Chelsea Market- New York, NY

The High Line in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City is a modern urban park; this former elevated train line was renovated to various gardens and landscapes to give the city a greener feel.  At the base of the south end of the High Line in New York City lies Chelsea Market, a modern “indoor mall” of retailers, grocers and eateries.  This bastion of gastronomy includes eat-in and take-out establishments that are traditional yet progressive and trendy.  Quite trendy I might add.  That is why this is the perfect place for anybody seeking new and innovative fare without the high price tag of many Manhattan restaurants. The market itself is completely indoors and occupies the bottom floor of the building that houses tenants MLB.com, Oxygen Network, Google and Food Network.  The visit to this market was compliments of our friends Eric and Dana living in North Jersey; by Dana, I meant Chef Dana of "Hell’ Kitchen."  It would be difficult to find a better food ambassador for this particular journey.

The interior of Chelsea Market

The first stop was Takumi.  Takumi is a taco food truck that mated Japanese ingredients with the style of Mexican street food.   Our selections included a Sapporo braised short rib taco and a spicy tuna taco.  The meat of both tacos were spot-on but the tuna taco included a crunchy shell that perfectly blended the textures of the big-eye tuna, avocado and spicy mayo.

Short rib and tuna tacos

The next stop was Beyond Sushi which specializes in vegetarian sushi.  The hand-made rolls have all the colors and accoutrement of Japanese sushi rolls minus the fish.  Most any roll on the menu seemed intriguing, but our choice was the Spicy Mang.  This roll consists of black rice, avocado, mango, English cucumber, spicy veggies and a side of toasted cayenne sauce.   Fresh and tasty, this particular selection lacked complexities of sushi rolls made with the same meticulousness.    

Spicy Mang roll at Beyond Sushi

The last stop on my tour de Chelsea was Lobster Place.  This is undoubtedly the most impressive seafood market I have visited.  This place is not about size and quantity but variety and quality.  It includes fresh catch from all over the eastern seaboard, United States, and seas of the world.  Uni and sushi-grade tuna (I learned about the existence of tuna belly which I plan to dabble in the first chance I get) are all available for any consumer.  Everything has a beautiful, fresh display.  It can put most any other seafood shop/stand to shame.  Aside from retail, Lobster Place offers a diverse menu of seafood soups, sandwiches and hot dishes.  Most striking amongst the consumers were the freshly steamed whole lobsters which you can purchase by weight of the crustacean.   The lobster roll, however, was our choice on this pitstop.    Served with celery, scallions, lemon and mayo, the lobster meat was tender and buttery.  I must admit that I am no aficionado of lobster rolls so this will basically serve as the standard.  

Lobster Roll

The three stops in Chelsea market were a mere sampling of the variety available.  Other food stops include Los Tacos (authentic Mexican from family recipes of the owner), Fat Witch Bakery (all things brownie and sugary delights) and the Doughnuttery (cranking out fried dough from a little mechanical deep frier.)  There is something for most everybody in a unique environment and any time of the work day.  Chelsea Market can be the perfect excuse to walk the High Line.  Walking the High Line can also be the perfect excuse to visit Chelsea Market.  Take your pick, it’s difficult to lose.

Zwickl- Munich, Germany

A big goal during our trip to Munich was finding authentic Bavarian cuisine.  This cuisine is the prototypical German fare: pretzels, wursts, schweinebraten, wienerschnitzel.  There are a bunch of tourist restaurants that whip up vast quantities of Bavarian cuisine including Augustiner Keller and Hofbrauhaus.  If your desire is a quick taste of the local fare, these places will suffice.  However, if quality rather than quantity is what you desire, steer clear of the big tourist traps.  As it turns out, Yelp provided us with the best Bavarian fare on our trip. Based on an excelled location and even better reviews, we decided to go Zwicky not once, but twice. Zwickl, a corner bistro at the Viktualienmarkt in midst of Munich’s City Center, doesn’t look like much from the outside. But the second you walk in you are enveloped by the authentic Bavarian feel of the place. A small restaurant, when the weather is not appropriate to sit outside, it only has about 35-40 seats. The staff is small and friendly. There is a bartender/host and two servers. All work together to provide a comfortable and enjoyable meal. The decor is Bavarian rustic, a new personal favorite seeing as how it makes the “rustic chic” look seem more forced than it already is and is much more colorful.   

Zwickl whips up the comfort food you aspire to find outside the major cities and also provides an intimate atmosphere for casual dining.  On the dry warm days the restaurant doubles its capacity with outside seating.  However, to secure an inside spot a reservation is definitely required.  We were fortunate (and early enough) to walk in and secure a spot for 2.  At the conclusion of our dinner we made a reservation for the following night.

The drink menu is standard Bavarian with a healthy mix of cocktails using local favorites, German wine, and of course beer, Schnapps and local whiskey. We tried a little bit of everything with no complaints. The wine and cocktails were especially good.  Whiskey, by contrast, is clearly not a German specialty.  It was quite intriguing but tasted harsh and deadly.  Everything else was simply done without flare or ornamentation. The drinks and food just spoke for themselves. 

The centerpiece of menu of Zwickl are the meatballs.  There are a variety of these delicious spheres on the menu ranging from beef, veal, pork combinations to smoked salmon. Paired with traditional sides that compliment each of them, they also come with housemade mustards that vary with the dish. The pork and beef meatballs served with a potato bean salad appears to be one of the most popular dishes for good reason. The meatballs are well seasoned without taking away from the meat. The smoked fish with spinach and butter potatoes seems like it would be out of place in a traditional Bavarian restaurant, but pair it with the appropriate mustard and you don’t seem to think about it. The smoked fish was flavorful, but quite filling. I probably could have done with a smaller portion. 

Smoked salmon meatballs at Zwickl

In addition to meatball combinations, Schweinebraten was a tender melt-in-your mouth pork tenderloin.  Resting in its own jus it was reminiscent of the best prime rib.  The Kaesespaetzle consists of gnocchi served with 3 regional cheeses with fried onion pieces.  Similar to American macaroni and cheese, it uses cheeses that include gouda and emantaler providing a creamy nutty flavor.  

Kaesespaetzle

The finale is the Kaiserschmarrn.  This dessert has flavor and texture if a pancake and crepe mated.  Even though I can eat this delight with just powdered sugar it is typically served with apple sauce or any kind of fruit compote. It’s like french toast on steroids and flavorful enough not to require syrup. We had it previously on our trip, but this one was much better. 

Kaiserschmarrn

Overall, a great find in the center of the tourist area that had a definite lack of that “tourist-y” feel. While we were by no means the only tourists there, it can be noted that the out-of-towners in this place were all like us-looking for something more than a beer garden/beer cellar carrying the typical fare.  Easy to locate and easy to enjoy, this restaurant has something for anyone looking for traditional Bavarian fare. 

Eating Our Way Through Germany

I traveled to Germany several times in my life, most of which were under the age of 15.   I've been back twice since 1998; 2006 and May 2015.  This will be Cassie’s first time. Nostalgia abounds as childhood places are revisited.  Being from a different country, it is natural for Cassie and I to experience the standard tourist fare as far as attractions are concerned.  But as I get older, my traveling priorities change and I find myself wanting to experience the local culture more and getting off the beaten path.  One of the easiest ways of doing this is through food and drink.

The drink part is easy. Germany, best known for their beer, is also the best Riesling producer in the world.  The hub of Riesling vineyards is the Rhine River valley.  Around Rudesheim, one of the towns we traveled to with our family from the area, there is significant natural beauty. There are also lax laws and easy access to locally produced vino.  Not only are you are able to drink in any public forum (this is also largely accepted), you can be out on a hike and literally come across a small shack to purchase a fresh bottle (the way it works is based on the honor system).  There is no doubt Rieslings are our favorite varietal so there was little difficulty consuming as much as possible.

A "wine shack" along a vineyard trail in Rudesheim

Strammer Max, a traditional open-face sandwich with cheese, ham, egg and rye bread

Germany is renowned for their beer which is not just a part of its culture but an acceptable everyday/anytime beverage.   I will simply say that Germans do a great job with the beers they offer and an even better job with drinking them. However, Americans have a broader and better selection. 

We'll start out our eats with all things homemade. My uncle is my Hungarian paprikas (pronounced something like pa-pre-kash) idol.  His ingredients are the standard selection of meat, onions, salt, tomato paste and paprika.  The paprika used comes fresh from Hungary.  The technique employed is very traditional and not seen too frequently outside Hungary. A tri-pod is used to dangle a kettle over and open flame. (Wood was used for decades until he transitioned to propane). For a couple hours the paprikas simmers atop the flame. We were treated to two versions both accompanied with Hungarian egg noodles: beef and chicken.  The beef included neck and thigh muscles and basically melted in your mouth.  The chicken was equally enjoyable.  It is the impeccable blend of sweet and hot paprika, onion and salt that make the broth savory with a kick of heat.  

Cooking paprikas

Beef Paprikas

Our travels away from my aunt and uncle's house in Griesheim took us to Wiesbaden, Rudesheim in Rheingau (our coveted Riesling country) and Munich.  Most of the trips, with the exception of Munich, were taken with the whole family. Asparagus (spargel) was definitely in season in Germany and we so happened to be staying and touring in the heart of asparagus country.  This isn’t our wimpy green asparagus, this is large hearty white asparagus.  The highlight of most of the dinner menus is the asparagus as special seasonal dishes. While Cassie did not partake in this, I found it paired with wienerschnitzel and a good Riesling that was probably bottled not too far from where we were drinking it. 

Asparagus, Potato Salad, Wienerschintzel

To return to the home cooking fare, our first night we ate at my cousin Felix’s house for a BBQ that would make any American feel like we don’t quite get it right. Cooked over a fire pit in the backyard, the locally butchered meat selection included two types of wurst (paprika and brat), steak, chicken, and ribs. Side dishes including traditional potato salad, spargel salad (which even Cassie tried), and various other cold dishes that balanced well against the heavy meats. The other in season locally farmed favorite is strawberries. Most desserts on the trip included them in various, yet always delicious, forms.  

Munich is home to weisswurst (white sausage), pretzels, as well as notable breweries Paulaner, Hofbrau and Franziskaner.   Our time in Munich took us to the famous Hofbrauhaus for a beer and pretzel, as is expected of tourists. Crowded and overpriced, we did not concern ourselves with the fare; this was merely a ploy to say “we’ve been there.”  Instead, we transitioned to another large beer hall away from the tourism epicenter, Augustiner Keller.  We enjoyed weissbier (hefeweizen) as well as wienerschnitzel and fried “pork knuckle” in a briny broth.  Despite the always-delicious potato salad and a potato dumpling ball, the the cuisine at Augustiner Keller is meant for large crowds and quantity trumps quality.  If you are in search for for authentic, delicious and high quality Bavarian cuisine, we would recommend Zwickl in the Viktualienmarkt in the city center.  More of Zwickl to come shortly.

Schnitzel and Fried "Pork Knuckle"

Beers at Hofbrauhaus

In our quest to experience a true authenticity and feel of Munich, we deviated from the city center and rented bicycles.  We rode to the English Gardens, a beautiful large urban park that includes waterfalls, lakes and farms.  It also has several beer gardens of various sizes dotting the landscape.  Here, we were able to enjoy the famous weisswurst.  Unlike most conventional wursts or sausages, this is simmered in a water bath to prepare.  Also, the casing is usually not eaten.  (It is usually made with a denser part of intestine which makes it almost impossible to chew and digest.)  Accompanied with a pretzel and a dunkelweiss bier, this made for an acceptable zweitus fruhstuck or “second breakfast.”  Many other stands and biergartens occupy the English Gardens and the pedestrian trails along the Isar River.  Any of these places are a perfectly acceptable spot to enjoy a respite with some shade, beverages, ice cream and, of course, various wursts and beer.