Munich Hamburgers: Zum Goldenen Kalb

After reading Emily of Servus München's New Food Options in Munich article, we decided to try a restaurant we had often seen, but passed by on our route to tried and true options Pizza Nero, Yum, or Milagros.  We're always on the hunt for good burgers in Munich, and she recommended the Wagyu burger as one of the best burgers in Munich.

Zum Goldenen Kalb ("The Golden Calf").  We were always amused by the name but thought it was another typical Bavarian restaurant. Not true, at all.  This, folks, is the closest thing we've found in Munich to a real steakhouse.  It's relatively casual but upscale, and seemed to be popular with the business dinner crowd (always good for a steakhouse!).  There definitely is an Italian influence, but the menu is typical good steakhouse fare - meat, seafood, potatos, and more meat (there's even a Tartare menu, if you like it that way).  And the service begins with a trip to check out the cuts in the meat fridge (which they age themselves).  Always a good sign that they're serious about their beef!

We went for the normal burger (comes standard with cheese and bacon) and fries, rather than the Wagyu burger.  It's served on butcher paper on a huge tray, with the condiments on the side (yay!!) and a pile of perfectly fried and salted fries.  

I opted for one without the bacon.  They're HUGE, by the way....

The beef was clearly top quality beef and the toppings all were fresh and crisp.  First of all, you'll definitely enjoy this burger.  We would have preferred a little more seasoning (a bit of the sea salt from the table made a huge difference) and the burger-to-bun ratio was a tiny bit bun-heavy.  However, it's a really good burger and one you shouldn't hesitate to order.  But on the Munich Burger Rating Scale, we have to put it as a second to Hard Rock's burgers due to the light seasoning, burger-to-bun ratio, and the fact that Hard Rock really cooks it medium, with a little pink in the middle.  It's really a preference, and if you enjoy the pure taste the beef, you'll probably prefer this one to Hard Rock's.  But in terms of atmosphere and just being a nicer, less chaotic restaurant in general, Zum Goldenen Kalb wins by a mile.  And we rank it ahead of other burgers, such as MC Mueller, Feuerberg, and Killian's.

We'll definitely go back and try the Wagyu burger. It looked really good, and appeared to be thicker and smaller...normal hamburger diameter....I wasn't able to finish this huge one!  Then we'll see if the rankings change.

Forgetting about hamburgers for a minute, we'd definitely recommend this as a good option for a nice dinner out.  The caesar salad was by far the best we've had in Munich.  The lettuce is perfectly cut to fit on the fork, the dressing is excellent (lemony, not too fishy), everything is well-mixed, and it's an incredibly well balanced mix of tastes.  Nothing stands out too much; instead you get a forkfull of many great flavors. And did I mention there's BACON??!!

(One word of warning - either get the salad as your meal, or share it as an appetizer...it's large!)

Zum Goldenen Kalb is on Utzschneiderstr. 1, across from the Schrannenhalle. There are daily specials, but the menu can be found here:  

Pigeon Crap Office - nice view

I had previously shared my new office adventure, complete with pigeon crap and feathers on the floor...

However, I must admit that the view is quite nice from the sixth story.  On clear days the Alps are faintly visible:

The above photo is looking left out my windows.  The windows are facing southwest, so I get a lot of sun too.

Looking right, towards the center of the office building complex, I have a view of Building #48.  (I'm in #29):

If I zoom out a bit, I can almost forget that I'm at work:

Note:  the photos are bracketed (5 @ -2, -1, 0, +1, +2) then merged and tonemapped in Photomatix.

Hopefully this winter I will get a clear day and can capture some white peaks out there...

More American Football in Munich

At our first Munich Cowboys game, we met the President of the American Sports Association of Bavaria in the stands - and he comped us tickets to the next (and final) regular season game two weeks later.

We went, of course.  This gave me a chance to fill in some gaps from the first post... with video this time!

First, here's the stadium.  It's after the game and is cleared out, but gives you an idea of the size of the stands.

In the first post we mentioned how the game is "produced", e.g., energetic music is played at each pause.  In this video clip you'll hear the music play almost until the ball is snapped!  It's a pass that gives Munich a first down.  You'll then hear what the announcer does after every Munich first down:

Roving Announcer:  "First Down!  Munich..."
Fans:   "COWBOYS!"   (at about the 0:55 mark)

It's a lot like the cheers that they do for the Bayern Munich soccer team, back & forth with the announcer.

Munich's only score this game came on a punt return, and I happened to film it.  (Luckily, just took a chance and focused on the returner... I got jostled as he broke free, overall not bad being taken from the stands):

One video we knew must be shared is of the head referee, when he turns on the mic to explain a penalty.  Actually, in this case it is two penalties.  The first is declined, the second is accepted.  Followed by First Down and more music.
This is really strange to hear explained in German!

Even more, the second game had a female line judge (first photo pre-snap, second with the other refs):

The second game was broadcast on Sky television.  The boom made an interesting shot with the Olympiaturm:

Doesn't it look like the guys up there have a barbeque grill on the right?

One more video, this time from the first game.  The German national team QB avoids a sack and throws a TD:

The playoffs are starting soon, and perhaps we'll see another game (Munich made it in).  Even if we don't, this was a great weekend activity that btings back a little feeling of "home".

Forest Climbing in Oberbayern

On the last Sunday in August, Frau A and I went to the "Waldkletterpark Oberbayern" (Forest climbing park of Upper Bavaria).  We have a bunch of posts from hiking in the Alps, but we haven't been climbing... we are thinking of getting started though.  This "park" seemed like a good opportunity to use the gear and have fun.

Plus, the park has a zipline course!  Yes, we have videos below...

The forest climbing park is located in Pfaffenhofen, about a 40 minute drive from Munich.  It's about the same distance as Augsburg, where we saw the Women's World Cup.  It's the opposite direction from the lakes in the south that are so popular on weekends (resulting in terrible traffic we wanted to avoid).

This is the sign that greets you upon arrival - with the town seal and drawing of a mountain goat!
(Plus an arrow to let you know that the local brewery lies just down the road...)

It is definitely located out in the country.  The parking lot was next to a corn field.  The weather was simply perfect.

You start at the lone building on site, where you pay the entrance fee and sign the waiver form.
Then, employees wearing orange shirts help you get into the gear (left side of the photo below):

You can see a small Catholic shrine in the above photo (top left).  I took a closer picture (below).  This is absolutely Bavaria:  outdoor sports, beer, and a crucified Jesus. 

This is what the area looks like with first glance around.  People walking around or watching, others climbing up to start a course, some climbers in the process of navigating a course, and lines criss-crossing overhead:

The park has 10 different "parcours", in this case "parcour" refers to climbing "routes" running through the trees.  The routes total 1,3km in length, and range from 1 meter high to 24 meters above the forest floor!

A pass costs 19 euros for an adult lasts 2 and 1/2 hours.  The also will do birthday parties and corporate events.

The web site's maps shows the easy courses on the left, medium in the middle, and the "Fox" course on the right:

This is a glance in the opposite direction, towards some other medium-level courses in the oak & beech trees:

First timers are required to get a briefing.  An employee talks through the park rules, and more importantly how to correctly use the safety equipment.  Then you start with a short, simple course to demonstrate basic competence.

Here is Frau A, ready to go:

The warm-up/test course is only 1-2 meters up with 2 "climbs", and both have lots of places to hang on.  But it's good practice clipping the gear on & off -- you have both a zip-line roller and a safety that are engaged on every course.

After the warm up we took a "medium" difficulty course that takes you up 5-6 meters and across 5 "climbs".
A lot of people teetered on this "climb" when they reached for a beam and it moved! (See the fulcrum at her feet?)

This bridge is probably meant to teach a lesson - stay in the middle of a wobbly path, and move the beans so you simpy step over.  Don't step around them.  (Yes, I wanted to keep my baseball hat on with the helmet...)

The "climbs" (each about 10-15 meters long) in this course got more interesting.  Below, Frau A walks along a single line with not-so-taught vertical ropes for assistance, about 7 meters up.  You can see her zipline rollers connected to the safety line in front, with the secondary clip fastened behind.

The next part was even more challenging.  Going left to right below, you climb (step) from "U" rope to rope, then work your way across a net, then to another set of "U" ropes before reaching the next platform.

I asked Frau A to smile.  Got a great first photo (above) but the distraction caused a moment's panic (below)!

The hardest one we tried was with tires.  See photo below:  you have to make your way across to the next platform...

There were a few people queued on the platform, indicating it took climbers longer than usual:

We saw the guy (above photo) getting across, and at our turn realized it takes a lot of work and stretching.

It reminds you of times on a playground jungle-gym. but quite a bit higher up!

We eventually made it, but really felt some muscles that aren't use much on a daily basis in the office.

Finally, we went to the "longest and highest" zipline course in all of Bavaria.  No small children allowed.

Before getting to the first zip line, they had a tricky bridge.  Due to the positioning of the vertical ropes relative to the safety cord, you had to go around the outside of each rope to get across.

Here she is, in action, crossing the bridge.  Then I panned over to see the waiting ziplines/platforms to come:

This was Frau A's first zipline ever.  Took her a sec to get going... then well done:

The next one went smoothly too, getting a little longer now:

New we're getting to the longer ziplines on the "Flying Fox" course -- and view from the end platform:
(She ended up twisting around 360-degrees, but eventually reached the platform looking forward!)

On the next one, she had a bit of a hard landing...!

This was the last one, done perfectly.  You can even see another climber ziplining in the background:

This climbing park was a blast.  I would love to take my nephew here, if my brother & family visit from the U.S..  We'll head back this Autumn to work the muscles a bit more and have more fun.

Have you seen... [talented rabbits]

Move over, Rover.  Rabbits can do tricks too.  Who knew?

This one is the cutest letter-opener ever:

And these rescued rabbits are very trainable - kudos to the rescuer too:

Wikipedia says litter training is possible too.  I had no idea.

BMW Museum - M series and Racing

Behold the M room.  Compared to the cars from our prior post on the luxury room in the BMW Museum, these models are just as elegant but pack much more muscle.

As we entered the room, we saw the guy below moving slowly between the cars.  He would examine each one, take out a polishing cloth and buff the car as needed.  That was his job!  (Notice the rag in his right hand and protective gloves?).  I have a friend for whom that would be the perfect retirement work too (I'm looking at you, Matthew).

Here's the one that started it all.  The BMW M1, only 455 made from 1978-1981.  As you might guess from the styling, this came from an agreement with Lamborghini to make a production race car.  Its twin-cam inline 6-cylinder provided 273hp, and was later modified and used in the first generation M6 and M5 as well (mid-eighties).  Turbocharged versions used on the race circuit delivered a whopping 850hp!

The rear has something unusual - twin BMW logos set left & right (rather than a single logo in the middle)!
FYI: the BMW logo is based on the pattern and colors of the flag of Bavaria.

In addition to the cars themselves, an entire section of the room was dedicated to the M-series engines throughout the years:

There were as many people in the engine area as with the cars themselves - a popular topic!  Here is the M88 engine from the M1 pictured earlier in this post:

Logically, the BMW Racing ("motorsport" in German) room was located near the M series room.  Racing motorcycles were in the motorcycle room - this was just the autos, and more focused on racing versions of production cars rather than Formula-1 machines. 

You might notice that the paint jobs on this series of racing cars mirrors the tricolor M logo:

The racer below is the BMW 3.0 CSL, a 1972 variant of the E9.  It is recognizable by the aerodynamics package:  a spoiler across the edge of the roof (before the rear window), a large tail wing at the back, and prominent side air scoops.  It was nicknamed the "batmobile" with all these extras.

in 1972, the 3.0 CSL notched a European Touring Car Championship plus a LeMans class victory.  Then from 1975-1979, a 3.0 CSL won the European Touring Car Championship each year.

Also, the 3.0 CSL was used for the first two BMW "Art Cars"... these are coming in the next post from the BMW Museum...

Texas and Bavaria - Part 2

When we wrote about Bavaria being the Texas of Germany, we knew that we weren't the only ones to draw these parallels. 

In this month's MUH magazine, we're thrilled to be referenced in Martin Karaffa's column "The Lone Star Freistaat."

Though the article is in German, luckily Marty maintains an English version of his columns online (and also writes the wonderful blog Deutschland Über Elvis, a name we wish we could have invented)

In this column, he covers the many similarities in size, religious influence, dialect, patriotism, and folk fashion (boots and hats and trachten).  But he brings up one very important factor we had overlooked - vast riches.  Texas benefits from black gold (oil); Bavaria benefitted from white gold (the salt trade). 

As we thought more about the Texas - Bavaria connection, we realized that there are further economic similarities. One of the popular debates in the US is the Texas vs California model, i.e., why is California insolvent and Texas booming? 

Driven by Munich, Bavaria similarly is bucking the overall economic and demographic trends.  Despite relatively strong growth nationally, Germany has great regional disparity and is facing major population shifts. Germany as a whole is shrinking (but that's a story for another day) and there's a major population shift from rural to urban areas. 

This Der Spiegel chart shows Munich as the one area with significant positive growth. And we often see the newstand headlines proclaiming record high rents on apartments and job growth.  We're seeing Help Wanted signs on many store windows in Munich, and Bavaria's unemployment rate in April was and incredible 3.9%!! Versus Germany's overall (and relatively low) 7.3% rate. 

While we think some of this disparity is that it's just too expensive to live in Munich unless you have a good job, the bottom line is that there is job growth here and the jobs and the lifestyle are attracting people to move here. Texas has different factors at work (including low cost of living), but it's in a similar economic position relative to the rest of its nation.

Source: Der Spiegel