Grillstube Rose Achern Önsbach

I was thrilled to bits when FF said we are finally going to the  Oktoberfest. I have been throwing him nasty looks for days for refusing to go. I mean come on! Chinese  from Chengdu, Americans from New Jersey, Portuguese from Porto travelled across the globe to be here.  So how could we  live in Germany and miss it? Again? It's like being diabetic and working at  Charlie's chocolate factory or being in Italy and not eating any pasta. Such a bittersweet life.

I don't know much about Germany before coming over but I certainly heard  a lot about German's  love affair with their beer and you will see that  love during   Oktoberfest. The picture of locals and tourist alike  swinging a 1L Beer Maß ( Tankard) up in the air in salutation, shouting  out, ''zum Wohl!'' or ''Prost!'' before tipping its contents to  their waiting  throats  is just so inviting.I feel thirsty by just looking at it and I don't even drink! That is partying with capital letter P and I want in!  Women in colorful Dirndl, men in butt hugging Lederhosen ( lether shorts) all holding half empty beer mugs wanting more.  You will never see Germans looking  so happy.Alas, my man who although loves beer, hates big crowd and  Munich,  Stuttgart as well as other big cities here in Germany draws up to   6 millions   visitors a year during this 16-day long hard celebration!

I have been wanting to be in the middle of it all and after some persuasion FF finally said yes .  However, he wants to go to the fair with a group of people, claiming that it's not our typical quiet  dinner for two. We would be sharing  the gigantic wooden tent with hundreds and thousands of other guests. After all those beers and pretzels, crowd gets louder , moods more  boisterous, spirits higher and the only way not feel   left out among the the half intoxicated yelling, singing and dancing is to go there in a group. The more friends or family you have the better. And so it was planned, we're suppose to go as a group of 6 , we will be taking the  train since everybody will  be drinking and nobody is driving.  All these  talks  sound so serious that I can't help but be whopped up . I was even looking for the traditional Bavarian  Dirndl   to wear. Screw the cold weather, Mama's not here so I'm showing off some dodos! Life is full of disappointments  but at least my dodos stayed   all decently wrapped up and warm because for  some reason, one group member to the other went down with a  problem. Kids got sick, dog got sick, they got sick and in the end  there's just  FF and me ! That  practically turn his party torch off to oblivion. We ended up not going. So no dodo show for you,thank you very much!

 Before I could tear off a strip on him  for my lost dream, Mr.Spontaneous  decided to treat me dinner instead . He somehow knew that nothings make me forget about my impediment than  me,silently communing with a thick slab of succulent meat. He promised to take me to a   place that even his well travelled and gourmet boss  praised to the skies,  claiming to have eaten the best steak in his life there. I was wrench out of my  sulky mood   and was barely able to hide my enthusiasm and my salivating gums . Nothing perks me more up than the idea of food. Oktoberfest!What Oktoberfest? Off we go to Achern instead with him on the wheels.

We arrived at 7 in the evening and the place was already packed to the hilt. There are two  huge, open fireplaces  in the restaurant which are  used to grill the proteins. There's a subtle smell of burned meat and fat that   undulates the air, tantalizing our nostrils. Our seat was just beside one of the fireplace that I could faintly hear how the meat sizzles as it touches the hot grill. I'm loving the sound. The crackling fire gives a cozy feel, it's   like being at home but with    a capable chef to silently cheer on.
Menu was pretty limited, comprising mainly of steaks. It took me less than a minute to decide what to order.

 

Everytime I order steak here in Germany, I always take the one with ''Rostzwiebel'' or fried onion and here in Grillstube Rose,   they do steaks  and the onions  good. Really,really guuuuud. Meat seared to perfection, smokey, juicy, delicious, The crispy   and sweet fried onion gives the meat a nice aromatic nudge. Portion is huge but not overly so that chewed meat stays in your tummy and won't be leaking  out of you left nostril.

 Since I was upset, I was allowed to order whatever I want. I can't make up my mind between crisscut fries and curly fries so I end up ordering both! One can't simply have enough fried carbs! I felt much better and pretty much spoilt rotten as I dug my way thru the fried taters. Ahhh life is good!

Holzfäller

The Woodcutter, hubby's steak sounded so manly and  with the  thick slabs of bacon perched atop the huge steak, it certainly looked so. Again, the meat was done to a T, the smokey and slightly salty bacon is a nice touch. FF was able to gobble it all up  til the last grease. He ordered french fries ( sappy pic. not worth showing) with it which he also sang praises. Thin, fried to a crisp and clean tasting. You know the kitchen did not use the oil from yesterday.

 Three kinds of sauces were serve with the steaks. Garlic , curry and pepper sauce. Each sauce has its own unique tang to suit different palates. I was almost french kissing the garlic sauce while FF enjoyed the peppery one. We did not order any salad, knowing full well that all those meats need every bit of space our stomach could offer. We did not miss it though. Sated and full that we are, we ordered and shared 1 dessert, it was enough for both of us.

Eisfondue

 Ice cream fondue with 5 scoops of grocery bought  vanilla ice cream, served with 6 different sauces. Chocolate, banana puree, caramel ( our favorite) , raspberry, kiwi and strawberry. The whole thing was drizzle with Liqueur and was set ablaze before our eyes for a bit of dramatic presentation. I was for a minutes in awed, grinning sillily and  probably resembles a 3 year old inside Toys R Us but I can't help it. I love little theatrical  shows like this on my table.


Dinner was very satisfying, but unlike FF's chef, I could not honestly say that it was the best steak I have ever eaten. It was pretty good though and for less than 16 Euro/Steak without  the side dishes, we could hardly complain about the prices. Will I be joining the happy crowd in the Oktoberfest next year? That I could not guarantee, but one thing I am sure though, I will be going back to this place again.

Adresse:	Mönsbacher Str. 1 77855 Achern-Önsbach Deutschland
Telefon:	07841 3316
Kategorie:	Restaurant
Küche:	deutsch
Öffnungszeiten:	Mi-Sa ab 18:00; So und Feiertags ab 16:00
Plätze drinnen:	80
Plätze draußen:	50

Pimp my sauce!

A trip to the grocery somehow reminds me of Chemistry class. Acesulfame potassium,  Sodium acetate, Monosodium glutamate are just few of the many additives, enhancers, artificial coloring names that reminded me of my Junior High year. I was never been a fan of chemistry anyway and I certainly don't want to beat my brains out  over a bottle of Knorr/Maggi sauce and how a teaspoon of it would affect my anatomy.  Microwave heated meals, prepared sauces and canned foods,   an  epitome of what Not to eat but I eat anyway. Welcome to my world!

It was just another weekend trip to the supermarket when I came across an aisle of ready made sauces. One particular bottle caught my attention. With its I'm brighter-than sunshine-color and a-steal-3.50-euro-for-a-pure-lobster-essence-price, this bottle screams artificial and I just could not wait to try it.  Just a little bit of pimping and this sauce would be promising. After all, there's no unsavory sauce that enough butter and cream can not salvage.

Gnocchi with Shrimps in (bottled) Lobster Sauce

•  Clean, peel and devein 500 g of tiger shrimps.
• Heat  2 teaspoons of butter in a skillet or pot  and saute shrimps until it turn pink.  Season with salt and pepper, take it out of the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside leaving as much butter as possible.

1. Deglaze pot with 250 ml of  wine , I used Rosé since FF opened a bottle the night before.Let wine cook for about 3 minutes while scrapping the pan with a wooden spatula.
2.  I then stir in the contents of this wonder lobster sauce into the pot. Lower the heat to medium and let sauce simmer for about 5 minutes, covered.
3. Carefully stir in 200 ml of cream until everything is well incorporated. Bring sauce to a gentle boil.
4. Add in 50 g of freshly shredded Pecorino Romano cheese. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Fertig!

 To serve: Cook gnocchi as instructed. The one I bought could be pan fried in butter. Place cooked gnocchi in the serving plate, drizzle sauce over it.

  

 Heat a bit of butter in a skillet and reheat shrimps for a minute over high heat. Place warm shrimps over the gnocchi, garnish with freshly shredded Pecorino and some chopped greens like parsley.

 After using 500 g of gnocchi, I still have some leftover lobster sauce which I used for lunch the next day. I just cooked another batch of shrimps,  although salmon cubes on pasta could also be a nice alternative. Serve with garden fresh salad and there goes your balance diet. Carb on your right, coke on your left and lettuce leaves in the middle to cool your head.Enjoy!

Raspberry Dessert ala Emily

 I should really come up with a better name than that. Say, raspberry float or cream dream ?! Summer slurp  ?!?! Okeey, is it just me or things are starting to get a tad bit weird around here? I guess, recipe naming is  way beyond by ability scope  so let's just leave it to the masters.  However, don't let my lukewarm/so-so dessert name fool you for it will knock you off your feet.It might go straight to your hips but who cares! It tasted better than ice cream without the churning and bain- marieng! No frills, no bake, an absolute foolproof yet so delicious and  so easy to make you could practically do it  while  swirling and tiptoeing around your kitchen in tutus . Here's how to do it. 

1. Bake/Toast a handful of sliced almonds until aromatic and golden brown. Set aside.
2.  Beat 500 g mascarpone cheese , 200 g Speisequark or farmer's cheese with 3 tablespoon of caster sugar using an electric mixer. You could naturally add more sugar if you like your dessert sweeter. Hey it's your blood sugar!
3.  Beat 400 ml cream and 2 tbsp of vanilla sugar until frothy. Add cream stiffener if necessary and beat until soft peak is formed. Add into the mascarpone & cheese mixture and whisk together until well combined. 
4. Prepare serving dish. Ideal would be glassware for wow effect. Spread  cream & cheese mixture as a  base.

1. Cover cream mixture with meringue.
2. Spread cream & cheese mixture over meringue.
3. Sprinkle frozen raspberry . Very important! Use frozen raspberries instead of fresh ones. It will thaw in an hour or so.
4. Spread cream & cheese mixture over the berries, sprinkle crushed biscuits/cracker like: Graham, Leibniz or similar and garnish the whole thing with toasted almonds and raspberries. It serves 12 .

Alternative: The Mango version



Mango -Oreo  Dessert ala Emily





 I actually liked it better than the raspberry but it's a personally preference. I luurve mangoes!

 Let the pictures guide you. Spread cream & cheese mixture, add crushed biscuits, cover biscuits with meringues, spread cream over it. Easy, no?

I then cut 1 huge, ripe mango into small cubes. Pureed another smaller mango with 1 tbsp vanilla sugar. You could also use mango pulp. Mix cubed mango and mango puree/pulp (   about half a cup). Spread mango mixture over cream & cheese mixture and you could serve it as it is.

I was feeling playful that time so I spread another layer of cream & cheese mixture over the cubed mango. Then garnish the dessert with crushed Oreo cookies and toasted almond slices for extra calories nom noms.