Munich Hamburgers: Cosmo Grill

We took a hiatus from trying new burger places while we were getting in shape for the wedding. But a few Sundays ago we did finally try the much-hyped Cosmo Grill. 

The first thing you notice is that it doesn't look like your average burger bar....it's small, white, and minimalist, but with a nice open kitchen where you can see the food preparation.  

Judging from the menu - a wide variety of meats and toppings and everything organic - it was clearly more of a gourmet burger styled place.

This is actually a burger place fit for everyone...if beef or meat aren't your thing, there are multiple veggie burgers, tuna burgers, and chicken burgers. We haven't ordered those yet, but will be curious to see if the "chicken burger" really is a burger made of chicken or more like a grilled chicken sandwich. Sometimes you just never know....

The burgers are cooked up fresh on the grill and they do not skimp on the cheese. It was a nice surprise to get some good orange cheddar, but the burger/bun ratio needs some work. Check out my burger below....the burger is half the size of the bun...not so good.  

But more importantly, what about the taste? This was the biggest surprise to me - a non-greasy cheeseburger. The meat wasn't really seasoned at all, but was clearly top quality and all beef. And after eating the burger, I felt pretty good and not at all like I'd just eaten a cheeseburger. It's definitely a great burger option when you want to still eat healthy.  Probably a big contributor to that is their lack of french fries. They do serve roasted potatoes (your choice of spices - we had the sea salt and the Provence ones, and there's also a rosemary one as well). I have mixed emotions about the potatoes. One one hand, they weren't great. Not bad, but a bit boring and not cooked thoroughly. On the other hand, I'm kind of happy they weren't irresistable because I feel like I could go back to Cosmo Grill, just have a burger, and leave having had a healthy meal. Perhaps we caught them on an off day, so we'll give the potatoes one more try next time. 

Overall, we'd have to give it a mixed review. We'll definitely go back and try it again. I really liked how fresh everything was and it's a great option for getting a burger and not feeling bad afterwards.  And I'd like to try some of the other menu items. They definitely have a lot of options to try and Herr J was a big fan of their guacamole.

But the buns were way to big for the burgers and everything could use a little pepper. One tip - unless you love your burgers with marinara sauce, you may want to ask them to hold the tomato salsa. It was quite good, but it overwhelmed all other tastes, so that it tasted like a burger with marinara sauce. Not bad, but I'm more of a burger purist...I like my burger plain, or with cheese when I'm really feeling crazy.   Just my preference. 

Cosmo Grill's address is Maximilianstrasse 10, however it's actually located on the back side of the building, more on Falkenturmstrasse.  Another big plus in its favor is that they're open late night if you're out at the clubs and need a 2am burger (or a 5am burger on the weekends)!  If you're searching for a big greasy burger and fries, this is not the place for you. But if you like the gourmet burgers or you want a more guilt-free burger, definitely go to Cosmo Grill. 

So far in our quest for Munich Hamburgers, we've visited the following restaurants:

Hard Rock, Zum Goldenen Kalb, Kennedy's, and now Cosmo Grill.  Hard Rock remains the clear front runner, but we're enjoying trying the new places and welcome any suggestions!  

Restaurant Heaven: Le Bernadin

Having lived in Manhattan and worked as a consultant (translation: Lots of business dinners at great restaurants) for many years, Herr J has been to many of New York's top restaurants. We've tried unsuccessfully a couple of times to visit some of his favorites. While we did have an amazing steak frites lunch at Les Halles, a Christmas blizzard forced us to cancel most of our reservations. 

So, when we went back to the US in May to finalize some wedding plans, we decided to celebrate with a visit to somewhere truly special - Le Bernadin. 

Herr J had raved about this place. I was slightly skeptical, since I'm not the biggest fan of haute cuisine and fancy French food. (Not that I don't like French food...I just go for the simpler and less rich dishes). But Le Bernadin surpassed all my expectations. 

With 3 Michelin stars, it's not surprising that we had to take a 10:30pm seating to get in on a specific Friday night. After a few days in Charleston planning and after an afternoon visit to Long Island to pick out wedding bands, we were finally able to relax and unwind over a fabulous dinner. 

We started in the bar area, with a glass of prosecco and their tasty snacks. The trio of snacks had candied walnuts (likely with a little fish sauce for that great salty/sweet taste), rice crackers, and popcorn with bits of dried seaweed. I could have happily stayed there and just had the bar snacks!

But it was time to move into the dining room for the main event. 

As this was a celebration for us, at the end of a very hectic week, we decided to splurge and do the tasting menu with wine pairings. There generally are two tasting menus available, all consisting mainly of seafood. Yes, this was where I was suprised....while it's fine French dining, there isn't much cooking and there's a strong Asian influence.  You can, of course, order a la carte and find some lamb or steak, but the real treat here is the seafood. 

Before the first course came an amuse bouche, consisting of a trio of salmon, lobster, and a bisque with parmesan crisp. All excellent mixes of flavors and textures.

The first course - Fluke sashimi with jalapeno lime broth - was probably my favorite. Every dish came out perfectly arranged; then the waiter poured on a light sauce. All were very flavorful, without overwhelming the fish. This one was a great mix of mexican and Asian flavors, and my first time eating Fluke. 

This next picture does not do justice to the perfection of the fish.  Whoever so perfectly seared the yellowfin tuna and then cut it in such thin slices is truly an artist. Not only did it melt in my mouth, it looks like candy!  

After these first two courses, we kept being amazed by the tastes and presentation. And the wines were so well paired. We're certainly no wine experts, but this was one of those times where the wines were so perfectly matched to the food that you just say "wow!"  The diversity of the wines was impressive too, and that most were from smaller, local vineyard.  Next up was a lovely decorated seared escolar (in kaffir-lime and lemongrass). Not only two of my favorite aromas, but I adore escolar sushi. You don't find it often, but there's a sushi restaurant in Austin that serves it and it's outstanding. 

After the lighter fish, we start to get heavier and more cooked, with a still very lightly seared salmon in a lightly buttery sauce. This one still was excellent, but not as outstanding or unusual as the others. However, it was paired with a fantastic Swiss wine. There aren't many Swiss wines, and very few of them are exported, so we were excited to try one.  This one was a white wine from the Amigne grape. For more on Swiss wines, see this NYT article. 

Which brings us to the final dish, and the only one that really was cooked. (Not at all a complaint....I LOOOOVE sashimi and sushi....but it was not what I expected from a top French restaurant. And it was great!!). The sauce with this crispy black bass was made with black garlic and Persian lemons, for a really subtle and tasty accent. You see a chunk of black garlic on the left side.  This one was paired with a very light red wine - our only red in the tasting. 

After these main courses, we cleansed our palate with a glass of pink champagne and roasted pineapple sorbet. I will definitely be trying something like this in future kitchen experiments, since roasting the pineapple first really enhanced the flavor and cut down on the sweetness. It was a more mellow pineapple flavor. 

And for the final course (or, so I thought), we had a "Black Forest" trio. Very appropriate for two visitors from Germany!  Apparently the new pastry chef likes to do some deconstructed dishes. I just enjoyed the different textures, temperatures and the chocolate and cherry flavors.  This dessert course was paired with a dessert Riesling from the Mosel valley. 

And if that weren't all enough...with the check comes another plate (each) of sweet bites. 

This was the perfect treat to us to have finished our wedding planning and to relax for a night. For me, it was also celebrating surviving a really hard 6 months at work. We finished our busy season that week, so this was a double celebration for me! 

It's hard to know if restaurants live up to the hype, but this one does. The food, the service, the wine...everything is perfectly done without being too stuffy.  You can definitely tell the work that went into every aspect of the meal, starting with whoever went to market and picked out the fish.

In traditional fine French style, there is a huge staff, all of whom have very specific duties.  But they were all friendly and eager to answer questions or provide more infomation. We learned quite a bit from our sommelier - she was quite happy to tell us more about the grapes and vineyards and how each wine was unique. 

With the wine pairing, it's quite a feast and a big splurge. But I'm hoping we can pop in for a smaller taste of the experience next time we're in town. They do serve much of the menu (and the full tasting menus) in the bar area. I would be perfectly content with a glass of wine, those tasty snacks and a small plate or two to share.  And if we're really being honest, that "Chocolate-Peanut" concoction on the dessert menu is calling to me...Madagascan Chocolate Ganache, Peanut Mousse, Salted Caramel Ice Cream...mmmm....

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:  

Munich Restaurants - Milagros (Mexican)

Within the foreigner community in Munich, people are always discussing new things to see and do.  "Have you eaten at [restaurant X]" is one of the most popular topics.  Therefore we decided to blog some Munich restaurants for both locals and visitors alike.

In this case, the first one is the easiest, because we can say it up front:  Milagros is the best Mexican restaurant in Germany.  Together Frau A and I have sampled places in Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Bonn, and Munich, and there's no contest.  (Granted, Germany doesn't do Mexican very well as a rule, but Milagros would make it in Manhattan.)

Milagros opened its doors 10 months ago -- October 2010.  It sits in the city center, not far from the Viktualien Markt and Oktoberfest Museum.  Great location.  The owner, Scott Myers, is a Mexican-American who married a German woman and moved back with her.  It's certainly no Taco Bell -- his mentor David Sterling is head of the Los Dos cooking school in Mérida (Yucatán)!

We ordered the "Fiesta Mexicana" platter for two, which includes steak arrachera (marinated & grilled), cochinita pibil (slow roasted pork in homemade tortilla), barbacoa de pollo (marinated/grilled chicken), and carnitas (braised pork in homemade tortilla) with condiments of guacamole, refried beans, and salsa.  It's a great way to try different items, and they taste as good as they look:

To drink we had a top-shelf margarita (no salt when the tequila is this good) that uses fresh juice (no mix):

Above, you'll notice on the chair the familiar Yucatan striped pattern textile -- the decor is pure Mexican.  Below, notice the hanging lamps on the right, textile patterns in the upper left (on the ceiling), and the Virgin Mary in the bottom left.  (With Mary, it fits perfectly in Bavaria.)

It is important to clarify that the food and decor are not "tex-mex".  Most Germans (and Europeans in general) would not differentiate, but it's important here because the dishes are so authentically Mexican.

To finish, we shared a chocolate flan -- not sticky sweet at all, but a rich cocoa instead, with some fresh fruit:

Milagros claims that key or special ingredients are sourced from Mexico (e.g., chiles, Mexican oregano), but where possible local (Bavarian) produce is used.  Also, they use the traditional cooking methods:  tortillas pressed by hand, wood oven and grills using mesquite from America, and real banana leaves for slow-roasting the pork.  It's serious food, and should be a perfect match for the organic, quality-focused Munich diner.

And people are noticing.  The "Restaurant Kritik" wrote a very positive article (with interviews of the owner and mentor), reviews on Tripadvisor are good (it's already in the top 100), and Google reviews are excellent too.  Since it opened we're probably been 4-5 times already, it's that good.  (And Frau A lived in Dallas, so is a tough critic.)

Locals should try the best Mexican we've had on the continent so far, and visitors can take a break from a steady diet of Bavarian food with fantastic authentic Mexican.  Higly recommended.

What Happens When You Give Free Toppings in Germany?

To many American tourists, Germany is the land of no ice, where water costs more than beer. And you have to pay for ketchup at fast food places.

Yes, it sounds odd as an isolated fact. But it's part of the system...Because drinks are so costly, they are also measured exactly. In most restaurants, your glass will have a line with the measurement. Under the German system, customers want to be sure that they get their money's worth - a full 0.33 mL or 0.5mL drink. Adding ice distorts the measurements, thus is not used. Why the clever German engineers haven't come up with standard ice cubes to allow for standard volume of water displacement is another question...I'm sure they could do it, but then again, many Europeans don't like ice in their drinks!

The water thing...yeah, I still am not sure why you don't get free tap water, but most people drink sparkling mineral water or want extra minerals in their water. (sparkling water is wasser mit kohlensäure - or just wasser mit. If you want plain, ask for stilles wasser or ohne kohlensäure).

Along this logic, chicken nuggets usually come with one sauce included - you pay for an extra if you want more sauce than someone has deemed normal. With fries, sometimes 1 ketchup pack is included in the price; sometimes not. In an Italian or upscale restaurant, usually the basket of bread slices is included with your meal (don't ask for a second one!); however, in most German restaurants, you will be charged for the number of pretzels or rolls you consume out of the basket on the table. (Because of this system, it would be a faux pas to take half a pretzel and leave it in the basket!)

So, it is a little unusual to drink tap water, and the German system of self-responsibility also extends to paying for what you use.

This system works pretty well here, once you know the rules. And perhaps it keeps costs from rising further, who knows? But the amusing part of it is what happens when there's an exception to the rules. As we've seen from New Years Eve fireworks, the World Cup, and other events allowing organized chaos,  when you suspend the rules, Germans will take it to the extreme.

This week Herr J stopped at Subway in the train station on his way to a meeting in Nürnberg (the smell of baking bread is intoxicating!!!), and ordered a sandwich. He asked for just a little bit of lettuce on his sandwich and maybe one other topping. Here's the exchange that followed with the Subway employee:

Subway Guy:  Don't you want more toppings?
Herr J:            No, that's OK. This is all I want
SG:                 But they're included.
Herr J:            I know, but the grilled chicken is really good and I want to enjoy its taste instead of all the toppings
SG:                 [laughs] Yeah, we Germans will pile on as many toppings as will fit because they're free.
Herr J:            And how does the sandwich taste?
SG:                 Not so good actually, it just tastes like lettuce.

For the record, Subway also has self-serve fountain drinks, with ice. AND FREE REFILLS! In additional to having international franchising standards and American customers, I think the theory is that ice is allowed in self-service situations because the customer is taking on the choice and responsibility of serving himself/herself a less than full serving.

Herr J had a similar experience in the US, when he took visiting German colleagues to Fuddruckers, home of free burger topping bar that encourages you to "Pile it high" and "Never leave hungry."

His colleagues learned the true American-style meaning of "my eyes were bigger than my stomach!" However, they really loved the place - partly due to good burgers, and especially due to all the free toppings and choice.

Holiday Travel Wrap-up

It's been an interesting year in travel, to say the least....stranded once by the volcano, diverted a second time by it, a few bags "lost" and later returned, one broken, and one still missing....

So, it shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone that travel issues once again changed my holiday plans!

Thanks to the winter storm, our flight to NYC was cancelled a couple of times, so we were not able to visit all the restaurants that Herr J had planned for us. Instead we stayed a few more days in coastal South Carolina.

Low Country Cuisine at 82 Queen

Our last night in South Carolina, we went to 82 Queen, for some great food. I had shrimp and grits (with bacon and cheddar topping!) to start, followed by crab cakes with red rice and green beans (also with bacon). And Herr J had She-Crab Soup, then a dish of mussels and shrimp. Excellent!

I love all the fresh seafood in South Carolina, and had crab cakes more than once. I miss crab cakes and good big shrimp here!

We did finally make it to NYC...in time to arrive late to our 10pm reservation for a fabulous meal at Asia de Cuba. We were on the balcony upstairs, overlooking the large communal table below.

Asia de Cuba

I can't recommend enough the Beef Dumplings Two Ways....one type looked like normal (large) fried dumpling but had the delicious spicy stuffing  of an empanada; the other a steamed dumpling in a sweeter soy based sauce.  The Miso-Glazed Black Cod was also wonderful, as it usually is at places such as here, Tao, and Nobu. I always have a hard time resisting that dish!

After a long day of travel, we had an unexpectedly entertaining show put on by a neighboring table in the bar area. The short version is that we first see a guy and a girl kissing, then a second girl comes arrives. We find out that the guy was meeting the second girl (whom he met on MillionaireMatch.com) there, but the first girl coincidentally was there and came over while he waited for his date. After many cheesy lines from this guy, some posturing and cattiness by the girls, he left with girl #1 while girl #2 thankfully had some self-respect and ended the date there. I only wish I could have seen the SMS's she was sending after he and the other girl left! 

Since we had less than 24 hours in the city, we had to prioritize and had time to run a few last errands (where Herr J was introduced to Sephora) and spend some browsing around B&H...a happy place for both of us! I finally found a good camera bag to replace the one South African Airways lost (the camera was not in it!) and a new filter for my 24-70mm lens.  This left us with time for an amazing lunch as Les Halles, which I had been looking forward to for a month. American beef, French style definitely works! If you're looking for a good steak in New York, try here. It's a deceptively simple meal, but with tender, melt in your mouth beef, and perfect crisp twice-fried frites. Yum!

I hope we can make another trip soon and catch up on everything we had planned for this trip!

Steak Frites at Les Halles

These vagabond shoes...

Yup, they're longing to stray.  Want to wake up in the city that never sleeps... you know the words.

Frau A and I have made some travel plans for the holidays, and it includes a few days in New York City, between Christmas and New Year's Eve..  I’m excited – I visited as a teen, then lived in the Kips Bay neighborhood and worked in the Citicorp building from 2000-2004.  So maybe I don't have the little town blues (although I tease my Munich friends about how small it is here) but the movies are right - Christmastime in NYC can be nice.

Good memories:  my apartment was on the 20th floor of a 70’s-era building.  Looking left out the windows, you could see the Chrysler Building and just a nick of the Met Life Building – overall a decent view of Midtown from the southeast:

Looking straight out the windows, that’s 2nd Avenue.  Luckily, there is an Armenian church right across the street, so there are no tall buildings blocking the view.  Plus, the Queens-Midtown tunnel was right there as well, so it felt quite open and provided a good breeze:  (Of course lots of traffic noise, but it’s New York.  Whatevah!  I didn’t notice it.):

Finally, looking right out the windows, it gets crowded but the East River is only a block or so away.  NYC launched the July 4th fireworks from the pier there, so the “booms” shook the windows and you could see not only the real fireworks but reflections off the windows of the facing buildings.  The booms would echo too.  A real home-entertainment experience.  Here's the "view":

But the real excitement is the chance to take Frau A to some interesting restaurants while we’re there.  I've already booked these restaurants, and can recommend them to anyone visiting The Big Apple.

Frau A is not the biggest cheese eater, but I’ll try to change that here.   Artisanal lies on busy Park Avenue just below Midtown, the interior was designed by noted architect Adam Tihany… but you come for the cheese that they age in their own “cave” (more than 200 varieties) and endless wines available by the glass (over 150).  Food is great (get the gougères appetizer), I love the skate main dish (hope they still have it), and you’ll never get a better cheese plate for dessert – you pick ‘em or have the Fromagier select them for you.

This place is the perfect Sunday brunch spot, but we'll settle for a weekday lunch with the business crowd.

Here's the interior and a example of a cheese plate:

        

Frau A & I like to eat Indian here in Munich, so this is perfect.   Tabla is unique with an Indian/fusion menu, and it’s a nice balance between dressy & relaxed.  Location is lovely too, near Madison Square Park downtown.
I just checked their website – they’re shutting down after at year end!  Glad I get to go one more time.   Wonder what happened?

Here's a view of the 2-story inside and some dishes with nan:           

You might have seen chef Anthony Bourdain on television - he's the resident smart-ass on Food Network (or was... don't get it here on German television).  He has some cookbooks too, that have the same attitude.  Love them.  The motto at Brasserie Les Halles:  American Beef, French Style.  Translation:  the best steak frites in the city.  French fries are fried twice.  Oh yeah.  And there is always room for my favorite chocolate mousse dessert.  Also on Park Avenue, but opened a newer downtown location too.

Here's a view of the restaurant and the famous steak frites:

      

 
Here's the chef (who's really never there anymore) and his book about sex, drugs, and rock & roll in a NYC restaurant kitchen, plus the Les Halles cookbook:

             

Tao is the ultimate example of a guilty pleasure.  It’s like a cross between Sex and the City & Disneyland.  Ladies dressed to the nines, everyone drinking like crazy, a 16-foot tall buddha statue dominating the room and a roving sax player that jams with the pulsating techno music.  Oh, the food?  Not truly gourmet, but actually very respectable Asian/fusion - a bit on the pricey side though.  Definitely a weekend dinner place to take in the scene, but get reservations or wait for hours.

Here's the inside with the buddha statue:

Blue Smoke has some of the best barbeque in the city.  Ribs are lean and smoked for hours, burgers are juicy, and even the desserts are excellent (yup, they have a pastry chef!).  Sometimes you can smell the meat smoking on the street... yum.  I’m curious how Frau A will compare this BBQ to her experience from Texas and the South.  “Jazz Standard” is their downstairs jazz club, so the music is great too.  Perfect for relaxing lunch or cool dinner.

Here's a view of the artists at work with link to Serious Eats:

Combine Asian and Latin food ("eclectic"), served in a fashionably modern/hip environment?  I think Frau A will love it.  I tend to be skeptical of hotel restaurants, but this one really works.  They have a unique, long "common" table in the middle where a few dozen people sit together, which ironically is how things work in Germany.  A couple looking for seats just needs to ask occupied tables to join them if they see two free seats.  A conversation starts up, and you have new dinner friends.  We'll get some good spice here - maybe Frau A will blog what she thinks...

Here is a view of the decor:

Well, we won't have time for all my favs.  Have to catch these on the next pass through:

• "Restaurant" founded on making homemade peanut butter and the best PB&J anywhere.  Only in New York
• Most famous steak in NYC
• 3-star French/seafood that is truly one of the finest in the world