Thought for Food

What was the biggest surprise of my trip?

I honestly think I was more impressed with the food in Germany than in Italy.

There, I've said it. I know, I know... I'm ashamed to admit it, too.

But before you string me up for such heresy, let me give some explanation...

First off, I really didn't have any bad food the entire time I was there. Well, there was one little spinach pastry pocket thing from a lunch counter in Venice that still ice cold despite being heated up for me, and an extra-chewy panini from a vendor near the Vatican, but even those were perfectly edible.

A couple factors contributed to my relative disappointment with the food in Italy. The first was expectations. They were just sky high for the food in Italy. It's hard to impress when you're expecting so much, even when what you've got is very, very good, as much of it was.

The next thing was just restaurant selection. Due to a combination of budgetary restraints and a pinch of bad luck, I don't think I found myself at any of a probably-large-number of places that would've met or even exceeded my expectations.

The final factor, which probably had more of an impact than either of the above, was that for the most part I was dining alone. The Italian eating experience is as much about the setting, the conversation, and the company, as it is about the food itself. Sitting around, savoring a full four course meal over a span of a couple hours while talking and laughing with friends or family is one of the finest dining experiences you could get, and any food consumed would taste better in that situation. Unfortunately, sitting alone at a table, whether at an empty restaurant (because you're getting in and out before the rush) or surrounded by groups having the former experience, is not. Those meals, particularly dinners, were really about the only times on the entire trip I could say I felt 'lonely'.

Oh well, it leaves something to anticipate should I ever make it back. And all was not lost, as there was one culinary aspect of Italy that did not disappoint--the gelatto!!

In Germany, on the other hand, I really had no expectations going in. But I like bratwurst. I like sauerkraut. And, as it turns out, I love schnitzel! That was a pleasant surprise, let me tell you. Plus, pretty much each of my meals in Germany was at a fairly traditional beer hall/beer garden, which almost always meant I wasn't sitting alone. Much like the pizzeria in Rome, sharing a table between parties is very common in German beer gardens. Even if I wasn't talking with my table mates so much (fluency in English was not always a given, and even when it was, it never seemed that the folks I was sitting with were interested in much more than a few pleasantries), it was nice to at least not feel like I was sitting there all alone.

Regardless, there were culinary highlights in both countries:

Best pizza - Pizzeria Da Baffeto in Rome, although to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of that super-thin-crust authentic style. It's a nice change of pace, but I had it a few times too many. Baffeto's was the best of the bunch though.

Best pasta - Either the ravioli my last night in Rome or the gnocchi at the place next to my hotel in Florence. Both were great.

Best wine - All of it! But my first night in Florence I found out a 1/2 litre is quite a fair amount for one person. That made for a fairly enjoyable meal! (and at 6 euro for half a litre, its hard to say no to that.)

Best gelatto - Best gelatteria was one in Florence just a few blocks south of the Duomo. On different stops there, I tried the strawberry, coconut, and their 70% pure dark chocolate! All were fantastic, and I could've made a dozen more stops there to try some of the other flavors they had.

Best tiramisu - unfortunately, none. I only had it a couple times, and it was okay. My last night in Venice I trekked out to a place that is supposedly well known for its desserts, and I saw someone at the table near me order a tiramisu that looked fantastic. Apparently it was also the last one. That was an exclamation point on my last dinner in Italy.

Best beer - Hofbrauhaus dunkel (dark)

Best pretzel - Hofbrauhaus (this pretzel, along with the bottom half of the above mentioned beer are visible in my photo highlights)

Best brats - the place I ate at the first night in Munich with Franco.

Best schnitzel - Augustinerbraustuben. Say that 10 times.

Best atmosphere - very tough call. Lunch at the beer garden at the Hofbrauhaus was fantastic! An interior courtyard surrounded by the humongous beer hall, completely shaded by chestnut trees with a nice fountain in the center and a live brass oompah band is tough to beat. As a runner up, my last night in Florence I was at a place on the Piazza di Signora, right across from the city hall, with statues (including a copy of the David, standing where the original stood for many years) all around, and some live street musicians playing just off the corner of the piazza.

Oh, and an honorable mention goes out to the beer tent at Fruhlingsfest. I didn't eat there, though. Just had a beer. But that was just a crazy fun atmosphere and again, had I been travelling with friends, spending a whole evening there could've just been a blast.