German and Belgian Cuisine: Josh and Mike Come to Visit

It's safe to say that when I leave Germany in May of next year, I will remember a lot of places, adventures and people. But what I will remember most is the food. I have seriously eaten myself sick in this place. We have visited tons of places to include castles, some important statues, some places that were important in some place in time, but all I can remember is the food. After referring to iPhoto, I remember that the amazing place was Brussels, Belgium. The statue was the Mannekin Pis, and the important place was the Porta Nigra. But the food, I can name off the top of my head. The one trip where I think I ate more than I ever had before was the time my friends Mike and Josh came from their respective homes of Abilene, TX and Travis AFB, CA.
My wife had given them to me as a Christmas gift and is to this day the best gift I've ever received (aside from life, thanks Mom). While they were here, we didn't have much time so we hit a lot of awesome places that were within a close proximity of our undisclosed location in Germany. I was just reminiscing and thought I'd share some of the memories.

Our first meal out was in Cochem is an awesome little city my the Mosel River. From the main street of the city, you can see dozens or vineyards, a castle, the Mosel River, ferries, architecture and lots of little shops that make Cochem great. There is a restaurant there called La Baia. They serve Italian food that is pretty decent, but their pizza is what I like.  We each had an entire pizza and I don't think there was any left over. 

Belgium is another mecca of amazing food. We headed into Brussels, Belgium because we knew that there was seafood, chocolate and, of course, Belgian waffles. 

While visiting the Mannekin Pis, we found a street vendor who was serving up escargot. In retrospect, eating snails from a guy with a cart in a foreign land seems like a bad idea, but they were delicious! He served it from a kettle filled with celery, broth and onions...I think. It was good enough to go back for seconds.

It might seem strange, but on a cold day, steaming hot snails really hit the spot.

Here's a before and after picture of my son, Jacob, eating snails. He ate them because we paid him off. He didn't really like the texture of it (as you can tell), but he did ask for more. How many kids can say that they've eaten snails...on purpose?

We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cologne (a little American, I know). It was the worst meal we had while they were here. The food wasn't bad, but burgers and fries seem so non-European.

Beer is European though! There are a lot of shops like this around Belgium. They sell a single bottle of beer for anywhere from 3-12 Euro per bottle. It's a tourist's price, but the beer is still amazing.

Belgium is also known for the awesome chocolate they produce. The candy shops are too numerous to recall, but they all seem to have their own style. It's a good place to visit if you need to gain 15lbs. 

We did save the best for last. In a little town near Fliegerhorst Büchel, lays the town of Lutzerath. Every town has a hotel/restaurant that defines the village. The Hotel Maas is such a place. The owner, Stefan Maas has served the town for many years just as his mother and father did. The Maas' kitchen lead, Chef Sascha Saxler is a master of German food and loves to impress guests and tourists with his unique style. My guests were not disappointed. We ordered lambmedalions and the restaurant special, The Fuhre Mist. Lambmedalions consist of small, 2oz lamb medallions wrapped in thick bacon and cooked to medium. There is a red wine sauce drizzled over and minced grape leaves in oil around the edge of the plate. It is made from all local meats and produce and is simply amazing.

The Fuhre Mist is a wheelbarrow full of food--literally, it comes in a wheel barrow. The Fuhre Mist has a little bit of everything the Maas has to offer. Pork steaks, chops, potatoes, green beans, fries (pommes),  and three types of sausages. It can feed a family of four with no problem.

It was a great visit and I love showing off Germany and the surrounding countries with friends and family. Only a year+ left here and all I can think about is how much food I haven't eaten yet!