thin and the spaetzel was a little gummy. The apple streudel was served very hot and had only a thin layer of crust, but the whipped cream was dense and yummy.

But the food is not the main attraction here - it's the over-the-top decorations! It looked like a trim-a-tree department exploded inside the restaurant. I feel sorry for the person who has to take them down and pack them away after the New Year.