Aniis – Trendy Café in Frankfurt’s ‘East End’

Already in my last post, I wrote about the growing food scene in Frankfurt’s eastern neighborhood of Ostend. Now, I also visited a great café in the area. This neighborhood is definitely becoming one interesting area. It is not only the European Central Bank that drives the development of Ostend, it is also the opening up of parts of the port to residential and small business construction. It is also well connected to the city center which is actually only a short stroll away. It is set to further gain from the transformation of Ostbahnhof, which so far is only a low frequency train station, more important for freight than for passenger transport. Plans to build a new S-Bahn from the city center towards the east along the northern bank of the river will make this train station a major hub of Frankfurt. It will be one of the few places in the city, where tram, subway, S-Bahn and regional trains are closely linked. Around the train station, there is already a small local center with restaurants, shops and cafés forming. Café Aniis is one of those establishments.

I recently visited the café with my wife on a snowy Sunday in December. We were lucky to get a place since I have seen it often very full. It is also not so spacious, but at the same time it is quite popular with the locals. Once being inside, I understood why. It is decorated in a cool, hip way and the details, from the cute cactus on the table to the large picture on the wall, are super charming. The coffee is served in elegant cups and the barista casts a perfect flower picture into the milk foam. However, I was most surprised by the great food served. The menu has a few light items, great for breakfast, lunch and to accompany the afternoon-coffee or tea. We ordered a vegetarian plate Eastern Mediterranean-style, with hummus, falafel, beans, couscous, some awesome eggplant mash and other small stuff. This was fantastic and better than most restaurants do such a plate. It was even enough food for the two of us. Overall, I was quite enchanted and Aniis now ranks high on my top-list of Frankfurt’s cafés.

Style: Café

Cuisine: Coffee and breakfast

Location: Ostend

Website: http://www.aniis.de/

Dicke Wutz – American Barbecue at Osthafen

I recently managed to discover new places at Frankfurt’s eastern fringes. The city’s neighborhood Ostend – as the name in German suggests – is to the East of the city center and also feels more or less like the end of the city towards this direction even though the administrative boundaries are going further, but few locals venture beyond the huge amalgamation of highways, harbor industry and rail tracks creating a barrier here. In a way, the Ostend neighborhood is incredibly different in its various parts. Where it is bordering Bornheim and Nordend there is the nice area, around the river side, close to the European Central Bank’s main tower, it is booming and developing quickly in to an upscale residential neighborhood. The Osthafen, Frankfurt’s main port with its many industrial facilities is also part of it, just like the stretch along Hanauer Landsraße leading out of the city. It is here, where many offices are residing and new apartments getting constructed as the area became more attractive recently and low-key industries and car dealers move out of the area.

There is an area around Osthafen that has been opened up for new construction and abandoned old industry is finding a new use. Some really hip offices can now be found in places where many corners still show a rough appearance. At the same time, the area is developing its culinary scene. One can already observe that Hanauer Landstraße boosts more and more restaurants, especially close to Ostbahnhof. I am sure the neighborhood becomes livelier in the next years as population will increase due to the construction of so many new housing blocks. The restaurant I visited with my friends recently is exactly located in one those cool old industry areas. It is an amazing location, where a whole industrial block is now used by different small businesses and the said gastronomy. It is also already quite a bit outside of the city. At least, I have never walked down Hanauer Landstraße that far. The restaurant is not directly visible from the street. It is a bit hidden, but therefore has a charming yard, which can be used as a stylish beer garden during summer. This time of the year, however, we sat inside.

Dicke Wutz is an American barbecue and prides itself to bring some Southern-style BBQ to Frankfurt with the grill even being imported from overseas. Hence, the main thing to eat here are the meats. They have some American classics like Burgers and also Philly Cheesesteak, which we ordered as well. The specialty is their pulled pork though. I ordered a meat platter so that I could try different meats. Besides pulled pork, this had chicken, a beef brisket, grilled corn and pickles and a small salat on the side. The pulled pork was by far the best and went well with the great barbecue sauce. The other meat and especially the sides where quite pale in comparison. Overall, I am afraid I had higher expectations. There is still a lot of room of improvement to really recreate the great BBQ experience of the American South. I expected some burned ends, some grilled beef with a great salt crust, some greasy ribs. To get close to this ideal, it is also important to deliver on the side dishes. For example, this place looks ideal to have some Mac and Cheese, something not very common to find in Germany. But I am sure it would be well received.

On a positive note, I have to mention the great beer menu. There is an extended list of craft beer, which goes very well with the meaty dishes. To sum up, Dicke Wutz brings solid American food to the table with the pulled pork being the highlight. I also loved its location in a trendy building with a great rusty looking interior.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: American/International/BBQ

Location: Ostend

Website: http://dicke-wutz.business.site/

Bento Boutique – Awesome sushi on Weserstraße

There is no shortage of Japanese sushi places in Frankfurt. It is hugely popular and restaurants can be found in all central parts of the city. Among them are some of what are considered to be the best restaurants in all of Frankfurt. For example, Iwase close to Konstablerwache or Moriki in the ground floor of the Deutsche Bank towers are both well-known and offer some of the finest sushi in the city. There is however a restaurant in the Bahnhofsviertel that would also be a contester for the title of best sushi in town. Bento Boutique, in an extremely small place, just off Kaiserstraße, serves some absolutely great dishes.

I have already visited a few times and was always very happy with the service, the quality of food and the great arrangement of the plates. I usually order a mixed set of nigiri and rolls as well as edamame (salted green peas) on the side. One can however also put together their own mixes. The menu boosts a large variety of sushi, some really innovative. Besides the usual salmon and tuna versions, there is also eel, mackerel or caviar. There are all kinds of interesting combinations, for example with avocado, egg, tofu, but also cream cheese, chili-mayo sauce and reddish. They come accompanied with the traditional sides of pickled ginger and (a huge pot of) wasabi.

The place is really tiny and has only a few seats to sit. Actually, the ground floor is basically only the checkout counter, where busy people order their take-out sushi during their lunch breaks. A few tables can be found on the upper floor though. You either have be lucky or reserve in advance. The design is carefully thought through and has a classical Japanese touch. The owners and staff know that presentation of sushi is key and make sure already when you arrive that the chopsticks are arranged correctly. The plates are just outright beautiful, the food nicely decorated and presented. To sum up, this is one of my favorite sushi restaurants. I know however, that it has plenty of equally good competition in the city.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Japanese

Location: Bahnhofsviertel

Website: http://bento.boutique/

Hummus Küch’ – All about hummus in Frankfurt’s South-of-the-river neighborhood

Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt’s densely populated neighborhood south of the river Main, exhibits a vibrant restaurant and bar scene and is therefore a lively and popular area to live in. Its culinary center is around Schweitzer Platz and along Schweitzer Straße. One should look however also beyond this main street to find some interesting food places. My favorite side street is Textorstraße, which is close to Südbahnhof. It is a street lined with beautiful turn-of-the century architecture buildings and boosts some interesting food and drink options like the hip burger place Good Fellas, a popular wine bar called Walhofs and a restaurant inside a renovated former train depot. A recent addition in this environment is Hummus Küch’, which brings Israeli enthusiasm about hummus to Frankfurt.

Hummus is a popular dip/spread from the Eastern Mediterranean (the Levant area) made usually from chickpeas. It is already hugely popular in Germany and can be bought ready-to-eat in all supermarkets. Hummus Küch’ is establishing a concept in Frankfurt that is new in the city however. Its dishes are all based on hummus. It can be accompanied with falafel, eggplant mouse, oil or poached eggs. The concept is very simple and at the same time different and interesting. It is trendy because not only is it innovative, but it is also mostly vegan. The owners are from Israel and their Tel-Aviv-style concept is of great appeal to Frankfurters as well. People can casually meet and chat over wiping some hummus off the plate with the flatbread.

The place is very casual and actually not really a restaurant, but more a (healthy) fast-food joint. I quite enjoyed the concept and I think it is a food option that enriches Frankfurt’s scene. For low prices, one gets a huge plate of hummus and a flatbread for wiping – enough for a good meal. I ordered a plate with falafel and my wife got eggplant mash and oil with hummus. Both was really delicious. The hummus is nicely refined with spices and is not too fatty. These are two characteristics making the difference between good hummus and bad hummus. Similarly, the falafel was not fatty at all. However, I actually most liked the eggplant mash. Overall, it was a fun experience and I recommend it for a casual meet and wipe.

Style: Casual eatery

Cuisine: Mediterranean/Israeli

Location: Sachsenhausen

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Hummus-K%C3%BCch-820719028079239/

Café Kunstverein – A laid-back breakfast experience in Frankfurt’s Altstadt

My parents recently visited me in Frankfurt and I thought it would nice to have Sunday breakfast somewhere in the city center. As in many urban centers around the world, Sunday brunch is particularly popular. There are a couple of great options in Frankfurt, however, the places are rather limited compared to the large and constant growing demand. Consequently, it is quite difficult to get a place and one needs to reserve well in advance. An alternative to the brunch-craze is to visit a café that has à-la-carte breakfast. I even prefer this to a brunch, if the brunch ends up being organizational difficult.

I decided to visit the cozy café of the Frankfurter Kunstverein (‘art association’). It is an art café that offers to be a meeting point for the creative class. It is its own little institution, where local prominence meets just like the average Frankfurter. At the same time, it is very unpretentious. It is in a notable pretty building in the middle of the Altstadt, Frankfurt’s historic center. It is notable especially when the Kunstverein offers a platform for artists to attach pieces of art on its building, which is frequently the case. The building has great large windows on the ground floor which give way to the view on the surrounding Altstadt and the passersby exploring it. Because of its location, it is great to go with visitors. It is just around the corner of the Römer, the heart of the Altstadt. Next to it grows the new Old Town, where Frankfurt reconstructs a large chunk of its pretty Altstadt that was lost in the bombings of World War 2. Once the charming little streets connecting the Römer with the Cathedral are finished, the Café Kunstverein will sit in a prominent location at the entrance to this new area.

Sunday morning seems to be a nice time to visit. It is not crowded at all, in fact, it has a very relaxed and laid-back atmosphere. That was excellent for a slow breakfast. We ordered a couple of different versions of eggs benedict, which came in a beautiful presentation. The perfectly poached egg was served on a crunchy bun. Most importantly, it was nicely garnished with plenty of vegetables and some herbs. My dad ordered a more classical continental European breakfast. He got a basket of bread and an again beautifully arranged plate of cold meats, cheese and vegetables as well as a few fruits. The food was very fresh and the coffee was good as well. Overall, this is an excellent option for a Sunday breakfast that I will definitely do again.

Style: Café

Cuisine: Coffee and breakfast

Location: Altstadt

Website: http://cafe.fkv.de/index.php?article_id=138&clang=0

Three Vietnamese food places in the Bahnhofsviertel

The Bahnhofsviertel in Frankfurt is the place to discover interesting exotic cuisine. For example, there is no shortage of Asian restaurants in this part of the city. In fact, basically all of Asia is covered, from Persian to Indian and Chinese and Japanese. In this environment it is not surprising to also find plenty of good South-East Asian food places around. Very popular is usually Vienamese cuisine with its stingy flavors. I here present you three of my favorites, which I find all equally good. However, the list is not exhaustive. I am sure there are even more and possibly better Vietnamese restaurants all over the city.

The first is called Petits Lam Frères (link). It does sound French, but it is a really great Vietnamese restaurant. I visited already quite a while ago, but I am thinking of going again, because I had great memories about the food. I had a Vietnamese noodle soup Pho, which is a classic choice. It came with extremely fresh and tasty vegetables and spices on the side. The side vegetables were placed a separate plate, which added a little extra fun in that I could choose which vegetables and how much of it I want to through in my soup. My wife went for the spring rolls. This came also with a fun twist. She had to roll the spring rolls herself. She received the necessary equipment and the ingredients. Without prior knowledge of how to do it, it looked a bit tricky. But after some explanations from the waiter, she managed, more or less, to roll some rolls. It was definitely fun and tasty.

Another interesting place is Sapores (link). It wants to offer Saigon street food variations. It is a trendy small shop right at Kaiserstraße, very close to Frankfurt’s central station. The menu is intriguing, offering a large variety of spring rolls and snacks, Pho and other noodle soups as well as rice based dishes. I tried a rice-noodle soup and it was good. I think, the spring rolls looked a bit better though. In my opinion, Sapores is aiming very high in serving traditional Vietnamese flavors to their customers, yet they seem to have little confidence in the German taste buds. I would not have minded if the taste is stronger, stingier, spicier.

Finally, another Vietnamese I recently visited is Pho Ngon Noodle Bar (link) on Moselstraße. It is a tiny trendy-looking place just off Kaiserstraße. The menu offers more than Pho, but I advise to stick to either the noodle soup or the spring rolls in this restaurant. I visited the place a few times now and usually had good, tasty, fresh food. Last time though, I chose to try the curry. It was not very flavorful and mostly filled with potatoes. This was a bit boring and again, I think, they make the mistake of not having the confidence in offering more spicy dishes to the German costumers. Anyway, this restaurant has two big plus factors. One, the presentation of food is great and two, the home-made lemonade is fantastic.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Location: Bahnhofsviertel

Ginnheimer Wirtshaus – My favorite inn / beer-garden in Frankfurt

I recently visited again my favorite Wirtshaus in Frankfurt together with my family. A Wirtshaus is a traditional German inn which typically services classic German dishes like Schnitzel and pork knuckle, and of course serves beer with it. This one, the Ginnheimer Wirtshaus, as is often the case, also has an adjacent beer-garden. I got to know this spot because my first apartment in Frankfurt was situated close by. The area is already what is considered the outer suburbs of Frankfurt, off the city center and away from the super lively and popular inner suburbs. Therefore, this place is really a local experience. However, it is by no means a secret hidden place. It is located just outside the Nidda Park and is getting really busy on nice summer weekends, when hikers, cyclists and locals stop to have a meal and a beer or two.

I visited the Ginnheimer Wirtshaus already multiple times and absolutely love it there. In case of good weather, one typically sits outside in the beer-garden (if you manage to get a place). However, I have also visited many times sitting inside and it feels very homey and comfortable. The place has a traditional rustic charm and the service is super friendly. Therefore, in a cold winter day it is equally nice to visit and I like the feeling of sitting in the warmth, eating a heavy meal and enjoying the cozy atmosphere.

Another reason why I love this place, is that the food as actually really good. Obviously, the dishes are proper down-to-earth German style. The highlight is their Grüne Soße (green sauce), the typical Frankfurter sauce made of different herbs and cream. Ginnheimer Wirtshaus has, in my opinion, one of the best Grüne Soße in Frankfurt – sorry to all Sachsenhauseners who usually claim this title. The sauce needs to be really fresh tasting and it totally does at Ginnheimer Wirtshaus. It is therefore a great place to bring friends and family to show some traditional Frankfurt dish.

When we visited recently, the autumn season already started and the days were getting shorter. So, we went inside and got a cozy table. Obviously, my parents had to order a dish of Grüne Soße. They chose a classic Frankfurt one that has eggs and potatoes. I went for the so-called Frankfurter Schnitzel, which I think is also must-try for all visitors of the city. It is the usual Schnitzel, but covered by a thick layer of fresh Grüne Soße. Needless to say, that I loved my Schnitzel in Ginheimer Wirtshaus. My parents were equally enthusiastic about their dish. And my wife had a Schnitzel with a mushroom sauce (champignons), which is also really good there. Overall, this is a great stop for anyone visiting the Nidda Park and looking for a traditional Frankfurt dining and drinking experience.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: German

Location: Ginnheim

Website: http://www.ginnheimer-wirtshaus.de/

Excursion: Visit to Croatia – Restaurant tips for Zagreb, Zadar and Split

My wife and I just came back from a summer vacation in Croatia. The country is famous mostly for its long Adriatic coast line with many small islands scatter just short ferry trips away. In general, it is not advisable to travel Croatia in August as this is high season and touristy places, especially on the coast, get extremely crowded. Unfortunately, work does not permit us to take holidays later, so it was either now or not this year. We anyway had a good time, trying to ignore the tourist crowds, and instead discovering the culinary offerings.

Croatia is culturally and culinarily part of the distinct Western Balkan region and thus very close to Bosnia and Serbia despite remaining grievances between the nationalities after the collapse of Yugoslavia and the ensuing war. These countries not only share a common language, but many dishes and food costumes. Most notably, as in the entire region, ćevapčići is a popular street food. This is sausage shaped meat consisting of ground beef, pork and lamb mixed with eggs and spices. The Bosnian/Muslim version would be without pork and so every area of the Balkan has their own variety of the dish. It is a regional specialty that derives from the Ottoman rule of the region. Cevapčići is close to the kebab of Turkey and is usually served, just like the popular döner kebab version, in a flatbread. 

Croatia is also strongly influenced by Italy. Not only did the Romans leave cultural and architectural traces, but also the Venetian kingdom controlled most islands and cities of the Dalmatian coast during the Renaissance era. Culinarily, Croatia is thus also part of the typical Mediterranean food culture with its focus on fresh vegetables, olive oil and wine production. The country is indeed a proud wine producer and it is here, where Eastern European beer culture meets Southern wine culture. Croatia is famous for the Zinfandel grape, which originates there and is grown in large parts of the former Austrian-Hungarian empire. Now it is a major grape grown in the Californian Napa Valley. The Croatian name for it is Crljenak Kaštelanski, rather complicated for foreign tongues. I can recommend however a cross bread of the Zinfandel that I became enthusiastic with during the trip called Plavac Mali.

We ate very well in Croatia and I give you here a few highlights, which can be taken as recommendations for your future visit. Coming from Germany, we first arrived in sunny, or better scorching hot, Zagreb, the capital in central Croatia. During our first night out in the city, we had dinner at Vinodol (link), which is a rather upscale, but popular restaurant with plenty of space. I very much enjoyed that they had a half-open terrace where smoking was prohibited. We shared one dish of lamb with potatoes and cabbage, because we also wanted to try the cheese platter. I liked the lamb, but the cheese was the absolute highlight. One of the best platters I ever had – nicely decorated and great strong cheeses. We also enjoyed our first bottle of Plavac Mali there.

A second great food place in Zagreb was Batak grill (link), which was heavily advertised in the city but indeed did not disappoint the promises. We had some great ćevapčići with the traditional ajvar dip. My wife was also enthusiastic about the Balkan-typical Šopska salad, which is very simple – just tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, oil and feta cheese - but with fresh ingredients this is really tasty. After exploring the capital a bit, we had a long bus journey coming that took us to the coastal region.

The first stop on the Adriatic coast was Zadar, which is a small Venetian-style town on a charming peninsula. It is most famous for its sea organ, where the water tides flood into an architectural design that creates sounds. This was pretty cool, but our food was also amazing, which is why I enjoyed the place very much. At the coast, there is of course very good seafood. I like especially fish very much and so I tried a nicely grilled sea bass in a restaurant called 2Ribara (link). The fish was fresh and came with an excellent swiss chard on the side. Secondly, we had a wonderful evening at Harbor Cookhouse & Club (link), which is a fine dining barbecue located on the water front of the harbor. It is more on the pricey side for Croatia, but very much worth it. I had a tuna steak done to perfection with some spicy wasabi. Of course, the bottle of Plavac Mali was fantastic as well.

After another long bus ride, where at least one could enjoy the fimpressive landscape of the Dalmatian coast, we finally arrived in Split. The city is incredibly touristy, but we nonetheless found some great restaurants. For both dinners, we visited something called a konoba, which just means shop/diner in Croatian, but hear specifically means seafood diner. Both places were located near each other in something of a small restaurant area. Despite many tourists in these places, the flair was great, the service friendly and food fantastic. The first one was Konoba Matejuska (link), where I had calamari with swiss chard on the side – and a great bottle of Plavac Mali. The second place was Konoba Varos (link), where I wished I was hungrier. They had really great seafood on the menu. I enjoyed an excellent seafood risotto with scampi and mussels – and we had of course a great Plavac.

To sum up, my advices are 1) don’t go in August and avoid the tourist crowds 2) eat ćevapčići for fast food lunch and seafood for dinner especially at the coast 3) dink Plavac Mali wherever and whenever possible.

Pak Choi – One of Frankfurt’s most authentic Chinese food places

Pak Choi is undoubtedly a very authentic Chinese eatery. It is by no means the only Chinese restaurant in Frankfurt though and thus has good competition for the title of ‘most authentic’ or ‘best’. The scene ranges from slightly sketchy places at Niddastraße where the menu is mostly in Chinese, over cheap but extremely good places like the Sino-Malaysian restaurant at Münchener Straße, to the high-end Chinese restaurant in the Westin Grand hotel. I tried most of those places and had recently the pleasure of visiting Pak Choi as well.

There is not much information to be found on Pak Choi in the internet. It is located – who would have guessed – in the Bahnhofsviertel, in a side street off Münchener Straße. Either it is only recently opened or it completely missed my sight so far, but I now read about it in a food magazine where it made number 1 on the top list of Chinese restaurants in Frankfurt. Of course, I wanted to get convinced of that myself. Visiting on a random week day, we arrived at Pak Choi and it was extremely busy. Luckily, we still got one of the last tables available. It was absolutely packed with many different people – couples having a quick dinner, a large loud group of Asians, some hipster Germans who probably read that magazine article just as I did.

Despite it being so busy and contrary to some experiences in some cheap Chinese eateries, the service was very friendly. My wife ordered duck with vegetables and noodles and I got some spicy, deep fried duck with vegetables. We were starving, but the enormous portion that arrived then even scared me a bit. To receive such a large amount of food for that money is fair – even a bit too much. But it was not only a lot, it was also extremely good, very fatty, very heavy, but very yummy therefore. I got plenty of duck pieces and they were nicely coated in crisp breading. But the highlight was even the vegetables. Usually they are treated as mere random sides and you do not receive great quality. But here they tasted fresh and were not overcooked. Overall, it made a great impression and in the end, it does not matter if it is very authentic or not, it just has very tasty food.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Chinese

Location: Bahnhofsviertel

Website: http://www.restaurant-ding.de/

Chez Ima – Oriental cuisine at Niddastraße

I finally managed to pay a visit to this interesting restaurant in the Bahnhofsviertel area. Chez Ima is operated by the same people that own Maxie Eisen and it is similarly trendy and hip. The restaurant is on the ground floor of a cool boutique hotel located in one of the sketchiest part of the Bahnhofsviertel, which is undoubtedly the unruliest, wildest, dodgiest part of Frankfurt. It is the ideal location for this restaurant, where the owners spearheaded the gentrification and hipsterfication of the area around the central station. Technically, we are here actually in Gallus, but the proximity of the central station and the red-light establishments only a few meters away make it part of the Bahnhosviertel area. As such, Chez Ima has to be reached by walking one of the sketchy alleys towards Niddastraße, which needs a bit of courage. Once one has made it passed the drug dealers and their clientele, homeless and drinkers, one suddenly finds oneself in a small hipster nucleus: some trendy hotels, bars and an art gallery – and among them is Chez Ima.

We came actually not primarily to eat at the restaurant, but to visit an after-work roof top party at the hotel. Those events are very popular and added even more to the hipster feel. I am usually quiet a fan, but this was a hipster overload for me. Thus, even if the view was cool from the roof – the skyline with its towers on Mainzer Landstraße was hit by the last rays of sun light after a warm summer day – we left fairly quickly. We thought, why not try out the restaurant, which I already heard good things about. And indeed, the menu was already very intriguing. The dishes on offer can be described as oriental – different creations influenced by Moroccon, Turkish and Lebanese/Levant cuisine.

I decided to go for a mixed plate of oriental treats called freestyle plate. The dish consisted of some classics like hummus, couscous and a nicely fresh tomato salsa. On the plate was also something what I think was a bulgur ball, some small pieces of meat and a cucumber dip. This came with some pita bread to wipe the hummus and mix the other ingredients. The only slightly odd ingredient on the plate was the pickled cucumber. With its sourness, which I usually like, it did not fit too good in this oriental composition. But overall, it was a great plate of food with the flavors being strong, the ingredients fresh and the visual aspect was also satisfied. My conclusion is that this is rightfully considered one of the most interesting restaurants in the Bahnhofsviertel. I would want to come back to try, for example, their lamb dish.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Mediterranean/Lebanese/Moroccan

Location: Gallus

Website: http://www.imaworld.de/restaurants/chezima.php

Persital – New opening on Berger Straße

I recently tried a new restaurant called Persital on Berger Straße in the heart of Nordend. It only opened this June and is therefore an extremely fresh addition to the vibrant foods and drinks scene stretching from Merianplatz to the center of Bornheim. I felt like I have not visited this area for quite a while. On a beautiful sunny Friday evening, it was as lively as ever. Amidst the busiest part of Berger Straße. the new place Persital is located.

The menu mostly features interesting Mediterranean style dishes as well as the Persian options at which the name of the restaurant hints already. Since this was my first visit, I had to try one of the latter. Most dishes were rice based and so were our choices as well. My wife went for an option with chicken and different vegetables like okra (ladies’ fingers). I ordered the lamb knuckle. My rice especially was not only nicely flavored but also arranged beautifully. It came with two small bowls of refreshing sides - a tomato-cucumber salad and some sour cream. The lamb knuckle was wonderfully cooked and had plenty of tasty meat on its bone. I found it delicious. The ingredients were fresh, the plating was beautiful and the taste combinations, albeit not too spicy, were exotic.

We paired the Persian dish with a German Riesling and this worked quite well. The very friendly service and the warm weather made for a great Friday dinner experience. The owners were very welcoming and I absolutely wish this little family owned place good success in establishing a new culinary destination in Frankfurt’s Nordend.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Persian/Mediterranean

Location: Nordend-Ost

Website: https://www.facebook.com/persital/

The Legacy Bar & Grill – Wedding anniversary dinner

My wife and I recently spent our anniversary dinner at this restaurant. It was an amazing stay and definitely fulfilled my high standards for a dinner evening for a special occasion. The Legacy Bar & Grill is a fine dining restaurant and bar that is attached to Le Méridien hotel close to Frankfurt’s main train station. Their specialties are meats smoked in their US imported smoker. The menu also features prime steaks and fish as well as some vegetarian options. Furthermore, they have a long menu of wines. I have not seen the cocktail menu, but the bar is nice and cozy and surely offers some good drinks.

I reserved beforehand and mentioned in my message that it will be a wedding anniversary. The restaurant staff was super sweet and prepared a few surprises for this special occasion. After a hearty welcome, we were placed at the bar and received a cocktail on the house. We were off to a great start. The bar area, as well as the whole restaurant, is very stylish and classy inside without being too posh. After we finished our welcome drinks, we sat down at a comfortable corner of the restaurant.

Sitting amid romantic candle lights, we chose a bottle of red wine and ordered our food. We decided to go for some of their specialties: spare ribs and pulled pork from the smoker with spinach and fries on the side. We also ordered a salad. The friendly service was quick to bring us everything. The presentation of dishes was pretty and together with the meats came some great sauces of different kinds. I absolutely liked all the food, with my favorite being the spare ribs – probably the best I had so far in Frankfurt. The wine was also excellent. The various sauces created a playful eating experience since one could try different combinations with the different meats.

Finally, we received a second surprise: a huge plate of pralines on the house! What a wonderful end to this great anniversary experience. We were already pretty full after the main course, but of course could stomach the chocolate anyway. Overall, it was an absolutely fantastic anniversary dinner thanks largely to the friendly, attentive staff and their effort to create a special evening for us.

Style: Dinner

Cuisine: International/BBQ

Location: Gutleutviertel

Website: http://www.thelegacyfrankfurt.com/

Maxie Eisen – Hip place in hip Bahnhofsviertel

To someone who knows Frankfurt’s gastro scene, Maxie Eisen does not need a big introduction. It is well known for being one of the forerunners of restaurants starting the process of making the shady area around Frankfurt’s central station hip, cool and trendy. Maxie Eisen and its sister restaurants Chez Ima and Stanley Diamond have been extensively covered not only in the national but also in the international press. When even the New York Times described the transformation of the drug and prostitution infested Bahnhofsviertel into one of Frankfurt’s most edgy neighborhood, they also had Maxie Eisen on their food map. If it was not hip before, then it really took off afterwards.

My wife and I also wanted to see what it is all about and so we went some time ago for a cocktail. I am aware that it is not necessarily good for a place to be hyped like this because high expectations want to be fulfilled. So, my first impression was exactly matching my picture. But I can totally enjoy the show, sit back and let all the hipster impressions come upon me. Me, being the opposite of a hipster, anyway can enjoy the Maxie Eisen experience if I prepare myself and not expect anything different. In this way, our cocktail night was quite nice. But yes, of course one can get larger cocktails for less money in other bars.

Maxie Eisen’s menu generally features trendy New York style pastrami and pulled pork dishes. This month however, they had a special menu of Mexican dishes. We just had to try this out. We ended up going twice in one week, but also having two completely different experiences there. The first evening, the service made a pretty bad impression on us – even under high tolerance of hispsterness. Usually, I am good in ignoring such a thing and don’t let it ruin my evening. But in this case, also the food was not so spectacular how I imagined it before. The second evening however, we went with Mexican friends and had actually a fantastic time. In fact, Maxie Eisen staff was super welcoming, friendly and even apologized for wrong service earlier this week. As a highlight, we received some shots of Mezcal on the house – a super nice gesture that made up completely for our first experience.

As for the food, we ordered a couple of the small Mexican dishes, because the portion size is more like a tapas concept. We tried tacos de salsa verde, chilaquiles, quesadilla and tacos de cochinita pibil. It was not very authentic, but I was also not expecting that. Unfortunately, it was also not even a little bit spicy. I liked the cochinita pibil the most. This is a kind of pulled pork wrapped in tortilla. The meat was great and the citron taste gave a little freshness to it, which was excellent for this summer week. It would have been even better with corn tortillas instead of wheat, but this is admittedly difficult to get in Germany. Overall, I think the pulled pork and pastrami meats should be the strength of Maxie Eisen. I therefore like to come back and check their standard dishes.

Style: Casual eatery

Cuisine: International/Mediterranean

Location: Bahnhofsviertel

Website: http://maxieeisen.com/

Excursion: Visit to Lyon – impression on the capital of gastronomy

As this blog makes no secret about, I am big fan of good food. Then, what is not a better idea if not for me to visit a city that is nicknamed the capital of gastronomy. It also seems a no-brainer that this capital should be in France, so world-renowned for its hearty cuisine and the cradle of haute-cuisine with its star chefs. My wife and I, decided to visit Lyon, which is not only a major economic center of France, but also deemed to be epicenter of French cooking. Charmingly located on the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, its cuisine resembles everything so dearly celebrated about French food. The city is wedged in between two major wine regions producing high quality, usually softer wine: the Beaujolais in the north and the Côtes du Rhône to the south. It is also close to the Alpes and the Massif Central-Auvergne, which are major cheese producing regions. Finally, the city is known for its hearty meat-based cuisine, born out of catering to the hard-working silk laborers of old Lyon, using every part of the beasts possible – from pig’s feet to goose’s livers.

We spent a long weekend in Lyon expecting to mostly eat well and drink plenty. Our first stop was therefore straight to famous food market of Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse (link). This is an assembly of fromageries, charcuteries, fish and vegetables shops selling high quality produce and small restaurants that already processed the ingredients for you. The facility was initiated by Paul Bocuse, who is something like a local culinary god. The chef world-wide renowned for its inventive cooking style was born in Lyon metropole and operates a three-star restaurant in the city since decades. The local Frenchmen and tourists can get a great impression of the riches our earth is producing and humans forming into products for our enjoyment – endless amounts of different cheeses, fresh seafood, ham and salamis in various variants to colorful macarons, biscuits and tarts. Obviously, we did not get around trying some of those great products. We had some amazing macarons – almost expected to be that fantastic in France – and sat down to enjoy a cheese plater. One of the local cheeses I enjoyed the most is the Bleu d’Auvergne, which is a very strong blue cheese and went extremely well with the softer Côtes du Rhône red wine we ordered. We were off to an excellent start.

For dinner, I reserved in a traditional bouchon – another must do when going to Lyon. Bouchons are local restaurants serving traditional Lyonnaise food typically in a homey atmosphere. Bouchons are scatter around the city, but especially the Old Town (Vieux Lyon) is absolutely packed with them. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to find an actual authentic bouchon there. I guess only the locals know which one is really great. Anyway, I studied a bit and think found one that is quite alright – though I don’t know how authentic. We went to Les Fines Gueules (link) and it was quite as expected – situated in an old charming house, the interior decorated in red and occasionally the typical red-white-squared patterns showed up. We were greeted very friendly and, contrary to some stereotypes (and actual experiences), received great service. All bouchons usually offer menus of three courses: an entrée, a main plat and a dessert/cheese. My wife went for a poached egg in creamy red wine sauce. I ordered escargôts (snails) as entrée. I know they come (or are more famous) from Burgundy, but since I tried them already sometime before, I decided to wanting them again. It sounds more adventurous than it is. The texture is fish-like and the taste dominated by the butter that the snails are cooked in. As a main course, my wife had the veal and I took the pike dish. My fish was so processed that I could hardly identify what was done to it, but I quite like it. The sauce was of course also heavy and delicious. Finally, I got a classic crème brulée as dessert. The mandatory red wine also paired well with everything. Overall, I do not know how authentic this experience really was, but I enjoyed it anyway.

Lyon, of course, boosts plenty of different restaurants. But I found it surprisingly difficult to find really great places just by roaming around the city. I guess, my expectations were too high, also it doesn’t help not to speak French and only visiting for short-time without the help and knowledge of a local. The bouchons are really hard to tell apart, I found. They look very similar, and especially the Old Town is so overloaded with them that whole squares and streets had basically no house not having a bouchon restaurant. I also found it bewildering that most food place close the kitchen after 2pm and only open around 6-7 pm again. This is of course appropriate for a working day, but makes it difficult for a foody tourist expecting to eat all the time anywhere.

Nonetheless, I had one more fantastic food experience on the last day. We went to a nice trendy restaurant called Le Potager des Halles (link), where we were lucky to be early and secure a table. The weather was still very warm and so we could very well sit outside. The place was extremely popular and the terrace filled quickly. I felt lucky to enjoy the big city flair on a charming street with majestic house facades framing the scenery. As usual, I tried to order in French, not understanding really the menu. I ended up getting a carpaccio-style dish of raw beef. It was not what I thought I will have, but it turned out to be absolutely amazing. It was very soft and flavorfully dressed. We too had a cheese platter and some red wine of course. Again, the cheese was to die for and it was a fantastic end to our culinary short-trip to the Rhône-Alpes region.