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

Restaurant Engel, Bühlertal

 After deliberately eating lots of fruits and vegetables ( which would make my doctor proud) , going low... low... low... on rice ( which is like sapping the life out of me) and going back to nordic walking  for weeks and  still unable to shred another gram, I finally gave up. I'm never going to win the never ending battle againts weight gain . Hormones, age and chocolate won.


I bet life would be less complicated if weighing scales and  magazine with Miranda Kerr and co flashing their flat as a pancake abs were not invented.  Staying fit and fab after 30  is not as easy as they claimed. Yes, I am like  most women , I have weight issues.

So what to do after weeks of fruitless self inflicted agony? Go out and eat like a man!

The restaurant Engel in our sleepy town simply pops into my mind. It's a non fussy, laid back restaurant, strip of any flair but has a pleasing homey feel to it. Plus, they make protein rich foods rather well. Since I'm feeling all defeated and hollow, I raked my eyes over the menu and look for something that would fill me up and fill me up good . I found it.

A T-Bone steak big enough to feed a pack of hungry wolves and it's all mine! It's thick, heavy and  almost intimidating, a real manly portioned, I was almost bursting with testosterone by simply looking at it! The plate occupies almost half of the cozy table. I'm starting to feel better already! The meat was seared exactly as I requested: medium rare . Unlike the usual lean  steaks that I could get at many restaurants here, this one has enough fat in it ensuring a juicy goodness . The meat is subtly seasoned, with a nice smokey hint, buttery and very tender. It was a delight to eat   . Between blissful bites, I realized how thankful I am  that I am a carnivore.

The big slab of meat is devoid with the usual gravy but came with three sauces instead.  Since it was enormous, I guess one sauce would not be sufficient . You could have a pick among the mustard sauce, cocktail sauce and to my delight, garlic sauce as well. Since I felt like I've committed a sin ( Gluttony), I might as well make it a major one. I ordered extra fries on the side.

For once, FF's meat looks like a schoolboy compared to my  Godfather sized T-bone. Next to my plate his meal appeared almost dainty, somehow cowering. A lean 250 g rump steak served with caramelized onion and fries. He easily finished it without batting an eyelid . Constant practice certainly helps.

As for me, the battle of  man vs.meat lasted for about an hour. Our table was quiet, only the faint sound of tinkering cutlery as our  steak knives effortlessly cut the meat into bite size pieces, like hot knives on butter, giving a muffled clang as it touches our warm plates could be heard. Alas, I threw in the white towel. It looks like I'm going to loose this battle as well. The steak stretched my stomach to it fullest, filling its cavity with beefy and tasty goodness that another mouthful from this succulent meat will have my eyes rolling and me in seizures . FF who had long finished his meal, was eyeing my leftover with a raised eyebrowse. A hint of defeated smile and he obligingly finished it off for me. We might occasionally splurge our hard earned money on food  but we definitely hate the idea of throwing away leftovers. For once, I did not longed for dessert. I felt full, flabby and fabulously happy. A feeling a plateful of lettuce leaves could never give.  I bet Miranda and co. haven't had such a filling meal for a long long time. (^_^)